Chapter 145: The Leopard
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In a room so bare it was almost empty, a tall figure pushed open the door and strode inside like a cheetah, a bottle of beer in hand. He tipped it back and drained it in great gulps.
He was just about to sit down on the sofa when his seemingly languid form instantly sprang to alertness. Without the slightest hesitation, he drew a pistol flashing with cold light from the small of his back, swift as lightning.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the pitch-black night, the muffled gunshots were not particularly sharp, thanks to the suppressor.
The instant the shots rang out, a hand as fair as jade slowly rose from the darkness. Several bullets, warped by gunpowder and still radiating waves of heat, came to a halt in midair as though suspended in a mass of transparent jelly.
“First time meeting, and there’s no need to be so vicious, Mr. Killmonger.”
At the sound of the teasing voice, a faint glow illuminated the shabby room, revealing everything inside.
On the worn sofa sat a simply dressed young Chinese man. With a half-smile on his face, Gu Chongyan crooked a finger, and the bullets danced up and down at his fingertips.
Opposite him stood a powerfully built Black warrior, his hair braided into dreadlocks of various sizes. His gaze remained calm; even when faced with Gu Chongyan controlling the bullets, his expression did not change.
His eyes were like blades buried beneath ice and snow on a bitter winter’s day, cold to the bone.
Erik Killmonger, known as the Money Leopard—the supervillain from the film Black Panther.
Erik’s father was N’Jobu, the younger brother of T’Chaka, king of Wakanda. While conducting undercover operations in Oakland, N’Jobu fell in love with an American woman, and the two had a son, Erik Killmonger.
N’Jobu wished to share Wakanda’s technology with the other nations of Africa in order to help them overthrow their oppressors. Thus, together with his accomplice James and the arms dealer Ulysses Klaue, he plotted an invasion of Wakanda and stole a large quantity of vibranium.
That vibranium must never be allowed to leave Wakanda. It was an ironclad law, and even the royal family was not exempt.
However, N’Jobu was the king’s younger brother. T’Chaka could not bear to see him punished by the laws of the kingdom, so he secretly suppressed the matter and sought N’Jobu out in private, hoping to settle everything peacefully.
Instead, N’Jobu refused to admit his guilt, resisted arrest, and even attempted to fight back. T’Chaka accidentally killed him.
Because Erik was an illegitimate son, T’Chaka had no idea that he existed, leaving behind a future disaster.
From the notes his father left behind, Erik learned of Wakanda’s existence. Believing that T’Chaka had murdered his father, he embarked upon a path of revenge.
After growing up and graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a master’s degree, Erik joined the Navy SEALs. After leaving the military, he became the renowned international mercenary known as the Money Leopard.
Following T’Chaka’s death, the Money Leopard joined forces with Ulysses Klaue in an attempt to overthrow Wakanda’s government. Though he was ultimately defeated by T’Challa, the conflict also exposed Wakanda to the eyes of the world.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
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The Money Leopard narrowed his eyes, every muscle in his body tensing as he watched Gu Chongyan warily.
“Who I am is unimportant. What matters is that there is something I would like to cooperate with you on, Mr. Killmonger.” Gu Chongyan smiled.
“What is it?” The Money Leopard raised his chin, scrutinizing him.
“I need vibranium. No less than fifty kilograms,” Gu Chongyan said calmly.
Vibranium?
At those two words, the Money Leopard’s already tense muscles tightened further, and even his breathing stopped for a brief moment.
He concealed it well. If Gu Chongyan had not been exceptionally perceptive, he would never have noticed that fleeting change.
His expression unchanged, the Money Leopard said evenly, “You’ve come to the wrong person. I’m only a mercenary. If you want someone killed, I can help you. Anything else is beyond me.”
“Besides, do you even know what vibranium is? The entire world doesn’t possess fifty kilograms of it in total. Where am I supposed to get that much for you?”
Gu Chongyan gave a derisive laugh. “Let’s not pretend, Mr. Killmonger. There’s no need to put on an act. Vibranium may be difficult for others to obtain, but you must have a few channels of your own.”
“Not to mention that with the ring on your hand and the mark on your lips, producing some vibranium shouldn’t be all that difficult.”
The Money Leopard’s gaze turned razor-sharp. Without a second thought, he lunged at Gu Chongyan like a cheetah pouncing on its prey.
His speed, angle, and strength were all nearly perfect. Gu Chongyan was likewise well versed in combat techniques, yet he had to admit that compared with the Money Leopard’s fighting style, his own skills were little better than child’s play.
It was not without reason. Both he and Matt had learned techniques centered on subduing their opponents.
But as a mercenary who lived by the blade, the Money Leopard followed a path designed for killing. In terms of ruthlessness, he naturally held the advantage.
Still, no matter how flawless the Money Leopard’s attack, to the Gu Chongyan of today it was nothing more than a joke.
He did not even need to recite a spell. Gu Chongyan merely flicked a finger, and the bullets dancing at his fingertips shot out in an instant.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Several metal bullets struck the Money Leopard in both legs. Bursts of blood sprayed into the air, and with a muffled groan, he collapsed to the floor like a heap of mud.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why go to such lengths, Mr. Killmonger? I came to discuss cooperation, not to make an enemy of you. Yet you insisted on shouting threats and trying to kill me. An ant trying to stop a chariot—how am I supposed to respond to that?” Gu Chongyan said, his face filled with regret.
“Who are you, really? How did you learn all this?”
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Though wounded, the Money Leopard still forced himself to remain standing. His legs trembled as he fixed Gu Chongyan with eyes as sharp as knives.
At this, Gu Chongyan replied unhurriedly, “Forget who I am, and forget how I learned it. All you need to know is that I require vibranium—and that you, the son of Wakanda’s prince, can help me obtain it.”
“I don’t have time to waste arguing with you. So I’ll ask you once: are you going to cooperate with me?”
“If you agree, you will follow my arrangements. Go to Wakanda, use your royal status to acquire vibranium for me, and I will help you establish yourself there.”
“If you refuse, we go our separate ways. I’ll send you to meet your dead father, and it will be as though I never came here.”
Hearing this, the Money Leopard’s dark face grew even darker.
“Do I really have a choice when you put it that way?”
Gu Chongyan gave a scornful laugh and cast him a contemptuous glance. “Who told you I was giving you a choice? If you weren’t still of some use to me, then after what you just tried to do, letting you die would be doing you a favor.”
“Enough nonsense. Either obey obediently or die obediently. I don’t have that much free time.”
“Heh heh!” The Money Leopard let out a cold laugh. A dangerous glint flashed through his eyes.
“Die? I think you’re the one who’s going to die!”
Before the words had even faded, a dangerous aura surged toward them.
Eighty-One Chinese Network
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