At this moment, Neal wore a Bluetooth earpiece as per Castle's instructions from the night before. Castle had specifically requested that Neal keep the earpiece on during today's operation so that Jarvis could use his smart wristband to inform Neal of Steve's real-time movements. Steve, a turncoat, was being closely monitored by Jarvis to avoid any surprises.
Castle also assured Neal that Jarvis could provide immediate intelligence support and emergency aid if needed. So, Neal brought along the Bluetooth earpiece that Castle had given him along with the smart wristband. Only Castle's close associates had access to these smart wristbands so far; even Neal's girlfriend Kate didn't have one yet. Neal, having received his earlier, hadn't fully appreciated the advantages of having an AI assistant available at all times—until now. Only now did he understand why Castle had insisted on gifting him this device before he left New York.
While Neal casually explained to a bewildered John and Charlie that Steve planned to double-cross them once they had the loot, he was also quietly listening to Jarvis's real-time updates on Steve's covert dealings with mercenaries. Having this God's-eye view felt incredibly satisfying.
The current challenge, however, was to alert John and Charlie without creating suspicion, since the operation hadn't begun yet, and Steve still needed to plant explosives on the building's floors to collapse them. It wasn't time to confront him.
Thankfully, John was a seasoned veteran, and though surprised to hear that Steve—a member of their four-man team—was planning betrayal, he quickly regained his composure. He was even grateful that Neal had joined them for this job. Charlie, meanwhile, was still struggling to accept the truth about his partner Steve.
But Charlie, trusting Neal and John, agreed to stay vigilant. With Neal's reassurance that he'd prepared for this situation, they agreed to press forward with the mission. Since they were ready and all the groundwork was done, they launched into action.
Meanwhile, Castle was in his hotel, enjoying breakfast with his daughter and girlfriend. To ensure that this mission, which the system presented as an "easy" task, wouldn't go awry, Castle decided to secretly follow Neal and his team. He planned to step in once Steve set his ambush, ensuring he wouldn't escape when things went south. Castle was keen on securing the rewards that came with this job—adding to his three accumulated rewards to bring the total to four. Though he hadn't decided what to redeem yet, the prospect of choosing two skills he desired was too tempting to risk anything going wrong.
Although the Gianna family's local head in Venice was already monitoring the mercenaries hired by Steve, Castle knew Steve to be highly cunning. Even with Jarvis's surveillance, there was always a chance Steve might have something up his sleeve. Jarvis, after all, was still in its early Marvel-phase, with limited capabilities compared to its later versions like Vision or Friday. Despite having an emotional subroutine, it lacked independent decision-making.
For now, Jarvis served as a powerful support tool but couldn't independently anticipate threats or remove obstacles without Castle's explicit commands. Recently, Jarvis had been used more by the techie duo, Fatty and Ramsey, who were often stationed in the supercomputer lab. Ramsey had especially grown attached to the AI, and given her knack for tech, she'd integrated it into her work. Thanks to Jarvis and the supercomputer, Ramsey had perfected her "God's Eye" program, pushing it as close to AI-level as possible. Although the program couldn't evolve into full AI due to technical limitations, her skills were undeniable.
Castle's girlfriend, Beckett, didn't mind his plan to head out alone that morning. She and Alexis were thoroughly absorbed in the sights of Venice, planning another canal tour for the day, so Castle's absence wasn't an issue. After breakfast, Beckett and Alexis set off for their sightseeing tour, leaving Castle, reluctantly handing over a credit card, to tend to his business.
With his family plans settled, Castle could now fully embrace his role as the mastermind, watching Neal, John, and Charlie carry out the heist while anticipating a final confrontation with the overly confident Steve. The altered timeline meant that, thanks to Castle and Neal's intervention, Charlie wouldn't get to avenge John by hooking up with his partner's daughter, portrayed by the actress Sey.
Castle smirked at the thought, wondering if Charlie would mind missing that chance with Sey at her peak.
After arranging his family matters, Castle met with members of the D'Antonio family outside the hotel, who were prepared to escort him to the location where the mercenaries were staked out. Jarvis continued to update him on Neal's progress. True to his reputation, Neal, donning a diving mask and underwater breathing gear, deftly unlocked the vault. Using the buoyancy of the seawater, he transferred the three million dollars' worth of gold onto John's boat without difficulty.
Following Castle's guidance, Charlie, John, and Neal agreed to avoid meeting Steve with the gold. However, to expose Steve's betrayal, they decided to leave the gold in a secure location and meet Steve at the prearranged dam.
When the three arrived by car, Steve, driving toward them with a self-assured smile, seemed convinced he had everything under control. As soon as he confirmed the gold was nearby, he planned to kill all three of his teammates to keep the treasure for himself. His hired mercenaries, uninterested in reasons and focused only on money, awaited the signal to attack.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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