The drone continued to fly through the primitive forests and rugged terrain, and its speed noticeably increased after passing through the war-torn area.
Bucky didnât dare to crouch on the drone anymore and resumed lying down.
Meanwhile, Leo remained standing firmly on top of the âgiganticâ drone while surging his Mechanical Force. Activating Mechanical Force Analysis and Mechanical Force â Insight, he studied the high-tech product of Wakanda, which was the first he had seen since arriving here.
Although Leo now had the ability to manufacture similar drones, he knew that studying Wakandaâs advanced technology would be invaluable. After all, one can learn from othersâ strengths and weaknesses.
He quickly accessed the system panel and searched through the âAll-purpose Reconnaissance Droneâ blueprint. Soon enough, he found a recognition module similar to the Wakanda e-Pass.
But unlike the D-Rank e-Pass that he gained from Ulysses, the e-Pass recognition module carried by the drone adopted a bi-directional authentication mode. In other words, even if Leo were to replicate the exact same device as this âAll-purpose Reconnaissance Droneâ, he still wouldnât be able to breach the protective shield and enter Wakanda unilaterally. He would have to go through internal authorization from Wakanda.
He wondered if the droneâs two-way verification was unique to just the drones or if all the shield verification methods were changed to two-way verification since the Ulysses theft incident.
Initially, he had thought of getting a pass that would grant him to freely come and go in Wakanda, becoming a frequent visitor. But now, after analyzing the drone, he realized that using Wakanda as his own backyard wouldnât be as easy as he had imagined.
Regardless, Leo had an ultimate solution which was to infiltrate the inner workings of Wakanda and analyze the blueprint of the shield generator.
Once he understood the principles behind the shieldâs generation and function, it would become insignificant to him. He could even integrate the shield onto his suit, rendering it truly invisible.
As the drone weaved in and out at varying speeds around the outskirts of Wakanda, Leo, and Bucky were able to get a rough idea of the kingdomâs size.
Wakandaâs total area was vast. Not including the territory beyond the shield, the area within the shield alone was at least 10,000 square kilometers, encompassing valuable Vibranium mines and Wakandan infrastructure such as cities and schools.
Besides, as he stood atop the drone, he realized that there were small tribes resembling nomads living around the perimeter of Wakandaâs shield. The drone didnât avoid these tribes and instead slowed down and swayed from side to side as it flew over them as if greeting them.
Surprisingly, the people of these tribes didnât show any signs of astonishment when they saw the drone. Instead, they jumped up excitedly, waving and displaying friendly gestures. Seeing this, Leo knew that these tribes were actually disguised Wakandans, forming the first layer of defense for the kingdom.
As the drone passed over another tribe, it slowed down and swayed its body, greeting the others.
Bucky also took the opportunity to sit up and peer down at the ground below. âLeo, look. This small tribe is similar to the ones we saw earlier. Several of them are injured. Also, there are traces of gunfire and bombing around their tribe. Although theyâve tried to conceal the evidence, you can still see faint bullet marks if you look closely.â
These faint marks, Leo had already noticed them earlier and he nodded. Taking into account the bloody small forest they had passed earlier, he surmised that Wakanda had been targeted by a sizable organization.
Pondering for a bit, he said, âBucky, once we enter Wakanda, Iâll go search for the Vibranium and you investigate which organization Wakanda was fighting with recently.â
âOkay.â Bucky nodded.
Feeling uneasy, Leo hesitated and emphasized, âYour suit can lose its ability to enlarge and shrink once itâs damaged, and the material itâs made of doesnât provide strong bulletproof protection. But the weapons in Wakanda are advanced, so itâs best for you to stay small and avoid getting hit. If you accidentally reveal yourself, give me a message immediately. Iâll come to help you right away.â
Facing Leoâs repeated instructions, Bucky didnât feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, he nodded again solemnly, evidently not taking Leoâs words lightly.
Leo was pleased with Buckyâs attitude. Buckky had a wealth of experience and a mature and steady personality, making him Leoâs most capable assistant. This was one of the reasons why he was willing to bring Bucky to Wakanda. If it had been Peter or Matt who wanted to come along, he would definitely have refused without hesitation.
The drone continued to fly and soon circled around Wakanda before ending its patrol mode and returning to the spot where Leo had previously thrown a rock. The border tribe warriors who had been operating the drone began to command it to return.
To be cautious, Leo pulled Bucky up and slipped through the gap on the left side of the drone, then patiently waited inside. Suddenly, the light blue hexagonal flashed like a bubble, and the drone passed through the âAzure Firmamentâ, entering the real Wakanda and flying towards the border tribeâs armory.
Pulling Bucky out of the drone, they hovered in midair, letting the drone fly further and further away. Bucky, held by one arm by Leo, stared down with his mouth gradually opening in amazement.
âIs this the real Wakanda?!â Bucky exclaimed to himself, âItâs so beautiful!â
Leo didnât retort to Buckyâs choice of words this time, as âbeautifulâ was the perfect description. If Leo had to add one more word, it would be âbreathtaking.â The scenery was even more breathtaking than what he had imagined.
Both of them were now hovering in midair, over five hundred meters above the ground, with the entire city of Wakanda visible before them.
A large river ran across the city of Wakanda, dividing it into two halves. The water gently rippled, reflecting the sunlight and creating a gorgeous shimmering effect. The buildings in Wakanda were all topped with circular spires of varying heights, reflecting the sunlight and forming a layered appearance.
In the city, there were even several trains moving through the air, suspended in midair and moving at incredible speeds. In addition, there were various aircraft zipping around the top of the city. The nearest one was less than a hundred meters away from Leo and Bucky, yet it passed by without a sound, leaving them in awe.
Buckyâs voice came through the helmet, âJust now out of the protective shield, all I saw were endless mountains and forests. I never expected that once we passed through the shield, weâd come upon such a beautiful city!â
Fully agreeing with Buckyâs statement, Leo found himself instinctively looking behind him. He realized that the shield allowed him to see everything outside the city from within but from outside, there was no sign of the cityâs existence.
The fact that the shield had a one-way perspective function added another layer to its already impressive technological capabilities.
Leo suddenly became envious of the shield and made a mental note to learn the technology behind it!