The night in Wakanda was incredibly pure; in the pollution-free sky, the Milky Way shone so brightly it felt like one could reach out and grab a handful, illuminating the city of the future below like a dream.
But beneath this tranquility, a long-planned hunt was about to begin.
Shuri's Royal Laboratory was the most extravagant place Tony Stark had ever seen; compared to this, his own workshop was practically a garage. Not a single physical tool could be found here; only clouds of blue nanoparticle clouds flowed, assembled, and disassembled in the air. A young girl with dreadlocks and overly sharp eyes stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Tony, arguing heatedly over a complex model made of light.
"No, your counter-frequency algorithm is too crude!" Princess Shuri—T'Challa's sister and Wakanda's top genius scientist—pointed out the flaws in Tony's design without any politeness. "You're just trying to use high-power broadband noise to cover the target's mental signal. How is that different from using a fire hose to put out a candle? It's a waste of energy and adds unnecessary burden to the user's brain!"
"Hey! Little girl, this algorithm of mine has been battle-tested; it could make a Beyonder giant beast in the streets of Manhattan question its life!" Tony retorted indignantly, but his hands were honest, quickly absorbing Shuri's new ideas and making revisions on the holographic model.
"That's because your enemies were too stupid." Shuri rolled her eyes, her hands swiping through the air as countless nanoparticles condensed at her fingertips, instantly forming a brand-new energy circuit model. "Watch closely, Mr. Stark. What we need is not to override, but to deceive. We follow its signal frequency and plant an invalid feedback loop that causes self-doubt, making it believe its illusion has succeeded, while in reality, we see a different scene. This is called... a man-in-the-middle attack on a mental level."
Tony stared at the absurdly exquisite model for three seconds before sincerely admiring, "Alright, you win. As part of the bet, I can experience what it feels like to be bald ahead of time."
Meanwhile, at the abandoned altar in the Valley of the Kings.
This place felt more ancient and desolate than anywhere else in Wakanda. Massive stones were piled into a rugged sacrificial platform, covered in panther-shaped totems that had long been worn away by wind and rain. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the wind howling through the valley.
Lin Huai stood in the center of the altar. He ignored the Royal Guard flickering on the distant ridges responsible for the outer perimeter and instead began setting up his stage like a true Magician.
He pulled a handful of origami from his pocket—all small animals—and tossed them into the air. Like they had come to life, the origami flew toward the stone pillars around the altar. They unfolded and transformed mid-air, turning into lifelike goats and antelopes in the blink of an eye, with even the texture of their fur clearly visible.
"Come, my little cuties," Lin Huai smiled and snapped his fingers.
Those paper-made creatures actually began pacing uneasily around the altar, even letting out faint bleats of fear. This was a junior version of the Paper Clone Substitutes—by infusing spirituality and using the authority of Deception bestowed by the Fool, he made the paper effigies simulate the aura of living creatures. To the Evil-Patterned Black Panther, which had already fallen into madness and acted solely on instinct, this was undoubtedly the most tempting midnight buffet.
After setting the bait, Lin Huai unhurriedly took out an ancient-looking white candle and lit it. He placed the candle in the center of the altar, then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began chanting prayers to the Fool in the low tones of the ancient and mysterious Hermes Language.
His voice wasn't loud, but bolstered by spirituality, it was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sending invisible ripples spreading across the entire Valley of the Kings.
Lin Huai was praying for the blessing of another of the Fool's authorities: Deception. He needed the fanatics to believe this was the altar for the panther god... The plan was proceeding methodically.
When Lin Huai's mysteriously rhythmic prayer, mixed with the life aura of the paper effigy sacrificial offerings, spread throughout the valley, the border tribespeople who had followed the miracle into the dense forest were the first to react. They emerged from their hiding spots, kneeling toward the Valley of the Kings, and began praying to the deity in their hearts in their own way, calling for its descent.
The Spectators were in place.
The next second, a roar full of violence and rage echoed from the depths of the dark jungle, responding to the calls of these believers.
