This colossal vibranium meteorite wouldn't be depleted even if they mined it for hundreds more years. It was the classic example of heaven providing sustenance.
Ulde observed the Wakandan soldiers beside her. Beyond shields and spears, some units were equipped with firearms the outdated weapons from World War I, the standard configuration for most African nations. She felt she could work with this angle.
Since Zod had sent her here, Ulde was certain Wakanda possessed vibranium. These natives might look foolish and simple, but that didn't mean they actually were. Would they really sell off all of something as valuable as vibranium without keeping any reserves?
"Mr. T'Chaka, Blade Edge Technology Industries can provide you with a batch of advanced weaponry."
Ulde hinted carefully. Though the Wakandan father and son weren't on Tony Stark's level, they had invented quite a few conventional weapons.
"Advanced weaponry? You mean the iron man that flies in the sky?"
T'Chaka's eyes lit up as he spoke.
Ulde's face went dark. These African natives really dared to dream. The War Machine was the kind of treasure that even the world's superpowers couldn't buy with money the five permanent security council members had to get in line just to purchase one, and they wanted it given away?
T'Chaka pretended not to notice Ulde's expression. In truth, he was equally helpless. He'd sold vibranium to the American government and used the profits to equip his army with American weapons, but the tribal warriors looked down on rifles and pistols, stubbornly insisting on using the bows and arrows they'd practiced with since childhood.
This was the legacy of Wakanda's self-imposed isolation. Without external cultural influence, tribal thought remained conservative, resistant to anything new.
T'Chaka had recognized the problem upon taking the throne, especially after World War II broke out it showed him the nation's backwardness. He wanted to promote universal basic education, but the elders from other tribes strongly opposed the policy, fearing it would shake the nation's foundations. The plan had been perpetually shelved.
It wasn't that the tribal elders lacked vision; rather, the ruling class jealously guarded knowledge. Between an ignorant populace and educated intellectuals with their own ideas, even a fool knew which one to choose for power's sake.
The outside world advanced too rapidly. T'Chaka knew he couldn't rush the elders into abandoning their outdated thinking, so his strategy was to implement national strengthening policies first in the Golden Tribe, where resistance was weakest. After ten or twenty years, when the other tribes fell behind and faced survival pressure, they'd naturally embrace progress, and backward ideology would crumble on its own.
Governing a nation wasn't accomplished overnight. In T'Chaka's plan, his generation would change the primitive, backward mindset. Wakanda would truly flourish in the next generation, after he'd paved the way, when his son inherited the throne and led the nation's rise.
He didn't know his son T'Challa had already fulfilled his vision, though with the appearance and intervention of Zod, the future looked... uncertain.
Certainly, selling a few more blocks of vibranium would make Wakandans richer than Blade Edge Technology Industries, but they wouldn't dare. Each additional block of vibranium sold meant one more power eyeing them.
Vibranium was precious, but it was also a hot potato!
"As for the War Machine, I have no authority to decide," Ulde said eagerly.
"The tribe currently has only ten kilograms of vibranium in storage," T'Chaka quickly said.
He intended to test the waters. War Machine technology was excellent if he could research it, Wakanda wouldn't need to fear the outside world anymore.
Ten kilograms?
Ulde thought these natives were indeed cunning. They actually possessed that much vibranium no, by normal logic, there had to be even more!
So Ulde called Zod.
"Trade War Machine for vibranium? Of course we trade. Trade for however much they have. Zod speaking Wakanda's vibranium reserves aren't just ten kilograms. Ulde, we're talking tons here."
Zod told her.
If he weren't concerned about the Ancient One or the Black Panther god Bast interfering, Zod would've simply stolen it already. He had the power to do so.
The War Machine had its own lock installed by Zod. Anyone attempting to disassemble it without his permission would trigger an explosion, and the Black Queen would monitor such attempts. No one could possibly crack his technology.
Zod was generous too, letting Ulde negotiate terms with T'Chaka: vibranium equivalent to the War Machine's weight in exchange for one unit. Blade Edge Technology Industries could exchange however many units they had.
T'Chaka wasn't a fool either. The War Machine's true value obviously wasn't its shell, but its core. At best it was just a metal can, yet he wanted to trade equivalent weight in vibranium for it?
But Ulde held her ground, insisting on the figure. Just when T'Chaka was about to let her cool her heels for a few days, Ulde simply boarded a plane and left without hesitation.
T'Chaka didn't know that Zod had suddenly realized he couldn't rob Wakanda openly, but stealing was another matter entirely.
Why bother delivering the War Machine at all? He'd just steal the vibranium directly.
Besides, Wakanda's current technology only surpassed the rest of the world by a few years. They hadn't reached the point of building spaceships yet. It was worth trying.
Using the photograph Ulde had provided, Zod arrived in Wakanda. The deteriorated exterior that appeared to everyone else was completely invisible to him instead, he saw a high-tech city.
"So they've developed to this extent," Zod muttered.
He teleported directly into the city interior, triggering no alarms.
His X-ray vision pierced through vibranium. He began searching for his target.
Before long, Zod discovered what looked like a warehouse, packed with cubic blocks of silvery-white metal. They appeared unremarkable at first glance, but these were the legendary vibranium!
Zod concentrated his enhanced vision, examining the molecular structure of the metal to ensure he had the right material.
After observing, he matched the molecular structure with the vibranium he'd obtained before.
Though he'd known Wakanda held significant vibranium reserves, this was far beyond his expectations!
Zod felt like he was gazing at a mountain of gold. Wakandans casually loaded vibranium onto forklifts and transported it away. People came and went, collecting vibranium, then a hover transport vehicle arrived. Its cargo bay opened to reveal freshly refined vibranium this was what Wakanda's mining tribes extracted daily.
Zod released his psychic power. Everyone froze in place, then moved robotically out of the warehouse. Zod descended to the ground, pressed his palms against the floor, and his biofield expanded throughout the entire warehouse, enveloping it completely. With a gentle effort, he lifted the entire warehouse right out of the ground!
Wakanda's alarms blared they'd detected the intrusion. Soldiers rushed forward from all directions.
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