With a gun pointed at his chin after being taken by surprise, the man in the white suit—White Ghost—hesitated to move.
"Sorry, but it seems I'm faster than you, and my gun is definitely quicker than your knife."
"You can try and see if my knife is faster than your bullet."
"But your mouth is definitely not tougher than a bullet," William mocked, glancing at the katana hanging in the air. "Your skills are decent, but you lack brains. After all these years, you still haven't found the murderer of your master, and yet you're willing to be someone else's pawn, White Ghost."
"Oh, no, no, no, be careful. Even though it'd be a shame to kill you, that doesn't mean I won't do it." As White Ghost's arm tensed, William pressed the gun tighter against his neck and smiled. "Aren't you curious why, after all these years, you haven't found a single clue?"
"Hmph." White Ghost withdrew his knife. "Now's not the time to talk. Just tell me what you want."
"I like dealing with smart people. Help me with ten tasks, and I'll personally hand over the person who killed Master Gōng to you. How about that?"
William slowly retracted his gun. With a wave of his hands, the Glock disappeared from sight, causing White Ghost, who had been watching William closely, to be shocked. He hadn't seen how William had concealed the gun at all.
"It seems coming to you was a mistake."
"I agree. I'm nothing like that idiot McCallum, who dreams of ruling the world. By the way, your boss has a weird last name. Every time I hear it, I'm reminded of Macallan whiskey. And then, when I picture McCallum's ugly face, I lose the mood to drink it." William moved closer, placing his hand on White Ghost's shoulder. "How about you take care of McCallum for me and work under me instead?"
"Not happening. McCallum isn't as simple as you think. Be careful that you don't get killed before I can get my revenge. If you have a task, just let me know." White Ghost shot William a glance, smirking as he turned to leave. "If you manage to find me, at least show some respect for the master. It's basic courtesy."
"No problem, but your master was just a fat monk."
"Bastard!" William's continued taunting of his master was too much for White Ghost to bear. He swiped his hand, and a sharp "whoosh" sounded as a throwing star sliced through the air.
Prepared for this, William reached out and caught the fast-moving shuriken, inspecting it. "Nice craftsmanship." He weighed it in his hand, feeling the balance. "Didn't expect you to have such childish interests. A throwing star that doubles as a fidget spinner? This toy belongs to a child. You can have it back."
With a swift flick, William sent the shuriken spinning back toward White Ghost. Though White Ghost managed to catch it, the force behind the throw pushed him several steps back before he could steady himself.
Feeling the slight numbness in his wrist, White Ghost's spirits dropped. The close-combat skills he prided himself on were completely ineffective against William. He wasn't as fast, and the strength difference was immense. A casual throw from William had carried such force that White Ghost wasn't confident he could catch the star if William had put his full strength into it.
"Monster," he muttered under his breath before storming out of the VIP room. After getting into his car and starting the engine, he suddenly heard a phone ringing from his pocket. "Damn it! When did that bastard slip a phone on me?"
Without needing to guess, White Ghost knew the unfamiliar phone was William's doing. Swallowing his anger at being played, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the phone.
"Hmm, a full-screen phone? Never seen one like this before." The insistent ringing forced him to put aside his curiosity and answer. The moment he did, William's smug voice came through.
"Looks like I've found you. According to our agreement, your first task is about to start. Keep that phone on 24/7. I'll be in touch. See you later, Mr. White Ghost."
Before White Ghost could curse him out, the line went dead. He looked through the car window to see William standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, waving at him.
Noticing White Ghost's gaze, William grinned and made a phone call gesture with his hand, his finger wagging as if to say, "See you later."
Infuriated, White Ghost flipped William off before speeding away in his car.
"Such bad manners," William muttered, shaking his head. He then asked Sunday, "Is there a way to keep tabs on this guy all the time?"
"Sorry, sir. For now, I can only track White Ghost roughly through airports, depending on which country he's in. If you want real-time tracking, he'd need to carry the phone you gave him or I'd need his regular phone number. Otherwise, you'll have to boost my processing power."
"Alright, we'll deal with it later. At least we've got a strong close-combat fighter on our side now. The only downside is that he's a bit of an exhibitionist who loves to show off his face."
White Ghost's sudden appearance reminded William of the nanobots capable of controlling thoughts and Zartan's shape-shifting abilities. Standing by the window, he pondered his options. Faced with threats, he needed countermeasures. Thankfully, with his system, he quickly found ways to counter mind control and disguise technology.
Feeling reassured, William's mood brightened. "Tell my mother to come back. Abigail needs to oversee the antique dealings with Cabore. Also, set up a new task: name it the Anti-Disguise Detector. Order the equipment I need to build a device capable of detecting nanotech-modified faces or people under mind control by nanobots or chips. I don't want any spies getting too close to me in the future."
"Understood, sir. The task has been created."
Just then, a car slowly pulled up nearby, and through the open window, a camera emerged, rapidly snapping photos of William.
"Damn it, these English paparazzi are no joke. They've already found me. Looks like we can't stay here much longer. If we don't leave soon, we might not get out of this restaurant."
Returning to the table, William clapped his hands and said, "Gentlemen, I'm sorry, but we have to leave. The paparazzi have already found me. If we don't leave now, we might be trapped in here. Let's move the conversation to the hotel. Mr. Cabore, if you don't mind, why don't you stay at the same hotel with us?"
Cabore nodded. "No problem, Mr. Devonshire. Staying at the same hotel will make it easier for us to discuss things."
"Let's go, then." The group stood up and followed William out of the VIP room. As they entered the lobby, they saw Ivan leading the way, acting as a human shield at the front. William walked up to his mother and said, "We have to go, Mom. The paparazzi have already found us."
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