"I heard you're looking for Wakanda?"
A burly, African man with finger-length dreadlocks, escorted by several security guards, approached Albert Wesker and Ikosera Johnny.
"Oh?"
Ikosera Johnny raised an eyebrow but didn't answer directly. Instead, she picked up a tablet from the table, looked at the information on it, and said with a slightly playful tone:
"Erik Stevens, after graduating from the Naval Academy at 19, he successfully enrolled in MIT and obtained a Master's degree in Physics during his studies. After graduating with his Master's, he directly joined SEAL and was dispatched to Afghanistan…"
"Later, during his missions in Afghanistan, he became known as the 'Butcher' by the locals for his ruthless killings and repeated successful assassinations of high-ranking anti-government armed forces…"
Seeing that his identity information had been thoroughly investigated, Erik Stevens showed no surprise or shock. Instead, he smiled candidly:
"As expected of the person in charge of Trasel Pharmaceutical, your intelligence is truly well-informed. Even general large organizations wouldn't be able to investigate this thoroughly…"
"However, that's just a past experience of mine… And it has nothing to do with what we're here to discuss today."
Ikosera Johnny nodded in satisfaction. The more confident he appeared, the more it indicated his strong backing. She then got straight to the point:
"So, Mr. Steve, you really know about Wakanda?"
"That's right."
Erik Stevens nodded confidently: "I can show you the exact location of Wakanda, as long as you…"
However, before he could finish, Ikosera Johnny interrupted him with a charming laugh, "Oh, I'm so sorry, but we've already obtained the location of Wakanda through other channels, so… if you don't have any other valuable information, I suggest you go back!"
"What, you already know the location of Wakanda?"
Erik Stevens raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting them to find Wakanda's exact whereabouts so quickly, especially since in the eyes of outsiders, Wakanda was just an obscure small country in Africa.
But then his face quickly returned to its previous composure, and he sneered:
"Miss Johnny, no offense, but even if you know where Wakanda is, it doesn't matter… Because you outsiders don't understand what Wakanda means, or how dangerous it is there."
"Oh?"
The look in Ikosera Johnny's eyes gradually became playful. She looked at him as if he were an idiot and couldn't help but tease:
"If you're talking about that guy in the strange Black Panther combat suit, and a group of elite warriors armed with spears and scimitars… then I think we understand their threat better than you do!"
"What, you even know about that…"
This time, the composure and calmness on Erik Stevens's face finally vanished. He looked at Ikosera Johnny and Albert Wesker with some surprise. After a long moment, he spoke again:
"It seems you've already had a direct confrontation with Prince T'Challa and the Wakandan warriors, haven't you?"
"But that doesn't matter. If I'm not mistaken, your plan to steal Vibranium ultimately failed, didn't it?"
Seeing that the two across from him remained silent, Erik Stevens became even more convinced of his guess. He then regained his confident demeanor and spoke eloquently:
"So, if you still want to enter Wakanda to steal Vibranium, you will still need my help… And only I can truly help you."
Before Ikosera Johnny could speak, he eagerly explained:
"Don't think you can easily enter Wakanda. Without my help, no matter how many people or weapons you have, you will never be able to break through the outer energy barrier… I imagine you've already tried that, haven't you?!"
Ikosera Johnny's eyes lit up immediately. She subtly exchanged a glance with Albert Wesker, who was beside her, then pretended not to understand anything and asked:
"Since you want to cooperate with us, you should at least show some sincerity first… I'm very curious, how do you know so much about Wakanda?"
Erik Stevens thought for a moment and finally decided to reveal his trump card early. Because he wanted to avenge his father and reclaim his throne from King T'Chaka, he would inevitably need to borrow… no, he should say, he must utilize a powerful force that dared to directly confront Wakanda to make it possible.
For this reason, Erik Stevens had been secretly looking for suitable targets over the years.
He had actually chosen S.H.I.E.L.D. first.
Given their size, if they were willing to cooperate with him, he had at least a 70% chance of taking down Wakanda.
However, reality gave Erik Stevens a harsh lesson.
That despicable bald-headed Director, after freeloading off some of the information he provided about Wakanda, refused his cooperation request on the grounds that he wasn't interested in helping him reclaim his throne.
WTF???
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Erik Stevens: I have never seen such a shameless person!!
Since then, Erik Stevens became even more cautious when choosing 'allies'.
But apparently, Lady Luck was not on his side.
Not long after, he discovered another powerful target.
That was the Hyperspace Group, which had risen rapidly in just two years and subtly surpassed S.H.I.E.L.D.!!
But what was embarrassing was that even though Erik Stevens tried everything, even offering to jointly develop Vibranium, he still couldn't even step into the borders of Sokovia.
The Hyperspace Group simply ignored him, completely treating him like a…
Erik Stevens was both angry and helpless about this.
He was angry that he, a member of the Wakandan royal family, was treated so unreasonably by a private company.
He was helpless because the Hyperspace Group was a powerful organization that even S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't bother with. Unless he could reclaim the throne of Wakanda, he could only force himself to swallow this indignity.
And it was precisely because of these two very unpleasant experiences that Erik Stevens kept lowering his psychological expectations.