A black shadow, too fast for the naked eye to follow, trailed bright purple light like a bolt of shadow lightning as it burst from the dense forest. In a few leaps, it cleared hundreds of meters and landed steadily on the rock facing the altar.
The Evil-Patterned Black Panther had arrived!
Pure madness and hunger burned in its amber pupils. It stared intently at the human chanting with closed eyes in the center of the altar and the trembling sacrificial offerings around him, letting out threatening low growls. In its perception, the spirituality emanating from this human was far more delicious than those antelopes and far more threatening than those mortal believers.
"Buzz—!"
Without any further testing, the purple patterns on the Evil-Patterned Black Panther's body suddenly brightened! A mental shockwave, stronger and more violent than the one by the waterfall, swept toward Lin Huai on the altar and the Avengers lying in ambush like a tsunami!
"Now!" Tony's voice rang out over the team channel.
He pressed a button on the oddly shaped device that blended Stark Industries style with Wakandan aesthetics.
An invisible sonic force field instantly expanded, precisely meeting the mental shockwave. There was no earth-shattering explosion; the two forces collided, merely causing a ripple-like distortion in the air.
Steve and Banner only felt their brains grow heavy for a moment, like a needle prick, before the power that could induce inner fear vanished without a trace. Lin Huai, in the center of the altar, remained completely unharmed.
The illusion had been neutralized!
"Roar—!"
Then everyone started acting; Lin Huai remained motionless, while Banner began a fierce assault against the air.
Once it confirmed that the intruders had clearly fallen into a hallucination of fear...
It leaped down from the rock like a black whirlwind of death, lunging straight for the most delicious sacrifice in the center of the altar!
"The lead actors are on stage!" Steve shouted in a low voice.
Just as the Black Panther was about to strike Lin Huai, two figures—one black and one blue—shot out from the shadows on either side of the altar like arrows from a bow, precisely blocking its path.
It was none other than T'Challa and Steve Rogers!
T'Challa, wearing his energy-patterned battle suit, extended his claws. His movements were fast and elegant, like a dancer in the night. Every one of his attacks was aimed precisely at the Evil-Patterned Black Panther's flanks and neck, forcing it to constantly change direction.
Steve's movements were broad and powerful; he used all the techniques he had learned at Kamar-Taj. The vibranium shield in his hand was shrouded in a faint white energy glow. Every block was rock-steady, and every throw was full of force, sealing off all of the Evil-Patterned Black Panther's paths of advance.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Claws and shield collided, erupting into a series of piercing sparks in the silent valley.
The two masters of physical combat coordinated seamlessly; one focused on offense while the other on defense, successfully pinning the Beyonder beast to the altar.
"Lighting technician, give us some atmosphere!" Tony circled in the air, his repulsor cannons firing continuously to provide suppressing fire on the Evil-Patterned Black Panther. He didn't aim to kill, but used precise strikes to disrupt its balance, creating openings for the two on the ground.
The strength of the Evil-Patterned Black Panther far exceeded their estimates. Its power and speed were well beyond human limits, and its sharp claws could even leave shallow scratches on the vibranium shield. It reverted to the most primitive and savage way of fighting, each pounce and bite carrying enough terrifying force to shatter rocks.
But T'Challa and Steve were no pushovers. T'Challa was just one ceremony away from officially becoming the Black Panther, and Steve had studied at Kamar-Taj, even earning the nickname "Supreme Soldier." Relying on their vast combat experience and indestructible Vibranium equipment, they kept the panther strictly contained.
"Its speed is increasing—it's too fast!" Steve shouted over the comms after a rolling dodge.
"Its target is me!" Lin Huai had opened his eyes at some point. Looking into those beastly eyes locked onto him—filled with greed and madness—he suddenly understood something. "It wants to devour my spirituality!"
"Then let's give it a chance!" A flash of madness crossed Lin Huai's eyes. "Everyone, move aside! I'll be the final bait!"
"Are you crazy?!" Tony and Steve exclaimed simultaneously.
But it was already too late.
With a comical Joker-style roll, Lin Huai proactively moved into the Evil-Patterned Black Panther's line of attack!
