The smoke from the battlefield had not yet completely dissipated.
The once invincible Wakanda army has now lost its will to fight.
Thousands of soldiers dropped their spears and knelt dejectedly amidst the ruins.
Arrogance had vanished from their eyes, replaced only by deep fear and despair.
In the center of the battlefield.
T'Chaka seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant.
His spine, a symbol of royal power, bent helplessly.
" Mr. Stark..."
"We have surrendered. Please tell your comrades to stop; Wakanda cannot withstand any more destruction."
It was clear that T'Chaka did not respond to what Luca had just said.
It's like deceiving yourself, as if the fact won't happen if you don't respond.
But the reality is clearly very different from what we imagined.
Luca's battle uniform has quietly disappeared, replaced by a suit.
Aside from a slightly disheveled neckline, she remained elegant.
It was as if the battle just now was nothing more than an after-dinner stroll for him.
At this moment, Luca looked down at T'Chaka from his high position, but instead of speaking immediately, he casually snapped his the Snap.
Jessica, standing behind her, immediately understood.
She carefully walked around the pebbles on the ground and handed Luca a glass of red wine that had been poured beforehand.
"Thanks."
Luca took the glass and gently swirled it.
He first took a sip of red wine before slowly turning his gaze back to T'Chaka.
He was naturally aware of the other party's little scheme.
But he didn't care; what use were petty schemes at a point like this?
It was nothing more than a struggle before death.
"Surrender? Your Majesty, you use that word very inaccurately."
Luca's tone was laced with undisguised mockery.
"I reiterate, my purpose is not to fight, but to represent Stark Industries in a deep business partnership with Wakanda."
"Since it's a collaboration, there should be a formal contract. After all, we're civilized people, right?"
Luca turned around and shouted at the Justice transport plane hovering in mid-air.
" JARVIS, bring the contract down."
"Yes, sir."
With a soft buzzing sound, a small micro-drone flew out of the transport plane.
Soon, the drone hovered in front of T'Chaka, projecting a densely packed holographic electronic protocol.
T'Chaka raised his head, trembling, and looked at the terms and conditions.
After just one glance, the old king felt his vision go black and almost fainted.
Stark Industries and the Kingdom of Wakanda Exclusive Strategic Partnership Agreement
[Article 1: Stark Industries will wholly own and take over the mining, processing, and distribution rights of all Vibranium mines within Wakanda. Wakanda will retain 10% of the mine revenue as basic maintenance fees.]
[Article 2: All future technological research and development achievements of Wakanda must be unconditionally shared with Stark Industries, and Stark Industries shall decide whether to disclose them globally.]
[Article 3: Wakanda's border defense system will be integrated with Stark Industries ' Wide-Area Supernatural Phenomena Detector Network, with the Justice League providing 24/7 security.]
"This... this is hardly cooperation!"
T'Chaka was trembling with rage, his finger twitching as he pointed at the holographic projection.
"This is robbery! This is outright plunder! You're turning Wakanda into the Stark Family's private mine!"
Upon hearing this, Luca shook his head and smiled gently.
"No, no, no, Your Majesty, this is not robbery. After all, robbery doesn't bring in money as quickly as this."
It would have been better if he hadn't said anything; once those words were spoken, T'Chaka felt like he wanted to die.
If he had the chance, he'd love to tear Luca to pieces!
By this time, T'Challa had also gotten up from the ground.
His battle suit was tattered and torn, with a large dent in his chest.
Upon hearing the contents of the agreement, T'Challa was consumed by rage and spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Father! We can't sign! If we sign, Wakanda's foundation will be completely destroyed! We'd rather die in battle than be slaves to the outside world!"
T'Challa struggled to stay upright, attempting to launch another attack.
but.
Before he could even take a single step...
"Boom!"
Luca's eyes instantly turned cold.
A force field, as if materialized, slammed into T'Challa!
"Bang!"
T'Challa could even scream, he was pinned to the ground by the immense force.
The floor around him was shattering, and he felt like his internal organs were about to burst.
