"After all, we aren't the ones planning or carrying out the bombings. When it's time to explain, we can simply hand over the culprits." Hannes paused for a moment and then added, "But even if we do nothing, how does another bombing benefit you? And telling me so directly, aren't you worried I might spill the beans later?"
Hannes was nervous. There were things he needed to clarify; he didn't want to end up silenced by William. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he exclaimed, "You're not planning to short the stock index when the bombings happen again, are you?
"God, William, don't forget you're English. If you dare to short the stock market during a crisis, the entire country will turn against you. Every government agency in England would be watching you 24/7, and any tiny mistake would lead to massive fines or even prison."
William shot Hannes a glance, annoyed by his wild imagination. "Do I look like an idiot to you? Can't you understand such a simple concept?"
"How much money could you even make from shorting the stock index after a minor bombing? A hundred million? Maybe two? I'd be a fool to offend the whole of England for such a small amount."
Hannes relaxed upon hearing this. As long as William wasn't trying to short the stock market, the situation was much simpler. Even if someone found out, the worst outcome would be a forced apology or resignation. Hannes, at 50, was in his prime and definitely didn't want to step down.
"I could just report the culprits and gain a lot from that. I might even get transferred back to London."
William grinned. "Haven't you ever thought about climbing higher in Ireland?"
Hannes shook his head. "No way. People like me don't get to the top. I'm well aware of that."
"But what if you end up saving all of Britain?"
"What?" Hannes tried to control his excitement, but the slight tremor in his hand gave him away. "What do you have in mind?"
"That brings me to the second thing I wanted to talk about." William sipped his drink, took a moment to think, and then continued, "You've heard of Kingsman, right?"
"Of course. Don't forget what I do. I don't know all the details, but I've certainly heard of Kingsman," Hannes nodded.
"Good. Recently, Catherine and I discovered that Kingsman's leader, Arthur, had been controlled by a neural implant device," William explained, pointing to the back of his ear. "We removed a chip-like device from Arthur's ear that was controlling his brain waves. After some investigation, I found that the chips in these devices are manufactured in only two places: Ireland and the USA, both at Valentine Group factories. So, it's clear who's behind it."
"Richmond Valentine? That guy's a rising tech mogul, a global billionaire," Hannes said in surprise. "If you've got the evidence, why not just arrest or take him out? Why go through all this trouble?"
William smirked, revealing his true intentions. "If we kill him, how do we make money? Like you said, Valentine is a world-class billionaire, with a personal fortune exceeding $20 billion and controlling a conglomerate valued at over $70 billion."
"$20 billion in personal wealth and controlling a $70 billion conglomerate?" Hannes asked rhetorically, then waved his hand. "Forget I asked."
He understood that Valentine likely controlled the company through shares with different voting rights. Even with just 10% of the stock, Valentine could still have full control of the company.
"So how does Valentine controlling some high-ranking officials connect to us saving Britain?"
"Of course, it's connected," William replied. "Valentine's factory produces a specific type of SIM card." He pulled out a SIM card and showed it to Hannes. "This is one I bought from the market, produced by Valentine's factory in Ireland. I've run experiments. If a cell tower emits a particular frequency of signals, it can stimulate the part of the human brain responsible for violent behavior, turning people into mindless, destructive maniacs."
The projection from William's phone showed several images as he continued. "In recent years, there have been numerous incidents of mass killings in remote, underdeveloped areas across the world. The official reports concluded that these people were poisoned, which led to their madness. But I believe Valentine has been using these incidents to run experiments on people."
"If you're interested, we could run a test," William said, tossing the SIM card onto the coffee table with a grin.
"Here?" Hannes quickly shook his head as he watched the photos of strange mass deaths flash across the screen. "Forget it. I don't want to turn into a lunatic. Who would've thought that Valentine, a billionaire, would be a complete madman? He has everything but still wants to destroy humanity. Is he insane?"
"Haha, only Valentine himself can answer that. But it's true that geniuses are often madmen," William laughed.
Hannes glanced at William discreetly when he said that.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm only 20 years old. I've been a billionaire for less than a year. I've only just begun enjoying life and the company of beautiful women. Who has time to think about destroying the world?"
"Let's hope so," Hannes quipped, looking at William's phone. "If you ever do want to destroy the world, be sure to pull me in. I think you have a much better chance of succeeding than Valentine."
William shot Hannes a dirty look. "Go to hell, you bastard."
"Haha," Hannes laughed heartily before turning serious. "So, what's the plan? But let me make this clear first: if you're asking me to blow up Valentine's factory, count me out. That's suicide. I know he has a lot of mercenaries, and the factory is heavily guarded."
"We already know Thomas McGraw was behind the London bombing, so you must have the code names of his operatives, right?"
"Yes," Hannes nodded. "During a meeting two days ago, I updated everyone's code names. Of course, I know Thomas McGraw's."
After a brief pause, Hannes asked, "Are you planning to have McGraw and his men blow up Valentine's factory?"
Shaking his head, Hannes replied, "William, that won't work. These guys may be fanatics, but they'd never do anything that would hurt Ireland."
"I understand. But what if, after the factory is bombed, we use their codes to release a statement?"
Framing the extremists wasn't a big issue, but the risk was still enormous. If he were exposed, Hannes knew he wouldn't last long—probably dead within a week, with no chance to go on the run or hide.
"The risk is too high," Hannes thought for a long time. "Does the factory really need to be destroyed? Shutting it down temporarily would be a lot easier, and have you considered..."
Leaning closer with his drink, Hannes whispered, "If Valentine's reputation were ruined or if he were killed, that factory would be worth billions. Wouldn't you want to take over? Making money from shorting the stock market is one thing, but owning a massive factory gives you real power."
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