Meanwhile, at the National Guard Command Center, where they were video-calling Benjamin, everyone stared at William like he was some kind of monster.
Only Michael Banning seemed unaffected, smiling as he thanked William. "Mr. Devonshire, thank you once again for saving the president."
"Don't mention it. Saving him was just incidental. If I could've left, I'd be far from here. And next time, I'm definitely not getting in your car, Banning. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be at the hotel, sipping whiskey and chatting with some lovely lady."
"No way," Banning laughed heartily. "Sending you to the White Palace is the second-best decision I've ever made, right after marrying my wife."
The entire command center joined in with laughter. With Benjamin now safely in the bunker, the worst of the crisis was over, and the tension and fear that had gripped everyone, especially since the vice president's assassination, finally eased.
However, not everyone was pleased. Speaker Eli, who had nearly become the acting president, was perhaps the one person in the room forcing a smile. Yet the old man was cunning, and neither William nor Benjamin could discern any disappointment on his face. After the laughter, Eli wore a serious expression and said, "In any case, we all owe you our thanks. Without you securing the president and regaining control of the bunker, we could very well be facing a nuclear war. Thank you, sincerely, Mr. Devonshire."
"You're welcome. So, gentlemen, any plans for getting us out? Although I'm armed to the teeth, don't expect me to march out of the bunker alone to face a hundred armed thugs. If I did, I wouldn't be human—I'd be Superman."
Eli nodded in agreement. "Of course, we understand you can't take on that many intruders alone. Your only task right now is to keep President Benjamin safe." His face darkened. "The president may be secure, but there are still dozens of hostages inside the White Palace. Until we come up with a foolproof rescue plan, no one dares risk their lives by storming the building. So, I'm sorry, but for now, you'll have to wait. We'll contact you as soon as we have a plan."
"Fine, you keep working on it. This bunker's safe enough, and we're well-stocked. Benjamin and I can wait."
With that, William yawned, covering his mouth, then set down his M4 and tactical vest on the table. He turned to Benjamin, saying, "We'll take turns keeping watch. I'll go catch a nap first."
"OK," Benjamin nodded.
Out of the camera's view, William grabbed a marker and a sheet of paper, quickly scrawling a message that he'd soon be leaving the bunker. Benjamin discreetly glanced at the note, gave a subtle thumbs-up, and William, smiling, returned to the armory to retrieve gear identical to what he had just removed and headed toward the bunker door.
Everyone in the command center assumed William had really gone to rest after seeing the gear he left on the table. Even the cunning Eli was fooled; his mind had been in disarray since Benjamin made contact with the command center.
Eli had plotted meticulously and followed each step of his plan: the president disappeared under uncertain circumstances, and the vice president hiding on Air Force One was sent to meet his fate via a sabotaged missile. According to the chain of succession, Eli, as the third in line, was legally set to become acting president. Everything had been going perfectly; all he needed to do was take the oath, then secretly pass the nuclear codes to Martin Walker, waiting inside the White Palace.
With the codes, Martin could access Benjamin's briefcase and arm the nukes. Fearing nuclear war, the Americans would be forced to launch an assault, allowing Eli to have Benjamin killed amid the chaos and destroy the briefcase, eliminating all evidence. By then, Eli would be president in name and in fact, ready to reap the benefits of war. But now, everything was ruined. Just as he was about to take the oath, Benjamin, supposedly captured, was alive and well, visible to everyone. This outcome was unbearable for Eli.
The harsh reality clashed with Eli's expectations, throwing him into disarray. The weapons on the table only confirmed his belief that William, a wealthy man, would never risk leaving the bunker. Driven to desperation, he messaged Martin Walker, telling him he'd bought more time but that if Benjamin wasn't eliminated soon, Martin's son Kevin wouldn't live either.
"Hah, the old man's so desperate to be president, he's practically lost his mind. This message just gave us solid evidence," William chuckled quietly outside the bunker door, listening to the report from Sunday, the AI now controlling all communications in the White Palace.
With crucial evidence secured, William activated a portal to Oxford Castle, grabbed over a hundred spider robots and a new pair of smart glasses from Sunday, then returned to the bunker. After a final equipment check, he ordered, "Sunday, disable all security cameras. And have the spider bots outside the bunker ready—I'm heading out."
"Understood, sir. The spider bots in the small library are armed and ready to attack at your command."
Pulling the heavy lock on the bunker door, William used his radio to signal Benjamin to open the metal doors.
With a "click," the door unlocked. Before opening it, William gave a command to Sunday: "Deploy the tasers."
Through his smart glasses, William watched as spider bots hidden in the small library descended from the ceiling, immobilizing the ambushed thugs with electric shocks.
He pulled open the thick metal door and swiftly stepped out, both hands drawing Colt M2000s fitted with silencers from under his arms.
"Pew, pew, pew."
In under three seconds, he executed eleven convulsing intruders with headshots.
After clearing the library, he holstered the gun in his left hand, pulled two grenades from his tactical vest, bit off the pins, and tossed them out of the library doors.
Then, turning back, he closed the bunker door behind him. After the two explosions, he moved to the library entrance, exposing just enough of his body to take shots at any visible targets.
Once the coast was clear, he returned to the library, retrieved the discharged spider bots, and stored them. Then, with a wave of his hand, he tossed more cylindrical devices onto the library carpet.
A faint "click-click-click" sound followed as dozens of transformed spider bots climbed the walls, crawling across the ceiling and out through the library's doors and windows.
The sudden explosions shocked everyone inside the White Palace. Martin Walker and the mercenary leader Emil Stein, who were discussing how to break into the vice bunker, exchanged a glance and immediately gathered their men to head toward the library.
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