The three powerful explosions rocked the shipyard. Even those who managed to avoid the blast zone couldn't withstand the immense shockwave. Human bodies were flung about like ragdolls. Security guards were either dead or unconscious, with very few merely injured.
The greatest casualties, however, were among the technical staff and skilled workers inside the assembly workshop—one of the werewolves' main objectives.
They knew that building a spaceship required more than just technology and equipment. Without experienced personnel, even if the tools and materials were intact, delays and unexpected problems would be inevitable. The goal was clear: make it impossible for William to get the spaceship completed in time, leaving him trapped on Mars in a state of paranoia and despair.
Whether or not William would panic was still uncertain.
Meanwhile, the remaining werewolves at the shipyard heard the unmistakable thumping of helicopter rotors. Reinforcements had arrived.
Seeing the spaceship's hull, seemingly untouched despite the earlier explosions, panic and fear spread among the attackers. Some of the werewolves were ready to flee outright, believing their mission had failed.
"Hold your ground!" their leader, Marius, barked, stopping them in their tracks.
"We'll divide into two groups. One group will hold off the reinforcements. The other will gather whatever explosives we have left and make a final attempt to destroy the hull. After that, we retreat!"
Unaware that the spaceship hull was already damaged beyond practical repair, Marius's decision would soon cost him dearly.
The werewolves hastily carried out the plan, and a third explosion rocked the area moments later. However, by this time, the Royal Airborne Regiment had arrived and surrounded the site.
Shortly after, Kingsman agents Eggsy, Lara Croft, and Wesley Gibson arrived by helicopter.
Among them, Lara was the most anxious. Her father, Earl Croft, had gone missing nearly two years ago, and William had promised to help her find him. Seeing an opportunity to prove herself, Lara didn't wait for the helicopter to fully stabilize. She grabbed a rappel line and leapt down, swinging directly toward Marius and his group.
Eggsy followed close behind, descending another line. Wesley, the best sharpshooter of the group, remained in the helicopter, providing cover fire.
While descending, Lara drew her rapid-fire handguns and began shooting at the werewolves below. Silver bullets tore through their ranks. In just a few seconds, three werewolves collapsed, writhing in pain, while Marius used a comrade as a shield to avoid injury.
With Lara's guns temporarily out of ammunition, Marius didn't hesitate. He threw the injured comrade at her, turning on his heel to flee.
He recognized the Kingsman agents. Over a year ago, a similar three-person team had decimated a large werewolf pack in London. Now, alone and facing the same trio in their advanced suits, Marius knew he didn't stand a chance.
Lara quickly reloaded and took down several more werewolves. She was about to pursue Marius when Sunday's voice crackled in her earpiece, urging her to let him go.
Confused, Lara hesitated until Sunday explained, "We need him to lead us to their base in Europe. Also, Mr. Devonshire wanted me to inform you: your father, Earl Croft, is currently on a remote island in the North Pacific. He's alive and well."
Upon hearing this long-awaited news, Lara's priorities shifted. After swiftly eliminating the remaining werewolves, she returned to Kingsman headquarters with Eggsy and Wesley.
She turned in her armor and weapons, reported to Harry Hart, then left on a solo mission to rescue her father. This would mark the beginning of Lara Croft's legendary journey as a treasure hunter. Trained by Kingsman for two years, she was already approaching her peak and would soon begin exploring the world's most mysterious locations.
News of the werewolf attack spread quickly. Within hours, it reached the upper echelons of English society and, soon after, the international community.
By this point, any hope of keeping the incident under wraps was futile.
William immediately reassured a shaken and pale-faced Lena. He informed her that multiple support spaceships were being constructed—not just the one in England. Only then did Lena relax.
The mother and son discussed the situation in private before Lena, accompanied by Abigail and a team of bodyguards, hurried to London.
However, contrary to what many expected, there was no frenzied retaliation. Apart from issuing a high-priced underground bounty on werewolves, Lena and William remained surprisingly quiet.
Lena attended a Chelsea football match and then returned to her estate, making no further public appearances.
Meanwhile, William continued his Mars broadcasts as if nothing had happened. Yet those who watched closely could detect a subtle but significant shift in his tone when speaking with Richard and other English officials. His words carried a palpable sense of mistrust and distance.
No one was surprised. After multiple breaches and sabotage attempts, William had every reason to be wary of his English collaborators.
The burning question on everyone's mind was why the attackers had struck so soon. With only fifteen days passed since construction began, what was the rush? Were they trying to confirm whether William was secretly building another spaceship or had outsourced the project to a different country?
Most insiders dismissed the notion that the werewolves acted purely out of revenge. It was clear they had been manipulated by external forces.
With the first support spaceship compromised, William became noticeably more cautious.
He continued his live broadcasts, but observant viewers noticed that his behavior had changed. He obsessively monitored the progress of the Martian potatoes, checking their status every two hours through the ship's AI.
He also drastically reduced his outdoor activities, spending most of his time in the cargo hold, tinkering with various components he had salvaged from non-essential parts of the ship.
Speculation ran wild. Some viewers believed he had encountered a serious problem.
Finally, after days of discussion, a self-proclaimed Oxford physics doctoral candidate posted on Facebook, claiming that over a hundred academics had analyzed the situation.
Their conclusion?
Based on William's recent behavior and England's development of large-scale arc reactor technology, it seemed likely that William was attempting to build a miniature arc reactor on Mars.
(End of Chapter)
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