NOVEL NEXT Chapter 293: Wakanda
The time for the trade came quickly.
Eddie kept his eyes on the café door, scrutinizing each person who walked in.
A stray thought crossed his mind—if only he had a scouter, he could've pinpointed the buyer instantly. But the price of a scouter was far beyond what he could afford right now. Maybe, after this deal, he could finally buy one… along with a hover car and a Baymax unit for himself and Anne. At least it would mean supporting the company's products.
As for the idea that the buyer might just be some regular person? Eddie tossed that notion out of his head.
His daydream was interrupted by the metallic thud of armor landing outside. Tony Stark, clad in his Iron Man suit, descended right in front of the café.
"Fk… it's Iron Man. Damn it, Venom was right—we sold too cheap."
The instant Eddie saw who it was, he knew thirty million had been a lowball. But it was too late to haggle now.
Tony pushed the glass door open and strode in. Inside his HUD, the built-in scouter module pinged instantly—target locked. The man by the window: Eddie Brock.
"A superhuman? Interesting… Not what I expected. Could this be a setup?"
Tony had figured the seller would be some ordinary schmuck. After all, if a Dragon Ball had landed in the hands of a powered individual, why would they trade it away for a few million? Superhumans were rare enough as it was. But here sat Eddie, scouter reading 60 battle power—measly in Tony's eyes, but still surprising.
All eyes in the café followed Tony as he approached and sat down across from Eddie.
"Lethal Protector?" Tony asked dryly.
Eddie offered his hand. "That's me. Didn't expect the buyer to be the Iron Man."
Tony didn't take the hand. "Sorry. Not big on handshakes with men. Did you bring the goods?"
Awkwardly, Eddie withdrew his hand. Venom's voice hissed in his mind:
"Eddie—jack up the price! He's disrespecting you. Make him pay more."
But Eddie ignored him. Instead, he pulled a small box from his bag and set it on the table.
"The Dragon Ball's inside."
He flipped the lid open, revealing the gleaming orb.
Tony lifted it, turning it over, squeezing it hard—unyielding. Authentic.
"Bank account?" Tony demanded.
Eddie calmly took a card from his wallet and slid it over.
Tony scanned it with his suit, then spoke to Jarvis.
"Transfer thirty million."
Seconds later, Eddie's phone buzzed. Account credited: 30,000,000 USD. Sender: Stark Industries.
"The money's in. Taxes are covered by Stark Industries. Convenient, right? By the way, I know who you are now. Eddie Brock—former star journalist, now working under Capsule Corporation's media arm. Interesting."
Eddie wasn't surprised Tony had dug up his file in seconds.
"Well, good luck," Eddie said with a wry grin. "Hope you win the tournament."
"Thanks," Tony replied simply. He tucked the Dragon Ball away, turned, and walked out. The suit's thrusters roared as he blasted skyward.
Eddie finished his coffee, then hopped on his Harley. He couldn't wait to tell Anne the good news.
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Wakanda.
T'Challa now bore the mantle of Black Panther, having consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb. Yet the throne still belonged to his father, T'Chaka. Traditionally, the two roles were one—but T'Chaka had passed the Panther mantle early, to temper his son in duty and battle. Along with it came the Panther habit.
T'Challa strolled along the banks of the Amhas River, the lifeline of Wakanda. Beside him walked his sister, Shuri.
"Brother, do you know how much the outside world is changing?" Shuri asked, her eyes alight.
"I've heard of a new class of people… superhumans," T'Challa replied, gaze on the water.
Shuri nodded. "Not just them. Technology too. Capsule Corporation's inventions—scouters, Baymax robots, hover cars… And Stark and Vanko pushing clean energy. All without vibranium."
T'Challa stopped walking, turning to her. "And what do you want?"
Shuri's grin widened. "To study them. I want a scouter, a Baymax, a hover car—just to see how they work."
But T'Challa's face hardened.
"No. These devices may hide tracking, surveillance… Father would never allow them inside Wakanda. A scouter uploads data to the cloud—too dangerous. Baymax too. Bringing them here could expose everything."
"You can study them abroad if you like," he added more gently. "With your mind, I know you'll manage."
Shuri crouched, sulking, and skipped a stone across the river.
"The world is changing. If we keep hiding behind closed doors, one day, the world will outpace us entirely."
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(End of Chapter)
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