"Not yielding an inch of land, but you're willing to yield kilometers of land?"
The crowd was somewhat speechless.
But no one spoke up easily, for fear that, like the Elder of the Border Tribe, their own territory would be partitioned off.
Moreover, Sokovia's strength was obvious to all. If Wakanda could form an alliance with such a powerful nation, even if Vibranium were exposed, they wouldn't have to worry about the covetousness of other countries. Sacrificing a small piece of land for long-term security and interests seemed acceptable.
But the Elder of the Border Tribe didn't think so; after all, it was his territory being partitioned.
He leaned forward anxiously: "Your Highness, I feel this matter is somewhat improper. We still need to consider it carefully."
"There is nothing to consider."
Killmonger interrupted him directly, his tone decisive: "Sokovia is our important ally. What is a mere piece of land? Everything must be for the greater good!"
"Exactly, Wakanda and Sokovia joining forces is a powerful alliance. It's not your place to object."
"The Border Tribe being able to contribute to the overall interest of the nation is a great honor. You should be happy."
"That's right. If it weren't for the poor geographical location of our Mining Tribe, this honor definitely wouldn't have been given to you."
"I really envy you."
The other tribal Elders immediately chimed in, adopting an attitude of 'better you than me.'
Since it wasn't their territory being cut away, why stick their necks out?
The Border Tribe Elder froze in place, his face so dark it almost absorbed the surrounding light. But things had come to this, and his opposition was futile.
Thus, Sokovia successfully obtained the long-term planning rights for 99.99 square kilometers of land within Wakanda.
Furthermore, the terms of the agreement were exceptionally loose. As long as they didn't build large-scale military facilities, deploy offensive weapons, or expand outward, Wakanda would not interfere with any of Sokovia's activities in that area.
If not for the concern of raising suspicion among other Wakandans, these terms could have been even looser.
After all, the King of Wakanda was Darian's undercover Agent.
In fact, Darian felt the land was still a bit small, but then he thought, the terms only stated no outward expansion; they didn't say anything about building upward or downward.
Just like in Minecraft, as long as you don't hit bedrock, you can hollow out the entire underground.
The cooperation between Sokovia and Wakanda proceeded very smoothly.
Even the Radicals within Wakanda maintained an attitude of cooperation rather than hostility.
Of course, part of this was due to Darian's achievement.
[Achievement: Nuclear Peace Messenger (Equipping this title increases the player's deterrent effect against nations)]
With this title, combined with the powerful military strength Sokovia displayed, even the most radical factions had to become Conservatives.
They even proactively suggested further deepening bilateral ties, such as exchanging international students and opening limited immigration channels, but these were all directly rejected.
The next day, Sokovia's engineering team arrived in Wakanda, led by the construction Captain, Pietro.
Darian handed the diamond pickaxe to Pietro and instructed: "Use this pickaxe to dig hard into the ground. Don't worry about structural collapse. In short, within the designated area, the more space, the better. Understood?"
"Understood."
Pietro took the pickaxe, his face full of weariness.
He had undergone rigorous training and overcome numerous difficulties, thinking that one day he would be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
As it turned out, Darian either had him farming or digging. His combat power had been forcibly turned into productivity.
The next moment, Pietro turned into a streak of blue light across the ground. Wherever he passed, soil layers and rock blocks were precisely cut as if by an invisible force, disappearing neatly and leaving behind square pits with perfectly smooth edges.
In just a few moments, the originally flat surface was covered in pits, the excavation efficiency being shockingly high.
Darian looked at the scene and nodded with satisfaction.
At this rate, he believed a new Base would soon be built in Wakanda.
Then they could mine Vibranium in Wakanda, and send technical personnel to study under Shuri, researching Wakanda's Vibranium technology system to create Sokovia's own Vibranium technology chain.
Darian imagined the subsequent development, feeling high-spirited.
Our Sokovia is still on the rise!
Darian only stayed for a moment before turning to leave.
He didn't need to personally supervise the construction; the engineering head transferred from the HYDRA Base had taken full control.
