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Chapter 158: Encounter
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 15:10:43 +0000 UTCThe agile Velociraptors darted quickly through the jungle, scanning everything they could sense or see and relaying the information back to Vito.
Suddenly, one of the velociraptors seemed to notice something and let out a series of sharp calls to its companions before sprinting off in a particular direction.
They soon came to a bend in the river, where they circled and patrolled around an abandoned camp.
After a short time, a group of individuals dressed in camouflage, their bodies painted with oil for concealment, emerged cautiously from the dense jungle and approached the camp.
"Same old methods. These Wakandians are ruthless—those Frenchmen didn’t even leave a trace behind,” said the leading figure, who was none other than Vito.
Three days ago, after completing an arms deal in southern Sudan, Vito had split from Josh and led a team of twelve men and ten Velociraptors across the Ethiopian border into an area believed to be close to Wakanda.
At this point in history, Wakanda didn't have the futuristic holographic barrier that could hide an entire city. However, its location deep within a mountain range, combined with the vigilance of its border tribes, made it an incredibly secretive and well-protected nation.
The Velociraptors' keen senses helped Vito and his team detect dangers that would otherwise be impossible to notice.
From the items left behind in the abandoned camp, it was easy to deduce that this place once belonged to a group of French agents. Sadly, the condition of the camp and the traces of blood suggested that these Frenchmen had met a grim fate.
Someone less observant might attribute their demise to the Nile crocodiles that are often seen in the nearby river bend. After all, scraps of clothing occasionally floated along the water's edge.
But Vito knew better. These men had probably been killed and then thrown into the river as food for the crocodiles.
This was not the first such scene he had encountered. In the course of their journey, Vito had come across four or five similar situations.
Both British and French agents had fallen victim. Some had triggered traps, others had been attacked by wild animals, and each death had been made to look like an accident.
However, the behavior of the Velociraptors revealed the truth—there were too many unfamiliar scents at these sites.
This strongly suggested that these individuals had been murdered and their deaths staged to appear accidental.
And who else could be responsible for such calculated actions but the Wakandians?
"Do they think that by creating so many 'accidents' the French and British will give up? Naive," muttered Vito with contempt.
Such tactics might delay the Europeans' discovery of Wakanda's secrets, but the truth was already out. Before Vito had even set foot in Wakanda, Hydra's intelligence network confirmed that Britain and France had formed an alliance over the matter.
British colonial forces and the French Foreign Legion had already been mobilized in Uganda, south of Wakanda. The increasing number of missing agents had only fueled their impatience and their conviction that Wakanda was hiding something significant.
When small groups of spies weren't enough, they sent armies instead. With most of the surrounding nations under British influence, this wasn't a difficult move for them.
Given the delays in communication in this era, it was quite possible that British and French forces had already entered Wakanda, but had simply taken a different route, which was why Vito hadn't encountered them yet.
"Lead the way, sweetheart," Vito said, patting the head of the curious Velociraptor queen beside him.
The raptor let out a short cry, and the others, alert as ever, continued to move deeper into the jungle.
Vito stood and gazed at a distant, mist-shrouded mountain deep in the forest. He had a feeling that his destination lay there.
Just then, an urgent warning cry echoed from the Velociraptors ahead.
Vito and his team exchanged glances and immediately ran in the direction of the commotion.
When they arrived, they saw the Velociraptors roaring anxiously toward a certain spot. On the ground before them lay the headless body of one of their own.
Of the original ten Velociraptors, only nine remained, which explained their visible distress.
The thirteen men, now on high alert, quickly raised their weapons and aimed in the direction the velociraptors were focused.
Suddenly, the remaining nine raptors shifted their attention upward, staring at something above Vito and his team.
"Above us?" The thought struck them like lightning as they instinctively aimed their weapons skyward.
But they were too late. A dark shadow swooped down on one of them, its claws ripping through his throat before he could react.
Vito, who had undergone the basic enhancements of the Super Soldier Serum, was the only one to react in time. He opened fire as the creature descended, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off its body.
"Well, well, looks like we hit the jackpot! It is none other than the Black Panther of this era, the great King Azzuri himself!" Vito exclaimed, a twisted grin spreading across his face.
Vito had heard Josh mention a scenario like this before. In Wakanda, only one person possessed the agility of a super-soldier and impenetrable suit of armor—The King, Azzuri.
"You're not British or French!" Azzuri, ready for another strike, froze for a moment, shocked that Vito had so effortlessly revealed his identity.
The British and French intelligence networks had only scratched the surface, suspecting Wakanda of possessing advanced technology. They knew nothing about vibranium or the existence of the Black Panther.
But these people knew.
Azzuri's mind raced to the shadowy figure who had leaked information to the British and French, seemingly intent on inciting conflict between Wakanda and Austria.
"Heh, we're here to take your life!" Vito sneered, giving an order to his remaining men. "Use the serum. I want him alive!"
At Vito's command, the eleven men pulled metal syringes from their pockets and injected themselves without hesitation. Vito followed suit.
Moments later, their bodies began to undergo grotesque transformations.
From his hiding place, Azzuri sensed the change in the air. His heightened Black Panther instincts screamed danger, warning him of the escalating threat emanating from the group.
Before he could act, a gust of wind blew past him. Azzuri narrowly avoided it, but as he leapt through the air, a massive tail lashed out, striking him mid-flight and sending him crashing into a distant tree.
Fortunately, the Black Panther suit of this era, while lacking the energy absorption and redistribution capabilities of its future counterpart, offered a defense comparable to Captain America's shield. The attack did him no harm.
But as Azzuri rose, he saw the twelve grotesque humanoid lizard-like creatures standing before him. His wariness grew.
From the brief exchange, he had already judged their strength and speed. They were his equal-if not more powerful.
This didn't look good.
In a one-on-one fight, his vibranium claws and the robust defense of the suit would allow him to wear down an opponent.
But facing twelve of these creatures at once? If they managed to pin him down, even the vibranium suit wouldn't save him.
Unlike later advances in Wakandian technology, his suit was still worn manually. If immobilized, his enemies could forcibly remove it and kill him.
As king, Azzuri understood the catastrophic consequences his death would have on Wakanda. With his father's early death in a war, the family line was already precarious. If he fell here, his line would end.
Reluctantly, Azzuri decided to withdraw.
But Vito's team had no intention of letting him escape. This was a rare opportunity, and they weren't going to waste it.
The twelve transformed warriors began to close in, forming a tighter circle around the Black Panther.