Luca held his wine glass, his eyes coldly fixed on T'Challa on the ground.
"Your Highness, I didn't kill you just now because I thought you still had some research value."
"But if you remain so muddle-headed, I wouldn't mind giving Wakanda a different heir."
As he spoke, Luca turned his head, his gaze sweeping over T'Chaka with a sharp, piercing look.
"I don't have time to listen to your talk about sovereignty and dignity. Dignity is just an excuse used by the weak to cover up their incompetence."
"Sign it or leave it."
Luca pointed to the magnificent, golden capital of Wakanda in the distance.
"Or I'll erase this city from the map forever."
"Then, I'll send people myself to hollow out the mountain. The result will be the same, only the process will be a little noisier."
Which one do you choose?
A blatant threat! Intimidation without any moral boundaries!
T'Chaka looked at his son, who was pinned to the ground and groaning in pain, and then at the desperate soldiers around him.
He knew that Luca was absolutely true to his word.
The opponent's godlike power was something Wakanda simply could not contend with.
"I... I'll sign..."
T'Chaka closed his eyes, and two streams of cloudy tears slid down his cheeks.
He extended his trembling finger and pressed his fingerprint on the confirmation button of the holographic projection.
"Bite!"
"The agreement is in effect. Thank you for your cooperation, King T'Chaka," JARVIS's gentle voice rang out.
That soft sound was like a death knell.
The Wakanda elders present all closed their eyes.
Okoye knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
It's over.
Everything is over.
Wakanda remained hidden for so many years, accumulating technology and wealth over countless generations.
But today, it was completely taken away by someone with a ridiculous business contract.
This is a case of dimensional reduction attack.
Faced with overwhelming force, they didn't even have the right to resist.
Their Vibranium became a commodity in the eyes of others.
Their advanced technology became someone else's spoils of war.
From this day forward, Wakanda is no longer a lofty, hidden divine kingdom, but merely a raw material supplier on Stark Industries' financial statements.
This profound sense of powerlessness and humiliation will forever be etched into the bones of every Wakanda.
And behind Luca.
The Justice League members reacted in various ways upon witnessing this scene.
Peter stood there watching the weeping Wakanda soldiers, and his kind heart was slightly moved.
" Mr. Luca... they look so pitiful."
Peter couldn't help but whisper.
But soon, the ideas Luca had instilled in him took over his mind again.
"No, Peter, you can't think like that!"
" Mr. Luca is right! They hid such precious Vibranium underground while watching people outside die from war and disease. That's true selfishness!"
" Mr. Luca didn't Carnage them; he just took their surplus resources."
"This is for the progress of all mankind! We are saving the world!"
" Mr. Luca is truly great, bearing all the infamy for the future of the Earth!"
Seeing Peter's expression, Pietro rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"This kid, he's been sold out and he's still helping count the money. This is clearly robbery, how can he talk about it like it's something sacred? But..."
Pietro stroked his chin, glanced at the Wakanda group not far away, and felt a secret sense of satisfaction.
"Anyway, it wasn't mine that was stolen. If I could have a suit of armor made from this magical metal, my speed would definitely double!"
"Forget about sovereignty, might makes right."
In contrast, Wanda and Gwen Stacy's reactions were much more straightforward.
The two of them didn't care about Wakanda or any business agreements.
Their gazes remained fixed solely on Luca from beginning to end.
Looking at Luca's incomparably handsome profile, and his aura of absolute control.
All of this made Gwen Stacy's heart race and her legs feel weak.
"This is my man..."
On the other side...
Wanda's eyes, however, were even more unfocused.
In this world, as long as you stand behind Luca, no one can hurt her.
"No matter what he does, I will always support him. Even if he wants to destroy the world."
Wanda made a silent vow in her heart, her eyes gleaming with an almost morbid fervor and love.
at the same time.
On the other side of the world, in the Himalayas, at Kamar-Taj.
The air in the quaint tea room was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
The water mirror in mid-air broadcast everything that was happening in Wakanda to this place.
The atmosphere in the tea room was eerily quiet.
"A mountain? An entire mountain made of Vibranium?!"
