Chapter 65 – Frank's Plot Fails, and the Plot Against Sisyphus Begins
After exchanging a few words with the people in the lab, William stepped out into the hallway.
The incoming call was from an unfamiliar number.
He answered.
"William? I didn't get your name wrong, did I?"
Frank's voice came through the line.
William frowned.
How did this bastard get his number?
Why was he calling now?
And more importantly—how was Frank still alive?
Why hadn't T-Bag finished him off?
Three questions surfaced in William's mind at once.
[Ding! Detected task: Frank has illegally obtained ownership of Lot 2119 and is attempting to exploit the host. Please correct this error.]
[Reward: German Language Mastery]
William had already suspected that Frank calling him was bad news.
But seeing the system's confirmation only reinforced one undeniable truth:
A leopard never changes its spots.
Still—use him?
How exactly did Frank plan to do that?
"You remembered correctly, Frank," William said calmly.
"What do you want? I don't recall us having anything left to discuss."
With the system's warning in mind, William decided to play along and see what game Frank was trying to run.
"Hey, don't be so sure," Frank replied smoothly.
"I heard you bought the land next to my place.
So I was wondering—are you interested in Lot 2119?"
William rubbed his chin.
So this was about the land?
But what leverage did Frank think he had?
After a brief pause, William chose to pretend he didn't know Frank had already secured ownership.
"Whether I'm interested or not," William replied evenly,
"the land doesn't belong to you, does it?
You're talking like you can dispose of Lot 2119 whenever you want."
Frank dodged the question completely.
"Well, I've got my ways.
You just need to tell me whether you're interested or not."
William decided to probe further.
"So if I say I'm interested, you can sell it to me?"
"Of course not."
Frank's tone suddenly turned serious.
"Listen. The land's ownership is already in my hands—but I've run into a bit of trouble.
If you help me deal with that problem,
I won't hold a grudge over you handing me to T-Bag.
I'll transfer the property to you at a reasonable price."
He spoke with absolute confidence.
William, on the other hand, felt that nothing coming out of Frank Gallagher's mouth had even a shred of credibility.
"Let me guess," William said flatly.
"The 'problem' you want me to deal with… is T-Bag."
At this point, William had already figured out Frank's angle.
He didn't know the details, but one thing was clear:
If Frank had really escaped cleanly, he wouldn't be trying to drag William back in.
"See? This is exactly why I love dealing with smart people!" Frank laughed.
"So what do you think?
Help me get rid of T-Bag, and I'll sell you the house at below market price.
Sounds like a win-win, right?"
To be fair, this was one of Frank's few talents.
No matter how badly you treated him, as long as he smelled profit, he could smile at you—or sit down with a straight face and talk business like nothing had happened.
"No," William said calmly.
"It doesn't."
And with that, he hung up.
Honestly?
Frank taking the property for himself was actually good news for William.
The more isolated and helpless Fiona became, the easier his wicked plan would be to carry out.
As for Frank?
What did Frank's life or death have to do with him?
It was just [German Language Mastery], after all.
Skipping it wouldn't kill him.
---
On the other end of the line, Frank stared at the disconnected phone in disbelief.
"Motherfucker! Didn't that bastard already buy Lot 2118?
Isn't he basically Fiona's lapdog by now?
How the hell did he not fall for it?
Something's not right!"
The more Frank thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
He dialed William again.
"Listen up, Frank. There's nothing left for us to talk about."
William's impatient voice came through the moment the call connected.
"Wait—wait! William!
Do you have any idea what'll happen if you don't buy this house?"
William paused for a moment, then asked mockingly,
"And what exactly would that be?"
"Huh? Fiona and Lip will all end up on the streets!
With no home, Child Protective Services will step in immediately!
Can you imagine how devastated Fiona would be?
Lip and Ian are too old—they'd be sent to juvenile facilities.
The rest would be scattered across random foster homes.
William, you do know how horrifying juvenile detention centers and foster families can be… right?"
Frank's tone was dramatic, as if he'd personally lived through it all.
Listening to Frank's nonsense, William felt like laughing.
But Frank had gotten one thing right.
If that really happened…
Fiona would be absolutely crushed.
And when that time came, all William would need to do was pull Ian and Lip out of the mess.
That would be more than enough to complete Fiona's "evil conditioning."
After all, he'd been coveting the [Bullet Time] reward for a long time now.
"Thanks for the reminder, Frank," William said lightly.
"Good luck."
He hung up.
---
The call being cut off again sent Frank over the edge.
"Fuck!"
A former Northwestern University honor student—though a dropout—Frank rarely failed when it came to conning people.
Yet William hadn't taken the bait at all.
---
After ending the call for good, William returned to the laboratory.
The moment Ryan saw him, he hurried over.
"So? William!
What do you think of our Sisyphus project?"
Clearly, Carter's earlier dismissal had left Ryan desperate for validation.
"I think your ideas are extremely forward-thinking," William replied smoothly.
"Thanks for letting me see your masterpiece."
Naturally, he didn't spare the praise.
All the while, he was already calculating how to steal the thing.
According to the plot, tonight's experiment would trigger the time loop that trapped Theresa.
He didn't know exactly what the Sisyphus module did—but saving Theresa would grant him a usage opportunity.
That alone made it worthwhile.
Which meant he didn't need to do anything else today.
Just keep Theresa alive.
Once the time loop ended, he could wait for the lab to be empty and take Sisyphus.
But there was still one problem.
The surveillance cameras.
William looked up at the camera mounted in the corner.
Unlike many other places, university laboratories—and even their hallways—were fully covered by CCTV.
If he didn't deal with that, everything would be recorded.
Of course, footage alone wouldn't prove he stole Sisyphus.
But if someone started connecting dots, his storage space ability might be exposed.
And William would never allow such a rookie mistake.
"Looks like I'll need a proper plan."