William started the car, and both he and Guan Yuming remained silent. About ten minutes later, they arrived at William's London estate. After bringing Guan Yuming into the living room and having the servant serve coffee, William waved her away.
Taking a sip of coffee, William got straight to the point. "Why didn't you come to me after such a big incident? Or at least reach out to your former teammates?"
Guan Yuming shook his head. "Besides Carlos and Harry Hart, who are still struggling to get by, the rest of the team retired ten years ago. I don't want to disturb their lives," he paused for a moment, then continued with a hint of helplessness, "I lost contact with Carlos ten years ago. As for Harry, he's with Kingsman now. If I seek him out, it will cause trouble for both of us."
"You know Harry is with Kingsman?" William asked, surprised.
"Yes, Harry has come to my house every year for the Lunar New Year," Guan Yuming said with a rare smile. "Xiaofan loved Harry. Every year, she looked forward to his visit because he always brought gifts."
As he spoke, tears streamed down Guan Yuming's face. "I'm over 50 now, and Xiaofan was my only child. Why would fate be so cruel to me? I lost my wife and two daughters in middle age, and now, I have to go through the pain of losing my only remaining child."
William felt at a loss for words, unsure how to comfort him. After a moment, he bluntly asked, "Do you want to take revenge yourself, or should I handle it?"
"You know who the culprit is?" Guan Yuming stared sharply at William.
"I don't know," William replied, unbothered by Guan Yuming's intense gaze. "But if you post a $10 million bounty in the underworld, you'll find out within a week."
Guan Yuming looked at William's clear expression and realized there was no way William could be involved with the radical Irish groups. Apologetic, he said, "I'm sorry, William."
"It's fine," William waved it off casually.
After thinking for a moment, Guan Yuming finally said, "If possible, I'd like to take revenge myself."
"No problem. Wait here a moment," William said. He then headed to the basement, retrieved a case, and brought it back to the living room.
Opening the case, William pulled out a neatly packed combat suit. "Here's a bulletproof combat suit. Try it on. Except for sniper rifles, machine guns, and armor-piercing rounds, regular pistols and rifles won't penetrate it. Oh, and it's also stab-proof and slash-resistant."
Without saying much, Guan Yuming took the suit, excused himself, and went to a corner of the living room, where he discreetly changed into the combat suit, which looked no different from a typical jacket.
After moving around a bit and finding the fit perfect, Guan Yuming walked out and said, "It fits well."
"Good," William pointed to the rest of the items in the case. "The rest are a phone, hidden earphones, and glasses with night vision and infrared capabilities." Finally, William took out a chess set box. "The pawns are explosive, with power comparable to a grenade. The rooks and knights are shock grenades, the bishops and advisors are tranquilizer rounds, and the cannons and kings are incendiary bombs."
William thought for a moment before pulling out the cannons and kings. "Maybe I shouldn't give you these; their power is too strong. The chess pieces are made of a new material, undetectable by standard scans. They're voice-activated but can also be controlled via the phone. Lastly, if you need help, you can reach out to Sunday."
After introducing Sunday to Guan Yuming, William said, "Based on the current leads, a man named Liam Hennis in Dublin might know who did it. You should start by tracking him. I'll let you know if I get more concrete information."
"Understood, thank you." Guan Yuming put on the earphones as instructed, donned the glasses, pocketed the phone, and placed the chess set in the outer pocket of his jacket. "When this is all over, I'll find a way to thank you. Goodbye, William."
"Good luck, Guan."
After seeing Guan Yuming off, William had dinner with his mother that evening. Casually, he asked, "Mom, do you know where the former 007 is?"
Lena almost dropped her spoon in surprise and asked nervously, "Why are you asking about him?"
"There are a few things I'd like to ask him," William replied, noticing his mother's unusual reaction, which didn't escape his sharp observation. "Did something happen to him, or…?"
Lena, seeing her son's puzzled expression, hesitated before saying, "Don't worry about what he's doing. He's helping me with something, and I'm warning you—don't go looking for him. Do you understand?"
Dumbfounded by his mother's serious tone, William reluctantly realized that his plan to use Guan Yuming to eliminate Liam Hennis and have the former 007 replace him was now impossible. He sighed and shrugged. "Alright, it's up to you."
As for what would happen between Guan Yuming and Liam Hennis, William wasn't too concerned. In a few days, he could simply inform Guan Yuming and Bloomley about the mastermind and the culprits.
After dinner, William called in Antonov, his mother's head of security. He handed Antonov four watch-shaped detectors and said, "These are bomb detectors. If they go off, it means there's a danger within 50 meters."
Antonov understood immediately. "Got it, boss. We'll be extra cautious in the coming days."
"Good." After dismissing Antonov, William instructed Sunday, "Keep an eye on my mother and Abigail for now."
"Of course, SIR. I'll monitor Lady Lena and Miss Abigail at all times."
At 9 PM, when Abigail returned to the estate, William pulled her into a workout session. Afterward, he reminded her to be extra cautious, always wear the protective gear he had given her, and they discussed museum designs and antiques late into the night. They didn't fall asleep until midnight.
While William slept peacefully, Guan Yuming, having received his instructions, returned home. After making arrangements with the only person he was close to, he drove out of London and headed to Dublin.
After boarding a ferry and arriving in Ireland, Guan Yuming drove straight to Dublin and checked into a private hotel. He rested for a few hours, then got up at dawn to buy some supplies at the market before heading to Liam Hennis' office.
Perhaps Guan Yuming's frail, elderly appearance made him seem harmless. He walked into Hennis' office building without anyone stopping him.
Upon reaching the third floor, he saw an office with a sign that read "Deputy Minister Hennis." He knocked on the door.
"Come in," came a woman's voice from inside.
Guan Yuming, carrying a bag, slowly entered the office. "Hello, I'm looking for Deputy Minister Hennis."
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Two men, clearly bodyguards, who were sipping whiskey, quickly moved to block him.
One of the men grabbed the bag from Guan Yuming's hand to inspect it.
Inside the bag were just two bottles of alcohol, some matches, a spool of thread, and cigarettes. After checking him and finding only a chess set, the bodyguards relaxed. "What do you want?"
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]