Chapter 167: The Leopard's Spoils

Meanwhile, Gu Chongyan successfully obtained the Darkhold, while far away in Wakanda, Killmonger also sent back good news.

Upon entering Wakanda, Killmonger did not rush to steal Vibranium for Gu Chongyan.

After all, Vibranium was Wakanda's strategic resource. The disappearance of even the tiniest fraction would be detected immediately, and a rash operation would only lead to failure.

Therefore, he chose to secure his footing first and make his moves gradually.

Although it was described as a gradual process, Killmonger's actions were actually extremely swift, and he soon firmly established himself in Wakanda.

The reason was simple: the old king had always harbored lingering guilt over the death of N'Jobu back then. Upon seeing Killmonger now, he projected more than twenty years of suppressed affection directly onto this nephew.

Unlike the newly ascended T'Challa in the film *Black Panther*, the old king had held the reins of power in Wakanda for over two decades, and his grip on the kingdom was far beyond what his son could compare to.

Even the leaders of the Five Tribes did not dare to confront him directly. As the saying goes, whatever those above favor, those below will follow with even greater intensity; discerning individuals could clearly see the high regard the old king had for Killmonger and naturally showered him with flattery.

Not only the old king, but also the youth of Wakanda who harbored ambitions to reform the nation's system—sharing common aspirations with Killmonger and having similarly studied at higher education institutions in Europe and America—quickly warmed up to him.

Under Killmonger's intentional goodwill, T'Challa soon accepted his cousin. The two shared a mutual appreciation, and within a couple of days, they were as close as biological brothers.

Aside from the current and future kings, Killmonger did not forget to win the favor of the other two royal family members.

Princess Shuri was a genius in the Marvel Universe whose intellect was by no means inferior to Tony Stark's. Although she was still just a child, she already possessed her own independent laboratory.

Killmonger was not only a supervillain with top-tier combat skills and extraordinary strength, but also an accomplished top student well-versed in machinery.

While he could not compare to these geniuses cursed with knowledge, he was at least able to hold a conversation with her. With Princess Shuri still young, Killmonger's deliberate approach allowed them to easily find common ground.

Even the queen, who initially disliked Killmonger the most among the royals, broke into smiles and warmed up to him completely after he intentionally or unintentionally expressed that he had no interest in the throne and was willing to wholeheartedly assist T'Challa in becoming the next king.

Wakanda was ultimately a nation controlled by the royal family. With all four members of royalty successfully roped in, Killmonger's position was, if not as secure as Mount Tai, certainly not far from it.

Soon, using the excuse that T'Challa had grown into a man and should begin touching upon kingdom affairs, Killmonger requested the old king's permission to try managing a tribe to familiarize himself with state matters.

Naturally, the royal family would not oppose such an initiative that elevated T'Challa's profile and built his credentials. Soon enough, the old king handed the River Tribe over to T'Challa to manage, paving the way for him to accumulate prestige.

Then, perhaps feeling that since his son had work to do, it wouldn't do to leave his nephew out, the old king assigned the Border Tribe to Killmonger's management.

Thus, Killmonger successfully infiltrated the inner circle of the Wakandan regime for the first time.

Moreover, the tribe he laid his hands on was the Border Tribe, which was essentially equivalent to the Wakandan military.

Although he had no intention of staging a coup, as long as he controlled the Border Tribe, he could enter and exit Wakanda in the future without needing anyone's authorization, while also quietly smuggling Vibranium out.

Learning that the old king had assigned him the Border Tribe did not surprise Killmonger in the least.

In fact, he had secretly engineered the entire thing from behind the scenes.

From the day he suggested that T'Challa manage one of the tribes, he knew the Border Tribe would inevitably fall into his hands.

The reason was simple: the Jabari Tribe went without saying—they listened to decrees but refused summons, paying no heed even to the king's orders, so they were entirely out of the question.

The Mining Tribe was responsible for extracting Vibranium, holding the economic lifeline of Wakanda. No matter how much the old king wanted to elevate his son, he could never hand that tribe over; the Mining Tribe was impossible.

The Merchant Tribe was responsible for the nation's economy and trade. Thousands of years ago, when Wakanda was still impoverished, they played a significant role. However, as Wakanda's technology advanced and isolationism took root—especially after the development of cloaking technology—the nation naturally ceased trading with the outside world.

Consequently, the status of the Merchant Tribe steadily declined. In recent years, they had shown tendencies toward leaning closer to the Jabari Tribe, alienating the royal family, and treating the old king's commands with ambiguity and vagueness.

The Merchant Tribe was also one of the Five Tribes most eager to communicate and interact with the outside world.

A tribe that even the old king hadn't managed to bring to heel would certainly not be used as a stumbling block for his son.

That left only the River Tribe and the Border Tribe.

The reason Killmonger was certain he would secure the Border Tribe was that the River Tribe was the queen's maternal family and the royal family's most loyal supporters. Furthermore, among the Five Tribes, the River Tribe possessed the largest population and the greatest power.

A large population, immense power, and being one of their own made them the absolute best choice for building credentials. Even if the old king had reservations, the queen would undoubtedly give her full support for T'Challa to manage the River Tribe.

With that settled, only the Border Tribe remained. By dropping a few hints to the old king, reminiscing about the hardships his deceased father endured while handling state affairs alongside the monarch, and leveraging the support of the other three royal family members, acquiring the Border Tribe was naturally a matter of course.

Although his role as administrator was mostly nominal in most circumstances, as long as he participated, he could naturally accomplish things.

While the Border Tribe did not mine Vibranium directly like the Mining Tribe, as the guardians of Wakanda's borders, they had captured countless smugglers over the years attempting to illegally traffic Vibranium out of the country.

By participating in a few operations and secretly intercepting shipments, Killmonger could easily acquire a substantial amount of Vibranium.

Furthermore, ever since he hoodwinked T'Challa, the two had been secretly preparing for Wakanda to open up to the world.

If a little girl like Princess Shuri could have her own exclusive Vibranium laboratory, how could T'Challa, as the future king, not have his own private assets?

Aside from the intercepted Vibranium, the vast majority of it had been obtained by Killmonger directly from T'Challa.

In the span of just a few short months, over a hundred pounds of Vibranium, valued at more than five hundred million US dollars, was quietly smuggled out of Wakanda and delivered into Gu Chongyan's hands.

Looking at the Vibranium in his possession, Gu Chongyan sighed with heartfelt emotion: the superheroes and supervillains in the Marvel Universe were truly all extraordinary talents.

In such a short time, Killmonger had achieved so much in Wakanda. Had he not explicitly forbidden him from fighting for the throne, staging a quiet coup to take over all of Wakanda would probably have just been a matter of time.

Accepting the Vibranium and instructing Killmonger to continue infiltrating Wakanda to steal more of the metal and scientific knowledge, Gu Chongyan returned to New York and hurried toward the Baxter Building.

Everything was ready; it was time to forge the divine artifact.