Chapter 279: Sacrifice Others to Save Oneself

Sitting in the driver's seat, William felt a bit annoyed at himself for overacting today. In future dealings, the upper echelons of England might really start treating him like a lunatic. 

However, after thinking about it for a moment, William stopped caring. So what if they thought he was crazy? Being seen as a madman was better than being seen as easy prey. A sheep could be slaughtered at will, but if you wanted to mess with a madman, you'd have to think twice.

"Ring, ring." 

"SIR, Mr. Gareth is calling," Sunday informed him through his earpiece.

"Answer it," William said, and Gareth's voice came through the earpiece. "Hey, William, why aren't you here yet? You're the host, and you're letting your guests arrive before you? That's quite rude."

"Alright, alright, I'm right outside the restaurant. Give me two minutes."

He hung up the phone, opened the door, and got out of the car.

Entering the restaurant, he was led by a waiter to a small private dining room with six tables.

William briefly greeted Catherine and the others, then turned to the waiter. "I'd like to book this entire private room. Is that possible?"

"Of course, Mr. Devonshire," the waiter replied, speaking into his walkie-talkie to the restaurant manager. After a brief exchange, he smiled and said, "It's done, sir."

"Thank you." William handed the waiter a £50 note, then turned back to Catherine and gave her a hug. "Sorry I'm late."

"No problem, we just arrived as well. Is everything taken care of?" Catherine asked in a low voice.

"Don't worry, it's all sorted. The only issue is that Bromley might have figured out a few things."

"Is that why you invited him to dinner?"

"Exactly. He's your subordinate, so there are some things that are better coming from you than from me. But don't worry, my people did a clean job; Bromley won't be able to find any evidence."

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

Seeing that William and Catherine had finished their conversation, Gareth and Bromley walked over. "Alright, William, let's order."

"OK," William greeted Bromley and then placed their orders. The four of them ate and chatted, enjoying their meal until 9 PM.

After sending Catherine off in the parking lot, Gareth pulled William and Bromley aside. "How about we go to my place for a drink?"

William shook his head. "It's late; let's go to my place instead. That way, we won't disturb your family. And if we drink too much, we can just get a room at the hotel."

"OK, let's go to your place then," Gareth agreed, turning to Bromley. "Bromley, follow us."

During dinner, Bromley had already reached an agreement with Catherine. She would issue a bonus equivalent to the compensation for the injured and fallen officers as a form of reward. Combined with the compensation from the London Anti-Terrorism Department, it would amount to double the normal amount. So, Bromley pretended to ponder for a moment before shaking his head regretfully. "Sorry, with so many of my team injured, I need to visit the hospital to check on the seriously wounded officers. Maybe next time."

After seeing Bromley off, Gareth got into William's car.

As soon as they were on the road, Gareth asked, "What did you do to Bromley? He kept avoiding your gaze all night."

"What could I have done? I just took out Silva. But, haha, our dear commander might think I'm a lunatic, and he was probably scared by how my people took down Silva."

"Scared?" Gareth asked, puzzled. "He's used to dealing with terrorists. How could you have scared him? What exactly did you do?"

"Sunday."

"I'm here, SIR."

"I'm driving, so explain to Gareth and show him the sniper video."

"Understood, SIR."

After watching the video and listening to Sunday's explanation, Gareth wasn't alarmed. Instead, he was excited. "How about selling me ten sets of that equipment?"

"Not happening," William replied without hesitation. "And not even a single part, let alone ten sets. Do you think I need the money? Only an idiot would sell equipment that could pose a threat to himself."

Gareth, not giving up, offered, "Five million dollars per set?"

"Hehe."

"FK, what does 'hehe' mean?" Gareth asked, annoyed.

"It means you can forget about it. Five million dollars? You have the nerve to even suggest that. Once this equipment is in your hands, it won't be long before it leaks from the Special Service. Just a few Barrett rifles with special ammo aimed at me, and I wouldn't even be safe in an armored car."

Seeing that Gareth wanted to say more, William added, "You should focus on cleaning out the moles in the Special Service. Ever heard of the Ghost Party?"

"Of course, we've been fighting them for decades. How could I not know about them?" Gareth thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you saying the Special Service has been infiltrated by the Ghost Party?"

"That's right. Not only has your organization been infiltrated, but even the government has people who are being blackmailed by the Ghost Party. Your top priority now should be to clean out the Special Service. You've got a lot of work ahead of you, my friend."

Gareth was silent for a long time before finally saying, "So, even if I become the head of the Special Service, it's just jumping from the frying pan into the fire."

The current state of the Special Service left Gareth somewhat disheartened. This was a problem for William since he was hoping that once Gareth took over, he'd start cleaning out the Ghost Party's moles. This would draw the Ghost Party's attention to the Special Service, giving William some breathing room. After all, both Le Chiffre from Casino Royale and Silva were connected to William. If he didn't give the Ghost Party a target, they'd eventually figure things out, and then William would be the one in trouble.

Better to sacrifice others than oneself, William thought as he consoled Gareth. "Every part of England is a mess these days. At least in the Special Service, you'll be the boss. You only need to answer to Catherine and the top brass, without worrying about those nobles dragging you down. And I'll be helping you behind the scenes."

"Helping me? Haha, what are you trying to get out of me this time?" Gareth felt a sudden unease, thinking about the secret files he had on William locked away. "I don't know what your grandfather Henry taught you, but why can't you think about serving the country like the Devonshire ancestors did, instead of always thinking about your own benefit?"

The Aston Martin DB7 suddenly swerved a bit, and William had to steady the wheel and calm himself. In a low voice, he replied, "Selfless service? Are you trying to make me laugh to death? Buddy, does anyone in this damned country still believe in selfless service? Haha, sure, the Devonshire ancestors did serve the country, but what was the result?" William pulled the car over to the side of the road and stared hard at Gareth. 

"The result was that my great-grandfather's four brothers all died in battle, my grandfather Henry had to sell off everything to keep the title, and in the end, when he was injured in the line of duty, he had to pay for his own medical expenses. When he died, he didn't even get a pension. My grandmother was so heartbroken that after she fell seriously ill, she used up all her savings, and no one came to visit or help her. If Henry hadn't made arrangements in advance, who knows if my mother and I would have even survived."

"So, don't talk to me about service. This country is just a place where I'm registered as a citizen. If I'm ever unhappy here, I'll take my mother and emigrate. With money, there's no shortage of countries that would welcome me."

"I'm sorry," Gareth finally said after a long silence. "Forget it, I'm not even in the mood for a drink anymore. I think I'll just go home and sleep."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. When they arrived at Gareth's home, he paused before getting out of the car and said quietly, "You can't leave, William. Think about your name and everything you've done. The mark you carry isn't something you can just wash away."

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