When Beckett returned home that evening, she found that Castle had already organized the intel on her case. Seeing that the person supplying the Haitian gang was the ever-persistent Vulcan Simmons, she burst out, "Him again? Is this guy ever going to stop? Does he get a thrill out of messing with me? Wasn't last time enough?"
But her irritation shifted when she noticed something new in the files. "Wait... he has a congressman backing him?"
Castle waited for Beckett to calm down before speaking. "Isn't this just typical? Corrupt officials teaming up with criminals, all for money. Getting mad about it won't change a thing. You have all the intelligence now; your next move is to dismantle the gang operating in your precinct. And if you want to go after Simmons, you'll have to catch him in the act while he's moving his product. As for that congressman, since he's based in D.C., it might be smarter to turn him over to the DEA and make an ally there."
Beckett frowned. "How do you think I should go about taking them all down in one shot?"
Castle shook his head. "Taking them all down completely is unlikely. You bust one, another will pop up. But with this Haitian crew, as long as you pinpoint everyone's position, arresting them won't be too hard. The real challenge will be nabbing Simmons red-handed. Don't forget, he has supply channels in South America and even Asia, so even with JARVIS and drone support, getting evidence against him is tough. He rarely appears in person, so building a case against Simmons is the crux of this operation."
Beckett took a deep breath and replied, "Exactly. If we don't take Simmons down, stopping this gang won't solve the problem. Even if I arrest the entire Haitian crew, he'll find a new network to distribute his supply. The priority has to be getting Simmons."
Castle was puzzled by her determination. "Didn't the DEA assign an agent to assist you? You could share this intel with them. With their support, taking down Simmons and the congressman behind him would be much easier."
Beckett gave him a look and explained, reluctantly, "Now that I have the full scope of the case, aside from the congressman, we're entirely capable of taking down the gang on our own. Why should I hand it over to the DEA?"
Castle, amused by her possessiveness over the case, replied, "Are you really planning to kick the DEA agent out of your precinct now that you have what you need? Look, if you want to dismantle the entire network, you'll need the DEA's resources. The twelfth precinct alone isn't enough."
Beckett hesitated. "That was my initial thought, but I realize if we want to go after the congressman, we'll need the DEA. That's why I'm conflicted."
Castle tried to reason with her. "Listen, the trend of drug crime is only escalating, and making an enemy of the DEA isn't wise. As I suggested, take down the Haitian crew and Simmons. But for anything involving the congressman, give that to the DEA as a gesture of goodwill. Future collaboration will be easier that way."
After a moment of thought, Beckett nodded, reluctantly agreeing to Castle's suggestion. With her decision made, Castle brought up something else. "I spoke with John today. He and Gianna received an invitation from Benjamin Arthur to attend his inauguration in January. Arthur had invited me, too, but I turned it down initially. Now that John and Gianna are planning to go, why don't we also make a trip to Pennsylvania Avenue 1600?"
Beckett knew Castle had backed Benjamin Arthur's campaign long before anyone else thought he'd win, so she wasn't surprised. What surprised her was that he intended to bring her along to D.C. Emotionally perceptive, she agreed, recognizing Castle's gesture of wanting to share this milestone with her. She then took the files Castle had prepared and started reviewing them in detail, leaving Castle to call Moz and confirm that he'd be attending Arthur's inauguration.
Castle's decision was partly inspired by Gianna. Seeing how driven this new mom was, Castle reflected on his own complacency. He realized he'd been holding onto a "lazy fish" mentality, not fully embracing the life he'd built here. His experiences from his past life shaped his worldview, but those were now just a foundation. He was a new person here—a significant player in a new country. He was no longer just a bestselling author; he held shares in two defense contractors, had loyal people depending on him, and couldn't afford to coast through life.
If he put more effort into building connections and strengthening his position, no one like "Mr. Nobody" would dare threaten him. But his tendency to withdraw, despite having such a strong foundation, had led him to let his guard down, giving a nobody a chance to push him around.
If he'd taken a proactive approach when he gained shares in CatCo and used that opportunity to break into high society and meet powerful figures, neither Mr. Nobody nor his "Rockset" associates hiding behind the CIA's name would have dared to harass him.
He realized now that his lazy, unmotivated attitude was no longer suited to the path he'd carved. With his growing wealth and influence, he needed to adopt an approach more like Gianna's—leveraging his backing of Benjamin Arthur's rise to expand his network and make himself a true power player. He had the foundation; leaving it to waste while people like Mr. Nobody felt free to challenge him was foolish.
What Castle didn't know was that the people backing Mr. Nobody hadn't given up on targeting him. After delving into Castle's history, the CIA's skilled intelligence network found several irregularities. They uncovered strange details surrounding Vincent Adler's death, including a submarine filled with "nothing" that the FBI investigated. They also connected Castle's name to the Vice President Andrew scandal, identifying Castle's involvement behind the scenes.
Unaware of the looming danger, Castle was spending time with Beckett, blissfully oblivious to the fact that he was about to face one of the most significant crises since arriving in this world. However, what the CIA conspirators didn't anticipate was that JARVIS had quietly infiltrated their internal network. Any plan they devised and transmitted over the network would instantly trigger alerts with JARVIS, who saw Castle's safety as a top priority. Once they took a step, JARVIS would detect it, and Castle would be informed.
When that time came, Castle would no longer choose patience or retreat; he'd be ready to strike back hard against those who dared to come after him. In this world, there would always be people who assumed that taking from others was their right, that if you refused, you were automatically their enemy. And unfortunately, this mentality was especially prevalent among certain groups in the CIA, who saw Castle's success as a mere resource to exploit.
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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