While Lin Rui was basking in the sunny plaza, contemplating the development of the Black Panther storyline, in another quiet bar in a different district of Wakanda’s capital city, a sturdy and handsome Black man was half-slumped on the bar counter.
Empty bottles were scattered in front of him, and he still held an unfinished glass of liquor. It was evident that he was quite intoxicated.
Beside the intoxicated man was a more muscular Caucasian guy leaning against the bar counter. However, he wasn’t drunk, occasionally taking a sip from the glass of liquor in his gloved hand. A glimpse of alloy skin could be seen peeking out from his right sleeve, revealing that he had a mechanical arm for drinking.
Bucky’s life had undergone a drastic transformation ever since he met that mysterious youngster with amnesia in a small town in the United States.
That remarkable youngster not only managed to procure false identity information for him that could fool SHIELD (Bucky later suspected that Lin Rui had some kind of connection with SHIELD, as it wouldn’t have been so easy for him to resolve the identity issue), but also took him on an event that seemed like it could only happen in a myth.
The effects of Hydra’s brainwashing on Bucky had almost been completely eradicated, and he had fully regained his memories of his past experiences with Hydra. So, before meeting Lin Rui, Bucky had thought he knew the truth about the world. However, the events he experienced alongside Lin Rui shattered his preconceived notions.
It had been several months since he parted ways with that mysterious youngster who called himself Jackson. Bucky couldn’t forget the fire-wielding guy they had confronted together, who could transform into a skull-headed figure, and then inexplicably turned into a teammate to deal with another terrifying entity known as the Blackheart.
In the end, Bucky had encountered the true Blackheart and witnessed the entity’s powers.
Although Bucky, Jackson, and the fiery Johnny hadn’t taken action against the Blackheart back then (Bucky felt that even if they joined forces, they wouldn’t have been able to defeat the entity), he still knew that these two people he had briefly met were incredibly extraordinary individuals.
After parting ways with Johnny, Lin Rui and Bucky casually traveled through several cities. At that time, Lin Rui had already recovered his memories after experiencing the Ghost Rider storyline, so he was eager to explore the potential of the Space Stone’s powers as soon as possible.
In this way, Lin Rui had brought Bucky from the United States to Africa, a small country he had never even heard of before. After leaving Bucky in Wakanda, Lin Rui had left without much explanation, leaving behind a bag with some basic necessities for Bucky.
Inside the bag, Lin Rui had also included instructions for Bucky on how to live in Wakanda in the future, serving as Lin Rui’s backup plan for future storylines.
Now, several months later, Bucky, who had befriended T’Challa as per Lin Rui’s guidance, finally felt that there was something he needed to tell that mysterious youngster.
T’Challa’s father had been attacked and killed just a few days ago, and T’Challa had finally revealed to Bucky the identity he had hidden from him all this time. It turned out that he was the only son of the Wakandan king and the first in line for the throne.
Upon learning T’Challa’s true identity, Bucky feigned surprise appropriately. However, Bucky’s acting skills weren’t that great, but fortunately, he had always maintained a laid-back attitude when interacting with T’Challa, so T’Challa didn’t mind his initial reaction.
After T’Challa had revealed his true identity to Bucky, Bucky realized that the months he had spent getting to know T’Challa had finally paid off.
The information Lin Rui had left for Bucky had already informed him about the hidden secrets of Wakanda, so Bucky fully utilized his skills as a special operative and successfully became good friends with the undercover T’Challa.
Now, with T’Challa’s father suddenly killed, even with T’Challa’s strong mental fortitude, he couldn’t completely suppress the grief in his heart. That’s why he had dragged Bucky over for drinks, and they had been drinking all night. Bucky had shown restraint and hadn’t gotten drunk, but T’Challa had been thoroughly intoxicated.
Setting down his empty glass, Bucky glanced at T’Challa, who was still motionless on the bar counter and then extended his hand. “T’Challa? T’Challa?”
Bucky pushed T’Challa’s shoulder a few times, but T’Challa merely swayed a bit and didn’t respond, not even uttering a groan. Given that anyone whose father had suddenly died couldn’t possibly have no reaction at all, T’Challa’s current behavior was already considered good.
Seeing T’Challa thoroughly drunk, Bucky had no intention of continuing to call him. After all, this entire country belonged to T’Challa, and there was a contingent of T’Challa’s royal guards in the bar. There was no need to worry about his safety.
Buzz~
Just as Bucky was about to order a few more drinks to keep T’Challa company, his communicator in his pocket vibrated discreetly. Without a hint of change in his expression, Bucky stood up from his chair, gave T’Challa’s back a couple of pats, and then turned and walked towards the exit of the bar.
After nodding and greeting the royal guards he knew in the bar, Bucky left the establishment. With T’Challa being as drunk as he was, someone would naturally accompany him back home, and after spending the entire night with T’Challa, it was time for Bucky to return home and rest.
As Bucky stepped out of the bar, he squinted to adjust to the sunlight outside, then strolled towards his residence in Wakanda’s capital. After walking a couple of streets and making sure no one was tailing him, Bucky quickly took out his communicator and glanced at it.
“At last… it’s here.”
After reading the message on the communicator, Bucky quickened his pace. In his apartment, someone had been waiting for him. Several months had passed, and the world underwent many changes. Bucky had no idea what kind of transformation that youngster, with whom he had shared some unique experiences, had undergone.
Just as Bucky had left the bar not long ago, the lights in the bar suddenly blinked a few times and then went completely dark. As T’Challa’s royal guards became alert and started converging on T’Challa’s location, the lights suddenly illuminated again.
However, at this point, T’Challa, who should have been surrounded and lying on the bar counter, had disappeared.
Whoosh!
As T’Challa’s royal guards anxiously began searching and sealing off the neighborhood, irregular air currents suddenly surged over the bar. Then, under a barely detectable energy fluctuation, an invisible aircraft quickly departed from the city.
…
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