Seeing the prey offer itself up, the Evil-Patterned Black Panther let out an excited roar, focusing all its attacks on Lin Huai in an instant. It opened its bloody maw, ignoring the repulsor cannons falling from the sky, and lunged straight for Lin Huai's throat!
Steve and T'Challa rushed to help.
Just as that foul-smelling mouth was about to snap Lin Huai's throat...
A roar filled with endless rage and the will to destroy echoed from the other side of the valley!
"ROAR—!!!!!"
A massive green figure, so large it blocked the moonlight, descended like a demon god from the heavens, slamming directly onto the back of the Evil-Patterned Black Panther!
"BOOM—!"
The entire altar shuddered.
Hulk had arrived!
With fists the size of small trucks and pure physical destructive power, he slammed blow after merciless blow into the Evil-Patterned Black Panther's spine.
"Hulk... SMASH!"
*Crack!*
A crisp sound of bone snapping rang out. The Evil-Patterned Black Panther let out a shrill cry of agony. Its massive body was pinned to the ground by this irresistible force, its spine shattered, unable to move again.
The purple patterns on its body began to flicker rapidly like a lightbulb losing power before finally dimming completely.
The battle was over.
"A beautiful curtain call, Dr. Banner." Lin Huai climbed up from the ground, brushed the dust off himself, and gave a thumbs-up to Banner, who was turning back into human form.
He walked over to the dying panther and pulled out a strangely shaped glass syringe specially made by Princess Shuri.
Beside him, T'Challa stared intently at Lin Huai, wanting to stop him several times, but he knew that as long as it lived, it would only continue to suffer in madness.
Under everyone's tense gaze, he knelt down and slowly inserted the cold needle into the spinal cord at the back of the Evil-Patterned Black Panther's neck.
"Done. Materials obtained. Ready to go home." Lin Huai felt a wave of relief.
But the moment the pale purple spinal fluid was slowly drawn into the syringe!
A sudden change occurred!!!!
A violent spiritual resonance erupted between the materials in his hand and the Joker characteristic inside him!
Lin Huai's body suddenly stiffened as his spiritual intuition was passively and uncontrollably dragged into a flashback!
His consciousness crossed time and space; he clearly saw the moment months ago in the center of New York City, within the Joker Labyrinth he had personally constructed, when he successfully obtained the human-faced rose.
He saw a wisp of almost imperceptible, seemingly non-existent grayish-white mysterious aura, like a dandelion seed, quietly dissipate from his body and drift high into the sky on the winds of fate that no one could detect.
His perspective followed that wisp of aura at a speed that transcended physical laws, flying across continents and oceans... finally landing precisely on this mysterious land in Africa called Wakanda.
Then, he saw that wisp of aura merge perfectly into the body of this panther, which was sleeping in the mountains with highly active spirituality.
He saw the panther whimper in pain in its sleep. Beneath its jet-black fur, veins began to twist and deform, eventually forming those eerie bright purple patterns... The vision ended abruptly there... "My brother, I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Perhaps this is the best choice. May Bast return you to Her divine throne." T'Challa held the panther tightly for a final farewell, then pierced its heart with his claws.
The panther was dead. Without the spinal fluid, the process of dying would have been extremely painful, so T'Challa sent it on its way.
"Thank you for your help." T'Challa walked up to him, looking at him with a complex gaze and a hint of aloofness in his voice. "Wakanda thanks you for your friendship. Now that this is over, my guard will escort you out."
On the flight back, Tony and Steve were celebrating the resolution of another crisis, and Banner, having reverted from the Hulk, wore a rare, relaxed smile.
Only Lin Huai sat huddled in a corner, quietly watching the clouds outside the window without saying a word.
That precious Magician potion material was in his pocket, within easy reach.
But at this moment, it brought not the hope of advancement, but a heavy pressure. The scene of T'Challa's farewell to the Black Panther kept popping up in his mind.
Lin Huai clenched his fists and pressed them against his forehead.
"Was what I did... really right? Mr. Fool, you are so kind; why would you give me such a cruel trial? Or has your divinity completely overwhelmed your humanity... Are you still the 'Fool' in my heart? Tell me, what should I do next."