"Supply line."
When Ye Mo uttered those three words, his voice was somewhat dry. The air in the cave still carried the acrid smell of the explosion, mixed with the damp, earthy odor unique to the underground, making his chest feel tight when he inhaled it. He leaned back against the hard plastic back of the folding chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knees. The shield he had just endured had depleted most of his energy like a punctured balloon, making it difficult even to lift his eyelids. But he dared not close his eyes, nor dared he let his mind stop. If he relaxed, that feeling of being hollowed out would climb up his spine and crush him completely.
T'Challa stood at the corner of the table, arms crossed, his black suit still smudged with dust. He stared at the red data dots on the holographic projection screen, his brow furrowed deeply. As the King of Wakanda, he was used to being in control, but now, facing Klaue, this madman, he realized he wasn't in a good position. Releasing the data copies was only the first step; the real trouble lay in cleaning up these leaked cancerous cells. Focusing solely on the weapons themselves was merely treating the symptoms; only by addressing the root cause could the enemy's ambitions be extinguished.
"You're right." T'Challa broke the silence, his voice deep and metallic. " Klaue isn't an ordinary arms dealer. He has Hydra's technical support and the blueprints for that ' Golden Sonic ' thing. If we only try to intercept the finished product, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack—we'll never find it all."
Emma Frost leaned against the wall, her face as pale as paper. She had nearly exhausted her mental energy to maintain the signal shield and aid in the analysis. Now, she was even breathing cautiously, afraid that the slightest exertion would cause her head to explode. But she still forced her eyes open, her gaze landing on Ye Mo: "So you mean we should start from the source?"
Ye Mo nodded, his fingers swiping rapidly across the touchscreen. As he operated, the previously chaotic data stream on the screen began to reorganize, and clear lines emerged, connecting different nodes like blood vessels.
" Vibranium is rare, but it's not unavailable in certain underground black market networks." Ye Mo pointed to a flashing red dot on the screen, his tone calm yet undeniable. "Those semi-finished products in Klaue's hands couldn't have appeared out of thin air. He needs to source them from outside or steal them from within. Based on the anomalies in the chip's logistics tracking, his supply chain has three obvious weaknesses: the source of raw materials, the transit transportation channels, and the warehousing point before final delivery."
He paused, then looked up at the two men, his eyes sharp as knives. "Once these three lines are severed, the weapon in Klaue's hands is nothing but a pile of scrap metal. Without Vibranium fragments, there's no resonance chamber; without a resonance chamber, a sonic weapon is a joke."
T'Challa squinted, scrutinizing the data. He knew Ye Mo was right. Wakanda had long practiced isolationism, and the outside world had limited knowledge of Vibranium, but that didn't mean complete isolation. There were always some greedy people willing to take risks, using complex underground networks to resell and disguise vibranium fragments. Klaue had exploited this, mixing illegally acquired Vibranium fragments into legitimate trade processes, transporting them step by step to his secret factory.
"Tracing the source of raw materials, identifying those small processing plants where Vibranium characteristics have been illegally stripped," Ye Mo continued, his speech quickening, clearly entering his area of expertise. "Secondly, targeting transportation routes. Focusing on key ports and private shipping routes transiting through third countries. I noticed several shipments, after leaving the Wakanda border, lingered for over forty-eight hours at an inconspicuous inland port, which doesn't align with standard logistics logic. That's likely a temporary transit point."
Emma Frost listened intently, though her mind was buzzing from overusing Telepathy, she still tried her best to follow Ye Mo's train of thought. She reached out, her fingertips lightly touching the screen, a faint mental fluctuation sweeping across the data nodes. " Ye Mo, those locations you mentioned..." She took a deep breath, barely concentrating, "I sensed some lingering emotional traces. The flow of people there is very frequent, and the backgrounds are blurry. Many people seem to be deliberately avoiding leaving a record. This tension... it doesn't seem like ordinary businessmen, more like secret agents on a covert mission."
"That's right." Ye Mo's lips curled into a cold smile. "These are typical characteristics of a smuggling gang. They're not just in it for money, they're in it for survival. Once caught, they won't face imprisonment, they'll be silenced."
