See more on my P@treon.
[email protected]/Dreamerlord Just replace @ with a
Read more than 50+ chap there
******
Klaue swallowed hard, then shuffled to the vault at the back of the office. His fingers shook as he typed the code. The heavy door hissed open, releasing a faint cold mist.
Inside were several small metal ingots—shiny, dense, unmistakably vibranium.
Klaue forced a smile that looked more like a grimace."H-Here… see? You can take it… and leave me. We're done, right?"
Ethan stepped closer, expression flat.
"That's it?" he asked calmly.
Klaue blinked. "Y-Yes? That's all I have…"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Klaue. Don't insult me."
Klaue stiffened.
Ethan pointed at the crate."That little stash is maybe… what? A few million worth?"
Klaue said nothing.
Ethan's eyes turned cold as he looked at him."I know you have several billions worth of vibranium hidden in this facility."
Klaue froze like a statue.
Storm pressed the sword a little closer to his neck. Klaue squeaked.
"So," Ethan continued, voice soft but carrying razor edges,"either you give me all of it…"
He paused, letting the silence sink in.
"…or we end this entire conversation right now."
Klaue's face drained of color.He looked at Ethan—then at Storm—then back at Ethan.
"I—I don't know what you're talking ab—"
Ethan cut him off by stepping closer, staring directly into his eyes.
"Klaue," he said quietly, "do I look stupid to you?"
Klaue's mouth snapped shut.
Sharon crossed her arms. "Pretty bold lying when we literally have you at swordpoint."
Grant shook his head. "Some people just can't help it."
Klaue finally cracked."F-Fine! FINE!" he shouted, hands shaking. "There's… more. A lot more. J-Just don't kill me, alright!?"
Ethan nodded once.
"Good. Now show us the real stash."
Klaue trembled, wiped sweat from his forehead, and slowly walked toward another sealed door on the side wall—one he hadn't intended to open.
As he entered the code, his thoughts raced wildly.
Damn it… damn it! If they take everything I'm ruined! Maybe the Wakandans will get here in time…
The lock clicked.
The heavy door began to slide open.
Ethan stepped forward, expression unreadable, ready to take everything.
The door slid open with a mechanical groan, revealing a dimly lit storage chamber far larger than the office itself. Rows of reinforced shelves lined the walls. Crates stacked three high filled the room—heavy, industrial-grade containers, each branded with shipping codes and fake company labels.
But Ethan didn't need labels.
The faint purple shimmer leaking from the seams said everything.
Sharon's eyes widened. "Holy shit…"
Grant let out a low whistle. "That's… a lot."
Storm's grip on his sword didn't loosen. If anything, the blade pressed a fraction deeper into Klaue's back.
Klaue forced a shaky laugh."See? See? I—I wasn't hiding it. I just… keep it secure. Very secure."
Ethan ignored him and stepped into the chamber. With each stride, the hum of contained vibranium resonated through the air like a heartbeat.
He stopped beside one crate, placed his palm on it, and nodded."Good. This is the amount I expected."
Klaue exhaled in relief—too early.
Ethan turned to him."All of it. Load it."
Klaue blinked. "Wh—what?"
Ethan tilted his head."You heard me. Storm, Grant—start moving them. Sharon, check for trackers."
Storm sheathed one sword and dragged the nearest crate effortlessly, his strength more than enough.
Grant flipped a latch on another. "These aren't light. Figures."
Sharon already had a small device in her hand, scanning the entire wall."No external trackers, but I'll check inside once they're open."
Klaue's face twisted in panic."H-Hey, hey—hold on! You can't take all of it! I need—this is my business! My life! You're robbing me!"
Ethan didn't even look back."Klaue, you tried to kill me ten minutes ago."
"That was a misunderstanding—!"
"You told your men to 'kill them.' Pretty clear to me."
Klaue sputtered. "I—I was angry! Heat of the moment!"
Storm paused, glancing at Ethan. "Want me to break something until he stops talking?"
Klaue's knees nearly buckled."N-No! No! I—I'm quiet! See? Quiet!"
Ethan finally turned his head toward him.
"Klaue."
Klaue froze.
"You're alive right now because I'm in a good mood. Don't push your luck."
The smuggler swallowed so hard it was audible.
"…Y-Yes. O-Okay."
He stepped back, hands raised, trying not to look like he was panicking.
Ethan walked deeper into the chamber, his eyes drifting over the walls, the stacked crates, and the humming security panels.
"Everything okay here?" he asked.
Sharon looked at him, confused. "How do you know that?"
Ethan tapped the side of his head. A small triangular device uncloaked briefly, flickering with blue light before vanishing again.
"It's called Focus," he said. "A small AI assistant that helps me analyze things."
"Well… it's basically a smartphone," Ethan added with a shrug, "but its analytical capability is way higher."
Sharon looked intrigued. "I want one."
Ethan smirked. "I actually made a few back at home. I was going to give you guys one… but forget it."
She glared. Ethan lifted his hands defensively.
Grant sighed. "Don't worry. When we're back home, I'll remind him."
Ethan chuckled and nodded.
About an hour later, they finished loading all the vibranium. Klaue watched them leave with a tight grin stretching across his face.
"Idiots… you really think it's that easy?" he muttered as he pulled out his phone.
"I know where the vibranium is. Yeah—here's the truck number transporting it. You'd better move fast. It's headed to a private airstrip. After that, it's gone."
He ended the call.
"Let's see, bastard… how I'll end your little fantasy," Klaue hissed, imagining Ethan's smug face crushed under Wakandan fire.
He turned to leave—already planning the betrayal—when a soft beep… beep… echoed through the salvage yard.
Klaue froze.
"…What the hell?" he muttered, frowning as he followed the sound.
On a dusty shelf, half-buried under old metal parts, sat a small blod-red marble—no bigger than a jellybean—blinking with a faint blue light.
Klaue leaned closer.
"What the fuck is thi—"
FWUMP.
The marble didn't explode.
It imploded.
A sudden gravitational pulse yanked the air inward, twisting metal, dragging everything toward its center with silent, crushing force.
Klaue didn't even have time to scream.
He was sucked in, body contorting and vanishing in a flash as the entire salvage warehouse folded into a collapsing point of light.
Then—pop.
Silence.
The marble winked out of existence, leaving nothing where the building once stood but a smooth, circular crater and a small human head in center of it.