Having secured leave from his 'superior,' Castle was overjoyed, rubbing his hands together as he cheerfully walked into the room. Inside, Moz and the chubby kid were already seated upright at the drone control station, intently watching the surveillance footage transmitted back by the drones.
Moz, being more knowledgeable about these miscellaneous matters, watched the surveillance footage while explaining to the chubby kid beside him and Castle, who stood behind: "It seems their plan is to stay at sea for several days. Look, their supply preparation clearly indicates they're ready to stay at sea for a while. I believe Vincent has already pinpointed the exact location of the sunken submarine. After replenishing their supplies tonight, they will likely set off immediately, heading straight to the submarine's location to salvage it..."
Castle interrupted Moz's explanation: "Yes, that's certain. A few days ago, Harry intercepted Vincent's call and learned that he had already sent a team on a yacht to locate the submarine about 200 nautical miles from New York Harbor. Now we know that the submarine is sitting on the continental shelf off the coast of New York. Any further and it would sink into the Atlantic abyss over a thousand meters deep. The submarine is situated just sixty meters underwater, which is advantageous for Vincent's upcoming salvage operation. Of course, lifting a several thousand-ton submarine from a depth of sixty meters is still technically challenging, but since Vincent dares to start this operation, he must be confident. We just need to keep a close watch on him.
Also, I believe Vincent will secretly transport the submarine back to the warehouse he rented at New York Harbor using the semi-submersible salvage ship. Otherwise, the submarine, which has been submerged for at least sixty years, wouldn't withstand the Atlantic waves!"
Moz was somewhat surprised that Castle and his team were so calm after knowing the submarine's approximate location. Somewhat puzzled, he turned to Castle and voiced his confusion. Castle instructed the chubby kid to monitor Vincent's preparations on the salvage ship alone, then led Moz to the living room sofa to sit down and relax before explaining: "Don't worry. I am almost certain that even if Vincent successfully salvages the submarine, he will have to return to New York Harbor. Don't forget, operating around New York, the Coast Guard might not mind him, but they definitely won't overlook him salvaging something. If he tries to leave with the submarine on the semi-submersible ship after the salvage, the Coast Guard won't let him go easily. To avoid exposing his secret, he will have to turn back. Also, the Atlantic is not calm right now. Whether the decades-old submarine can withstand the waves is still uncertain. Would Vincent risk it?"
Moz nodded thoughtfully, quite convinced by Castle's conclusion. He no longer dwelled on this issue and refocused on monitoring Vincent's imminent maritime operation.
For Moz's question, Castle laughed: "Have you forgotten? Our two drones were just equipped with military reconnaissance kits sponsored by Northrop Grumman today. Now, our drones can hover and monitor for at least twenty-four hours. With two drones alternating, we can achieve continuous surveillance of Vincent Adler's salvage ship!
Moreover, with the new reconnaissance kits, we can hover the drones at higher altitudes. The small size of the drones, combined with increased altitude, makes them nearly impossible to spot from the sea. And here's a secret: our drones are virtually invisible to radar!"
Moz, already familiar with the technical parameters of the drones Castle designed and built, was reassured by Castle's reaffirmation. He prepared to wait patiently with Castle and the chubby kid for Vincent to put in the effort and resources to salvage the submarine.
The three of them eagerly sat at the drone control station, watching through the drone hovering over New York Harbor as Vincent's men loaded supplies onto the ship. As expected, around 2 AM, they finished loading the Panama-registered semi-submersible salvage ship and, guided by a pilot, slowly left New York Harbor, heading into the Atlantic.
The chubby kid, more energetic at night, was on night duty alone while Castle and Moz had gone to their rooms to rest. Seeing the ship leave the port, he excitedly called out, waking Castle and Moz, who rushed out of their rooms.
Watching the surveillance footage of the ship leaving New York Harbor and heading northeast toward the Atlantic basin, Moz carefully examined the large map of the New York area that Castle had placed beside the drone control station before going to bed. Castle had marked a large circle on it with a red marker, indicating the submarine's approximate location based on intercepted communications from Vincent. It was clear that the site was indeed close to New York. Given the speed of the semi-submersible salvage ship, it could reach the location by tomorrow morning. However, they couldn't replace the drone in the sky just yet, as the ship hadn't arrived.
Castle, before returning to his room, reminded the enthusiastic chubby kid not to let the drone get too close to the ship to avoid being spotted, especially with dawn approaching. He instructed him to raise the drone to a height beyond visual range.
The next morning, John and his pregnant wife, Gianna, who had gone to bed early the previous night, learned that the operation they had been following had finally begun. John, while fetching Castle and Moz for breakfast, joked that he was finally free from being his wife's errand boy for Castle.
Gianna, sitting restlessly in the main house dining room, awaited the latest news from Castle and Moz. A servant brought breakfast to the chubby kid. Ever since Gianna found the naive chubby kid amusing, her sisterly instincts had kicked in, and she had been feeding him generously, leading to noticeable weight gain over the past month.
Upon entering the dining room, Castle saw Gianna's impatience. Understanding her need for control, which had been temporarily subdued by her pregnancy, he wasted no time. As Moz greeted Gianna and sat down to breakfast, Castle recounted the events of the previous night: Vincent's men loading supplies onto the salvage ship and their night departure, just as he had predicted.
Gianna listened attentively to Castle's account and nodded slightly, agreeing with his assessment that Vincent would likely hide the salvaged submarine in the semi-submersible ship and return to New York Harbor. Castle's reasoning was convincing: regardless of how Vincent managed to bypass the Coast Guard for the salvage operation, they wouldn't let him leave the New York waters easily afterward. Ultimately, even Vincent would have to comply with US regulations, especially concerning tax obligations enforced by the formidable IRS.
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