Alexander Pierce felt utterly powerless as he watched William on television, busily charging the energy plates.
For days, Pierce had been waiting for William to hit rock bottom, hoping desperation would force him to reach out for help. This would be the perfect opportunity to coerce him into joining Hydra. In fact, Hydra's council had already voted to offer William control of the entire England division, making him a true regional leader with no direct oversight. If William proved himself, he might even expand his territory.
However, each time a crisis arose, William managed to solve it on his own. The same happened with the sabotage of the spaceship's hull. Pierce had expected the Devonshire family to panic, but Lena Devonshire acted as if nothing had happened—continuing to attend soccer matches and live her life as usual.
As for William, he had secluded himself on Mars and built a mysterious energy converter, using geothermal and solar power to recharge the spaceship's energy reserves.
It seemed that William wouldn't be needing anyone's help after all.
On William's 42nd day on Mars, Sunday reported some good news.
"Sir, the second micro-spaceship has been completed at the X17 planet base and can be deployed to Earth's Sahara Desert base at any time."
"Good," William nodded. "What's the status of the self-destruct plans?"
"Apologies, Sir. If the spaceship were only exposed to molten lava splashing onto its surface, I am confident it would remain undamaged. However, for other plans, there are too many unpredictable risks."
"Alright, then prepare for the lava scenario. We'll decide on the rest based on the situation."
"Understood, Sir."
That night, a spaceship performed a warp jump from X17 to the solar system and landed at the Sahara Desert base. William opened a portal to the desert base and inspected the site. Not wasting time, he immediately opened another portal to X17, allowing hundreds of engineering robots to transport various equipment to the base.
Within just one day, they assembled all necessary equipment for producing spaceship components. The base itself was powered by a large-scale arc reactor.
After resolving the spaceship matters, William also ordered Sunday to dismantle the facility's red mercury bomb production equipment.
Day 45 on Mars: The Potato Harvest
Early in the morning, William activated the live stream. With a cheerful face, he reiterated the rules of the previous weight-guessing game to his viewers before getting to work.
With a digging tool in hand, he carefully unearthed the first potato plant.
As expected, the plant yielded nine fist-sized potatoes. Weighing them on a scale, William announced, "1.63 kilograms!"
This result immediately crushed the hopes of those who had believed it was impossible for potatoes to yield much on Mars. Meanwhile, those who had heeded Wilson's advice to guess high weights suddenly felt tense. Eyes glued to the screen, they watched as William dug up each subsequent plant and weighed the harvest.
By the time William reached the 40th and final plant, the combined weight of the potatoes had reached a shocking 74.53 kilograms—more than seven times the 10 kilograms William had misleadingly hinted at earlier.
Many viewers who had guessed lower weights felt a surge of resentment.
"Damn it! We trusted his words! If I'd known this was going to happen, I'd have guessed at least 70 kilograms!"
In stark contrast, others anxiously awaited the final total. Currently, those who had guessed between 76 and 78 kilograms still had a chance at winning. Nearly 200,000 people were in this range, and the tension was palpable.
William smiled at the camera and gestured to the crates of harvested potatoes. "Well, folks, this is the moment of truth!"
Meanwhile, in his earpiece, Sunday reported the numbers:
"Sir, a total of 2.1 billion participants placed bets on this event. Over 100 million guessed 70 kilograms or more, and 736,000 predicted a weight within the 76-kilogram range. Based on the data from the first 39 plants, the final plant is projected to weigh 1.71 kilograms. If you want more winners, be mindful of the soil attached to the potatoes during the harvest."
Taking the advice, William carefully brushed off excess soil from the final plant as he unearthed the potatoes.
The suit's sensors showed the weight wasn't quite enough. Unperturbed, William raised his head and grinned at the camera. "This is it, folks! The moment that decides everything! Only 670,000 people remain in the running!"
As he spoke, he discreetly scooped up a bit of soil and pressed it onto the base of the last potato, hidden from the camera's view. He placed it in the scale's tray.
76.362 kilograms.
Across the world, tens of billions of viewers collectively held their breath before erupting in cheers or groans. Facebook displayed the final tally: 31,894 people had guessed the exact weight.
Just one gram more or less would have drastically changed the outcome. Had the total been 76.511 kilograms, nearly 90,000 people would have won instead.
As the numbers flashed on the screen, countless viewers who had been eliminated demanded a recount.
"William, double-check the pots! What if you missed a potato?"
The winners, however, were quick to object. They flooded the site, urging William not to overturn the results.
"Enough!" William raised his hand to quiet the crowd. "If I missed anything, that's on me. But I promise you all that the winners will still receive their prizes."
The reassurance calmed most viewers, though some remained skeptical.
"You think I'd cheat over a few million dollars?" William laughed. "Besides, the weight difference between the current total and 76.511 is 149 grams. You expect me to have overlooked a potato that big?"
The audience reluctantly acknowledged the truth. A potato weighing 150 grams would have been hard to miss.
However, the collective grumbling continued, with some still pushing for a recount just in case. William sighed theatrically and played along.
As he sifted through the soil one last time, he found a tiny, coin-sized potato.
When he held it up for the camera, viewers cheered triumphantly. Though it wasn't enough to change the final weight significantly, they relished seeing William look slightly exasperated.
Even if they hadn't won, forcing William to suffer a little extra loss was its own form of victory.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]