/
Chapter 239 Brawling With Black Panthers
TL: Kyous
Time passed slowly. Within Leo’s Mechanical Force Vision, the abundant energy in Bucky’s body began to stabilize once more and the powering up was nearing its end.
All of a sudden, Bucky jolted up from the sandpit, fasting heavily with a pair of bloodshot eyes while grinding his teeth.
Leo hurriedly grabbed Bucky, firmly pressing his hands against Bucky’s chest, and solemnly commanded, “Breath!”
The forceful command acted like a wake-up call and a moment of clarity flickered in Bucky’s eyes. Bucky saw Leo and his gaze brightened with relief, making sense of everything. Then, following Leo’s instructions, he started to take deep breaths.
After taking a few deep breaths, his emotions returned to normal. He stood up from the sandpit and brushed off the fine sand on his hair and body.
“How do you feel?” Leo asked right away.
Standing firmly, Bucky clenched his fist and declared confidently, “I can feel the power coursing through me. If before, I could knock out a cow with a single punch, now I can punch straight through it!”
‘What did the cow ever do to deserve that?’ Leo groaned silently.
“What about your mental state? Any improvements?” Leo continued his questions.
Bucky closed his eyes, earnestly sensing the changes, and suddenly opened them. His eyes were shining with vigor, “There’s a great improvement. I feel limitless energy within me, and my hearing and perception have greatly increased.”
He then added with enthusiasm, “The world now is completely different!”
Hearing this, Leo nodded as he realized the enhancement effects from the heart-shaped herbs and the Super Soldier Serum weren’t conflicting. They complemented each other with their different focuses.
Suddenly, he recalled something and continued asking, “Why did you have such a fierce expression when you woke up? Did you see something?”
“Yeah.” Bucky appeared even more excited as his eyes widened, “I think I saw the previous Black Panthers! There were dozens of them, all together, fiercely berating me, accusing me of being a thief. They pleaded with the Panther God not to bestow the power of the Black Panther on me. And here’s the weirdest part, they were speaking English!”
Intrigued, Leo asked, “And what did you do then?”
Gritting his teeth, Bucky answered, “Of course, I charged right at them and beat them all to a pulp! Let me tell you, not a single one of them could stand up in the end.”
Leo was speechless before replying, “No wonder you woke up with such an intense look on your face.”
Bucky chuckled as he scratched his head, “Well, they were asking for it. They deserved a good beating.”
As Leo’s gaze flickered, he fell into deep thought. The fact that illusions of previous Black Panthers appeared and fought Bucky, yet Bucky still underwent enhancement. It meant the previous Black Panthers had no role in the enhancement process.
However, when Bucky was being enhanced earlier, the sudden surge of energy emerging from the ground didn’t seem like a passive absorption from the sacred pool. It felt more like a deliberate bestowal from someone.
But this person or people couldn’t possibly be the ancestors of the previous Black Panthers. After all, it should be giving a carrot after beating someone up with a stick, not giving a carrot after being beaten up by someone with a stick!
“Leo, can you help me test whether my mental strength can properly use the Intracranial; Transmission Helmet?” Bucky suddenly said, interrupting Leo’s train of thought.
He had been struggling with whether or not to ask this question for a while now and seeing Leo lost in thought at this moment he gathered his courage and voiced it out.
Widening his eyes slightly, Leo immediately understood the meaning behind Bucky’s question. Bucky had set his sights on his Viper! But he wasn’t upset about it since he already gave Bucky the Ant-Man’s suit and the heart-shaped herb, adding a Viper wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Besides, he could always add a safety measure for theft prevention!
With that in mind, his right hand swiped against his Storage Belt, and a helmet suddenly enlarged, resting on his palm.
“Here,” Leo said as he handed the helmet to Bucky.
The helmet had its own independent power source called the “Pym Miniature Highly-compressed Battery,” allowing it to function autonomously for a certain period.
Gleefully taking the helmet, Bucky placed it on his head right away.
The Intracranial Transmission Technology combined with the intelligent processing chip, instantly established countless connections with Bucky, letting him swiftly familiarize himself with the helmet’s functions and thoroughly enjoy experimenting with it.
