"You're the one who helped me?" Clarence Darby's terrified face immediately lit up with joy. "Thanks, man. Once we're out of here, I'll be sure to repay you."
"Hahaha," William burst into laughter before glancing at Clyde Shelton, who was wearing a police uniform and staring silently into the rearview mirror. "Mr. Shelton, ten years ago, how incompetent did you have to be to let an idiot like this destroy your family?"
Clyde shook his head, his expression filled with grief. "I wish I knew."
Realizing he had been exposed, Clyde gave up the pretense. Ignoring Darby's confusion, he fixed his gaze on William and asked, "Do we have a grudge?"
"No, but we do have a minor disagreement."
"Disagreement?" Clyde studied William's eyes carefully. "What kind of disagreement?"
"F you!" Clarence Darby, now fully aware that neither man had good intentions toward him, raised his gun and fired at Clyde in the driver's seat.
But instead of the expected gunshot, a sharp pain shot through Darby's hand.
"Ahhh!" Darby cried out in pain. His voice quickly weakened until he couldn't make a sound at all.
"Blowfish toxin?" William asked knowingly.
"Correct," Clyde replied calmly. "Extracted from the liver of a Caribbean pufferfish. Just a tiny dose is enough to paralyze the nervous system and leave someone completely immobile. The only upside is that the victim's senses and pain perception become even sharper than normal."
Clyde removed his wig and fake mustache, then used a small flashlight to examine Darby's eyes. "Good. We're going to have a lot of time to talk."
Taking the gun from Darby's hand, Clyde revealed the handle was covered in venomous spines. The toxin had been injected into Darby through those spines.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Careful, buddy," William interjected, wagging a finger. "I'm not here to stop you from taking revenge, but I do have plans for this scumbag. I want to use him for some experiments."
"Experiments?" Clyde asked, intrigued, as he stuffed the spiked gun into a cloth bag.
William shrugged. "Break his limbs, then use a new drug to repair them. Once he's healed, break them again and repeat the process until the drug's effectiveness is confirmed. After that, dispose of the test subject."
"So it was you who sent those people to abduct Darby a few days ago," Clyde deduced, smiling as he started the police car and drove out of the Brooklyn slum.
"That's right. That's why I said we don't have a grudge, but a small disagreement. After all, you cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars."
"Fine, I'll compensate you with a million," Clyde said, glancing at William in the rearview mirror. "Let's call it even, especially since you're using scum like him for experiments."
"Deal. But you wouldn't mind if I watched you carry out your revenge, would you?"
"Haha, no, not at all," Clyde laughed. "Having someone to witness it is better for me. My tools deserve an audience. But here's some advice: what you'll see is not for the faint of heart."
Clyde glanced at Darby, who was completely paralyzed except for his darting eyes. "What I've planned for Mr. Darby here is far more elaborate and stimulating than any experiment you've described."
William recalled his memories of Clyde's revenge. This guy didn't just use power tools; he ended up dismantling Darby like a toy.
While William had killed far more people than Clyde ever could, the thought of that scene still unsettled him. "Thanks for the warning. To avoid nightmares, I think I'll head home instead."
He patted the back of Clyde's seat. "Pull over up ahead. One last piece of advice: whatever you do, don't let the police uncover the details of what you've been through over the past ten years. With seven years of experience as a hitman, you know exactly what would happen next."
The car stopped at the roadside. As William reached for the door handle, Clyde suddenly said, "William Devonshire?"
Hearing that, William paused and leaned back into the seat. "Heh, buddy, you're asking for trouble."
"No, no," Clyde replied, turning to look at William. "As a gesture of goodwill for not interfering with my revenge, I'll give you some information in exchange for your help. I'll even pay you five hundred million dollars. How about it?"
"Five hundred million? Are you fing kidding me?" William's eyes narrowed. "Do you know what happens to people who lie to me?"
"Of course," Clyde replied, his tone even. "Your reputation in the underworld precedes you. I have no intention of crossing a butcher like you."
Clyde parked the car near a suburban warehouse, got out, and dragged Darby out of the back seat. Tossing him into the trunk of another car he had prepared, Clyde called out to William, "Get in."
Switching cars, Clyde continued, "Last month, I received a contract to eliminate the head of IT and security for the French National Bank."
"Due to my past experiences, I've always had a habit of investigating my targets to ensure they're deserving of death.
"The moment I saw this man, Toby Lane, I knew he wasn't a threat. He was a good person and a loving father. So I refused the job.
"But ten days later, Toby Lane still ended up dead in a car accident."
Clyde glanced at William, who merely shrugged. "That's normal. If you don't take the job, someone else will. Keep going; I'm sure there's more."
"Exactly. If there wasn't, I wouldn't have started my revenge plan so soon," Clyde admitted.
"Wait," William interrupted, intrigued. "Why wait ten years to start your revenge? Weren't you worried your enemies might die before you could deal with them yourself?"
Clyde froze for a moment before replying softly, "Some things are better left buried in my heart."
Sensing Clyde's hesitation, William probed further. "So, ten years ago, Clarence Darby's fixation on you had some hidden motive, didn't it? There's no way a lowlife like him would know about your patents or dare to harass someone worth millions without a reason."
Clyde was silent for a few seconds before squinting at William. "You really are as people say—a man with vast resources and likely deep ties to England's special forces. Ordinary billionaires wouldn't uncover this information in just a few days."
"You took too long to seek revenge, long enough to raise suspicions."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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