The anonymous investigator had pieced together key facts:
1. Castle had played a crucial role in helping Neal rescue his girlfriend from federal agents who had been bribed by Vincent Adler. At the time, Castle had kept an extremely low profile.
2. The music box that Adler had painstakingly sought was in Castle's possession, proving that both Castle and Neal understood the real reason Adler had risked returning to New York.
3. Neal's behavior after trading Adler's whereabouts for a pardon had been suspiciously theatrical, almost as if designed to draw the FBI's attention.
4. During Adler's capture, Castle was reportedly at a neighboring estate owned by Gianna, alongside her boyfriend, a former underworld legend known as "Night Demon." Gianna herself was no ordinary figure; she was the heir to the D'Antonio family, one of the twelve ruling heads of the High Table in the underworld.
With these connections, the anonymous agent concluded that Castle was deeply entangled in the mysterious disappearance of Adler's submarine treasure and Adler's sniper execution during his transfer into FBI custody.
Gathering and analyzing intelligence was the forte of the anonymous agent's organization, even if they often bungled other missions. The speed and precision with which they unraveled Castle's involvement reinforced his reputation as a hidden "big fish" in the murky waters of New York's power circles.
The CIA briefly considered sending a team to infiltrate Castle's heavily fortified Long Island estate while he was away in Missouri. However, the plan was swiftly abandoned for several reasons:
1. Castle's estate was guarded by at least 20 former Spetsnaz operatives, now retired and serving as private security.
2. The surrounding waters of Long Island had recently been the site of incidents involving highly venomous blue-ringed octopuses, leading to the death of a state senator. This made any aquatic approach not only perilous but nearly impossible for the CIA's less specialized black ops team.
3. The CIA's operational capabilities were stretched thin after the "Jason Bourne" debacle, which had decimated their ranks of elite field operatives. Their reliance on chemically-enhanced "pill agents" over the past decade had sidelined traditional training methods. With most of the pill agents neutralized and Bourne himself destroying key European operations, the agency was in no position to execute high-risk infiltration missions.
4. Even if infiltration were feasible, Castle's estate defenses were nearly impenetrable. Detailed analysis of his procurement records indicated a security system that rivaled military installations. Attempting to breach it undetected was a fool's errand.
As a result, the CIA settled on a more indirect strategy: digging into Castle's involvement in Adler's case and feeding incriminating evidence to the FBI. The plan was to push the FBI into relentlessly pursuing Castle, hoping that the pressure would eventually force him to trade his advanced tracking software, "God's Eye," for their intervention to end the investigation.
The Roxette organization assumed that Castle, with his laid-back and easygoing personality, would not tolerate constant FBI scrutiny and harassment, and they hoped to exploit this.
Unfortunately for Roxette, Castle was already aware of their plan before it even began.
---
Upon returning to New York, Castle covertly arranged a meeting at Abraham's antique shop with Joe Martinez, a senior FBI agent and recent head of the New York Field Office's Joint Command Center. Joe had also recently rekindled his romance with Henry, thanks to Castle's matchmaking efforts. This gave Castle a perfect entry point for negotiation.
Using a standard laptop, Castle demonstrated the power of "God's Eye" after gaining Joe's authorization to access the FBI network. Within minutes, the tracking software displayed its incredible capabilities, leaving Joe stunned.
Joe agreed without hesitation to present the proposal to his boss, Special Agent Hughes, the head of the New York Field Office. The offer was straightforward: the FBI would cease all investigations into Castle and Neal in exchange for exclusive rights to use a weakened version of "God's Eye" for three years, ensuring that no other field office had access.
Castle sweetened the deal by promising that the software's exclusivity would enhance the New York Field Office's prestige within the bureau.
Joe, who knew Castle well, also trusted that Castle was not a malicious figure. Whatever history he shared with Adler was irrelevant compared to the value of the software. Joe was confident that Hughes would see it the same way.
---
Joe's instincts proved correct. Upon returning to the office, he demonstrated "God's Eye" to Hughes, who immediately recognized its potential. The software's ability to track and analyze targets in real-time was beyond anything the FBI had ever used. Hughes accepted the deal without hesitation, agreeing to halt all investigations into Castle's involvement in the Adler case.
What Castle didn't know was that Hughes had an additional reason for his leniency: Sean Castle.
Decades earlier, Sean had saved Hughes's life multiple times during the Cold War. At the time, Hughes was a rookie FBI agent tasked with counter-espionage while Sean was a senior CIA field operative. Despite the long-standing rivalry between the FBI and CIA, Sean had repeatedly gone out of his way to protect Hughes during dangerous missions. This forged a deep bond of gratitude.
After Adler's death, Hughes had already suspected Castle's involvement. However, he had turned a blind eye out of respect for Sean. Without Hughes's tacit approval, Neal's pardon and subsequent departure from New York would have faced far more obstacles.
---
With the deal finalized, Castle effectively neutralized Roxette's immediate threat. Not only did the FBI cease their pursuit, but Castle now had an additional layer of protection from Hughes and the New York Field Office.
The Roxette organization's plan to pressure Castle had completely backfired, leaving them with no leverage. Meanwhile, Castle prepared his next move: uncovering and dismantling Roxette entirely. Whether he would expose their operations to the media or deliver their membership list to the incoming administration, one thing was certain—Castle wasn't done yet.
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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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