Zod had vanished with the stolen vibranium warehouse, and despite Wakanda's efforts, which included sealing off several kilometers and conducting extensive searches, they couldn't find it. They had been completely blindsided. Wakanda's greatest resource had been stolen from under their noses, and T'Chaka was filled with grief and restless nights.
The more T'Chaka reflected on the incident, the more it became clear that the enemy knew too much about Wakanda—especially about the vibranium storage sites. Wakanda had many such warehouses, but the fact that the invaders could avoid their defenses was alarming. The king began to suspect a traitor in their midst.
Zod returned with the vibranium-filled warehouse, marveling at the fact that even the walls were made of vibranium.
"Wakanda has no idea how to properly use this treasure," Zod muttered. "It's like they're letting it rot away. Only in my hands will it reach its full potential."
Luckily for Wakanda, they hadn't gone overboard and used vibranium for every surface, or Zod might have considered packing up the entire nation for himself.
The warehouse Zod had taken wasn't even Wakanda's most important—just one that held over 500 tons of vibranium. In U.S. dollars, that was worth approximately... $25 trillion. Zod calculated this based on $50,000 per gram, a figure he found out from an inside informant. Officially, Wakanda was selling vibranium for $10,000 per gram, but his informant had been selling it on the black market for far higher prices.
"They were fools not to capitalize on this resource better. If I had control, I'd be selling vibranium at a million dollars per gram," Zod thought smugly.
Now, with a considerable vibranium stockpile in hand, Zod could experiment by testing alloys with other metals. If he accidentally invented some sort of supermetal, he wouldn't hesitate to unleash it on the world.
While the Black Queen ran analyses on vibranium's potential pairings with other metals, Zod treated himself to breakfast. He'd worked hard to amass this wealth and power, not just for protection, but to enjoy the finer things in life. He didn't want to be like Clark Kent, whose power was so vast yet led to Bruce Wayne needing to buy a bank just to save his home. Zod preferred a blend of Batman's cunning and Superman's strength.
His breakfast was prepared by a Guangzhou morning tea master—something Zod insisted on since he had been a Cantonese in a past life. After over twenty years, he missed the flavors of home. Shrimp dumplings, barbecued pork buns, rice noodles—these staples of Cantonese morning tea brought back fond memories.
Zod had more than 20 dishes on the table before him: shrimp dumplings, chicken feet, siu mai, boat porridge, and more. These were foods he had grown tired of in his previous life, but now they tasted nostalgic and delicious.
The morning tea master was astonished by Zod's knowledge of the cuisine. "Did this foreigner used to live in Guangdong?" the master wondered to himself.
"How is it? I told you it would be delicious," Zod said, glancing at Urd, who was attempting to use chopsticks.
Urd, having been introduced to Cantonese morning tea by Zod, struggled to speak, her focus entirely on not dropping the food. The chopsticks were proving to be more difficult than expected.
For foreigners, Cantonese cuisine is often the easiest introduction to Chinese food. It isn't as heavy as Shandong or Sichuan cuisines, offering a lighter, more delicate flavor profile that appeals to many tastes without the need for much modification. Cantonese morning tea could be enjoyed throughout the day, from morning until afternoon, with some restaurants extending into the evening.
Urd had taken a liking to chicken feet, which she referred to as "sharp claws." Zod, with his larger appetite, could eat all the dishes in one sitting, though he wasn't fond of some of the more gelatinous offerings.
"It's delicious, really," Urd finally managed to say, though her vocabulary was limited. Zod could tell from her expression and the slight flush of her face that she was enjoying the meal. The increased hormone activity in her body was a giveaway.
"The real magic is in the tea," Zod explained. "This is Pu'er, this is Tieguanyin, and this is Longjing." Zod preferred Pu'er and Tieguanyin, finding the other varieties of green and black tea too bitter.
After the meal, Urd's face was flushed. She had initially tried to maintain a composed elegance, but her difficulty with the chopsticks left her embarrassed. The more she tried, the more mistakes she made, leading to a chain reaction of blunders.
Zod, however, was unfazed. He admired her briefly before heading back to work.
The branch base of the World Serpent was located in the desert near the U.S.-Mexico border, and it was here that Tony Stark was imprisoned. Zod had arranged a daily performance for Stark, with his beast soldiers playing the part of terrorists. They enacted scenes of civilians being threatened and shot, while a fake Yinsen filled Stark in on the atrocities committed with his weapons.
The goal was to deepen Tony Stark's sense of guilt. Zod wasn't sure if this would lead to a darker, more ruthless version of Iron Man, but it didn't matter. Even if a corrupted Iron Man emerged, Zod was confident he could crush him with ease.
Tony Stark awoke, his mind on the verge of breaking. The terrorists had slaughtered a group of innocent civilians right before his eyes the day before.
"They died because of you, Tony," the fake Yinsen said, accusing Stark. "Your advanced weapons gave these terrorists the power to dominate the region. The local government forces couldn't stand a chance. I've seen this play out hundreds of times."
Tony sat on the edge of his concrete bed, clutching his head in despair. He felt trapped in an invisible torture chamber, haunted by the screams of the innocent lives lost because of him.
This wasn't just in his head. Zod had arranged for someone to whisper cries of anguish into Stark's ears as he slept. The beast soldiers were agile and stealthy, ensuring Tony would never notice their presence.
Despite the relentless torment, Tony Stark's resolve remained strong. His willpower was starting to glow with a heroic spirit.
The terrorists demanded that he build a weapon for them—his infamous Iron Man suit. At first, Tony played for time.