The next day, while working on the Mark V portable armor blueprints, William received a call from the Church. Without preamble, the Church said he wanted to secure the distribution rights for bulletproof suits in New York City.
The two had collaborated multiple times and had built up enough mutual understanding that William agreed without much discussion.
William didn't care much about regional distribution rights. When trying to form alliances, it was best to go big. Haggling over small details wasn't a good habit. He directly offered the Church a 5% commission on each sale going forward.
Each suit sold would earn the Church £250,000, which made him very satisfied. So, during the rest of their conversation, he subtly shared the intelligence reports he had about American special agents, reassuring William. Little did the Church know, if he ever found out that Catherine and Garris were receiving a 10% commission, his reaction would be quite different.
William, however, wasn't concerned about this. The 10% commission given to Catherine and Garris was because they were far more useful to him. Moreover, at that time, bulletproof suits hadn't yet hit the market, and he needed their connections to promote the product.
After hanging up the call, William was slightly worried but also relieved that he hadn't received a call from Mr. Shen. If Shen didn't reach out, it saved him some trouble. William had no intention of making money from China anyway. His dealings with certain individuals in China were mostly related to antiques, given that he had accumulated so many that they might be worth one or two hundred billion dollars in the future.
With his attention drawn back to the Mark V, William quickly dismissed these thoughts and focused on finishing the armor's blueprints with Sunday's assistance.
A few days later, after completing the Mark V design, William was waiting for Sunday to produce the final product when his mother, Lena, called. The moment the call connected, Lena's voice was full of complaint: "You called me back to the castle, yet you're hiding in the basement and won't come out? If you don't have a good reason, I swear I'll give you a good thrashing, my dear son."
"Haha, Mom, just come to the basement and you'll understand. I've got something good to show you," William said cheerfully.
Lena, influenced by William's excited tone, curiously made her way to the basement. The moment she stepped inside, she gasped in shock. "Oh my God, what happened here?"
Sunday's voice came through. "Madam, Mr. Devonshire is in Zone D2. Please follow the lights to reach him."
"This scoundrel didn't even bother to come meet me," Lena grumbled but followed the lights and quickly arrived at Zone D2.
"Madam, please leave your fingerprint and retina scan in the scanning area. From now on, you'll need to do this every time you enter this zone," Sunday said.
Impatient, Lena complied while mentally preparing to give William a piece of her mind. However, the moment she saw him, her frustrations evaporated.
"Oh my God, are you really my son? Or are you some secret child of God?" Lena exclaimed, utterly astonished as she saw William's head poking out of the luxurious gold-colored Mark III armor.
William, rubbing his forehead in exasperation, replied, "Mom, is that really something you should be saying? If I'm God's illegitimate son, wouldn't that make Dad God?"
Lena paused for a few seconds, then said dismissively, "Who cares! I don't believe in religion anyway." She circled around him a few times, inspecting the armor. "Is this the 'good thing' you wanted to show me?"
"Step back a bit," William instructed. Once Lena moved aside, he sealed his helmet and activated the armor. With a "whoosh," he lifted off the ground, hovering mid-air. He then flew slowly around Zone D2.
After a few laps, he landed back in the designated area marked with a large "D," where mechanical arms quickly began removing the armor.
Watching the process, Lena was clearly fascinated. Excitedly, she asked, "You didn't just call me back to show off, did you, William?"
Removing the armor, William smiled and gestured for his mother to step forward. "You'll understand once you stand here."
Lena immediately caught on. "Really?"
"Of course, Mom," William shamelessly lied. "I developed this specifically for your safety. Besides the combat-ready Mark III, I've also created the portable Mark V armor. Wherever you go, you can carry the portable suit, and in case of danger, you can use it to escape."
"Come on, Mom, give it a try. Even if you don't know how to fly, Sunday can assist you with automatic flight."
Lena, not one to shy away from a challenge, walked to the armor-wearing area and accepted the bracelet William handed her. "What's this for?"
"Mom, this is a sensor bracelet. From now on, as long as you're wearing it, you can summon the Mark V armor whenever you need it. The armor will fly to you at maximum speed. In emergencies, you can even summon future upgraded versions from Oxford, which would take just five minutes to reach you in London," William explained.
"Hmm," Lena nodded, slipping on the bracelet. She turned to Sunday. "Alright, Sunday, let's begin. I'm ready."
"Understood, Mrs. Devonshire."
With a few mechanical sounds, robotic arms began dressing Lena in the Mark III armor.
Since this was a new set and Lena hadn't chosen a color, it retained its original bright silver metallic sheen.
Once suited up, Lena walked a few steps and realized it felt easier than walking on her own. "Make me fly, Sunday. Let's go up."
"Yes, ma'am," Sunday responded, and the armor, pre-programmed with flight parameters, lifted off into the air. With Sunday's assistance, Lena wobbled a bit but quickly stabilized in mid-air. "Wow! Wow! This is amazing! I can fly!"
The joy of flying made Lena forget her surroundings as she continued hovering around Zone D2. After about 20 minutes, with the flight-assist system helping her, Lena had gotten the hang of it and no longer needed assistance. She grew restless, though, with the limited space in the 200-square-meter zone. "Sunday, open the doors. I want to fly outside."
"No, no, Mom! The Mark armor is still top-secret. It's daytime and too easy to be spotted," William reminded her quickly.
"Alright," Lena agreed reluctantly. "You're right. It's a shame I can't fly freely."
Since she couldn't go outside, and having flown for almost half an hour, Lena lost interest and landed back on the platform, letting Sunday remove the armor.
Once she stepped down from the platform, Lena hugged William and kissed his forehead. She patted his cheek and said, "I've always thought you were a genius, William. But I didn't realize you were this much of a genius. My God, if the authorities knew about this armor, who knows what kind of trouble it would stir."
Concerned, Lena added, "William, unless absolutely necessary, we must not use this. Unless you have the power to instantly destroy an entire country, we must tread carefully."
"Well… about that," William hesitated, feeling a bit guilty, recalling how he had already used the armor recently. But not wanting to get into trouble now, he quickly nodded, "Of course, Mom. I'll listen to you."
"Good boy," Lena said, satisfied.
William rolled his eyes dramatically.
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