Underneath the hovering Wakanda royal aircraft, Bucky was in his Wakandan apartment. He was sipping tea and chatting with the youngster who he hadn’t seen in months, while just as T’Challa was piloting the aircraft to their location, the youngster sitting across from Bucky raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“Our prince, T’Challa, is here. Seems like you have a good relationship with him,” Lin Rui remarked, placing his cup on the coffee table in front of him and reminding Bucky.
Hearing Lin Rui’s words, Bucky was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure. After Lin Rui had arrived yesterday, he and Bucky had discussed various methods to enter Wakanda. Utilizing T’Challa’s friendship with Bucky was undoubtedly the most direct and convenient option, and now T’Challa had indeed arrived.
…
“Bucky, it’s been a long time.”
When Bucky returned to his apartment from the bar yesterday morning and saw the familiar figure in his living room, these were the first words the person had spoken.
“Jackson, it’s… been a while,” Bucky replied with a hint of nostalgia after sizing up the youngster in front of him, who seemed to have undergone some changes.
The events Bucky had experienced with Lin Rui a few months ago were among the most thrilling and perilous in his eventful life. Lin Rui’s abilities and mysterious background had always intrigued Bucky.
Bucky had tried to guess Lin Rui’s identity, but he couldn’t be certain. After all, Lin Rui’s motives seemed unrelated to the factions Bucky had speculated about.
“It looks like you’ve been doing well in Wakanda these past few months!” Lin Rui cheekily teased as he sat down on the sofa without reservation, taking in the surroundings of Bucky’s apartment.
When Lin Rui had impulsively left Bucky in Wakanda, instructing him to carry out certain tasks, he hadn’t anticipated that Bucky would actually accomplish them. Now, Bucky’s achievements had pleasantly surprised Lin Rui.
Bucky couldn’t help but smile wryly at Lin Rui’s teasing. If it weren’t for Lin Rui’s impeccable planning and the flawless identity he had provided, Bucky would never have been able to become friends with T’Challa in Wakanda.
However, luck was also a part of one’s abilities, and Bucky didn’t feel the need to explain to Lin Rui in detail how he had become friends with T’Challa.
“Jackson, those notes you left me before you left me here mentioned that I should keep an eye on the Wakandan royal family’s situation. Now, with the previous king’s unexpected death due to a terrorist attack, and T’Challa about to ascend, what are you here for?”
Bucky was genuinely surprised by the event of the previous Wakandan king’s death. Lin Rui’s notes had hinted at such an eventuality, and if Bucky didn’t trust Jackson, he might have suspected Lin Rui’s involvement in the terrorist attack on Wakanda.
However, even though Bucky trusted Lin Rui, he was still curious about Lin Rui’s intentions. Much like the supernatural events that had occurred in the northern American city during their last encounter, were similar occurrences happening here?
If something like that were to happen, would T’Challa be the protagonist this time?
“Ha-ha, Bucky, don’t be nervous. I mainly came here this time because I’m curious about Wakanda and want to experience the real Wakanda. And although some things will happen this time, your prince friend should be fine, probably…” Lin Rui reassured Bucky in response to his question.
In Lin Rui’s eyes, the Black Panther’s plot was nothing more than a somewhat unnecessary power struggle for the throne. Compared to the elaborate plans Lin Rui had orchestrated, this situation was relatively minor.
If Black Panther T’Challa had been more decisive and ruthless, he could have simply ordered N’Jadaka’s execution when he confronted him with Ulysses’ body upon entering Wakanda. This would have prevented further complications.
Lin Rui had previously expressed a low opinion of Wakanda’s civilization and its tradition of selecting a king through ritual combat. He found it odd that a nation so rich and technologically advanced would continue this practice.
Such a nation was fortunate, and if at any point, an unscrupulous king were dethroned, Wakanda would have been exposed and potentially fractured.
“The real Wakanda? Now that you’re here, can you explain what you mean by the ‘real Wakanda’? Isn’t the place we’re in right now Wakanda?” Bucky asked with a sense of relief mixed with curiosity.
“The real Wakanda…”
…
“So, let’s follow the plan we discussed yesterday. Don’t worry; my acting skills are top-notch,” Lin Rui said as he got up from the sofa, tidying up the cups on the coffee table, and heading to the kitchen.
“Okay.” At this point, Bucky had no choice but to follow the script.
Ding-dong!
Just as Lin Rui was cleaning up the cups in the kitchen, the doorbell outside Bucky’s apartment rang. Glancing at the kitchen where Lin Rui was, Bucky took a deep breath and went to answer the door.
Click!
When the door opened, Bucky saw T’Challa standing outside.
“Hey, T’Challa, sorry about yesterday! Something came up, and I had to leave. Left you alone at the bar!” Bucky said as he extended his arms to give T’Challa a warm hug.
“No worries.” T’Challa patted Bucky on his broad shoulders after the hug, responding nonchalantly.
If Bucky hadn’t left early yesterday, he might have crossed paths with Wakanda’s royal guards, and if a fight had broken out, it would have been difficult for T’Challa to explain the situation.
“Come on in! What brought you here after all these days?” After the hug, Bucky invited T’Challa into his apartment.
“I have some business…” T’Challa began to explain as he entered Bucky’s apartment, but he suddenly stopped.
T’Challa’s gaze shifted with curiosity towards Bucky’s kitchen, where some noises could be heard. Knowing that Bucky had been living alone in Wakanda and didn’t have a girlfriend, and based on Wakanda’s investigation of Bucky, he was aware that Bucky didn’t have any close friends in Wakanda either.
…
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