"Give the Doctor's information to Sunday." Finding someone is easy as long as they're on record and there's a clear name. As expected, a few minutes after Barney shared the Doctor's details, Sunday responded, "Sir, I found that the Doctor is imprisoned in Danzari Prison through the church's database."
William laughed heartily. "See, it's that simple. After this mission is over, we'll find a time to break him out."
"Understood, Boss," Barney nodded happily.
"Oh, by the way," William stopped in his tracks and turned to ask Barney, "Why was he arrested?"
"Well, uh…" Barney hesitated, looking a bit embarrassed. "For some money, the Doctor planned an unsuccessful coup in Africa. He got caught, and despite pulling many strings to smooth things over, just when he was about to be extradited to the USA, it was discovered that he had been evading taxes, so…"
"So, the guy's doing time because of tax evasion?" William was speechless.
"Pretty much, yeah," Barney responded awkwardly.
"Haha, just like Al Capone said, 'Don't forget to pay your taxes, or you'll regret it.' Here's a prime example right in front of us. Alright, I'm starting to like this guy, because I've evaded taxes dozens of times more than him."
"But he's not you, Boss. The Doctor's just an idiot. If he hadn't taken on that kind of job alone, he wouldn't have been caught for tax evasion. I mean, who among us hasn't dodged taxes?" Barney commented with a shrug.
When they reached the private villa Barney had rented, William took off his coat and asked, "Have you guys tested the new bulletproof combat and casual suits? What do you think?"
"They work great, Boss. I didn't expect you to invent bulletproof clothing that looks just like regular attire. With double-layer protection, as long as we wear helmets in battle, nothing short of heavy machine guns or sniper rifles could take us down."
"Good, glad you're satisfied," William poured himself a drink and asked Sunday, "Has Zhang Ziwei contacted me in the last couple of days?"
"No, Sir."
"Is the phone I gave him still with him?"
"Yes, the phone's location shows Zhang Ziwei is currently in the Asian gambling city."
"Great, find a suitable moment to have him meet me, or arrange a face-to-face."
"Understood, Sir. The meeting message has been sent."
"Is he alone right now?"
"Yes, Sir. Mr. Zhang Ziwei is currently at the pier, likely waiting for someone."
The villa was not far from the pier, so William said to Barney, "I'm going to meet someone. You go find a car."
"Got it, Boss."
After exchanging nods, Barney left the villa. Once he was gone, William scanned the master bedroom with his mental power a few times, and after confirming everything was secure, he opened a portal back to his castle's basement. He grabbed three sets of bulletproof suits that Sunday had prepared and returned to the villa, then headed for the pier.
At the pier, William followed Sunday's directions and entered a café. As soon as he stepped in, he spotted Zhang Ziwei. "Sir, I've checked the area. Mr. Zhang is alone, and there are no tailers," Sunday informed him.
With that assurance, William walked over to Zhang Ziwei's table and sat down. "When did you arrive? Have you seen your two good brothers yet?"
"I was planning to, but after you got involved, I figured I'd drop it. I shot once, which was enough to avenge myself. Dragging them into it would only get us all killed."
Seeing William, Zhang Ziwei was still a little surprised. "I didn't expect that within an hour of arriving in the gambling city from Spicetown, you'd find me. Seems your reach is bigger than I thought."
"Heh," William wasn't about to explain the misunderstanding. "Who are you here to meet?"
"A few monks. Originally, I was heading to Spicetown with the Eight-Faced Buddha's second son, third son, and Miena, but a Thai monk convinced the Eight-Faced Buddha to bring Basong's body to the gambling city, saying the location is closer and more suitable for the rituals," Zhang Ziwei smirked. "This works out better. As long as the Eight-Faced Buddha shows his face, I'll take him out—unless it's a double."
"That's unlikely," Zhang Ziwei shook his head. "They're likely performing the first ritual tonight, followed by cremation. After that, the rituals continue for six days without interruption. The Eight-Faced Buddha must personally oversee the cremation."
"Good." William took out a suit tailored to Zhang Ziwei's measurements. "This is the latest model of bulletproof suit. It'll protect you from any handgun or non-armor-piercing rifle bullets. Don't get killed; I plan to visit you in prison."
"You're treating me so well?" Zhang Ziwei asked as he took the suit and headed to a private room to try it on. To his surprise, it fit perfectly. When he walked out, he asked William, "Is this really as magical as you say, protecting against rifles?"
"Relax. I invented it myself. It's been tested many times."
"Impressive," Zhang Ziwei marveled. "If I survive, how about working for you once I'm out of prison?"
"Hah, by the time you're out, it'll be decades later. No need to work by then. If you have some money, buy as much jade as you can. I guarantee that in 20 years, the price of jade will skyrocket 20-fold, maybe more. Turn a million dollars into 20 million, and you'll be set for life when you're out."
"Jade will increase that much?" Zhang Ziwei was skeptical. "Don't trick me. Even though I don't know how long I'll be locked up, if it's in Thailand, I might not even serve ten years."
"You want to die that badly? Thailand has strict laws; how could you possibly serve only ten years?"
"Merit, man. Earning merit can reduce your sentence. If I help Thai police catch the Eight-Faced Buddha's men, I could get out sooner. Plus, I'm turning myself in. With that and the merit, I could be out legally. What do you care?" Zhang Ziwei snapped back. "Anyway, forget about me. How's my mother?"
"She's in Switzerland. I had the Swiss National Bank send her to a clinic for recovery. But," William hesitated.
"But what?" Zhang Ziwei tensed up.
"She's nearing the end. The doctors told me she might not last another year."
"That's good, that's good," Zhang Ziwei unexpectedly wasn't as devastated as one might expect. "Having a year left is already a blessing. I've been posting bounties on the dark web, so I know about my mother's condition. Knowing she has a year left is the best possible outcome. If I make it out of this alive, at least I'll still have the chance to see her. And thank you, man. Last time, I said all that to you hoping a rich guy like you could save my mom. Thank you."
"If you put your life on the line, I can't let you down. Repay me by confirming if the Eight-Faced Buddha is really him. When you see him, tap out a Morse code message on the phone I gave you, and I'll know. You know Morse code, right?"
_________________________________________
From May 26 to June 3, I'm offering a 33% discount on all Patreon tiers.
Just use this code when you sign up: 83AA7
If you'd like to support the project and get early access to chapters, now's the perfect time to join or upgrade.
This limited-time offer lasts only for these 9 days!
Thank you for your support ❤️
[w w w . p @ t r e o n . c o m / M u t t e r]