"Damn it, I'd be crazy to upgrade you again right now. You've already cost the Devonshire family more than any other expense. Just this one upgrade set me back $50 million, and with the original server, that's $80 million total. You're practically the master of our family. In the past few months, even my mother and I together haven't spent as much as you have.
In less than six months, this $80 million server will be worth just $60 million, and if it's worth $40 million a year from now, I'll be thanking my lucky stars. As long as it works for me and my mother at the same time, that's enough. Besides, the castle's basement is already full. If you want another upgrade, you'll have to wait."
"But sir, you must consider unforeseen circumstances. If both you and Lady Lena use the system at the same time, my computing power will only be able to manage two Mark suits, leaving no room for other surveillance tasks. According to your plan, the Mark 5 suit will be ready in less than two months, and by then..."
"We'll deal with it when the time comes. The early Mark suits are just experiments anyway. The Mark 5 is mainly to protect my mother. You can handle one Mark suit without issue. As for me—heh, if I can't win, I can always run."
"Very well, sir. You're just like Lady Lena." Sunday's cryptic comment made William curious.
"What do you mean?"
"You take after Lady Lena—thrifty and resourceful. I was complimenting you, sir."
"F*** you, Sunday." William cursed a bit. "What's my mother been up to?"
"Lady Lena is not happy about your decision to increase wages for the workers at the ranch, farm, and stables. Not only did she reject your plan, but she also cut their wages by 10%, reasoning that with the global financial crisis, the Devonshire family has already done its duty by not laying anyone off and even adding new jobs."
"Hmm!" Instead of opposing his mother's decision, William nodded in agreement. "My mother sure knows how to manage things."
"But sir, I must remind you, you promised a wage increase in front of head trainer Neil Jordan. If you don't follow through, it could damage your reputation. Plus, the savings amount to only £110,000—not even enough to cover one of your trips at sea."
"What do you expect me to do, argue with my mother over this? You don't understand people, Sunday. If you give workers too much in hard times, they'll only become greedier in the future. Let's leave it at that. Now, tell me, have all the Mark suit parts been delivered yet? When can I put it on?"
"Yes, sir. All parts should arrive within four days, and assembly will take about three days."
"So in a week, I'll be testing the Mark 3 suit?" William asked excitedly.
"Yes, sir."
"Heh heh," William chuckled, already imagining himself flying and diving with his new suit.
Ten minutes later, Sunday's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Sir, the mission team is ready, and the equipment has been activated. The operation is about to begin."
Looking up, William saw five faint human figures on the screen. Without knowing beforehand, it would have been hard to notice them, though William could still detect some imperfections. "You can still spot flaws if you look closely. Is it a materials issue?"
"Yes, sir. The material and technology are fine, but the problem lies with my assembly equipment. The castle's basement is too small for many of the necessary machines."
"Will it affect the mission?"
"Based on my calculations, the chance of detection is 17% under normal conditions. However, Antonov's team is currently positioned on the western side of the estate, and with the sun at 4 o'clock, the chance of them being spotted is significantly reduced. As long as they avoid sudden movements, the detection risk drops to 4%. That's also why Mr. McCall chose this time to act. As for the estate's surveillance system, I've already taken control."
"Good. McCall sure knows how to make the most of timing."
Soon, the five operatives, fully prepared, opened their car doors and slowly exited. They moved cautiously toward Pushkin's estate at half their usual walking speed, staying in a scattered formation.
It took them a full ten minutes to reach the estate. Once inside, they used trees, hedges, and decorations to conceal their movements, quickening their pace under Sunday's guidance.
Ignoring the guards patrolling both the outer and inner parts of the estate, the five followed their plan: they wouldn't engage unless absolutely necessary. If they could eliminate Pushkin silently, all the better. With Sunday providing warnings, the team managed to approach the main villa without being detected after about fifteen minutes.
Inside the villa, they climbed the split staircase and spotted four large indoor trees. Antonov whispered into his earpiece, "Ivan, Valentin, Yakov, stay by the stairs and cover us. Be careful."
"Understood, boss," the three responded, quickly taking positions behind the indoor trees, where they could hide while keeping a clear view of the hallway and the lower floor. Without moving, they could cover the entire area.
With Sunday controlling the estate's surveillance system, Antonov and McCall easily avoided both servants and patrolling guards as they neared Pushkin's room. Standing at the corner, McCall carefully peeked out, catching sight of two large bodyguards standing by the door.
Pulling back, McCall was about to signal Antonov with hand gestures, but then realized that wearing an optical invisibility suit made hand signals useless. He grumbled silently, cursing the limitations of high-tech gear.
Whispering into his earpiece, McCall said, "Two guards by the door. Looks like we'll have to take them out."
"Understood," Antonov replied, trusting McCall as the mission leader.
"I'll cover from the corner. You slowly position yourself for a shot, but make sure your bullets don't hit the door. We don't want Pushkin to hear anything. If we get spotted, open fire immediately. If not, we'll shoot at the same time. I'll take the one on the right, you take the one on the left."
"No problem," Antonov said, drawing the silenced pistol strapped to his right leg. After a quick check, he holstered it again, took a deep breath, and began creeping around the corner.
First, he peeked out cautiously. Seeing no reaction from the guards, he continued moving slowly, inching his way into position.
The guards, likely tired after accompanying Pushkin on a long hunting trip that afternoon, seemed relaxed. Perhaps because they felt secure within the estate, their attention was wandering. After a full minute, Antonov was in position, with the guards still oblivious to his presence.
"Ready," Antonov whispered, then began the countdown. "One, two, three."
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