Billionaire in Kingsman with a Marvel System

"So, you knew it was me all along and set a trap for me to fall into," Silva murmured after a moment of reflection, sighing deeply. "It seems I underestimated M's intelligence and tactics."

Gunshots echoed in the distance, and soon, Christmas's voice came through Bond and Barney's earpieces, "Sorry, Barney, we were too late. Sévérine was killed by Silva's men."

"Why?" Bond turned angrily towards Barney, who was wearing goggles and a mask.

Barney sighed with regret, "Buddy, you know who my boss is. He cares about money, but he would never break his word over $5 million. If you want to know why Sévérine died, you should ask Mr. Silva."

Without further explanation, Barney instructed Christmas to call Caesar and Road to bring the helicopter.

Bond stared at Silva. "You planned to get rid of Sévérine from the start."

Silva laughed heartily, "No one keeps a disloyal woman by their side. I always destroy anything worthless once I'm done with it."

"Good. The same goes for you. When you're no longer useful, I'll personally see to it."

Three days after capturing Silva, William had spent several more days holed up in his hotel, finally finishing the disposal of all the Mark 2 components. Feeling relieved, William opened a bottle of Macallan 1956, worth tens of thousands of dollars, and sipped it while listening to Sunday simulate all the flight parameters and operational procedures of the Mark 2.

Although Sunday's main server lacked sufficient computational power, William found a solution. He rented five or six commercial-grade servers, processing sensitive data on the castle's servers while using the rented ones for non-sensitive calculations. This saved both time and money on purchasing servers.

"SIR, according to my simulations, there are no issues with assembling the Mark 2 suit. However, without the energy parameters from a miniature arc reactor, the suit's operational duration is unknown, as are the specific effects of the shock absorption system and the power of the pulse energy cannon. We need a large testing ground and assembly machinery for the suit."

William considered this. "Keep an eye out for any villas for sale on Kensington Gardens Street in London. The place needs to be large, preferably with an existing basement. Also, place an order with a London machine shop for an automatic assembly machine for the Mark suit."

"Understood, SIR. The order has been placed. I will update you on the villa once I have news."

A few minutes later, Sunday reported, "SIR, Mr. Gareth is on the phone. Would you like to take the call?"

"Put him through."

Gareth's voice soon came through. "Good morning, William. Silva has just been secretly transferred back to England. What's your next move?"

"What I do next is my business. If I need to, I'll tell you what to do. For now, just wait patiently," William replied, sounding irritated.

"Are you sure? How will Silva cause trouble for M while he's locked up?"

"Relax, buddy. Silva's capture is just the beginning. A few days ago, I discovered that Silva hired a mercenary team through a broker. They're currently waiting in London."

William took a sip of whiskey before continuing, "As for how Silva escapes, don't worry about it. Knowing too much won't do you any good—at least your expression won't give anything away."

"Alright, but you'd better keep an eye on things at MI6. We can't let M regain her footing; it wouldn't benefit us. Don't forget, she's never stopped trying to dig into your family's secrets."

"Mind your own business. I don't need your concern. Here's some advice: being too eager might expose you. Silva has powerful backers, so be careful, or you might find yourself in a tight spot before you even become the head of MI6. Learn from me—let Craig take the lead and draw attention and fire. We'll stay in the shadows and reap the benefits."

Gareth thought for a moment, "Alright, I hope nothing goes wrong. Goodbye."

Before hanging up, Gareth added, "By the way, there's a hearing for M at 2 PM. If you're interested, I can get you an invitation."

"No, thanks. I already have one. No need to trouble yourself."

"Huh? How did you get one? This is an internal hearing; those invitations aren't easy to come by."

William smiled. "This is the world of capitalism. As long as the money is right, there are no connections you can't make. So, Gareth, you need to work harder, or soon we won't be in the same league."

Finally, William added, "I'll send you a suit. When you get it, change into it immediately. See you in the afternoon. Goodbye."

"A suit?" Gareth hung up, puzzled.

Later that day, as William was having lunch in the hotel restaurant, Gareth hurried in. Spotting William, he quickly walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat across from him, whispering, "Is this suit really bulletproof?"

William didn't respond immediately but instead snapped his fingers. The hotel butler, standing not far away, quickly approached and bowed, "Mr. Devonshire, what can I do for you?"

"Derek, order the same lunch for Mr. Mallory as I'm having, in normal portions. Thank you."

"Very well, Mr. Devonshire. Mr. Mallory, please wait a moment." The butler, Derek, smiled and bowed before stepping aside to place the order via a walkie-talkie.

William poured a glass of red wine for Mallory and slid it over. "This is a 1964 Château Latour, the first batch after they changed their winemaking method. Give it a try."

"Why did you send me a bulletproof suit? Is something going to happen?"

Glancing at his watch, William explained, "Some things haven't happened yet, so I can't say for sure. I'll let you know when it starts. The suit can indeed stop close-range handgun fire, though it will hurt. As a friend, I'll send you another set. If you want more in the future, you'll have to pay—£5 million per set. Now, let's eat. The hearing is about to start. Remember to wear the earpiece I sent."

"Thanks. I don't have that kind of money, but thanks anyway. Two sets will be enough for special occasions." Mallory finished his lunch quickly and left.

After his meal, William remained seated until 1:30 PM before heading out of the hotel and getting into the hotel's car to attend the hearing.

As he arrived at the venue, Sunday's voice came through his earpiece. "SIR, as you predicted, Silva has escaped. Bond is currently in pursuit, and the mercenaries Silva hired are converging on this location. Should I notify the standby suicide squad?"

"No, just keep an eye on those mercenaries."

"Understood, SIR."

William quickly walked into the hearing hall, found a seat near the left side door, and instructed Sunday, "Connect to Gareth's channel."

"SIR, the channel is connected."

Seated, William smiled and waved at Catherine Davis, who was presiding over the hearing. Meanwhile, he spoke to Gareth through the earpiece, "Gareth, you now have two options."

"What?" Gareth, sitting at the head of the table, responded quietly without changing his expression.

"I just received word that Silva has escaped from the Churchill underground bunker and is heading here. You can either do nothing and watch M get taken out or use your bulletproof suit to save M. As long as you don't get shot in the head, you'll survive."

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