Chapter 101: Battle Plan

"Wakanda and Atlantis cannot bury their hatred with a few words," Queen Ramanka told Arthur.

"In truth, the war between Atlantis and Wakanda was decades ago, wasn’t it? So much time has passed. It should have been laid to rest by now," Arthur replied.

"Impossible. My sister was killed by the people of Atlantis. The grievance between us and Atlantis is not something we can simply set aside," the queen said.

"Then let me speak plainly. The main reason I want Atlantis and Wakanda to end their hatred is that my mother was also a Wakandan, so Wakandan blood flows in my veins as well," Arthur said to the queen.

"Your mother was a Wakandan? That’s impossible! Who was your father?" the queen asked in shock.

"They died when I was very young. I only know my father was King Dylan of Atlantis. As for my mother, I never really knew who she was; the Atlantis royal family deliberately kept it hidden," Arthur answered.

"What! You are King Dylan’s son? Then you must be Ramala’s child!" the queen exclaimed as she rose abruptly.

Ramala was Queen Ramanka’s younger sister. She had once longed deeply for the world beyond Wakanda, so she had secretly slipped away. No one had imagined that by some strange twist of fate she would end up with an Atlantean man, and that man was King Dylan.

Atlantis and Wakanda had already been bound by hatred, let alone the love between members of the two royal families.

At the time, the old king T'Chaka had been furious and wanted Ramala dragged back, but in the end word came that she had been executed by Atlantis.

Wakanda had then sent troops to attack Atlantis. In that battle, every member of the Atlantis royal family fell except the king and his son, which was why Atlantis had ultimately been left with Namor alone.

"Child, let me look at you properly," Queen Ramanka said, taking Arthur’s hand and telling him everything about his parents.

T'Challa had not imagined that Arthur was tied to him by blood as well. If Arthur was the son of his mother’s sister, then he should be his cousin.

Everyone had heard of the long enmity between Atlantis and Wakanda, but no one had expected Arthur’s origins to be so extraordinary. They were all genuinely happy for him, relieved that he had finally found family.

"You poor child," the queen said after hearing Arthur’s story. Arthur had been raised by his adoptive father, and now even that father was gone. He was truly alone in the world. The queen clasped his hand tightly.

"All right, let’s keep discussing how to find Ultron. Once we defeat the enemy, we can celebrate properly," T'Challa said, looking at everyone.

"Then I’ll go to the vibranium mine to see whether Ultron is there. As for the rest of you, help T'Challa defeat Erik and reclaim the throne!" Arthur said.

"No. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone. Ultron now has a vibranium body and an army of iron soldiers. What you’d face there would be hundreds, even thousands, of robots!" Steve Rogers objected to Arthur’s plan.

"We should split into two teams: one to deal with Ultron, and one to help deal with Erik!" Tony Stark said.

"I’ll deal with Erik. The problem is that he now controls all of Wakanda’s forces. We need the help of the Jabari Tribe!" T'Challa said, looking toward M'Baku, who sat on a nearby chair without saying a word.

"You want me to help you against Wakanda’s army? Impossible. Saving your life already repaid the debt from our duel. We’re even now," M'Baku said, meeting T'Challa’s gaze.

"You know how powerful vibranium weapons are. If you don’t help me reclaim the throne, do you really think Erik will spare you?" T'Challa asked.

M'Baku fell silent. T'Challa was right. The Jabari were the only tribe in Wakanda that had not bowed to Erik. If he did not help T'Challa, Erik would sooner or later come for him.

"Fine. I’ll help you reclaim the throne. This time, you owe me," M'Baku said, choosing to help T'Challa.

"Wonderful. We’re all Wakandans, my brother. Let’s take Wakanda back from Erik together!" T'Challa said happily.

"Since the old king was killed by Ultron, all we need to do is let the people of Wakanda know that Erik is in league with him. Then Wakanda will naturally withdraw its support for Erik," Steve Rogers said.

"Exactly. So first we find Ultron, then we expose their conspiracy in front of everyone!" Tony Stark said.

"This is the best chance we have to destroy Ultron. Wakanda is isolated from the outside world. If we find a way to cut off the network, we can eradicate Ultron here once and for all," Arthur said.

"As long as I can reach the palace control room, I can activate the energy barrier and seal Wakanda completely. The shield can block all radio signals too, so not only will no one be able to leave, Ultron will also have no way to escape through the network again!" Princess Shuri said.

"Excellent! Then we’ll wipe out Ultron in Wakanda for good this time!" Dr. Banner said excitedly.

Everyone was thrilled. At last there was a way to deal with Ultron once and for all. What remained now was deciding who would face Ultron and who would confront Erik.

"Arthur, Banner, Thor, Stark, Wanda, and I will deal with Ultron. The rest of you will help T'Challa!" Steve Rogers said. He had chosen the Avengers with the greatest destructive power.

Everyone obeyed Steve Rogers’s orders. Led by Princess Shuri, they boarded a fighter and headed for the Kansas vibranium plant, while the remaining Avengers followed the Jabari Tribe toward the Wakandan royal palace.

Piloting the fighter under Shuri’s guidance, Steve brought them to the Kansas vibranium plant. Kansas lay in a mountain range, inconspicuous and easy to miss, with only a single entrance.

Steve parked the fighter a long distance from the plant and had Shuri, Wanda, and Dr. Banner wait aboard while Arthur, Thor, Stark, and Steve went in first to assess the situation.

Arthur handed the venom in his hand to Wanda. Wanda told him to be careful. Arthur nodded, then gently touched her hair to reassure her not to worry.

The four of them arrived at the entrance to the vibranium plant. Arthur sent out his psychic sense to probe below.

"This is wrong. There isn’t a single living person inside," Arthur said to the other three. Their expressions immediately darkened, which could only mean that all the Wakandans inside had been killed by Ultron.

"Keep quiet. Let’s go down and see," Steve Rogers said. The others nodded.

They descended the stairs in silence and reached a thick metal door. It was not shut. Arthur pushed it open and entered an elevator shaft.

The four of them rode the elevator down into the plant’s main hall, where the sight of Wakandan bodies strewn across the floor filled them with dread.

The hall was highly advanced, with glass walls that looked straight out onto the vibranium mine and the continuously running maglev train.

"Everyone is dead. Keep searching for Ultron’s whereabouts," Steve Rogers said into his earpiece.

Inside the fighter, Princess Shuri heard that everyone in the plant had been killed, and tears immediately streamed down her face. The vibranium plant had always been under her responsibility, and its staff were people she had worked with day after day.

Wanda held Princess Shuri in an embrace to comfort her, while Dr. Banner reminded the four of them to be extra careful.