You're Hydra Too

The Wakandan scientists who had joined the City of Immortals wore several hats. While serving as researchers, they had also become the royal family's eyes and ears. Salomon had never exposed them, instead waiting for the right moment to make the most of that leverage. He also knew that the person who had made this arrangement could not possibly have been Shuri or T'Challa—Shuri was too naive, and T'Challa too upright. This was not their handiwork. The only one who could have made such a decision was the current king, T'Chaka. Salomon knew that if he had been in T'Chaka's position, he would have made the same choice rather than placing complete faith in some inexplicable "oracle." Thus, he had never harbored any resentment toward T'Chaka and even considered him a decent king.

Of course, that did not prevent him from stripping T'Chaka of the Black Panther God's blessing and granting him a slow death.

Having spies gather evidence was not meant to provide an excuse to wage war against Wakanda, but to give himself more cards to play and make it easier to deal with Wakanda in the future. T'Chaka would step down sooner or later. Once Salomon handed the evidence to the next king, T'Challa, a fellow Oxford University physics student, would surely offer compensation. It was all business. Ruthlessness had become a habit, and he held no personal grievance against any Wakandans, not even the royal informants.

He issued fewer and fewer orders concerning the City of Immortals' administration, instead focusing on developing military strength. He delegated most administrative matters to suitable people, giving orders only when he discovered something that needed adjustment. The City of Immortals was Salomon's prototype for a governmental organization. He required it to be capable of operating independently while remaining vigorous and