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"Why? Why would that Superman kidnap my daughter?"
Hearing that his daughter was taken, T'Chaka's heart pounded with anxiety. He wanted to mobilize all of Wakanda's forces immediately.
Go find Superman and get his daughter back.
But as the king who led the whole country, he knew some things couldn't be rushed.
If he gathered all the military power now, it would definitely mean going to war with that mysterious Superman.
The consequences would be beyond what he—or Wakanda—could bear.
After all, Wakanda prided itself on its advanced tech and unbeatable strength; their shields that no country could break fell in seconds against this intruder.
"Father, what's going on? Why are we under attack?"
Just as T'Chaka was trying to process that his daughter had been kidnapped and thinking of how to handle it—
His son, T'Challa, having heard the news of the Wakandan invasion, hurried to the palace.
"Prince T'Challa, don't worry. His Majesty is working on a plan and will definitely rescue Princess Shuri!"
"What? My sister's been kidnapped?"
T'Challa had only known that Wakanda was under attack — but now he just found out his own little sister had been kidnapped.
"Father, who exactly kidnapped my sister?"
Although Shuri was T'Challa's half-sister, they were really close.
Hearing that his sister was taken, T'Challa instantly got fired up.
"I'm gathering the royal guard right now. I'll go rescue my sister myself."
He spun on his heel, ready to leave immediately.
"Damn it, sit down."
Just as T'Challa was about to step out of the palace, the usually silent old king T'Chaka finally spoke up.
"But… Father?"
At this moment, T'Challa wasn't the wise king he'd become years later — he was young, reckless, and impulsive.
"Enough. This needs careful thought."
The old king stepped down from his throne and walked slowly over to T'Challa, patting him on the shoulder.
Then he took the first step out of the palace.
"We never provoked that so-called Superman. Now he suddenly breaks into Wakanda and kidnaps your sister — there must be reasons we don't know about."
Outside, the old king stared up at the sky where a huge hole was torn in the protective dome. The shield was slowly repairing itself.
His expression grew heavier.
"And I believe he'll come back — and make his demands known."
The wise old king was already piecing together why Superman had taken his daughter.
"Father, you mean…"
T'Challa followed behind, catching on immediately.
Looking around at the tech-filled cityscape — it felt like stepping into the future.
He instantly understood what had built Wakanda into what it was now.
"It's probably just about the vibranium. If this Superman guy wants it, then if giving him some keeps Wakanda safe, what harm is there in that?"
Making this decision seemed to age the old king even more.
"But Father, what if he's not satisfied?"
T'Challa worried — what if the guy wanted more?
"Then he'll see what Wakandan warriors are made of. We fear nothing!"
At that moment, the old king's eyes were sharp and fierce — like a leopard locked on its prey.
But just as quickly, that fierce energy vanished without a trace.
"Still, Wakanda never fights without preparation."
He gazed up at the half-moon hanging in the sky, lost in thought.
Suddenly, the king turned around and said to T'Challa:
"Son, I have a mission for you."
"But before that, you need to receive the blessing of the Panther God…"
…
Far away, deep inside an icy cave in Antarctica, more than a dozen figures had gathered.
Men and women, old and young.
None of them were here by choice — they'd all been forcibly brought by Peter.
Some had been in bed moments before and woke up here.
Others were in labs, doing experiments — only to be dragged away.
Thankfully, the ice cave was big enough to fit everyone.
But since it was in Antarctica, the temperature was always below freezing.
Some hadn't been dressed for this at all — some liked to sleep naked…
Of course, Peter wasn't heartless. He made sure everyone got some clothes before bringing them here.
Right now, they were huddled around the only fire in the cave, trying to stay warm and get to know each other.
"So, what exactly did that guy calling himself Superman want with us by bringing us here?"
A girl with delicate Asian features, wearing thin clothes, stretched her hands out toward the fire, asking slowly.
"Ahem, beautiful lady, I think I'll answer that question for you."
Tony's usual playboy charm was slipping out as he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
He stood up, looking down at the group, and started speaking slowly:
"That guy brought us here to help him make…"
Just as Tony was about to launch into what sounded like a grand speech…
A sudden whoosh of air cut him off.
Everyone turned to see two more figures entering the cave.
"That guy… doesn't even spare kids? And she's just a teenage girl."
Tony looked at Wakandan princess Shuri, who was now violently vomiting.
He didn't get why Superman had brought her here.
To Tony, she was just a teenage girl — completely different from them grown-up, sometimes old, scientists.
Peter wasn't on the ground. Instead, he hovered in mid-air, his gaze cold and serious as he scanned the people before him.
"The smartest Earthlings in this universe: Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four."
"Dr. Helen Cho, Korean scientist and creator of the regeneration cradle."
"Dr. Erik Selvig, expert in astronomy and energy science."
"And lastly, from Wakanda — Princess Shuri, who holds absolute authority over vibranium technology."
Peter's eyes swept across the group, naming each of them carefully.
The other dozen or so weren't famous but were still top researchers in their fields.
After all, creating his nano-suit and lone fortress wasn't just about a few geniuses — he needed the right assistants too.
"No doubt, you are the greatest scientific minds from all fields."
"But now…"
Suddenly, Peter paused, his eyes glowing red.
Sizzling!
Two beams of fiery heat shot out, circling everyone, burning a red ring into the ice around their feet.
"Oh my god!"
"No!"
Some nearly got hit by the heat beams — lucky they jumped back in time, or their bodies would have been melted apart.
"Such scaredy-cats."
Tony, who had seen everything unfold, stayed completely calm—totally forgetting how he looked the moment he was kidnapped.
Stopping his intense heat glare, Peter fixed his still-dangerously glowing red eyes on everyone there and slowly continued:
"Too bad… you're all kidnapped!"
"....."