Meanwhile, inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, tension filled the command deck.
After Axel completely breached Wakanda's defensive barrier and exposed the hidden nation to the outside world, Maria Hill and Nick Fury fell into a long silence.
The footage from Wakanda continued to play on the massive screens.
Finally, Hill slammed her hand against the table.
"So that's the situation. Damn it. We should have trusted Tang from the start. We need to head to Wakanda immediately."
Fury nodded slowly.
"You're right. I was too reckless."
He crossed his arms and stared at the footage of Axel tearing through Wakanda's army.
"Following someone like Tang could easily lead us straight into hell. But if we treat him like a god for now, even the scraps that fall from his hands could feed us well."
"Exactly."
Hill immediately turned the Helicarrier around.
"If we arrive in Wakanda while he is still there, we might be able to follow behind him. Once Axel exposes Wakanda's secrets, we could obtain…"
She paused as the realization hit her.
"My God. The amount of vibranium alone would be insane."
"And their technology," Fury added.
He pointed at the screen, where the hidden Wakandan city was now visible.
"That entire city is moving. Their magnetic aircraft are flying out one after another like damn dumplings."
Both of them looked sick with regret.
"Accelerate," Fury said. "We need maximum speed."
"I'm already pushing it."
The Helicarrier surged forward at full power.
While flying toward Wakanda, they continued watching Axel's massacre unfold on the monitors. Wakandan soldiers lay scattered across the battlefield, many of them dead with their eyes still open.
Fury rubbed his chin slowly.
"Thank God we never tried to fight him."
He shook his head.
"Even Wakanda's army, armed with energy weapons and vibranium equipment, could not stop Axel for even a moment. If we had gone to war with him, the only people left alive might have been Thor and Hulk."
"Wait, Nick."
Hill suddenly interrupted him.
"Don't forget what Axel said earlier. He claimed he can hear the voices of everyone on Earth."
Fury raised an eyebrow.
"You actually believe that?"
Hill nodded without hesitation.
"There's no reason for him to lie."
Fury thought about it for a moment, then slowly exhaled.
"In that case…"
He spoke calmly.
"Treat Tang like a god."
The Helicarrier continued racing toward Wakanda.
But only thirty minutes after they began the journey, something unexpected happened.
Swoosh.
"Ow!"
A confused black panther suddenly appeared inside the command room, carried over Axel's shoulder.
Hill and Fury both froze.
They stared at Axel in disbelief.
Axel grinned widely.
"Come take a look at the Panther God I caught."
He lifted the panther slightly.
"This is a genuine god that lives in the soul world."
"What?"
Hill stepped forward in shock.
She cautiously reached out to touch the panther.
However, the panther that had looked majestic moments ago now behaved exactly like a normal animal. It began scratching and clawing wildly at both Axel and Hill.
Fury immediately pulled his hand back.
He studied the animal with a serious expression.
"Tang," he said slowly, "that thing doesn't look like a god."
He glanced at the panther's fur.
"Are you sure you're not just interested in the color? That fur is darker than mine. Back in ancient times it might have sold for three more Dollars than me."
Axel stared at him.
Then he sighed.
"Buddy, stop with the hell jokes. That one wasn't funny."
He slapped the panther lightly on the head.
The animal immediately stopped struggling.
Axel suddenly looked thoughtful.
"Oh shit. I know what the problem is."
He grabbed the loose skin on the back of the panther's neck and frowned.
"This damn cat is outside the service area."
Hill blinked.
"What service area?"
"The Wakanda service area, obviously."
Axel flipped her the middle finger.
Then he grabbed the panther again and disappeared.
A second later, he reappeared in Wakanda.
The battlefield was now filled with grieving Wakandans.
Axel appeared in front of them, still holding the panther.
"My bad," he said casually. "Small mistake. Can this thing still connect to Wi Fi here?"
He dropped the panther on the ground.
The animal lay there in confusion.
At that exact moment, another black panther stepped out from the forest nearby.
The two panthers stared at each other.
Axel looked back and forth between them.
Then his gaze locked onto the one standing in the distance.
In an instant he appeared beside it.
The panther twisted around and tried to run.
Axel grabbed one of its hind legs.
He glanced at the animal's rear.
"Oh. Female."
He grinned.
For a moment the panther began kicking wildly.
Axel frowned.
