The pain did not subdue M'Baku; instead, it ignited a fiercer passion and fighting spirit within him.
With eyes burning red and teeth gritted, he continued his assault on Chen Mo, only to be repeatedly blocked by those iron-hard fists.
In these violent clashes, Chen Mo's frame—visibly more slender than his own—remained as steady as a mountain, not budging an inch. Conversely, the immovable, mountain-like force transmitted from Chen Mo's fists with each impact made M'Baku himself stagger, his footing becoming unsteady.
Under the repeated, brutal collisions, the skin on M'Baku's fists split open and bled. Bright red blood splattered into the air each time their fists met.
Simultaneously, his entire arms grew numb from the violent impacts.
Chen Mo's bones were seven times denser than those of an ordinary person, far harder than steel. M'Baku's fists striking against Chen Mo were like pummeling a block of impregnable steel with all his might. While M'Baku's fists were considerably stronger than a normal human's, they were nowhere near as hard as steel. The outcome was inevitable.
After a dozen or so exchanges, M'Baku's fists were a bloody mess, and his arms were nearly numb, too heavy to lift. He was utterly incapable of continuing the fight.
M'Baku had gone all out against Chen Mo. Though he had only thrown a dozen punches, the sheer intensity of his assault had drained him tremendously. He stood panting heavily, his face flushed. His injured arms hung limply at his sides, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
Looking at the completely composed Chen Mo before him, M'Baku couldn't help but glance at the fist he had just exchanged blows with.
Chen Mo's hand was now relaxed, the back of it stained with a faint smear of red. Upon closer inspection, however, unlike M'Baku's own torn and bloody knuckles, the skin on Chen Mo's hand was completely intact. The blood was clearly his own, splattered from their collision.
In other words, Chen Mo hadn't sustained the slightest injury in their exchange. Not only had M'Baku's fists been ripped and battered by Chen Mo's iron-hard bones, but his arms were now completely numb, leaving him unable to fight.
Even solid stone would have shattered under his full-force blows, yet Chen Mo remained utterly unharmed. Did he possess an indestructible body?
Wasn't that a power of legend?
Furthermore, Chen Mo's relaxed demeanor indicated he hadn't even used his full strength. One could even say he hadn't been serious at all.
M'Baku, who had always considered himself immensely powerful, found himself completely outmatched against Chen Mo. The gap in their strength was truly vast.
He had been able to accept his previous defeat at the hands of Erik Killmonger. After all, Erik was taller and more robust than him, so his superior strength was understandable.
But Chen Mo was slightly shorter and not as bulky, his muscles defined but without excessive bulk.
Compared to him and Erik, Chen Mo's physique was more like that of a black panther—streamlined and agile. While muscular, he lacked mass, giving an impression of speed and explosive power.
He had initially assumed Chen Mo's strengths lay in speed and agility and that he would rely on evasive tactics. Unexpectedly, facing his full-frontal assault, Chen Mo had met him head-on and prevailed.
In that brief exchange, Chen Mo had displayed astonishing physical qualities: formidable defensive capabilities, bones harder than steel, and immense strength.
The Black Panther's power was the limit of human strength he could previously imagine. Erik Killmonger's effortless victory over the Black Panther had already greatly surprised him. Unlike T'Challa and his companions, who excelled in agility and flexibility, Erik's immense strength, ferocious fighting style, and imposing, primal physique made him seem more like one of the Jabari themselves.
M'Baku had secretly believed that their Ape God had sent Erik Killmonger to lead Wakanda to glory, a notion Erik's subsequent actions seemed to confirm. Upon formally ascending the throne, Erik's first act was to gather elite warriors and launch a covert military operation aimed at unifying Africa.
Yet, Chen Mo's apparent superiority over Erik Killmonger, coupled with this superhuman strength that defied imagination, made M'Baku question his earlier assumptions.
If Erik Killmonger was the warrior sent by the Ape God to lead them, then what manner of being was Chen Mo, who was even more powerful?
Despite his complex emotions, M'Baku yielded to Chen Mo and wholeheartedly accepted his command.
With all objections settled, Chen Mo formally assumed command. Instead of immediately launching the operation, he first turned to Princess Shuri from his seat.
"How many stealth fighters does Wakanda currently possess?"
Princess Shuri glanced at M'Baku, who had been so easily defeated by Chen Mo in direct combat, swallowed softly, and answered obediently, "Fewer than a hundred."
"That's insufficient. Our targets are all the warlords across the African continent. To ensure the plan proceeds smoothly, the mission must be completed in the shortest time possible. Therefore, we need more stealth fighters."
Princess Shuri looked up, a hint of pride in her expression. "No problem. The manufacturing process for the stealth fighters is simple and fast. I only need two weeks to double our fleet."
Chen Mo gave a slight nod. "Two hundred should be about adequate."
By now, including the Jabari warriors, the total number of elite fighters available for the decapitation strikes had reached four hundred. They would be divided into two hundred two-person teams.
Given the capabilities of these selected elites, augmented by Wakanda's advanced technology and equipment, a two-person team should have little difficulty completing the assassination missions.
After all, their targets were merely African warlords, not the President of the United States. While these warlords had defensive forces, they were far inferior in soldier quality, elite training, and defensive rigor, posing no real threat to the Wakandan teams.
While instructing Princess Shuri to devote all efforts to manufacturing the stealth aircraft, Chen Mo also tasked her with preparing a full set of combat equipment for four hundred personnel as soon as possible. This equipment was to be distributed to the elite warriors from all tribes who had already assembled, including the Jabari warriors, who had traditionally been reluctant to use technological weapons.
However, they had no choice in the matter now. This was a unified external military operation, and everything had to follow the commander's orders. Their only option was to obey!
Once the pre-war preparations were arranged and the meeting concluded, everyone filed out of the conference hall, leaving only Chen Mo, Erik Killmonger, and M'Baku.
"M'Baku," Chen Mo's voice broke the silence. "What is the name of your Ape God?"