Selene followed William's instructions and piloted the spaceship back to London. Along the way, she became engrossed in learning how to fly the ship. The next thing she knew, Sunday informed her, "We'll be landing in London in thirty seconds."
"How's that possible? It's only been a few minutes!"
"Apologies, Miss Selene," Sunday explained. "This ship's power source is quite advanced. Combined with the energy shielding, it can maintain speeds exceeding 100,000 kilometers per hour even within the atmosphere. At full speed, the journey from Washington to London takes about seven minutes."
As Sunday spoke, Selene spotted the outline of London in the distance. Remembering that William wanted her and Nyssa to accompany him to Mars, she decided to call Nyssa aboard to help her learn more about piloting the ship.
A few seconds later, the spaceship hovered conspicuously over the Devonshire estate and began its descent. Not long after, Nyssa came running toward the landing site, followed by a visibly excited Lina, Abby, and Jessie, who stood at the main entrance of the estate's mansion.
With so much interest from the women, Selene had no choice but to let them aboard.
Meanwhile, the spaceship's arrival sent shockwaves across the entire city of London. Thousands of onlookers flocked toward Kensington Garden Street, where the Devonshire estate was located. Journalists, already tipped off by contacts in Washington, rushed to the scene with their camera crews.
Independent Television (ITV) scrambled to mobilize their reporters. During the commotion, someone suggested calling Wilson to cover the event. The station's management quickly contacted him, and moments later, Wilson received calls from both the station's general manager and chairman, urging him to take the job.
For Wilson, this was the perfect opportunity to gain public attention without any political consequences. He readily agreed.
However, when he left his home, he discovered that the streets leading to the estate were so congested with people that driving was impossible. After hesitating for a moment, Wilson exited his car, motioned for his bodyguards to handle the vehicle, and began walking toward the estate.
His four bodyguards, sensing the chaos, immediately called for reinforcements. They formed a protective circle around Wilson, who hurriedly made his way through the dense crowd.
When Wilson finally reached the estate, the spaceship was already lifting off. Within seconds, it climbed to a height of several dozen meters and then shot into the sky, disappearing from sight in mere moments.
Many onlookers, including those who had seen footage of the first spaceship's flight, were stunned by the sheer speed of this second craft. Television broadcasts quickly became chaotic as reporters and experts speculated on how the technology had advanced so dramatically.
Not long after, news broke that the spaceship had traveled from Washington to London in under ten minutes. Analysts calculated the speed to be around 100,000 kilometers per hour—equivalent to Mach 90. Viewers were astounded. No existing missile could reach such speeds, let alone catch a craft capable of maneuvering mid-flight.
William, meanwhile, had been monitoring events from the moment he left Alexander Pierce's office. After hearing Sunday's reports, he decided to send Pierce a bottle of Château Latour wine and a large hard drive containing engine technology. What William didn't expect was that this gesture would nearly cause Pierce to suffer a heart attack.
Pierce, who was already on edge, barely managed to compose himself. He understood that William was essentially saying, Take the deal or leave it. I couldn't care less.
Realizing he had no room to negotiate further, Pierce issued a vague public statement. He mentioned that there was a collaboration between William and the U.S. on several projects but refused to disclose any details, citing confidentiality.
The statement caused an uproar across Europe. Many European leaders felt betrayed, accusing the Americans of deceitfully cornering a technological advantage. Rumors spread that the U.S. had sabotaged William's first support ship, forcing him into cooperation.
British officials were especially outraged. At a high-level meeting in Downing Street, everyone fell into a tense silence. No one dared suggest imposing sanctions on William, knowing how limited their leverage over him already was. The potential for U.S. support only made their position weaker.
Speaking out prematurely could make them look foolish and turn them into enemies of the Devonshire family. With William's reputation for wiping out thousands of werewolves in a single night, few were willing to take that risk.
"We'll wait for Prince Wilson," someone finally suggested. "Hopefully, he'll be able to get information from Lady Lina Devonshire."
The cabinet members and generals exchanged hopeful glances as they turned their attention to the television, where Wilson had just appeared.
As someone with access to the Devonshire estate, Wilson had hoped to conduct interviews after the spaceship's departure. However, upon learning from Sunday that none of the estate's residents were present, he decided to leave and meet with ITV staff outside.
Fortunately, reinforcements had arrived, boosting his security detail to fifteen guards. This allowed Wilson to exit the estate without being overwhelmed by reporters and fans. However, the sheer number of people on the streets soon made further progress impossible. His security team had no choice but to escort him back inside the estate.
The head of Wilson's security team knew that the estate's wrought-iron gates were made of reinforced, high-grade metal. Even a car crash wouldn't breach them. He suggested that Wilson conduct interviews from inside the gates, allowing the reporters to remain outside.
William, observing the situation through Sunday, gave a quick command. The estate's gates opened just enough to allow Wilson to slip inside.
As soon as the gate moved, the gathered reporters surged forward, desperate to gain entry. Wilson barely managed to squeeze through before the gates slammed shut behind him.
Instead of dispersing, the reporters became even more aggressive, pressing against the gate. The iron structure groaned under the mounting pressure.
William sneered and instructed Sunday, "Deploy the surveillance drones. Project holographic images of everyone clinging to the gate into the sky above the estate."
"Understood, sir," Sunday replied.
Seconds later, small surveillance orbs floated above the estate, projecting high-definition images of each reporter and onlooker who was pushing against the gate. Their faces appeared in vivid detail in the sky, drawing gasps from the crowd.
(End of Chapter)
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