“Oh, my God. Leo, this helmet is way better than my Winter helmet. It has so many features!” Bucky couldn’t resist exclaiming in awe.
But in less than a minute, his face turned disappointed as he removed the helmet.
“I can feel it. My mental strength is still insufficient to use this helmet properly.”
As one’s mental strength was stronger, the easier one would detect the side effects of the Intracranial Transmission Technology. The fact that Bucky could quickly recognize his lack of mental strength in such a short time was actually a piece of solid evidence of his already enhanced mental capabilities.
His current mental strength was on par with Peter Parker’s, and he had scored a huge jackpot.
Therefore, Leo was about to say a few comforting words to Bucky. And based on the knowledge he recently learned in Wakanda, he could still create a piece of flight-capable armor even without the Intracranial Transmission Technology. It would just lack some flexibility and offensive capabilities.
Nevertheless, before he could say something, Bucky suddenly became energized again and stated, “Leo, how about giving me another herb? Maybe with another dose, my mental strength can improve again, and then I’ll meet the requirements for the Intracranial Transmission Technology.”
“Didn’t the high priest mention it during the day? Multiple herbs won’t have any additional effects compared to just one. Do you think we’re raising a pig? You’ll get fat if you eat too much,” Leo rolled his eyes in response.
“Rather than hearing, it’s better for us to try it out ourselves. If eating more really can further power up your body, that’ll be great and there’s nothing to lose either” Bucky persisted.
Leo also held some skepticism about the statement of “eating more won’t make a difference.” Since Bucky was determined to try again, and there were still two mature herbs remaining, he nodded in agreement.
Following the same procedure as before, he prepared another bowl of herb concoction and had Bucky drink it. The bluish-purple glow lit up within Bucky’s body once again, and he swiftly buried Bucky in the sandpit.
Simultaneously, Leo also activated his Mechanical Force – Insight and carefully observed Bucky. But this time, the energy flow was different from before. The energy formed by the herb circled within Bucky’s body and it promptly emerged from his body, returning to the earth as if uninterested with his body.
Meanwhile, Bucky abruptly sat up from the sacred pool.
“How do you feel?” Although Leo already had a guess, he still asked.
“I fought with the Black Panthers again, and I’m the winner again,” Bucky answered, feeling refreshed.
“I’m not asking about that. I’m asking if your body has been strengthened again!” Leo retorted straight away.
Bucky carefully assessed his senses. “Nope,” he replied.
Indeed, eating more herbs made no difference!
“Well, it seems I’m destined to be a grounded eagle, unable to soar in the sky!” Bucky sighed deeply, looking up at the sky.
“Now you’re even reciting poetry!” Leo rolled his eyes. “Hurry up and get out of the sacred pool!”
After Bucky climbed out of the sandpit and dusted off his bottom, Leo continued, “Don’t be so disappointed. You want to fly, right? I’ve learned a new thing in Wakanda these past few days. Even without the Intracranial Transmission Technology, I can still make you fly in the sky when we return.”
“Really?” Surprised, Bucky’s face immediately lit up.
“For sure. Although it might be a bit demanding on your waist,” Leo replied with a smile.
“No problem! My waist is just fine!” Bucky slapped his waist confidently and twisted it to prove to Leo that he wasn’t lying.
Leo obviously was aware of Bucky’s strong waist. After all, Bucky had battled countless rounds with Sinthea back in the day. So how could his waist not be strong?
Nonetheless, he didn’t need to emphasize this to Bucky lest he take offense.
Instead, Leo said, “When we return, I’ll add a flying module to your Winter. I promise it won’t disappoint you.”
Brimming with joy, Bucky nodded vigorously.
“Now that your matter is settled, shouldn’t I drink the medicine?” Leo asked, noticing that Bucky was standing there with a goofy smile and making no move to assist.
“Oh right.” Bucky snapped out of his daydreaming and picked up the Vibranium mortar and pestle from the ground. “I’ll grind the herbs.”
Only then did Leo take off his shirt and sit in the sacred pool.