At this moment, Tony's breathing became a little rapid.
Howard's father went through tremendous effort to obtain even a tiny amount of Vibranium to create Captain America's shield.
And now, Luca has actually acquired a mine!
"We're rich now! We're really rich now!"
Tony paced excitedly back and forth in the tea room, his inspiration flowing freely.
" JARVIS! Did you see that?! With Vibranium, the nanotech armor will never have to worry about defense again!"
Tony shouted excitedly into the air.
"I can fuse Vibranium and shape memory metals!"
"In this way, it can not only absorb kinetic energy, but also bear the energy imprint of the magic circle!"
"I could even replace the Arc Reactor's outer shell with Vibranium shell, which would increase its energy output limit tenfold!"
" Luca usually seems so carefree and irresponsible, I never expected him to have such a talent for banditry!"
"Technology as equity? A 90/10 split? Hahahaha! This is the most brilliant business joke I've ever heard! Well done, Luca!"
Seeing Tony in a state of frenzy.
Steve, sitting to the side, silently touched his shield.
"Damn it..."
Steve took a deep drag on his cigarette, then stubbed it out on the coffee table.
"This kid is even more unreasonable than the Germany Gestapo back in the day."
Although Steve despised Wakanda's behavior of not sharing resources and hiding in their shell to watch the show.
Moreover, Luca's actions forced Steve to acknowledge a reality.
In this world, reasoning is often useless.
Only when you have the power to overturn the table will others obediently sit down and listen to you.
Luca accomplished what he had wanted to do but couldn't in the past.
That is to use absolute power to establish new rules.
"Well, no matter what, it's better for Vibranium to be in Stark's hands than in Hydra's."
Steve shook his head, silently comforting himself.
"With this batch of Vibranium, if, as the Ancient One said, some cosmic demon is indeed going to invade Earth, we at least have the means to resist."
On the other side of the tea room.
Wang's eyes lit up when he saw the mountain of Vibranium in the water mirror.
Even though he's a monk, that doesn't mean he doesn't understand money!
" Sorcerer Supreme..."
Wang approached the Ancient One, lowered his voice, and spoke excitedly.
"You mean... now that Mr. Luca is so wealthy, could Stark Industries sponsor the restoration of our Kamar-Taj magic circle?"
Wang rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation.
"The winds are so strong in the Himalayas that we have to spend a lot of money every year to repair the roof."
"If we could use Vibranium technology to create a windproof shield for Kamar-Taj, winters would be so much better."
"And I've heard there's a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York that serves roast whole lamb..."
The Ancient One ignored the king's incessant chatter.
She simply watched Luca's retreating figure in silence.
As the Sorcerer Supreme, she saw things far more profoundly than Tony and Steve did.
"A terrifying variable..."
The Ancient One murmured to himself.
What she saw was not just Luca taking the Vibranium, but also Luca's control over energy during the battle.
Thinking of this, the Ancient One frowned slightly.
"This kind of physique is practically made for devouring the universe."
She recalled the vague disasters she had seen in the timeline before.
Originally, she thought the Demon God would be the greatest threat to Earth.
But now it seems...
If one day, Luca grows weary of the world, or the power within him that yearns to devour everything spirals out of control.
Therefore, Luca will become a cosmic catastrophe even more terrifying than Dormammu.
Deep within him lurks a cold and ruthless nature.
The Ancient One's gaze fell on Wanda Gwen, who was standing next to Luca.
"The only things that seem to hold him back are his family and the women he cares about."
I hope this bond can last forever.
The Ancient One gently waved her hand, and the water mirror turned into golden sparks and dissipated in the air.
Then, he looked at Tony was still excitedly drawing design sketches.
" Mr. Tony."
The Ancient One spoke gently.
"Your brother has obtained a key for you that can usher in a new era."
"Now, it's up to you to combine magic and technology to create a lock that can protect this key."
Tony looked up, his eyes filled with fervor and confidence.
"Don't worry, Master."
"With Vibranium as its core, within a month I will show the world what true magical armor is!"