After his bath, Rowan had T'Chaka lead him around to inspect several important locations.
One was Wakanda's technology center. Another was the vibranium mine. And the last, the sacred garden of Heart-Shaped Herbs.
Rowan chose to look at the garden first. These herbs were treasures of unimaginable value.
Once ground into a potion, the Heart-Shaped Herb could elevate an ordinary person's physique to that of a trained warrior sometimes even a mid-tier fighter. It was astonishing.
In fact, in the second Black Panther film, Shuri had managed to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb artificially through technology.
That meant the potion could be mass-produced, similar to the Extremis virus.
Rowan planned to experiment: first, administer the Heart-Shaped Herb potion, then inject the Extremis virus, and see if the two could coexist without conflict.
If they were indeed compatible, he could create stable super-soldiers on a massive scale.
At that point, his power would expand to unthinkable heights.
After examining the herb garden, Rowan turned his attention to Wakanda's technology center and the vibranium mine.
The research facility was built directly above the mine, the two existing together in a vast underground complex.
This was the site Rowan valued most.
Descending into the cavern, he saw vibranium veins stretching in every direction an amount comparable to a small mountain. Even though he had seen it on film before, the real sight still left him shaken.
He couldn't estimate the total reserves, but he could clearly see Wakanda carting out shipment after shipment with no sign of depletion.
This was after centuries of mining. The entire subterranean vault must once have been filled entirely with vibranium.
Rowan marveled. This time, he truly had become the richest man on Earth.
Power really was everything. When he wanted something, he could simply take it.
"Brother, how could you surrender? Does this mean Wakanda will forever kneel at someone else's feet?"
Shuri had just awakened, only to discover Wakanda bowing to Rowan, and she was completely stunned.
Rowan was ahead, surveying the vibranium mine, while Shuri, her voice sharp with anger, confronted her brother T'Challa.
"Shuri, when I arrived, he had already defeated everyone including our father, the Black Panther. If we hadn't surrendered, he would have slaughtered us all…"
T'Challa sighed heavily. Gentle by nature, he could accept this outcome, even if it stung. At least the people of Wakanda had been spared.
But Shuri was unwilling.
She believed Rowan wasn't invincible. She had only been knocked unconscious before she could use her inventions.
"Brother, I have a way to defeat him…"
Her words came in a hushed whisper.
T'Challa frowned immediately. "Shuri, we've already surrendered. Don't do something reckless."
But Shuri pressed on. "You saw the high-frequency sonic emitters on the maglev tracks, didn't you? I designed them to force vibranium into an inert state. His armor is clearly nanotech. If I can activate the emitters while he's standing on the tracks, his armor will shut down."
T'Challa's eyes widened. He understood.
If Rowan lost his armor's protection, then perhaps a single well-placed energy blast could defeat him.
For a moment, T'Challa's heart raced but then he shook his head firmly.
"Shuri, have you thought about what happens if you fail? The consequences would be more than Wakanda could bear."
Her lips tightened. Though impulsive, she wasn't foolish enough to gamble with every life in the kingdom.
"Then here's another idea. We bring him to see the vibranium transport system. When he steps onto the track, if the armor really does fail, we attack together!"
She pulled out two sleek pistols from behind her back.
"These are my latest energy weapons. They fire at ten times the speed of sound. His telekinesis can't stop energy blasts he'll never dodge in time."
T'Challa glanced at Rowan in the distance but remained silent.
Suddenly, smack!
T'Challa slapped his sister across the face.
Everyone nearby King T'Chaka, the Dora Milaje's bald general, and W'Kabi were stunned. They couldn't comprehend why the usually doting brother would strike Shuri so harshly.
Shuri clutched her burning cheek, staring at him in disbelief.
Her own brother not only refused to support her plan but actually struck her?
Tears welled in her eyes, a storm of anger and hurt twisting inside her.
"Shuri, what matters more the throne, or the lives of all Wakandans? This kingdom belongs to everyone, not just to us. You cannot drag them into death with you."
T'Challa's voice was cold, heavy with authority.
He then stepped forward and tore the pistols from her hands.
King T'Chaka had also realized what was happening.
"Shuri, your brother is right. This is already the best possible outcome. I can feel it his killing intent is real. Do not tempt him further."
"But—!" Shuri's voice cracked, still indignant. In her mind, her plan would have worked.
She wiped her tears, bit her lip, and stormed past them all, straight toward Rowan.
Rowan had witnessed the whole exchange from afar.
His hearing was sharp enough to catch fragments of their conversation, and he had pieced together the rest.
His opinion of T'Challa rose considerably.
Shuri marched up, eyes blazing. "You only won because you knocked me out first. Otherwise, you'd never have beaten Wakanda!"
Rowan chuckled coldly, looking down at her.
"You think I didn't hear your little plan?"
Shuri froze, eyes widening in horror.
They had been over a hundred meters away, speaking in hushed tones yet he had still heard?
Which meant he knew everything.
Her heart thumped wildly. For the first time, she felt grateful her brother had slapped her.
Otherwise…
"Remember this," Rowan said with a chilling edge. "You can resist if you want. But the price will be every single Wakandan life."
His gaze was like ice.
"Picture it. The blood of your people flooding these halls. Your father, your mother, your brother each dying while looking at you with nothing but hatred."
Shuri trembled, terror flooding her young heart.
She was too young to truly fear her own death. But the thought of being responsible for the slaughter of her family and people that was unbearable.
Rowan saw the fear written on her face. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her effortlessly into the air, flying up toward the maglev track.
"You wanted to disable my armor with sonic waves? Then watch."
In the distance, a transport train carrying vibranium roared down the track.
The emitters lining the rails began to hum, releasing high-frequency waves.
The vibrations crackled sharply in the air.
But Rowan's armor remained steady, unaffected, every plate gleaming as if nothing had happened.
Shuri's pupils contracted. Her body collapsed, trembling violently.
Cold sweat drenched her back, her face pale with horror.
She realized just how naïve she had been.
If she had convinced her brother to act, they would have failed and Wakanda would have been annihilated.
Far behind, King T'Chaka and T'Challa both broke into cold sweat.
Rowan had heard everything. And the sonic waves hadn't hindered him at all.
Only now did they understand Wakanda had nearly been destroyed.
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