Billionaire in Kingsman with a Marvel System

The three of them entered Mrs. M's office. As soon as they were inside, M introduced Bond. "Bond, this is Garris Mallory, the Chairman of the Security Council. Mallory, this is James Bond."

As a subordinate, Bond greeted him first, "Good afternoon, Mr. Mallory. I'm James Bond."

"Good to meet you, Mr. Bond."

"Alright, gentlemen, please take a seat," M said.

Once everyone was seated, M held Bond's test report and, stretching the truth, said, "It looks like your performance was decent. Your overall score just barely passed. You can resume duty, Bond."

"Thank you," Bond smiled, stood up, and nodded in thanks to M. He then exchanged a glance with M, clearly wanting to make a quick exit. "Um, well, you all seem busy, so I'll get back to work."

"Wait," Garris said, staring meaningfully at M. "Maybe I'm mistaken, or perhaps my ears are playing tricks on me. Can someone explain to me how an agent who failed his psychological evaluation was reinstated so hastily? This is not just irresponsible to the agent but also a mockery of regulations."

"I believe Bond's reinstatement needs further observation, and also—"

"Stop," M interrupted, frowning. "If you want to issue orders, then please return to the Security Council and get a dismissal order for me. Otherwise, I'll use whichever agent I choose. In the Special Operations Bureau, aside from the top boss and the Home Secretary, I have the final say."

"But you're endangering him," Garris said, pointing at Bond. "He's just suffered a serious injury. I don't think a man over 40 can fully recover in such a short time. The Bureau isn't so desperate that we need a nearly 40-year-old to lead the charge. We should give younger agents a chance."

"Sorry to interrupt," Bond said, staring expressionlessly at Garris. "But I'm a bit confused. When did a 32-year-old become 'over 40'? If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

"Heh, but your physical condition looks no different from someone in their forties or fifties," William, who had been silent, suddenly chimed in, making Garris laugh.

Everyone knew the test results, and William's comment left Bond, who had been holding back during the test, unable to argue.

William continued, "I'm curious. After being shot by your own people and falling from a bridge, nearly dying, why didn't you take the chance to retire? You know, very few front-line agents get to retire peacefully. So, it makes me wonder if some people harbor resentment and return with hidden motives."

"Bang!" A loud slam on the table echoed through the room.

"Enough, William," M glared at William angrily. "You can doubt Bond's capabilities, but I won't allow you to question his loyalty. Questioning him is questioning me. Besides, you can't expect someone seriously injured to return before they're fully recovered."

"Apologies, ma'am. But if he was injured, why didn't he report to us? Why didn't he return to England for better medical care but instead hid in Morocco? It's been over ten days since the incident at the Bureau, yet Mr. Bond is only now returning. I can't help but question his loyalty. No one knows what he's been doing these past ten days. Is it resentment, a reluctance to serve the country, or did that shot crush his spirit, making him too afraid to return? In any case, Mr. Bond is no longer fit for fieldwork. I suggest reassigning him to logistics or training new recruits to make use of his remaining skills."

"Make use of my remaining skills? Ha, what you really mean is to keep me under surveillance," Bond said, staring coldly at William and Garris. "You can fire me, but don't think you can insult me."

"Gentlemen, today's meeting is over. The remaining issues are internal matters of the Bureau. As long as I'm in charge, you two have no right to interfere," M said, pointing to the office door. "Get out. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Garris stood up, straightened his suit, and with a dark expression, said, "Ma'am, I'll report today's events to the Home Secretary. You can expect to be questioned by the Security Council."

This was just a parting shot, but it didn't scare M.

After William and Garris left, M turned to Bond and said, "Don't screw this up. Otherwise, I might be forced out before I can retire."

"Understood," Bond replied, his eyes firm.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Bond walked to the desk, turned off the recorder, and whispered in M's ear, "Sorry, ma'am. Everything just now was part of a plan William and I cooked up, just to get that meeting record."

After speaking, Bond pointed to the recorder on the desk.

"A plan? What plan?"

Bond glanced discreetly at Bill, who was standing nearby. M shook her head. "Don't worry. Bill can be trusted."

Since M said so, Bond didn't hold back and explained William's reasoning and the plan.

After hearing Bond's explanation, M sat in her chair, muttering, "I didn't expect the opponent to be Silva. With his personality, your plan might actually work. Damn, I was careless. I always thought that bastard died for his country. I even had his real name engraved on the Wall of Valor."

"Can I ask why you abandoned Silva? From what William hinted, it seems like you intentionally exposed his whereabouts, leading to his capture by a certain country."

Bond hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been nagging him.

"Heh, if it were you, would you trade one subordinate who no longer follows orders for six captured ones?" M responded calmly. "You should know what happened in 1997. With the handover already irreversible, Silva secretly attacked a certain Eastern country's network, ignoring the situation and my orders, and was caught. In that situation, no matter how unwilling I was, facing that country's inquiries and the life-and-death situation of six subordinates, I had no choice but to give him up."

"Three years ago, I should have been more ruthless and not let Silva go. I never expected Silva to escape from that country," M chuckled. "Do you really believe he escaped on his own?"

Bond smiled. No one could escape on their own unless someone allowed it.

"So this time, I want you to capture him alive. No one is to contact him without my permission. I have many questions for him."

M's expression turned serious. "If the situation becomes urgent, I authorize you to kill him on the spot. He knows too much. Whether he's captured by the enemy or our rivals, it's a threat to us. Understood?"

"Understood, ma'am," Bond nodded.

Just as Bond was about to continue speaking, his phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was William calling, Bond quickly put a finger to his lips. "Shh, it's William."

M and Bill nodded, and Bond answered the call, putting it on speakerphone. William's voice came through. "You've got a job, Craig. Patrice will arrive in Lion City at 8:15 the night after tomorrow. Your mission is to kill Patrice in front of a woman named Sévérine."

"Don't ask why. Just do as I say, and when you meet Sévérine at the Golden Dragon Hotel in the Eastern Casino, you'll understand why. Say hi to M and Bill for me. Tell Bill that his surprised look is really ugly. Lastly, Mr. Craig, if anything goes wrong because of your big mouth, I hope you don't regret it."

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