Many of the more insightful aristocrats quickly realized that their future prospects had just taken a significant turn for the better. They couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude toward William. Some even speculated that if William were to select another noble as a pilot, it would greatly enhance the influence and leverage of the entire nobility in key matters.
Just as everyone assumed that the spaceship was merely taking Wilson on a brief joyride, the ship suddenly shot out of Earth's atmosphere and transmitted its live feed to Independent Television (ITV).
According to William's instructions, Selene lingered in space long enough to establish a connection with ITV. Moments later, Wilson appeared on screen, clad in a simplified version of the Mark IV space armor. As the second person ever to conduct a live broadcast from space, Wilson instantly became the world's new sensation, second only to William.
Wilson's dual identity as a prince and duke, combined with his millionaire status, made him a heartthrob for young women worldwide.
On camera, Wilson nervously smiled and began his broadcast. "I'm not sure if I should be excited or terrified because, according to Miss Selene, we're about to reach our destination—the Moon—in just twelve minutes."
"Yes, you heard that right. William Devonshire, the guy who often makes me want to punch him, has apparently made it possible for us to travel to the Moon in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee."
"Unbelievable, isn't it? Even for me, someone experiencing it firsthand, it's almost too much to handle. The Moon is over 340,000 kilometers away from Earth. At this speed, we're traveling at around 1.7 million kilometers per hour!"
Wilson paused for a moment to let that number sink in before continuing, "Does that figure sound familiar to anyone?"
As Wilson posed his question, the number of viewers tuning into ITV skyrocketed, increasing by hundreds of thousands per second. Across the globe, public squares and shopping malls switched their displays to the live broadcast.
It didn't take long for people to remember something William had once mentioned: the spaceship's engines had previously only been able to operate at 10% capacity due to energy limitations. Rumors had since circulated about William developing a new energy source in collaboration with the U.S. If true, this would explain the ship's current full-throttle speed of 1.7 million kilometers per hour.
Speculation erupted. If the ship could now travel at such speeds, it would only take about two days to reach Mars and rescue William.
"Looks like many of you have already figured it out," Wilson chuckled, hearing Sunday's voice feeding him updates through his earpiece. His face flushed with excitement as he addressed the audience, "According to our ship's AI system, Mars is currently around 55 million kilometers away. If a rescue mission departs at 8 a.m. tomorrow, William could board the ship by 5 p.m. the following day and begin the return journey."
"Think about that—only 33 hours in total! That's shorter than some intercontinental flights."
Wilson grinned and added, "Hard to believe, right? Maybe you think I'm lying. Well, here's a little bet for you. Right now, it's 11:21 a.m. If I can fly to the Moon, pick up a rock, and return to London before noon, everyone watching this broadcast should go out and buy a Chelsea football jersey. Deal?"
He gave the viewers a playful smile and continued, "You all know that I'm only here thanks to Lady Lina Devonshire. If it were up to William, ha, he probably wouldn't have even let me onboard, let alone host this broadcast!"
"So please, if you lose this bet, do me a favor and support Lady Lina by picking up a Chelsea jersey. Thank you!"
Viewers familiar with the Devonshire family's ownership of Chelsea FC burst into laughter. While most didn't take the bet seriously, they understood that the real purpose was to promote the club. For many English fans, if Wilson truly managed to return on time, buying a Chelsea jersey in the future seemed like a fair trade.
"Alright then, it's settled. Let's not waste any more time—off to the Moon!" Wilson announced enthusiastically.
Once he was securely seated, Selene activated the ship's autopilot and focused on avoiding space debris.
Meanwhile, in various desert regions, spies and agents from numerous countries who had been operating discreetly found themselves in a panic after seeing the live broadcast.
Orders came swiftly from their superiors: infiltrate the Sahara Desert and locate the base where William's spaceships were being built. The fear was that once William returned, the facility would be sealed off for security reasons.
Many believed this broadcast was a deliberate tactic by William to lure would-be saboteurs into making a choice—target the spaceship or find the base. Either way, factions began shifting their focus toward the desert.
However, William's intentions extended far beyond this simple misdirection.
Twelve minutes later, the spaceship arrived on the Moon precisely on schedule. Sunday chose a landing site on the opposite side of the Moon from where William had landed during his previous mission.
Wilson, unaware of any lurking threats, thought Sunday was merely urging him to keep up appearances for the bet. When the hatch opened, he quickly exited the ship, grabbed a random rock, and hurried back aboard.
As soon as he was seated, the ship took off, leaving the Moon in less than forty seconds—giving no opportunity for hidden Decepticons to react.
Soundwave, who had assumed temporary command of the Decepticons after the disappearance of Megatron and Starscream, was furious. In his rage, he ordered the remaining Decepticons to head to the Sahara Desert to search for the spaceship's base. A clash between humans and Decepticons in the desert seemed imminent.
At the same time, Frenzy, a small Decepticon no larger than a toy car, received orders to infiltrate William's London estate and steal the spaceship.
At 11:50 a.m. London time, the spaceship landed back at the estate to the cheers of thousands of onlookers. Wilson, still wearing the Mark IV armor, stepped off the ship and warmly hugged Lady Lina before moving to the gate to address the gathered reporters.
Meanwhile, Frenzy managed to sneak into the manor undetected. However, as he began exploring the estate's interior, he quickly found himself bewildered and disoriented. The security measures in place were far more advanced than anything he had anticipated.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]