"What the hell are you thinking?" he muttered. "Do you really think I'm that damn perverted? I'm not going to lust after a panther."
He released it.
The terrified animal sat nearby, trembling.
After a moment, it slowly raised a paw toward him again.
Axel grabbed the paw and shook it up and down enthusiastically.
Then he turned toward T'Chaka, who stood in the distance.
"Well, buddy, looks like your Black Panther already recognizes me. Now bring me my vibranium."
"Wait."
T'Chaka swallowed nervously.
He looked at Axel in confusion.
"Why are you still standing here?"
Axel blinked.
"Why wouldn't I be standing here?"
"Because the Black Panther has invited you."
T'Chaka pointed at the animal.
"According to our traditions, you have been granted the honor of entering the Panther's spiritual world. She will speak with you there."
Axel stared at the panther.
Then he scratched his head.
"So you mean she booked a room, but I forgot to bring my ID?"
T'Chaka almost lost his temper.
"No. That is not what I meant. Axel, even if you are powerful, you should still respect the gods."
Axel laughed.
A mocking laugh.
He spread his arms wide.
"I think the gods should learn to respect me instead."
Before anyone could react, he grabbed the fur on the back of the panther's neck.
"You want to drag me into the spirit world, right? Then my physical body would just be lying around out here."
The panther suddenly spoke.
"No, Tang."
Everyone froze.
The panther struggled slightly before continuing.
"Speaking through a panther body is not easy for me. I only wanted to share some ancient knowledge with you. I hoped you would spare my people."
She stopped struggling and looked at Axel with pleading eyes.
Axel stared at her for a moment.
Then he suddenly threw the panther aside.
"Holy shit."
He rubbed his face.
"That was weird. For a second I actually thought you looked kind of attractive."
He shook his head violently.
"You're not a panther, you're basically some damn fox spirit."
He pointed at her accusingly.
"Good thing you're a god in Africa. If you were in India, you'd probably become a famous holy goddess in less than six miles."
The panther froze awkwardly.
She lowered her head and began licking her paws as if nothing had happened.
In the distance, the Wakandans watched this scene with blank expressions.
Just minutes ago the battlefield had been soaked in blood.
Now the atmosphere had become strangely awkward.
Axel coughed.
Then he patted the panther's head.
"So what's this ancient knowledge you mentioned?"
"I cannot speak about it in front of mortals," the panther replied.
"And you cannot enter the spirit world. If you truly want to hear it, we must leave this place."
"No problem."
Axel stood up immediately.
Then he waved at T'Chaka.
"My little brother, go gather the vibranium for me. Three to five tons should be enough."
He grinned.
"As for me, I'm going to have a nice conversation with your god."
The panther slowly stood and looked at T'Chaka.
"King T'Chaka of Wakanda, do as he says. Tang's existence is beneficial for this world. The greatest disaster facing Earth might be resolved because of him."
After speaking, the panther turned and walked into the forest.
Axel followed.
T'Chaka watched them leave, completely exhausted.
Even a god had appeared.
There was nothing more he could do.
He ordered his people to collect the bodies of the fallen. Afterward, they returned to their capital and gathered several tons of vibranium along with several outdated vibranium technologies.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, the panther finally stopped walking.
She turned toward Axel.
"Tang, you know better than anyone that you are an accident, don't you?"
Axel sat down beside her.
"Sure," he said casually. "Now tell me about this ancient knowledge and the so called disaster coming to Earth."
He absentmindedly began stroking the panther's fluffy head.
The panther paused for a moment.
Then she relaxed and leaned into his hand.
"Because you are an accident, your existence has created more accidents."
Her voice grew serious.
"After you arrived in Wakanda, several of my friends and I noticed changes in the future."
She sighed softly.
"Our power is limited. We cannot see the entire future. But we have seen several important moments."
She raised her head slightly.
"I will tell you what we saw. Whether you understand it is up to you."
The panther rubbed her head against Axel's arm and continued speaking.
"First, we saw you obtain the Space Stone."
"Then we saw the frustrated face of a purple alien in the future."
"Finally…"
Her voice grew quiet.
"We saw an enormous Celestial emerging from inside the Earth."
She looked toward the sky.
"When it rises, everything on Earth disappears. Humans, animals, even gods like us."
She closed her eyes.
"That is the future we saw. A future that may have been created because you appeared in this world."