Chapter 158: Mysterious Kingdom Wakanda
Leaving Tony Stark and Dr. Yinsen to continue to improve the Iron Man suit in the laboratory, Chen Mo secretly returned to the Norwegian headquarters of Hydra alone.
The third-generation Arc Reactor had been successfully manufactured, utilizing replaceable palladium metal plates to provide energy, boasting enhanced energy output efficiency and an extended operational lifespan.
Moreover, replacing the energy source after depletion was remarkably convenient, requiring only a sufficient stock of palladium metal plates. Unlike the second-generation Arc Reactor, a completely new reactor was no longer necessary once the energy was exhausted.
Simultaneously, the electromagnet on Tony's chest had also undergone significant refinement. It no longer required any cable connections, simplifying installation considerably. Tony Stark could now replace and install it himself, eliminating the need for Pepper to reach into his chest for the procedure.
While a more convenient and efficient energy supply had been achieved, the suit's rapid equipment deployment system remained under development.
The new rapid equipment mode represented a substantial transformation of the suit. Numerous modules required redesigning, and deformation functionalities needed to be integrated to meet the demands of automatic suit assembly. Concurrently, the structural integrity of the connections and the overall defensive capabilities of the suit had to be guaranteed.
Although Chen Mo's highly evolved brain allowed for cognitive abilities far surpassing those of ordinary individuals in terms of thinking, memory, and analysis, he still lagged behind Tony Stark, the inventor of the Iron Man suit and a genius in weapon manufacturing, when it came to the specific refinements and designs of the suit.
The Iron Man suit was an intricate system, and undertaking a comprehensive overall transformation and upgrade was an immensely complex undertaking.
Each system necessitated corresponding modifications, including the upgrade of the transmission system, the rearrangement of the body's various modules, and the corresponding enhancement of the shock absorption and buffering system, as well as the improved composite armor.
All these demanded a highly systematic and in-depth understanding of every component of the suit, coupled with the ability to implement overall changes to all systems and layouts as required.
Currently, the only individual capable of executing this was Tony Stark, the suit's original creator.
Chen Mo primarily relied on the vast repository of scientific and technological information stored within his mind, courtesy of Hydra, and the strategic foresight afforded by his familiarity with future events.
As long as he identified the shortcomings of the Iron Man suit and indicated the direction for improvement, Tony Stark could readily resolve these issues.
The Iron Man suit differed fundamentally from any preceding weapon. There were no existing models for reference, and every new function added presented a multitude of challenges.
Chen Mo could pinpoint weaknesses and suggest avenues for advancement, as well as provide access to certain high-end technologies, but the specific design, the integration of the overall technology, and its final application to the suit all required the expertise of Tony Stark, the Iron Man suit's inventor. After all, he possessed the most intimate understanding of his creation.
It was akin to a house. Tony had designed and constructed the main frame. Chen Mo knew what the completed house would ultimately look like. He could highlight shortcomings in various aspects, offer opinions, and propose modification plans, but the actual modification of the main structural frame had to be carried out by Tony Stark, the original architect.
Of course, once the entire house was finally built, Chen Mo, having participated in the entire project, would possess a thorough understanding of it, enabling him to replicate it or make minor alterations without difficulty.
However, the fast dressing system was clearly beyond Chen Mo's capabilities to complete independently. The design involved was exceedingly intricate and delicate, venturing into a domain Chen Mo had never explored before. Hydra's technological archives contained no relevant information in this regard, leaving Tony as the sole resource.
After conveying all his ideas regarding the rapid automatic assembly system to Tony Stark, Chen Mo departed the villa alone.
He couldn't offer much further assistance with the subsequent development, so he entrusted it to Tony, as he had other pressing matters to attend to.
During the recent confrontation with Obadiah, Chen Mo had observed that Obadiah's left arm, originally severed by Crossbones Brock Rumlow, was equipped with a bionic mechanical prosthesis capable of transforming into a sonic cannon.
Chen Mo had encountered this mechanical arm in a film.
In "Black Panther", a superhero movie also produced by Marvel, Ulysses Klaue, an arms dealer who had infiltrated Wakanda and stolen a significant quantity of vibranium, possessed a similar prosthetic sonic cannon on his left arm.
Based on Chen Mo's knowledge of the plot, this prosthetic sonic cannon was derived from a sonic weapon Klaue had pilfered from Wakanda.
It's just that he shouldn't have lost his left hand at this particular juncture, and the sonic cannon was merely one of his weapons. The news of Obadiah's missing left hand had evidently presented him with a business opportunity, leading him to sell the transformed sonic cannon to Obadiah at a substantial profit.
It was unfortunate that despite acquiring this potent sonic cannon, Obadiah still failed to pose a genuine threat to Chen Mo and ultimately met his demise.
Nevertheless, Ulysses Klaue and Wakanda had now entered Chen Mo's sphere of interest because of this incident.
In Norway, at the northernmost reaches of the Scandinavian Mountains, dozens of kilometers inland from the western fjords, beneath a towering and precipitous mountain perpetually shrouded in ice and snow, lay a vast hidden underground base. This was the headquarters of Hydra, the top-secret Base Zero.