In the field of construction, HYDRA was professional. Having built hidden Bases around the World for years, they were already well-versed in it.
As for the follow-up work related to Wakanda, Zemo would naturally be responsible for it, so Darian didn't need to worry at all.
Indeed, having many talented subordinates was convenient.
Darian found a place to change his appearance, turning back into Wakanda's military advisor, and found Killmonger.
"How is the Vibranium mining work going?"
Killmonger said in a low voice: "I have already ordered the daily extraction to be doubled. Soon, a new batch of Vibranium will be transported to your side."
Although Wakanda sat on an entire mountain range of Vibranium, its total amount was ultimately limited.
To prevent an outflow caused by excessive Vibranium, the ancestors of Wakanda had long ago set rules strictly forbidding wanton mining, with strict quotas for daily production.
Of course, another point was that mining Vibranium was much more difficult than ordinary ore. Even if one wanted to over-mine, it was not an easy task.
Darian nodded: "Very good. Once our people completely take over the mining rights for part of the veins, it won't be so troublesome."
At this point, Killmonger hesitated for a moment and said: "Mr. Doom, I plan to transport a batch of Vibranium weapons out."
Darian said in surprise: "Transport them out for what?"
"Armed revolution."
Killmonger showed a look of resentment: "In America, where I grew up, my compatriots have been suffering and facing discrimination. They are weak and unarmed, helpless in the face of oppression."
"But Wakanda has the power to change all this. We have spies all over the World. Vibranium weapons cannot be detected by any conventional means. As long as we can get weapons into their hands, those oppressed compatriots can gain the power to overthrow the elites who exploit them and the entire corrupt system!"
Darian: "???"
What kind of nonsense are you talking?
Putting 'weak' aside for a moment, are you serious about 'unarmed'?
You should know that when he started the game, most of his equipment was looted from the black brothers.
When luck was better, he could even loot automatic rifles, grenades, and machine guns.
You call this unarmed?
Darian couldn't believe that Killmonger, who looked like a ruthless retired special forces soldier, actually had such ridiculous ideas.
He was quite speechless: "Are you sure you grew up in America?"
Killmonger nodded with certainty: "Of course. I lived in a black neighborhood since I was a child. After I grew up, I joined the army. Shortly after I retired, I joined Klaue's criminal syndicate."
"No wonder."
Darian suddenly understood.
He finally understood why Killmonger had such ideas.
Although he was in America, Killmonger had been trapped in black neighborhoods since childhood. Under the influence of the black brothers, it was inevitable that he would feel they were all persecuted.
By the time he became an adult, Killmonger went straight into the army and later hung around with criminal syndicates, having no time to understand the real situation.
Seeing Darian remain silent, Killmonger asked: "Mr. Doom, what do you think of my idea?"
Darian spoke sincerely: "The starting point is good, but you'd better not start at all."
Killmonger: "..."
Darian continued: "And if you do this, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't just sit by and watch."
"What is S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Killmonger was confused.
"The organization that wiped out HYDRA back in the day, the strongest intelligence agency in the United States, and closely related to the Avengers."
Darian explained: "Their former Director and the members of the Avengers are all close acquaintances. If your group of black brothers dares to cause trouble on his turf, he might just wipe them all out himself."
Killmonger was instantly indignant: "That guy must be a racist!"
"He's a black man."
"..."
Killmonger coughed lightly and said firmly: "No matter what obstacles there are, I won't give up. My compatriots have been oppressed for too long. Clearly, we haven't done anything, yet we often have to endure groundless accusations and suspicion!"
Darian was somewhat speechless; Killmonger was surprisingly stubborn.
"Since you're so persistent, why don't we play a game? If you succeed in the challenge, I won't stop you from doing whatever you want."
"What game?"
Killmonger's interest was piqued.
Darian said cheerfully: "It's simple. You go back to America and live like an ordinary person for a period of time, but there are a few conditions."
"What conditions?"
