Although Wakanda's society remains a relatively primitive tribal system, their response was impressively quick.
At the king's command, warriors from various tribes rapidly assembled.
Just three or four minutes after separating from Okoye, the old king and Black Panther arrived outside the energy shield with a small escort team aboard an aircraft.
Chitauri soldiers were pouring out of the wormhole, riding single-pilot aircraft and swarming downward.
From afar, it looked as though a hive of bees had been stirred, sending countless bees flying out.
"Your Majesty, I suggest activating an additional energy shield a hundred meters back. We could retreat outside the second layer," a guard suggested out of concern for the king's safety.
"Not for now!" The king waved off her suggestion. Wakanda's energy wasn't limitless, and vibranium was still being extracted continuously.
Who knows how many more enemy forces are waiting to be transported above.
If the current shield suffices, there's no need to activate another. More importantly, he needed to observe the alien forces up close.
Black Panther stood close by the old king's side, watching the Chitauri soldiers within the energy shield flying about like a swarm of bees.
The Chitauri soldiers, resembling a crazed swarm, charged directly at the shield upon landing.
Racing at high speeds, each one crashed into the energy shield and shattered into pieces.
A dragon-like Chitauri ship emerged from the wormhole, a rumbling roar resounding through the sky.
"Damn it! What on earth is that thing?" The old king's expression changed, and he turned to his guards, issuing orders.
"Increase energy output. Focus all power on this layer of the shield."
"Father, this is too risky! Let's activate another shield. You should command from a safer location and leave this to me!" Black Panther looked at the old king with concern.
"If one layer can't hold, two won't make much difference. It's better to strengthen this one. Our city is right behind us, full of civilians. No matter what, we must keep the battlefield contained here."
"Don't try to persuade me. I'll stay here and fight alongside you all!"
As they spoke, the first dragon-like aircraft in the sky crashed into the energy shield.
The massive dragon head rammed into the shield, causing the translucent barrier to flare up in bright blue light.
The contact point between the shield and the dragon head emitted a crackling noise, like a bug zapper.
As the dragon head struggled against the shield, its outer shell was slowly eroded by the energy, eventually exposing the soft, synthetic tissue within.
Finally, halfway through the shield, the dragon-like aircraft was sliced in half by the energy barrier.
Although they managed to stop this dragon-like aircraft, the following wave of Chitauri soldiers wasn't immediately shattered as before.
Instead, they began to penetrate the shield, though only partially, and were sliced in half upon entry.
It took over ten seconds for the shield to return to its full strength.
"Inform Okoye to deploy combat aircraft and closely monitor the areas where large ships impact the energy shield. We can't afford any breaches."
The old king continued issuing orders.
Uncertain of the enemy's numbers and abilities, he decided to hold them off with energy for now, observing and formulating a strategy.
Hawkeye, watching from afar, also keenly noticed the temporary weakness in the shield's power after the dragon-like aircraft crashed into it.
At this point, he fully understood that the backward country he had meticulously chosen actually hid cutting-edge technology unknown to the rest of the world.
Things were getting a bit complicated. However, his priority now wasn't to occupy any stronghold but to figure out how to escape and rescue Loki first.
Hawkeye, bow drawn and arrow ready, quickly took down a Chitauri soldier.
Calming himself, he placed his hand on the fallen soldier's single-pilot aircraft.
The Chitauri army and its soldiers seemed to function like an insect society, similar to ants or bees.
In this army, all equipment and soldiers, including the dragon-shaped aircraft, shared a collective mind or operating system.
By accessing a single-pilot aircraft, Hawkeye could convey his commands to the Chitauri soldiers.
His authority to command the army came from the mark of the Mind Stone on his staff.
Noticing Wakanda's mobilization of large military forces and aircraft, Hawkeye directed several dragon-shaped aircraft to launch suicide attacks on the energy shield from different directions.
As for the chaotic Chitauri soldiers, Hawkeye originally intended to have them use their energy weapons to deplete the shield's power. However, right now, he needed an exit, and the chaos would help him stay hidden.
After ensuring the dragon-shaped aircraft had drawn enough attention from the forces outside, Hawkeye secretly commanded several dozen Chitauri soldiers to attack a specific point on the shield in what appeared to be a disorganized assault.
One after another, more than twenty soldiers threw themselves at a single point, pressing and tearing at it with their bodies, continuously draining energy from that small section of the shield.
Visibly, each Chitauri soldier was lasting longer at that point.
Finally, after the sacrifice of twenty-seven Chitauri soldiers, a hole about 1.5 meters in diameter appeared in the energy shield.
"Doctor! Now!" Hawkeye acted decisively, leaping through the gap.
The hole began to close.
Dr. Selvig saw the shrinking gap, gritted his teeth, and mimicked Hawkeye, leaping through as well.
He barely made it out, losing half the toe of his shoe in the process. It nearly sliced off his toes.
"God bless!" Dr. Selvig sighed in relief, staring at his exposed toes.
"God won't bless scum like you!"
As soon as Dr. Selvig finished speaking, a voice accompanied by a shadow appeared in front of him.
Before he could figure out who it was, he was knocked unconscious with a single punch.
Hawkeye immediately drew his bow and shot an explosive arrow with a mini-bomb attached toward the Black Panther, who had suddenly appeared.
But to his surprise, Black Panther neither dodged nor
flinched, enduring the explosion head-on.
Without even staggering, Black Panther charged straight at him!
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