In Chen Mo's spacious office, he sat behind his desk, holding a tablet and rapidly scrolling through all the information regarding Ulysses Klaue and Wakanda that Albert had compiled and sent.
Ulysses Klaue's situation aligned precisely with Chen Mo's prior knowledge.
Many years ago, Ulysses Klaue had infiltrated the mysterious kingdom concealed within the jungle, Wakanda, and absconded with a significant quantity of vibranium.
Currently, in addition to his arms smuggling and sales operations, he dedicated much of his time to searching for and stealing ancient vibranium weapons with the assistance of an elite mercenary named Erik Killmonger, selling the precious vibranium at exorbitant prices.
The enigmatic kingdom of Wakanda had actually garnered Hydra's attention long ago, and the organization had secretly amassed considerable intelligence about them. It could be asserted that Hydra was unequivocally the organization with the most comprehensive knowledge of Wakanda in the world.
Even Ulysses Klaue, who had personally set foot in Wakanda, possessed far less understanding of the nation than Hydra.
In fact, aside from Ulysses Klaue, few individuals globally were even aware of Wakanda's existence.
Even those who had heard of it generally perceived it as an exceptionally impoverished and backward African nation, primarily reliant on hunting and farming for sustenance.
Even the intelligence agencies of various nations and the Strategic Homeland Defense Attack and Logistics Support Bureau of various countries were unaware that concealed beneath this facade of poverty and backwardness, the technological prowess of the Kingdom of Wakanda far surpassed that of any country or organization on Earth, making it the most technologically advanced nation in the world.
According to intelligence acquired by Hydra, tens of thousands of years ago, a massive meteorite had impacted the Earth at what was now the location of Wakanda. This meteorite was composed entirely of vibranium, forming a vast vibranium vein buried deep underground.
As early as the reign of Wakanda's previous king, they had secretly sold small quantities of mined vibranium.
Most of the original adamantium shield used by Dr. McMullan to create Chen Mo and the vibranium utilized for later adamantium research had been obtained from them.
Utilizing the substantial funds generated from the sale of vibranium, Wakandan elites were sent to developed nations to pursue higher education and acquire advanced scientific knowledge.
Upon completing their studies, they returned to Wakanda and leveraged the powerful vibranium to develop technology based on the advanced knowledge they had acquired.
Over the preceding decades, Wakanda's technology had advanced rapidly, soon surpassing all other nations on Earth, particularly in the processing and stealth applications of vibranium.
They possessed the capability to transform the rigid vibranium into a soft, form-fitting, flexible, and potent Black Panther suit.
Employing vibranium, they had developed a plethora of highly advanced technologies, weapons, and equipment.
Following the development of satellite technology by other nations, Wakanda had even concealed its entire country to remain hidden from the world. The developed modern city with its towering skyscrapers appeared as nothing more than a primitive jungle to the outside world. Wakanda had consistently presented itself on the international stage as an impoverished and backward third-world nation.
Wakanda was comprised of five major tribes, each with its own specific responsibilities. The Border Tribe was tasked with guarding the kingdom and preventing unauthorized entry into Wakanda.
The tribesmen of the Border Tribe typically disguised themselves as farmers and hunters, residing on Wakanda's borders to deceive the outside world and conceal the true extent of Wakanda's wealth and power.
Although they appeared as a group of backward tribesmen draped in blue cloaks, they were actually equipped with highly advanced gear.
The cloaks worn by the Border Tribe warriors were, in fact, vibranium cloaks with both protective and cloaking functionalities.
When activated, the cloak could generate an energy shield with formidable defensive capabilities, sufficient to withstand attacks from bullets and bombs.
According to analysis by Hydra's intelligence division, Wakanda's technological level even surpassed Hydra's in certain aspects. Considering that Hydra's technology was already more than 20 years ahead of the current global standard, this underscored the extraordinary advancement of Wakanda's technology.
However, should a direct conflict erupt, Wakanda would undoubtedly be no match for Hydra. While they had developed numerous advanced technologies based on vibranium, Hydra was not inferior to them in many areas and possessed a significantly stronger overall foundation.
Many of Wakanda's technologies were predicated on vibranium. Almost all their powerful weapons and advanced equipment were constructed from this material.
The sonic cannon capable of launching shockwaves and sonic attacks, the vibranium cloak that activated an energy shield, the Black Panther suit, and their aircraft were all intrinsically linked to vibranium.
However, while Wakanda possessed potent vibranium, Hydra commanded the even more powerful Cosmic Cube.
The destructive power of energy weapons surpassed that of sonic weapons, and the various fighters and ships developed utilizing the Cosmic Cube were superior to Wakanda's in terms of quality, performance, combat effectiveness, and sheer quantity.
The combat proficiency of the Hydra Legion soldiers far exceeded that of the Wakanda Border Tribes. In terms of will, belief, discipline, and overall combat quality, they were incomparable.
Once the winter warriors sleeping in the base were awakened, they would be capable of overwhelming Wakanda and annihilating it overnight.