LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 233: Chapter 234: Craig Killed by His Own
"Good evening, William. Sorry for calling so late, did I disturb you?" Gareth asked.
"It's 11 PM, what do you think?" William responded irritably, knowing that Gareth calling at this hour couldn't be good. If it wasn't out of curiosity about what had happened, he wouldn't have answered the phone.
Aware of the lateness, Gareth changed the subject, "I saw in the newspaper that you bought 3000 acres of ancestral land around your castle. Congratulations, William. The Devonshire family is finally revitalized under your hand. But you've been buying land and Akhal-Teke horses without telling your friends. Are you planning to retire and hide away in Oxford?"
The tabloids really were amazing; in just a few days, they had reported everything he'd been up to. Was there no peace?
"I am planning to retire and live the life of a rich man, Gareth. Unless you're calling to talk about the reward for dealing with General Froby, spare me. I have things to do and no time to chat. Bye."
William was no longer the William of six months ago. As long as he didn't give Gareth any leverage, his current wealth and secret power meant he didn't need to care about this intelligence chief.
"Wait, don't hang up!" Gareth hurriedly said. "I need your help."
"I knew it, no good news from you at this hour. Let's be clear, if it's too troublesome, I'm not interested. I have a lot going on soon and won't have time for your issues."
Thinking about taking over England Power, Aston Martin, and Chelsea shares in the coming days, William wasn't interested in anything else unless there was a significant benefit.
Gareth chuckled, "Well, to solve internal problems, some of us proposed a few suggestions. Don't you want to know what benefits you'll get once it's done? Besides, this involves your family's mission."
"Haha, you should have said you had conditions," William laughed, thinking about Gareth mentioning a family mission. What mission could his family have? Just handling internal issues. "You guys have an internal problem, don't you?"
Gareth, knowing he needed William's help, sighed, "Indeed, this is an internal issue. A few months ago, important secret service files were leaked. We suspect someone has infiltrated the agency, but after months of searching, we found no leads. We had no choice but to ask for your help."
"As for General Froby's reward, we're discussing it. I'll inform you once there's a decision. The reward won't be small."
"Haha, then wait until you've decided my reward before asking me. If I remember correctly, you haven't paid me a penny. I have no obligation to help you. We are partners, Gareth."
After a moment of silence, Gareth said helplessly, "Alright, then I won't disturb you. By the way, come to London tomorrow morning for Bond's funeral. Goodbye."
Bond is dead? William stood stunned for a moment, then called back. As soon as the call connected, William asked, "Sorry, Gareth, I didn't catch that. Who did you say died?"
"Yes, you heard right. James Bond."
"Damn, I know it's Bond. I mean, which Bond, the former or the current?"
"Of course, Craig. A retired Bond can't be called Bond," Gareth said quietly.
Craig? Didn't he just become Bond six months ago? "God, Craig joined the 00 section in March. It's only been six months, and he's dead already? That's too short-lived. How did he die?"
"Three months ago, our team in Morocco was attacked. Bond was sent to investigate. During the arrest, he was mistakenly shot by a colleague and fell off a 30-meter bridge. After three months of searching, we couldn't find his body and had to treat it as a death in the line of duty."
Shot by a colleague? Could anything be more unlucky?
"So, Craig was killed by his own? God, couldn't Craig find a reliable partner? Or has the intelligence agency fallen so low that they send rookies on missions?"
Gareth felt embarrassed. He hadn't expected the elite ex-SAS agent Craig to be killed by a colleague. This was a major incident under his leadership. To silence critics, Gareth had put in a lot of effort.
Annoyed by William's teasing, Gareth said, "Alright, if you have time, come to Craig's funeral. We can discuss your terms then. Goodbye."
After hanging up, William rolled his eyes. Knowing Craig was shot by his own, he pieced together what likely happened. Though uncertain if Craig had survived, falling from a 30-meter bridge meant a slim chance of survival. Yet, with no body found, there was a good chance Craig was alive.
Even if Craig had survived, he'd likely be disheartened. As clever as Craig was, he'd seize the chance to fake his death and retire. There were few in the 00 section who lived to retirement.
Oh well, he'd go tomorrow to see what was happening. If it matched his thoughts, it would just be a bit of fun.
The next morning, William got up early, donned a black suit, black tie, and white shirt. After breakfast and a quick greeting to his mother, he drove his Porsche 911 to London, arriving at St. Wood Cathedral in just over an hour.
After parking, he walked to the cathedral, noticing few attendees. Bond, being a secret agent, wouldn't have a public funeral. According to the files, Craig was an orphan whose parents were murdered when he was seven or eight, so only a few of his superiors attended.
At the cathedral entrance, William took the obituary from the priest. It read, "James Bond, Royal Navy Commander, CMG, loyal warrior of England, died in the line of duty on May 25th."
Bored, he looked at the obituary. "M is really heartless. After just three months and without confirmation of Craig's death, they hastily held a funeral. Are they eager to select a new Bond?"
He asked a secret agent about the details, confirming the incident matched his memories. William smirked, now 70% sure Craig was hiding to fake his death and retire. Craig was likely enjoying himself with a beautiful woman in some corner.
Knowing what would happen next, William silently calculated what benefits he could gain from the situation.
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