Just five or six meters away, the sound of a heavy machine gun firing echoed behind him. Bruce Mac, who had fought in South Asia in the late 1960s, immediately recognized it as the sound of an M2 heavy machine gun. Without hesitation, he dropped to the ground, clutching his head.
In seconds, his car was shredded by a barrage of gunfire. Thinking he had escaped the danger, Bruce's body-mounted detector began to blare, "Danger, rocket attack incoming! Danger, rocket attack incoming!"
"FK!" Hearing this, Bruce Mac ignored the risk of scraping his knees and elbows. His 61-year-old body seemed to rewind three decades as he crawled forward at remarkable speed.
After crawling a few meters, a deafening explosion erupted behind him. The shockwave's heat surged forward, lifting Bruce into the air and slamming his waist against a streetlight pole.
Moments later, an excruciating pain engulfed him. To his horror, when he tried to move, he realized he had lost all sensation below the waist. Weak and immobilized, he lay prone on the ground, mumbling with vacant eyes, "God, no... no..."
Meanwhile, Clyde, who had been monitoring the scene via a narrow-angle display, saw only the vehicle's explosion and assumed Bruce Mac had been killed. Satisfied, he nodded in approval.
Though Bruce Mac survived, being left paralyzed below the waist was a cruel twist of fate. Without a wife and at his advanced age, his life ahead would be bleak—a fittingly unique form of revenge.
At 6:06 a.m., Clyde pressed a switch on his remote. In the distance, a small delivery truck erupted in flames, the intense fire quickly engulfing the vehicle.
After completing this task, Clyde returned through a tunnel to the confinement room where he had been held.
Half an hour later, news of the explosive device detection system saving the New York Attorney General's life was all over the USA's morning broadcasts. One television station, tipped off, even paid $100,000 to a passerby for a complete video of the attack captured on their phone.
The footage clearly showed Bruce Mac, moments before the explosion, fleeing his car as if he had been forewarned. The video detailed every step—from his terrified face, to his escape from the vehicle, his prone crawl, and finally, the blast that hurled him against the streetlight.
Eyewitness interviews with police and reporters further corroborated the events. Multiple witnesses confirmed hearing the repeated warnings from Bruce's device: "Danger, rocket attack incoming!"
This drew widespread attention to the Devonshire Company's explosive detection systems, which had been mentioned just the previous day by another official, Nick Reese, during an interview about a prison bombing.
Later, Bruce Mac's account of the attack was secretly leaked to the press, further fueling the media frenzy. By the evening news, a TV station invited a weapons expert to their studio to analyze the robot weaponry seen in the video.
This expert, who had been discreetly paid a five-figure sum and given instructions prior to the broadcast, enthusiastically broke down every weapon mounted on the robotic vehicle. He emphasized the most advanced feature—the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) bomb—a weapon unfamiliar to most.
The explanation captivated viewers, who were awed by the notion of futuristic technology capable of countering EMP bombs. Suddenly, even the $1 million price tag for a device the size of a car key seemed reasonable to many.
However, industry insiders knew the truth: defending against EMP bombs wasn't particularly complicated. A fully sealed metal casing was enough to solve the problem entirely.
The string of attacks left New York streets eerily quiet. Many people were too scared to go to work, while businesses, malls, and schools temporarily closed. Opportunistic criminals took advantage of the chaos, overwhelming New York's government and police force.
By the end of the day, the city's leadership convened an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.
At 10 a.m. that same morning, Clyde, locked in his confinement room, heard a broadcast on the guards' radio announcing that Bruce Mac had survived. He froze for several seconds before banging on the iron door and shouting, "I want to see William Devonshire! Get William Devonshire to meet me!"
The spider robot monitoring Clyde immediately transmitted this message, which reached William moments later.
Hearing the news, William smirked. "I thought Clyde would lash out and set his sights on me."
"SIR, considering Clyde's history of collaboration with special agencies in England and the USA, it's unlikely he'll target you—unless your meeting fails to achieve mutual understanding."
William chuckled. "Where is that brother-in-law of his—the one responsible for his sister and niece's deaths?"
"Captured by White Ghost, delivered to London by the Continental Hotel, and secretly placed in Blackstone Prison last night at 1:12 a.m. as per your instructions. His cellmate is... a man with unique preferences."
"Ha! Good. Send a helicopter to pick me up. Let's go see Mr. Clyde Shelton. Hopefully, he'll be grateful."
"Understood, SIR. The helicopter will arrive at the rooftop in fifteen minutes."
Half an hour later, William boarded a helicopter piloted by Bernie, a member of Brian's team, and flew straight to Bilton Prison. Upon landing, he was greeted by the smiling warden and a visibly startled Nick Reese.
"I heard Clyde Shelton wants to see me," William said.
"FK! How did you know Clyde wanted to see you in just half an hour?" Nick, already under intense pressure from his investigation into corrupt guards, immediately suspected surveillance. "Are you monitoring the entire prison?"
"Buddy, accusations require evidence," William replied with a grin. "Or feel free to file a complaint with your boss. Just don't blame me if the result makes you question everything."
The warden glanced disdainfully at Nick and sneered, "Some people have been acting like emperors in New York for too long. They forget that in times like these—after two attacks on the White House—you don't mess with special agencies."
Turning back to William, the warden said, "Don't mind him, Mr. Devonshire. I've received orders from above. Please, follow me."
"Thank you," William said with a smile, patting Nick on the shoulder. "Nick, if you need help, you could always request the CIA to investigate."
Nick's eyes widened in shock. "You knew all along, didn't you? You bastards watched the attacks happen without issuing any warnings!"
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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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