T'Challa spoke again, "Who were the three individuals accompanying you on this mission?"
"They are the most powerful Winter Soldier operatives in the organization, tasked with high-risk missions."
"What are Winter Soldiers?"
"I don't know; they're just called Winter Soldiers."
Hearing Fehr's repeated "I don't know," T'Challa felt a bit frustrated. Nevertheless, he pressed on, trying to extract as much information as possible within the time limit.
"How many of these soldiers are there?"
"I don't know."
Answer after answer of "I don't know" left T'Challa somewhat dismayed.
"Why did you target Vibranium?"
However, this time Fehr didn't say "I don't know." This was something he did know.
"The organization's goal was to trade for Vibranium. If the trade failed, the plan was to seize it at any cost. We intended to capture King T'Chaka and Prince T'Challa to exchange for Vibranium."
"As for the Vibranium, it was meant for trading for a serum that enhances physical abilities."
Hearing the term "physical enhancement serum," T'Challa was puzzled.
"What is a physical enhancement serum?" he asked.
Fehr's face lit up with excitement. "It's a potion that enhances physical abilities. It's said that after taking it, one becomes even stronger than a Winter Soldier."
Fehr then proceeded to divulge everything he knew about how the Sand Puppet Shop in New York traded the physical enhancement serum, including information about ninjas.
In his narration, T'Challa learned for the first time that there are organizations called Sand Puppet Shop and the Charles Agency.
Just as T'Challa was about to ask more questions, Fehr's brain was fried, and he became brain-dead.
Watching Fehr's lifeless body, T'Challa waved his hand, instructing soldiers to remove the corpse.
T'Challa exited the cell and made his way to Shuri's lab.
Seeing her brother approach, Shuri inquired, "Did you get all the information?"
T'Challa nodded, then said, "Shuri, help me look up something."
"Charles Doyle, Charles Agency, Sand Puppet Shop, ninjas, Hydra."
Upon hearing these keywords from her brother, Shuri immediately inputted them into the computer, retrieving all relevant information from the internet.
Information regarding Charles Doyle, Charles Agency, and ninjas appeared most frequently, followed by Hydra. As for the Sand Puppet Shop, there were very little information, only the address and registration details.
"Brother, there's a lot of information. Do you need me to filter it?" Shuri asked.
T'Challa approached the screen, gazing at the abundance of information and video files. "Let me see what information is there first," he said.
T'Challa soon became immersed in the intelligence gathered, and before he knew it, one day had already passed.
…
Meanwhile, in another location-
Within the Hydra base, Alexander Pierce slammed his fist on the table.
"What did you say? We failed? This is impossible."
"An underdeveloped African nation managed to retain three Winter Soldier operatives? Are you kidding me?"
The Winter Soldier operatives in Pierce's possession were acquired from the wealth obtained during the collapse of the Soviet Union. Such soldiers were rare, each one a valuable asset to Hydra.
Normally treasured and kept in cryogenic storage when not on missions, losing three operatives at once meant losing a third of their high-end combat strength.
Dr. Zola's face appeared on the nearby electronic screen, forming a moving image. "Pierce, based on the intelligence we received, our operatives failed during the mission and called for backup. The armed helicopter was shot down after firing only one missile."
"Perhaps Wakanda isn't as simple as we thought."
"And it's an internet desert there. It's hard for me to gather useful intelligence."
Pierce sneered, "Wakanda might not be simple, but does that mean Hydra is?"
"I must obtain Vibranium at all costs!"
In truth, whether they obtained Vibranium or not wasn't crucial in Pierce's eyes. However, Vibranium was crucial for acquiring the physical enhancement serum from the Sand Puppet Shop.
Pierce then looked at the computer screen and asked, "How's the progress on replicating the physical enhancement serum?"
"It's progressing smoothly. The foundational data provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. has been very helpful. We've identified a factor they couldn't confirm, something you would never guess."
Hearing this, Pierce's interest was piqued. "What is it?"
Zola's synthesized voice echoed in Pierce's ears. "Werewolf blood cells."
"What? How is that possible?"
Pierce had ordered a werewolf corpse from the Sand Puppet Shop for research purposes, but he never expected werewolf blood cells to be a primary ingredient in the physical enhancement serum.
Zola's voice continued, "It's said that there's also a batch of werewolves being raised in Charles's base."
After a moment of contemplation, Pierce said, "If we know the main ingredient, does that mean we can replicate it soon?"
"It's not that simple. While we've discovered werewolf blood, there are other components involved."
"If it were that easy, our research on werewolf corpses wouldn't have ended in failure."
"Speed up the research!" Pierce commanded.
However, Zola interjected, "The physical enhancement serum used for research is running low. We'll need at least 1-3 more doses, and that's the best-case scenario. If we don't make a breakthrough, we'll need even more."
Pierce's eyes gleamed with menace. "In that case, we'll have to target Wakanda."
"If necessary, we'll take down Wakanda and support a rebel armed force."
As for the energy cubes in S.H.I.E.L.D., they were currently under tight surveillance by Nick Fury. Even one missing would be noticed, so Pierce couldn't secretly access them.
Zola reminded him, "You need to be prepared. It's not just you collecting Vibranium; your rival is eyeing it as well."
Hearing Zola mention Nick Fury, Pierce frowned slightly. "I understand."
…
Meanwhile-
A Quinjet from S.H.I.E.L.D., carrying Agent Hill and a team of agents, was flying towards Wakanda.
Their objective this time was to communicate with the Wakandan king and secure the Vibranium quotas originally allocated to the United States and the United Kingdom.
Nick Fury had secured the Vibranium quotas of US for the next few years after paying a certain price, while the UK's S.H.I.E.L.D. branch had secured the UK's quota.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters would distribute a portion of the physical enhancement serum to the UK branch based on the Vibranium obtained by them.