Billionaire in Kingsman with a Marvel System

As soon as they left the castle and stepped onto the grass, William flashed a smile at Craig before starting to jog. Craig understood that this was a test of his stamina. His competitive spirit kicked in, and he began to run alongside William. However, after just ten minutes of running, Craig found himself getting increasingly frustrated. He hadn't expected his stamina to have deteriorated to this extent; he was already gasping for air after such a short time.

When William picked up the pace, Craig struggled to keep up. After another five minutes, he was falling behind. Noticing this, William slowed down. The run was merely a test to help Craig recognize his current physical condition, preventing him from making errors in judgment during a mission.

After slowing down, William walked alongside Craig, who was bent over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily. "You need to quit drinking, man. If you keep it up, you'll ruin yourself completely."

Craig nodded in understanding, still catching his breath. "Don't worry, I'll quit. I was only drinking to numb the pain and because I had given up on myself. But now that I have a goal, quitting alcohol will be easy."

William didn't doubt him; he had seen Craig's file and knew how strong-willed he was. "Good. Now that you've realized your current state, let's talk about the mission."

"Go ahead," Craig said, straightening up and looking at William seriously.

"Put on the glasses; it'll make things simpler."

Craig didn't ask any questions and obediently put on the glasses. Soon, a photo appeared on the lenses. Before he could ask, a mechanical voice in his earpiece began describing the details of Patrice.

"This is the guy you were supposed to capture three months ago."

As Craig listened to Sunday's introduction to the equipment, he commented to William, "That's right, it's him. If it weren't for the incident, I would've caught him three months ago."

William remained noncommittal. If it were that easy, M wouldn't have had to order Craig's deputy to take the shot that helped him.

"I've received information that Patrice will be heading to Lion City for a mission. But he's just a small-time player, a hired gun. The real mastermind is someone else, and his identity is quite surprising."

"So, the real enemy is one of our own?" Craig asked, catching on.

William didn't keep him in suspense. "Smart. The mastermind is named Silva, a former trusted aide of M. He started working with M in Asia in 1985, and until three years ago, he was one of her top operatives. In 1991, he launched an unauthorized cyberattack on a major Asian country, which led to him being hunted down. For reasons unknown, M abandoned Silva and allowed the pursuit to continue.

You can figure out the rest—after being captured, Silva somehow managed to escape. Now, after surviving a near-death experience, Silva is out for revenge, using his knowledge of the Special Forces to strike back. His ultimate goal is to ruin M's reputation and then kill her personally."

This information relieved Craig somewhat. An exposed enemy is far less dangerous than one lurking in the shadows. Once Silva's location was discovered, the chances of catching him alive were slim. "Looks like we'll catch him soon."

"Sorry," William shrugged, "but it's not that easy. If it were another country's special forces, it might be easier, but Silva knows MI6 too well. He's aware of our blind spots, so capturing him won't be simple. Besides, he's a seasoned veteran. If M hadn't betrayed him, no one would have caught him three years ago. Now that he's learned from that mistake, he's even more cautious. I spent over ten million dollars just to get some vague information."

"Over ten million dollars?" Craig was shocked. "You spent your own money to buy intel? The Security Council must have offered you something really big, big enough for someone like you to spend money without a second thought."

William just smiled. He wasn't about to tell Craig that there was no ten million dollars involved and that the intel came from his own memory. Claiming to have bought the information was just a way to conceal the real source and justify the expenses. The more he claimed to have invested, the more justified he would be in claiming a big reward later.

"You have to spend money to make money. Money is the ultimate superpower. If it doesn't work, it just means you didn't spend enough. If I weren't worried about scaring Silva into hiding permanently, I would have posted a $20 million bounty on the dark web. That way, the underworld would take care of the problem for me and deliver Silva to me for the reward."

Craig shook his head bitterly. "I hate you capitalists. For you, everything comes down to how much money you spend. And afterward, you can even make back the money you spent several times over."

William rolled his eyes. That wasn't just a capitalist trait—it was human nature.

"I suspect Silva has a powerful force backing him, one that specializes in cyberattacks. The explosion at MI6 headquarters a few days ago was caused by the enemy hacking into the system and triggering the gas valves. My plan is for you to return to London today and report to M. We'll use the enemy's moles within MI6 to our advantage by showing weakness.

So when you get back, don't perform too well. It's best if people think you're practically a washout. This will lower the enemy's guard. Then, I'll arrange for someone to stage a scene and deliberately make things difficult for you, embarrassing you."

Craig looked at William in confusion, not understanding why he was doing this.

William smirked. "Tell me, if you were hell-bent on revenge after being nearly killed by a colleague and then encountered a former colleague who had gone through a similar experience, what would you do?"

Craig quickly understood and grinned.

"If our plan works, the more you're belittled and harassed, the more likely Silva will think about recruiting you. If my guess is correct, Silva will have to meet you in person to do that, giving us a chance to get close to him. Once the rat steps out of the sewer and into the light, he won't be able to escape."

"Got it. Heh, I don't even have to act—I've been self-destructing for months now. My physical condition is also genuine; after three months without training, my fitness has deteriorated significantly. The only issue is whether we should inform M about this plan."

Craig looked calmly at William.

"Don't worry, I've never doubted M's loyalty to the country. But you have to understand, the enemy was once her trusted subordinate. He knows her better than we do. Hacking her computer would be as easy for him as drinking water. If the rat senses anything unusual, he'll retreat back into the sewer."

"Alright," Craig agreed. He didn't see anything wrong with keeping M in the dark if it meant catching Silva. After all, he wasn't exactly a stickler for rules.

William was very satisfied with Craig as an operative. He hadn't asked for any compensation, and for someone like William, who valued money, Craig was the perfect hire.

With his injuries healed, hunting grouse was child's play for someone like Craig, who had spent half his life in the military.

For the next two hours, the two of them fired away, 'bang, bang, bang,' keeping the two attendants busy as they ran back and forth collecting the downed grouse. By the time they were done, there wasn't a single grouse left in the area.

They got into the car and headed back to the castle. After getting out, William took two grouse from the truck bed and instructed the two attendants to deliver the remaining twenty or so to the stables as an extra treat for the staff.

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