Chapter 41: Setting the Trap

Chris POV

After informing Helen that I would be leaving for Africa, I thought she might suggest that we all go together.

Instead, she simply nodded.

I guess she had picked up from my expression that something serious had happened.

She didn’t ask any questions, and I appreciated that.

A black luxury sedan pulled up outside the house a few minutes later.

I knew it had been arranged by Diablo.

During our phone call earlier, Diablo had informed me that collecting soil samples from the islands scattered across the South Atlantic Ocean would take at least eighty days.

The delay wasn’t due to a lack of manpower or resources—it was simply a limitation of current technology.

Surveying hundreds of islands, drilling at multiple locations, and analysing the samples was a process that couldn’t be rushed without risking inaccurate results.

One mistake could mean overlooking an entire Vibranium deposit hidden beneath the ground.

And that was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

Even so, the thought of waiting eighty days irritated me.

Fortunately…

or unfortunately…

Diablo had another piece of news.

He had found someone who could get me enough Vibranium to purchase several upgrades immediately.

Unfortunately, that person was someone I had never wanted to get involved with this early.

If not for S.H.I.E.L.D., I would have ordered Diablo to track him down the moment I arrived in this world and take every last piece of Vibranium he possessed.

Ulysses Klaue.

The man who had stolen Vibranium from Wakanda with the help of Prince N’Jobu.

I had planned to avoid changing the MCU timeline or appearing on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s radar until I was powerful enough to protect myself.

At the very least, I wanted to reach the point where I could kill someone like Thor before making any major moves.

Looks like that plan had gone straight down the drain.

As I was lost in thought, the driver spoke.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

Looking out the window, I saw the private hangar.

As I stepped out of the car, another thought crossed my mind.

Maybe I should hire a few drivers or butlers.

Then I immediately dismissed the idea.

Every additional person around me was another potential security risk.

What if one of them was working for S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, or some other intelligence agency?

For now, trusting Diablo alone was the safer option.

After deciding that keeping my circle small was the safer option, I was about to head inside when an idea suddenly crossed my mind.

While studying African politics over the past few weeks, I had learned one thing—many African countries weren’t exactly fond of outsiders exploiting their land and resources.

Colonialism had officially ended, but foreign influence was still everywhere.

If I played my cards right, I could use that resentment to my advantage.

What if I made it look like Klaue had been attacked by a local uprising?

A large mob surrounding his convoy, killing him, and seizing his weapons to fund their own rebellion would be a perfectly believable story.

It was certainly more believable than a mysterious billionaire teenager appearing out of nowhere and stealing Wakandan Vibranium.

The more I thought about it, the more the plan made sense.

I didn’t need to convince anyone—I only needed to capture the right people.

A local leader, place them under my curse, and use them to lure Klaue into an ambush.

Their own men could create enough chaos to keep Klaue’s guards occupied while we secured the Vibranium.

There was just one problem.

I’d need an unmarked aircraft to get into Africa without attracting attention.

I turned toward one of the men standing near the entrance.

“Call Diablo.”

The man visibly jolted, clearly not expecting me to speak to him directly.

What was with that reaction?

Was he seriously scared I’d kill him just because I called him over?

Then it clicked.

These were Diablo’s men.

Just yesterday, they’d watched me torture and execute several people without the slightest hesitation.

Alright.

Maybe his reaction wasn’t that strange after all.

A few moments later, he respectfully handed me a satellite phone.

“My Lord.”

I raised it to my ear.

“Diablo.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“First, do we have access to an unmarked aircraft?”

There wasn’t even a second of hesitation.

“The aircraft you’re about to board is an unmarked one, my Lord. It doesn’t belong to you. It was acquired through one of our shell companies specifically to avoid drawing attention.”

A small smile appeared on my face.

Good.

One less problem to worry about.

“Now tell me, is there any active uprising against foreign outsiders near Klaue’s current location?”

There was a brief pause.

“I don’t know, my Lord. I’ll have to investigate.”

“If there is, capture the leader before I arrive. Make sure they’re gone for no more than three or four hours. Any longer and people will start asking questions.”

“Understood, my Lord.”

“If there isn’t, capture the leader of a nearby village or town instead. Same conditions. Preferably while they’re asleep so no one notices they’re gone.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

I ended the call and handed the satellite phone back.

Diablo really was reliable.

He never questioned my orders.

He simply found a way to make them happen.

Then again, I’d thought the same thing when I ordered him to locate the hidden Vibranium deposits.

That hadn’t exactly gone according to plan.

Hopefully I hadn’t just jinxed myself again.

Then I stepped inside the private jet.

The luxurious interior was exactly what I’d expected—soft leather seats, polished wooden panels, and enough space to rival a small apartment.

But instead of admiring any of it, a single thought crossed my mind.

How many people had suffered to buy this jet?

I had never given Diablo the money to purchase something like this, which meant it had been bought using the earnings from the underground organizations we had taken over.

Even if those organizations were now under our control, the money had still originated from smuggling, weapons, drugs, and countless other crimes.

It was blood money, no matter how I looked at it.

Before that familiar feeling of guilt could settle in my heart again, another memory suddenly surfaced.

Helen.

Sleeping in Helen’s embrace.

The warmth of her body, the steady rhythm of her breathing, and the strange sense of safety I’d felt in her arms—it had been the most peaceful sleep I’d had since coming to this world.

Just remembering it now made the heaviness in my chest ease a little.

For a few moments, all the pressure, the responsibilities, and the constant need to stay on guard had simply disappeared.

I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed that comfort until it was gone.

And then I finally understood.

Why someone like Kingpin could do anything for Vanessa.

When there was a person whose mere presence could make the world feel quieter, crossing every line to protect them no longer sounded impossible.

“…Damn.”

I leaned back in my seat and rubbed my temples.

The real problem was that I still didn’t understand my own feelings.

At first, Helen had simply been my guardian.

Then she had become family.

But after last night…

after falling asleep in her embrace…

I honestly didn’t know anymore.

Somewhere along the way, the line had blurred, and I couldn’t tell where one feeling ended and another began.

Then there was Gwen.

I let out a tired sigh.

“I don’t know anymore.”

Maybe after returning from Africa, it was finally time to stop running from the issue.

I needed to sit down with both Helen and Gwen and sort everything out before things became even more complicated.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I closed my eyes and let out another sigh.

“…There I go again.”

I had probably jinxed myself.

Again.