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"Only seven of you left?" Josh frowned as he looked at the rest of the team.
"Yes, our luck has been both good and bad. While exploring Wakanda's interior, we encountered their king, Azzuri, and his royal guard. We couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the vibranium mine, and we lost five brothers and four raptors. However, we were able to retrieve part of a Black Panther suit and a vibranium spear from the royal guard. In addition, as we were leaving Wakanda, we captured two British deserters who revealed the exact location of Wakanda's royal city, Birnin Zana," Vito elaborated.
"Were our fallen brothers taken care of?" Josh asked after nodding.
"All were cremated and their ashes collected. The Raptor bodies were also disposed of without a trace," Vito replied. The practice of cremating the dead and taking their ashes home was not unique to Asians; many Westerners followed the practice when circumstances allowed.
Josh nodded again, saying nothing more. He opened the box to reveal the arm piece of a Black Panther suit, a backplate, and a spear.
He picked up the spear, feeling its surprising lightness despite its seemingly heavy appearance. Vibranium, after all, had only one-third the density of iron, comparable to aluminum. But its strength and sharpness were unmatched on Earth.
Without warning, Josh threw the spear at a wall. It sliced through the thick barrier like paper and landed deep in the ground outside.
Startled by the sudden sound, Simba, who had been sleeping in the courtyard, let out a sharp, frightened roar. The spear had landed less than two inches from the young lion.
Had the spear missed by a single inch, Simba's life would have been in danger.
Hearing the lion cub's frightened cries in the yard, Josh felt a little embarrassed. While he had anticipated the destructive power of the vibranium weapons, it had been an accident that he had nearly impaled his newly purchased pet with a careless throw.
"With our objective accomplished, it's time to head back. The chaos that Wakanda has caused won't settle down anytime soon, and Africa will only become more unstable. Let's prepare to leave," Josh instructed, motioning for one of his men to retrieve the spear.
As Africa descended further into chaos, Josh knew this was no place to hang around. It wouldn't be long before intelligence agencies from the U.S., the Soviets, and other nations began to interfere in the region. Josh had no desire to remain in the eye of the storm.
Besides, the appearance of large quantities of U.S. military equipment in Africa would soon arouse the suspicions of the British and French, who might trace the trail back to Josh and his so-called "American merchant" operations.
While Josh wasn't afraid of confrontation, he saw no reason to confront them directly. So it was time to make his exit.
As predicted, British troops arrived at the estate just two days after Josh's departure. Unfortunately for them, Josh and his team had already flown back to Austria.
A few days after their return to Austria, Josh received good news.
"Josh, thanks for your help! We were successful!" Errol Partridge's voice trembled with excitement as he expressed his gratitude over the trading system interface.
During Josh's stay in Africa, Errol Partridge from the Equilibrium Universe had finally led the resistance in overthrowing the rule of the Tetragrammaton Council.
Josh's help, especially the Beast Transformation Serum, had been crucial. However, the original protagonist of this world, John Preston, also played a significant role.
Unlike the original story, where Errol Partridge was easily gunned down by John Preston, this time things turned out differently.
After acquiring the Dimensional Trading Beacon, Partridge managed to survive Preston's discovery of his restored emotions during a purge mission, thanks to the Beast Transformation Serum.
This turn of events led to Preston being suspected by the Tetragrammaton Council after failing to eliminate Partridge. As a result, he was driven to rebellion.
Preston's children, who had secretly stopped taking Prozium after their mother's death, also played a key role in the uprising. Together, Preston, serving as an inside agent, and Partridge's Resistance Army launched a coordinated attack that brought down the Tetragrammaton Council.
Josh, however, wasn't particularly concerned with the fate of the Tetragrammaton Council. What really mattered to him was that Partridge's success meant that the formula for Prozium was now in his possession. As for the complete training materials on Gun Kata, Josh had received them a month earlier.
"Congratulations! You're free now," Josh casually remarked to Partridge.
With the Prozium formula secured, the Equilibrium Universe world had lost much of its value to Josh. Though his enthusiasm had waned, he maintained a polite relationship with Partridge, as the world still held an abundance of valuable metals and resources.
Even small opportunities were worth seizing in Josh's eyes.
"By the way, Josh, there's one more thing I'd like you to help me with," Partridge suddenly interjected as Josh prepared to close the deal.
"No need to be so formal; just say it. If I can help, I certainly will," Josh replied.
"You see, John, myself, and several other former Grammaton Clerics—we were all once executioners for the Tetragrammaton Council. Now, even though the Council has fallen, we're facing considerable ostracism. John and some others are hoping to find a new environment in which to live. You once mentioned providing dimensional immigration services—could you help us with that?" Partridge asked.
Josh understood immediately.
This was a golden opportunity! The former Grammaton Clerics were an elite fighting force.
Frankly, if Josh hadn't been worried about the hidden powerhouses in his universe, he would have taken these people under his wing himself.
For now, though, it seemed they'd have to help Daenerys and Yuri instead.