William agreed to the deal with Alexander Corvinus without hesitation. He wasn't worried in the slightest about Corvinus going back on his word. After all, he suspected that the other half of the key to the original werewolf William Corvinus's prison was embedded in the chest of Victor, one of the vampire elders.
Perhaps, William mused, when the time came to deal with Victor, he could squeeze Corvinus for another hefty payment. Glancing at the crate holding the feigned-sleeping Selene, a sly grin crept across his face. Maybe he could even turn the attention of Marcus Corvinus—the vampire progenitor—directly onto his father, Alexander Corvinus.
If a "father versus son" scenario, like in the original story, played out, it would be the best possible outcome for William. He wouldn't have to personally deal with the unknown depths of Alexander Corvinus's power, and Marcus's betrayal would strip the old man of any will to live.
As these thoughts filled his mind, a sudden knock on the truck door pulled him back to reality. Opening it, William was greeted by a bald, heavily armed man standing outside the truck.
Just a few glances were enough for William to recall that this guy was Alexander Corvinus's field team leader. Tossing the brass necklace at him, William casually asked, "Can you guys handle several hundred werewolf corpses?"
"S-several hundred?" the bald man stammered, his face going pale as he swallowed hard. His expression turned incredulous, as though William were some kind of alien. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Devonshire. The most we've ever had to deal with at one time was 11 werewolf corpses. H-handling several hundred is impossible for us; we don't have the manpower."
"Then forget it. I thought you guys were more impressive. Turns out you're just small-timers," William sneered. "Alright, you can get lost now."
He slammed the truck door shut without giving the man a chance to respond.
Back at the monitor, William turned to Philip with a smirk. "So, what should we do with Lucian? Should I just kill him, or do you want to pay me to send him somewhere for research?"
"Bloody hell, William! You're the real vampire here, with nothing but money on your mind!" Philip growled, exasperated. "What's there to research? How to create stronger werewolves? And then, when the experiments inevitably go wrong, the werewolves escape and terrorize the populace again?
"You little bastard! If you were my grandson, I'd give you a proper beating. Just clean this mess up!"
"With your health? Even if I were your grandson, could you catch me?" William retorted, rolling his eyes.
Philip's laughter, coupled with Corvinus's bemused expression on the monitor, made William realize he'd inadvertently handed Philip a verbal advantage. He rubbed his forehead in frustration, annoyed that he'd let the old man get the better of him.
Ignoring their reactions, William addressed Sunday. "Ask Lucian why he decided to target me in the first place."
"Understood, sir," Sunday replied.
What followed was a brutal interrogation that left no room for mercy. Lucian, perhaps realizing he wasn't going to survive, decided to spill everything.
He confessed to his two-century-long collusion with the vampire leader Kraven, and revealed that targeting William had been Kraven's idea. The plan was to use William's resources to help Kraven overthrow his master, Victor, one of the vampire elders.
Hearing this, William snapped his fingers. "Kill him," he ordered coldly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The combat robots surrounding Lucian opened fire, unloading entire magazines into him. To ensure the job was done, they decapitated him, leaving his severed head rolling across the floor.
Both Philip and Corvinus were visibly shaken, their hearts racing as they witnessed William's ruthless decisiveness.
Unfazed by their reactions, William leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Alright, you heard the confession. I've got a lucrative business opportunity to attend to now. Goodbye."
"Wait! Don't act rashly!" Philip shouted, his voice tinged with panic.
Interrupting him, William said with feigned nonchalance, "Relax. I promise I'll be polite at first. If the vampires are willing to pay me enough to compensate for the 'trauma' I've suffered, maybe I'll pretend I don't know they ever targeted me. Bye now."
With that, he ended the video call.
Turning to the task at hand, William waved his hands in the air, summoning a portal to the air raid shelter. From it emerged cleanup robots from Yellowstone National Park's secret facility, which joined the 30 combat robots already stationed there. Together, they began methodically processing the hundreds of werewolf corpses in the shelter.
Walking over to Selene's crate, William opened it and waited for a few minutes. When Selene didn't budge, he smirked and gave the crate a light kick. "You know," he drawled, "maybe I should encase you in a block of concrete and bury you somewhere for a few decades. Then I can dig you up to see if vampires really can sleep that long."
When Selene still didn't respond, William's patience wore thin. "Alright, enough games. Wake up and get out of here. And while you're at it, deliver a message to your ruling elder, Amelia. Tell her I'm in a very bad mood right now and I'm seriously considering a repeat of tonight's 'clean-up operation'—but this time targeting England's vampires."
That did the trick. Selene shot out of the crate, her expression one of alarm. "Wait! You can't do that! Lucian's claims must be lies!"
William snorted. "I don't care. Whether they're true or not, your clan owes me for even daring to target me in the first place."
Selene's initial plan to wait for William to approach so she could ambush him went out the window. She stood a few meters away, clearly uneasy. While part of her wanted to lunge at him and sink her fangs into his neck, logic told her it would be a suicidal move.
Having overheard William's earlier conversation with Philip and Corvinus, Selene had pieced together the truth: the family crest she had seen earlier belonged to the Devonshire family. Coupled with William's reputation for ruthlessly wiping out his enemies, she knew he wouldn't be here alone if he weren't confident in his chances.
"We can pay you—money, antiques, property, land," Selene said quickly. "Anything you want, as long as you give us time to investigate Kraven's connection to Lucian."
"And if it turns out to be true, how much are you prepared to pay me?" William asked with a sly grin. For him, the ideal scenario was to extract a hefty payment and then sit back to see if the vampires descended into infighting.
Selene, meanwhile, understood all too well that William's vast wealth and resources made mass-producing mech soldiers a matter of "when," not "if."
If war broke out, the vampires would be hopelessly outmatched. Even if some managed to escape and rebuild in secret, the current ruling class would be decimated.
For vampires accustomed to centuries of opulence, luxury, and power, the idea of fighting a losing battle was unthinkable. And given humanity's rapid advancements over the past hundred years, Selene couldn't help but shudder at what another century might bring. By then, vampires could well end up as mere zoo exhibits.
Determined to prevent that future, Selene nodded reluctantly. "If you're willing to negotiate, I'm sure Elder Amelia will make the right decision."
"Good," William said, clearly satisfied. "You've probably heard I like money. Maybe if I hear a 'heavenly' number, I'll forget all about some unpleasant vampire trying to turn me into one of their kind."
"A 'heavenly' number?" Selene asked nervously. "You'll have to be more specific."
William's grin widened. "Or, how about we settle this the old-fashioned way? You bring your clan's army, and I bring my mech soldiers. Whoever wins gets to take what they want."
After a pause, he added with mock enthusiasm, "Actually, I like this plan. Winning a battle at your doorstep might yield even greater rewards."
Selene's face paled, her alarm growing. William's expression turned cold as he added, "Don't even think about stalling for time or enlisting corrupt humans to stop me. You have three days. If I don't hear back by then, I'll start hunting down every vampire in England. Got it?"
Selene swallowed hard. "U-understood."
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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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