Church paused for a few seconds before sighing, "Edward Bailey is dead. The Kingsman agents caught him trying to detonate the nuke and had no choice but to shoot him."
"Damn it," Ethan swore under his breath. "Is everyone at the CIA incompetent? How do you lose control of a 70-year-old man?"
Church smirked sarcastically. "You're no better. Wasn't Hendrick making a fool of your DoD too?"
The exchange left both men red-faced and silent.
After a shared moment of frustration, Church glanced around to ensure they were alone, then took out his phone. He put it on speaker mode and had Sunday recount the series of events.
As they anxiously watched the clock, half an hour passed like an eternity. Finally, Sunday broke the silence.
"The detonation mechanism has been disarmed. However, I regret to inform you that the red mercury was fake."
"Fake? That's impossible," Church exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Apologies, Mr. Moses," Sunday replied. "The British military has confirmed its inauthenticity. The disarming process was observed by both U.K. and U.S. representatives."
Church frowned deeply. "Then what went wrong? Was it switched out somewhere?"
Ethan, thinking aloud, added, "Bailey intended to use the CIA transport to get to London, right?"
Church nodded.
"And he was willing to die to detonate it in the suburbs of London. That means even he didn't know it was fake."
"Which means it wasn't a ruse," Ethan reasoned. "Either the Russians discovered the nuke earlier and swapped it out as bait, or someone else switched it during transit."
He turned to Church, his eyes narrowing. "Frank, the only people who had direct contact with the red mercury and survived are you and Marvin."
Seeing Ethan subtly shift his posture, gun pointed slightly in his direction, Church raised his hands. "Wait, wait! It wasn't us."
Ethan's expression didn't change. "Keep talking. I'm waiting for an explanation."
Church felt sweat bead on his forehead. The realization that he and Marvin were now prime suspects in a global conspiracy sent chills down his spine.
"If Marvin and I were responsible, wouldn't Bailey have noticed something? We were with him the entire time. He never suspected us. Doesn't that prove our innocence?"
Ethan considered this. Bailey's willingness to die to detonate the nuke in London indeed suggested he didn't suspect Church or Marvin.
"Fine," Ethan said grudgingly.
Encouraged, Church pressed on. "Think about it. Horton and his team had hours and multiple stops after taking the nuke from us. And why did they stop in Poland instead of flying straight to the U.S.?"
Ethan remained unconvinced. "That still doesn't clear you. Horton, Monroe, and Bailey are dead. You and Marvin are alive. That's all anyone will care about."
Church cursed under his breath, realizing the truth in Ethan's words.
"What do I do now?" he muttered. After a moment of thought, his expression hardened. "The only way to prove my innocence is to find Hendrick. Maybe he can give us a lead."
"Work with me, or we go our separate ways," Church offered.
Ethan stared at him for a long moment before asking, "How can I trust you?"
Without answering, Church turned and walked away. He didn't look back, even as he braced for the possibility of a gunshot.
Back with Marvin, Victoria, and Sarah, Church addressed them sternly. "If we don't want to end up dead, we have to fight back."
Marvin and Victoria nodded, while Sarah—now a secondary concern—remained silent.
"Mr. Moses," Sunday interrupted. "Mr. Devonshire asked me to inform you that Leo Desenko, a decryption and nuclear specialist monitored by MI6, purchased a ticket to Dubai five minutes ago."
"Why does that matter?" Marvin asked.
Sunday explained, "Recently, the assassin Madeleine Swann intercepted a nuclear launch code from CIA agents. Verifying its authenticity would require someone skilled in both decryption and nuclear technology."
The pieces clicked for Church and his team. "We need to get to Dubai," Church said grimly.
While Church and Ethan's groups converged on Dubai, William had other plans. He booked a private jet under a false identity and prepared to fly to Mumbai.
Amid the global distraction of a potential nuclear crisis, he saw an opportunity to raid the legendary treasure of a temple in Kerala. The crisis provided the perfect cover for his actions, reducing the likelihood of suspicion.
The next morning, William's flight landed in Mumbai. Disguised with makeup, sunglasses, and a mask, he hailed a taxi to a second-hand car market.
There, using a fake ID, he purchased an ordinary SUV for $5,000, stocked it with fuel, water, imported food, and a tent, then set off for Kerala.
What should have been a four-hour journey stretched to eight due to road conditions and detours. By 3 AM, William finally reached the outskirts of the temple.
He released a swarm of spider drones from his dimensional storage. These miniature robots, specialized for drilling, scurried into cracks and crevices around the temple's foundation.
Satisfied with their deployment, William drove a safe distance away and monitored their progress via Sunday. The drones worked silently, their small size making them nearly undetectable. However, their limited battery life allowed only five minutes of operation before requiring recharging.
As soon as the drones confirmed they could penetrate the temple's stonework, William reclined in his car and slept until mid-morning.
The next day, disguised as a tourist, William wandered local attractions, ensuring no one connected him to the temple.
By nightfall, he returned to the site, retrieved the exhausted drones, and opened a portal inside his car to deploy a fresh batch.
Under the cover of darkness and the nuclear crisis gripping the world, his treasure hunt continued unabated.
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Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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