Until he heard through special channels that people from Trasel Pharmaceutical were inquiring about a mysterious person in a Black Panther combat suit, he was convinced that his time for revenge had finally arrived.
Although Trasel Pharmaceutical's size was not enough to directly contend with Wakanda.
But who made him unable to find a second qualified candidate all these years?
So… he just had to 'pick the tallest dwarf'.
Erik Stevens could only take a gamble on Trasel Pharmaceutical.
Otherwise, with his own strength, he didn't know when he would be able to fulfill his wish for revenge.
After making up his mind, Erik Stevens immediately said: "Of course, it's because of this…"
As he spoke, he had already flipped open his lower lip, revealing a string of mysterious glowing text underneath, and actively explained:
"I am actually a Wakandan, so I understand that place and their weaknesses far better than anyone else."
"What, you're actually a Wakandan?"
Now it was Ikosera Johnny's turn to lose her composure. She had just specifically asked a contact within the CIA to investigate Erik Stevens's background.
But even the CIA didn't know his true identity was Wakandan?
This guy has some tricks, he can even fool the CIA.
But isn't this a bit too lucky? Someone hands you a pillow just when you're dozing off…
"Tsk tsk, truly remarkable."
Ikosera Johnny narrowed her eyes and said meaningfully: "Originally, I thought you were just an American who was crazy about getting rich…"
Suddenly, she changed the subject, "So… tell me, as a citizen of Wakanda, why do you want to cooperate with us… In other words, what do you want to gain from us?"
"Money? Or… a biochemical virus?!"
Facing such a direct question, a hint of disdain quickly flashed in Erik Stevens's eyes, but he still shook his head and said righteously:
"No, I want neither money nor biochemical viruses. I just want you to… help me reclaim my throne!!"
"Hmm?"
Ikosera Johnny asked with some surprise: "So, you're of Wakandan royalty? Then I'm very curious, how did you end up as a mercenary?"
Erik Stevens hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "My father was ordered to be sent to America as an undercover agent, but my uncle… who is now King T'Chaka, didn't trust him, so he secretly dispatched another undercover agent to monitor my father."
"And during the mission, my father fell in love with a local girl and had me with her… However, happy times are always too short. Not long after, my father was personally killed by my uncle because of a disagreement over his views on Vibranium!"
"So, I want revenge, I want to personally reclaim my throne, I want to help all the african brothers in the World escape their current impoverished situation…"
Clap, clap, clap—
Ikosera Johnny couldn't help but applaud: "Wow, I love a 'prince's revenge' story. It seems we now have a common enemy."
"Since that's the case, how can we pass through that outer energy barrier and successfully enter Wakanda?"
Erik Stevens smiled. He wasn't a novice fresh out of the gate; how could he so easily believe Ikosera Johnny's nonsense and reveal his trump card so early?
So he smiled and said: "No, you've got one thing wrong, and that is, you can't get in. Only I can get in!"
"What do you mean?" Ikosera Johnny frowned, displeased.
"It means exactly what it says."
Erik Stevens spread his hands helplessly, "Ms. Johnny, please don't misunderstand, Wakandan technology is far beyond your imagination. As long as they detect any disturbance, they will absolutely not open the outer energy barrier."
"What's more, even if you could somehow pass through the outer energy barrier, relying solely on those zombies and B.O.W.s, you would absolutely not be able to defeat the elite Wakandan warriors who possess Vibranium weapons…"
"Perhaps you don't know, there are a total of 18 tribes within Wakanda, and each tribe has different cultural customs and elite warriors skilled in different fields."
At this point, Erik Stevens paused slightly, looking at Ikosera Johnny with a half-smile, "And, most importantly… Wakanda possesses the most advanced medical technology in the World, capable of completely curing even cancer."
"Therefore, even if the zombies and infected you create could enter Wakanda, they are destined to not cause the same scale of infection as in Raccoon City or the Kijuju Autonomous Region."
When she heard the name Kijuju Autonomous Region, Ikosera Johnny's expression changed. She subconsciously looked at Albert Wesker, who had remained silent beside her, and seeing that his face still showed no change, she gradually relaxed.
However, Erik Stevens's words undoubtedly confirmed Albert Wesker's previous speculation from the side.
So Ikosera Johnny composed herself and said: "I didn't expect you to even know about the Kijuju Autonomous Region. It seems your intelligence network is quite powerful, huh?"
Erik Stevens smiled noncommittally, "I'm a mercenary, and my brothers of the same skin color are spread across the entire continent of Africa. So what you did in the Kijuju Autonomous Region is no secret to me at all."
"Alright." A cunning glint flashed in Ikosera Johnny's eyes. She deliberately feigned a confused expression and continued to ask:
"But, I'm a bit curious, if Wakanda is really as powerful as you say, and only you can get in, then without our help, how do you plan to reclaim the throne?"
"The answer to that question is simple."
Erik Stevens said indifferently: "As long as I can successfully enter Wakanda, I will use my royal identity to challenge the current King T'Chaka!"
"Once the challenge is successful, then according to the ancestral teachings passed down in Wakanda since ancient times, I can rightfully become the new King?!"