After listening to their analysis, T'Challa remained silent for a moment. Only the low hum of the equipment filled the cave. He was weighing the pros and cons. Publicly disclosing the supply chain clues meant admitting that there was a traitor within Wakanda assisting Klaue, which would damage the country's reputation and could even trigger political turmoil. But without disclosure, it would be impossible to mobilize external resources to sever this transnational chain. It was a dilemma.
Ye Mo saw through T'Challa's hesitation. He didn't urge him, but waited quietly. He knew that the young king needed time to make a decision.
"Your Majesty," Emma Frost suddenly spoke, her voice weak yet resolute, "We don't need to release all the details immediately. Ye Mo's suggestion is excellent; we can initiate 'cutting off the supply chain' as a separate intelligence operation. We don't need to release the weapon blueprints immediately; we can simply use the pretext of 'combating illegal smuggling rings' to conduct precise strikes against specific transport routes and storage points. This achieves our objective while avoiding prematurely exposing the sensitivity of Vibranium weapons."
T'Challa turned his head and saw that Emma Frost White Queen's suggestion was exactly what he wanted. It solved the problem while protecting the country's secrets. It was a pragmatic and risk-controlled solution.
"But," T'Challa's tone shifted, his gaze turning serious, "It would be difficult to complete such a massive mission alone. We need allies. S.H.I.E.L.D..? The Avengers? Or some other force?"
Emma Frost shook her head. "I don't recommend contacting the Avengers directly. They're too high-profile and could attract unnecessary attention. But I can help screen out potential allies who are hostile to Wakanda or whose interests are at risk. These people are more likely to cooperate without too much questioning. For example, some S.H.I.E.L.D.. agents share a common goal of combating transnational crime. They value evidence and efficiency more than political propaganda."
Ye Mo added, "I can provide technical intelligence support. Through my Vibranium Sense capabilities, I can monitor the dynamic changes of these nodes in real time, ensuring our strikes are accurate. At the same time, I will encrypt the data to prevent it from being leaked to unauthorized personnel."
T'Challa pondered for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. Once, twice, three times. The rhythm was slow and heavy. Finally, he stopped, looked up, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.
"Now that the plan is set, we can't hesitate any longer." T'Challa's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute. " Ye Mo, you'll be in charge of the technical intelligence support. Emma Frost, you'll assist me in screening reliable contacts. We must weave this net before Klaue can react."
Ye Mo nodded, relaxing slightly. He knew the real challenge had just begun. Cutting off the supply chain was not just a military operation, but a complex game involving politics, economics, and humanity. But he believed that as long as the direction was right, every step would count.
Emma Frost also breathed a sigh of relief, her tense shoulders slumping slightly. She glanced at Ye Mo, a hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes. In this unfamiliar world, having such a reliable partner made her feel at ease.
T'Challa turned and walked toward the communication device, his fingers rapidly typing commands on the keyboard. The screen lit up, displaying a new interface listing several potential target nodes.
"First, let's start here." T'Challa pointed to the first red dot on the screen. "This is a secret warehouse in East Africa. According to reliable sources, a batch of Klaue's core components is being assembled there. We need to confirm the situation there within twenty-four hours and develop a raid plan."
Ye Mo leaned closer to examine it, his brows furrowing slightly. He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the Gene Spiral Tower. The seventh floor felt slightly warm, and that familiar vibration returned. He tried to extend his senses to touch that distant coordinate.
"Something's not right." Ye Mo opened his eyes, his expression turning serious. "The energy fluctuations there are very weak, but the frequency is strange. It doesn't seem like they're assembling weapons; it's more like they're... destroying evidence?"
T'Challa and Emma Frost exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
"Has Klaue already discovered our intentions?" T'Challa asked.
Ye Mo shook his head. "No, it's more like someone beat us to it. Or, it's just a trap."
Just then, a rapid alarm sounded from the communicator. The red warning box on the screen flashed wildly, and the blinding light illuminated the faces of the three people.
Warning: High energy response detected. Distance from current location: 3.5 km. Estimated arrival time: 10 minutes.
T'Challa abruptly stood up, his hand resting on the Vibranium at his waist.
"It seems Klaue is moving faster than we thought."