As soon as William disembarked, he was greeted by Barney and Trench.
Seeing Trench standing beside Barney, William smiled and shook hands with them both. "Are you sure you want to join this mission?"
Barney and Trench exchanged a determined look before nodding. "We can't let you face aliens alone, Boss. Besides, we're not getting any younger. If we don't do something earth-shattering—like saving the planet—we'll have nothing to brag about to future generations."
"Haha," William laughed heartily, shaking his head. "I'm not entirely sure if I'll need you to risk your lives, but since you're both insistent, stay on standby for now."
They got into a car with Barney and Trench driving William to the port of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. Once there, they boarded the icebreaker waiting in the harbor.
After meeting the ship's captain, Charlie, and informing him that their destination was Bouvet Island near the Ross Ice Shelf, the captain expressed his surprise.
"Bouvet Island? Is there something special there? Why are both you and Charles Weyland organizing expeditions to the Ross Ice Shelf at the same time?"
"So the old man's here too," William murmured, looking out at the sea as he fell into thought.
Sunday had already informed him that Weyland Corporation's mining satellite had also detected the pyramid.
While William was pondering, a crew member radioed in, reporting that Charles Weyland had requested a meeting.
"Sunday, check if Charles Weyland is sick," William said as he left the control room to meet Weyland.
After some polite exchanges and probing, Sunday reported, "Sir, Charles Weyland's medical records indicate he has terminal cancer."
Hearing this, William immediately dismissed the idea of persuading Weyland to abandon his expedition to save him and his team.
For someone facing death, this pyramid expedition was likely Weyland's last desperate attempt to find a cure. Without explaining everything he knew, there was no way Weyland would back down.
In fact, if Weyland learned about aliens, he'd probably become even more determined to proceed.
And even if William stopped Weyland's group from entering the pyramid this time, the Predators would simply find other ways to lure new participants.
Given the circumstances, William decided it wasn't worth intervening. Scaring Weyland might even attract more people to the pyramid, which could work to William's advantage.
"If your destination is also the pyramid, Mr. Weyland, then I can only wish you good luck," William said directly.
Surprised by William's bluntness, Weyland paused before asking, "Can I know why?"
"Apologies," William said, shaking his head. "I can only say that it's a very dangerous place. Farewell, sir."
Returning to his own icebreaker, Weyland sat in his camp near the harbor, deep in thought.
After a moment, he called his security chief, Mac, and said, "Mac, I need more guards, more professional experts, and a safer plan.
We leave tomorrow morning. I can't let William Devonshire get there first."
Mac considered this and replied, "Sir, with only a day to prepare, the only option for more guards is hiring mercenaries. But if the pyramid contains significant treasure, it could cause problems."
"Problems?" Weyland shook his head. "You know I don't need wealth at my age or with my net worth. My goal is singular: to find a cure.
Tell whoever you hire that I'll pay their fees in full. The discovery's credit goes to the Weyland family. If there's treasure, I'll take 30%, and they can split the remaining 70%. Deal?"
"Understood," Mac said, agreeing with Weyland's logic. Offering some share of the treasure would reassure the mercenaries, preventing suspicion about potential traps.
Two hours later, Mac had assembled a team of 12 experienced mercenaries, all former US Navy SEALs and Delta Force operatives. They accepted the commission and flew to Tierra del Fuego overnight.
The next morning, Weyland's icebreaker set sail.
Standing on the ship's stern, Weyland watched William's icebreaker, which remained motionless in the harbor with no visible activity.
Weyland realized William had likely been prepared for this all along and was waiting for him to lead the way before swooping in to reap the rewards.
This thought only deepened his unease, but with his terminal condition, he couldn't afford to delay.
Moreover, he knew that others with access to satellites might discover the pyramid.
Silently, he prayed that his six personal bodyguards and the 12 newly hired mercenaries would be enough to handle both the dangers inside the pyramid and any threats posed by William.
Two hours after Weyland's ship departed, William finally instructed his captain to set sail, trailing over 30 nautical miles behind Weyland.
With Sunday controlling a fleet of upgraded Blackblade drones and a drone carrier designed to withstand extreme cold, William had no doubt they'd keep track of Weyland's group.
Whistling as he entered the icebreaker's cargo hold, William found Barney and Trench sparring in their Mark III armor.
After watching them exchange straightforward blows for a moment, William lost interest and left.
Two days later, the icebreaker arrived at Bouvet Island.
Once Weyland's team had disembarked and driven their snowmobiles inland for an hour, William, Barney, and Trench followed in their own large snow trucks.
When they were 2 kilometers from the pyramid's perimeter, Sunday reported, "Sir, the equipment has detected three small spacecraft landing from orbit.
Their projected landing site is approximately 3 kilometers from your current location on the ice plain."
Hearing this, William felt a surge of excitement. The knowledge provided by the system in his mind, which only appeared when his magic level increased, seemed reliable.
He steered the truck toward the spacecraft's landing site, with Barney and Trench following close behind.
Five minutes later, William parked his truck 200 meters from three impact craters created by the small spacecraft.
Putting on a pair of new smart glasses, he switched between detection modes until he finally spotted three energy-emitting Predators.
After confirming he could see them, William communicated with Barney and Trench. "Suit up in your Mark III armor. We're going down."
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