"You have to live in an area with the most black people. I'll give you a sum of money for all your expenses. During this period, you cannot use any force. Once you take action, it counts as a violation of the game rules, and the challenge fails."
"That's it?"
Killmonger looked dismissive, thinking the game was simply too easy.
"Don't be in a hurry; I have one more condition."
Darian grinned: "To avoid exposing your identity, I'll have someone give you a disguise. As long as you successfully last through the specified time with this disguised appearance, you'll have succeeded in the challenge."
"Bring it on!"
Killmonger patted his chest, full of confidence.
He was already imagining how to start implementing his plan after the challenge ended.
Darian naturally wouldn't pass up a source of amusement like Killmonger delivering himself to his door.
However, with Killmonger temporarily leaving Wakanda, the position of King was vacant again.
Darian thought about it and decided to have Killmonger temporarily transfer power to T'Challa, with T'Challa serving as the Acting King to handle Wakanda's daily state affairs.
T'Challa didn't expect that the King's cloak would end up back on his shoulders after all.
Meanwhile, Killmonger set off for the United States. According to Darian's arrangement, he moved into a chaotic neighborhood with a large black population.
Although Killmonger knew the neighborhood was quite messy, he didn't care. His black skin was the best camouflage; those black brothers would surely be friendly to him for the sake of their shared skin color.
Until... he turned into a white man.
"This—what is this?"
Killmonger looked at his white-skinned self, dumbfounded.
Darian said cheerfully: "A special pigment, a product from the Nova Empire. It can change skin color and won't rub off even with water or alcohol. The effect lasts for at least three months."
"From now on, you are a white citizen. Survive well here... oh, no, live well."
You just said 'survive', didn't you?
Killmonger's lips twitched.
After Darian finished speaking, he disappeared from the spot.
Killmonger was no longer surprised by this. He had no choice but to follow the address provided by Darian and turn toward a dim alleyway, preparing to see what his temporary residence looked like.
As it turned out, he had only walked a few steps when three black youths suddenly emerged from the shadows, blocking his path.
"White pig, hand over the money. Don't make us do it ourselves."
The leading black brother with dreadlocks tilted his head, his tone arrogant, casually revealing the handgun tucked into his waistband.
Killmonger: "..."
Alright, I take back the 'unarmed' part.
If it were before, he could have easily dealt with these small-time thugs in a few moves.
But now the game rules said he couldn't use force, so he could only choose to use his words.
Killmonger looked at the familiar skin color and heard the familiar neighborhood accent, feeling a sense of kinship. He subconsciously said, "Hey, n*gga, I..."
"Motherf*cker! Who the hell are you calling n*gga?!"
The three black brothers instantly exploded, staring at Killmonger with unfriendly eyes.
Killmonger: "..."
Shit, I forgot I'm a white guy now.
After Darian dropped Killmonger off, he didn't bother with him anymore.
He believed his black brothers would soon make him realize how wrong his ideas were.
Darian sent people to monitor all of Killmonger's actions to prevent him from secretly violating the rules, and incidentally recorded the fun to watch when he returned.
He planned to take a long trip, the kind that went far away from Earth.
Now that the spaceship was built, his interstellar plan naturally had to be put on the agenda.
Darian teleported to Sokovia, returned to the HYDRA Base, and took the elevator straight to the deepest level.
This was an enormous space, where several Destroyer Ships were neatly arranged.
Strucker had been waiting here for a long time. Seeing Darian arrive, he reported respectfully: "Officer, your ship is ready. The accompanying personnel are also in place and can depart at any time."
Darian nodded and boarded the largest of the Destroyer Ships.
This flight was mainly for testing purposes and wouldn't go too far, so there weren't many accompanying personnel. He only arranged for Bucky, the sole Interstellar Warrior, and over a dozen Super Soldiers and Extremis Soldiers.
In addition, Wanda had also come along, which wasn't in Darian's plan.
Darian said in surprise: "Why are you here?"
Wanda looked innocent: "I heard you were going to a very big river, so I came along."
Darian: "..."
That's the damn Galaxy!