Having adjusted his mindset, Castle stayed in Hawaii until January 3rd before returning to New York with his large entourage of family, friends, and an even larger number of bodyguards. The return was necessary because, in mid-January, Benjamin Arthur's inauguration ceremony was scheduled, and both Castle and Gianna were invited as guests. Despite his reluctance to leave the tropical paradise, Castle had no choice but to return with Gianna's family, who were already eager to get back to New York and prepare for the many arrangements still pending.
Of course, before leaving, Castle couldn't resist secretly contacting Major Steve McGarrett one more time. The purpose was twofold: to further strengthen their relationship and to subtly remind the Major about his benefactor, the current governor of Hawaii, Jameson, who was no ordinary figure. During this meeting, Castle repeatedly hinted to Steve that if he ever found himself in a tight spot in the future, he could come to Castle for help.
This was one of the changes Castle had implemented after Gianna's wake-up call. He was now consciously working to build a more extensive network of connections. While Steve might seem like just a Navy Major stationed far away in Hawaii, one should not forget that even after Jameson was assassinated by Wo Fat, the next governor—a Black man—still regarded Steve's Hawaii Task Force as a critical department. Steve had the unparalleled authority to act with complete immunity in Hawaii, a level of power that was almost unimaginable.
Such a classic example of someone with a low rank but immense power and potential was someone Castle could never afford to overlook, especially since they already had a solid foundation of trust.
After successfully solidifying his relationship with Major Steve McGarrett, Castle returned to his New York estate. He no longer stayed at his luxurious Manhattan apartment, as he had invested heavily in the estate, and John's family had also returned to New York, living right next door. As a result, not only Castle but even Beckett now commuted daily between Long Island and Manhattan, much like Alexis.
As soon as Castle returned home, he received several phone calls. Amusingly, all the calls were about the same matter, but their purposes were entirely opposite.
Castle hadn't anticipated that the Japanese would have such far-reaching influence. He had just stepped into his house when several prominent figures, including the mayor of New York, called him. These "friends," who usually had good relationships with Castle, were apologizing on behalf of the Japanese and pleading for him to let the matter of his daughter's kidnapping attempt go. Soon after, Castle received a call from a senior vice president at Northrop, the company he was a major private shareholder of. The VP asked Castle to show mercy to the Japanese, either in light of their significant stake in the recent Japanese arms deal or as a gesture befitting Northrop's largest private shareholder.
The VP also brought a message from a high-ranking Japanese official, promising that Japan would never retaliate against Castle in any form from now on.
This behavior puzzled Castle. Hadn't he already instructed Jarvis to send an email saying "this matter is concluded"? Why were they still bending over backward to seek "peace talks"? After probing Jarvis and having him investigate further, Castle learned the truth. It turned out that after the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary read and destroyed the email ("read and burn"), he still felt deeply uneasy. After all, the safety of an entire intelligence network deployed in a foreign country couldn't possibly rest on a vague, self-deleting email. As a result, the nervous Japanese government activated an emergency protocol to evacuate all their intelligence operatives in the United States.
However, the plan Castle had suggested to Joe Martinez had inadvertently exposed almost all these fleeing agents to the FBI. Thanks to the powerful "Eye of God" system, the moment any Japanese operative in the U.S. made a move, they were detected by the FBI, who were lying in wait and arrested nearly all of them. This escalation only deepened Japan's paranoia, making them suspect that Castle was saying one thing but doing another. While there was evidence suggesting Castle hadn't handed over the damning list of agents, the losses Japan suffered were still too catastrophic to bear.
Left with no other options, the Japanese government leveraged their U.S. connections to arrange a direct appeal to Castle for mercy.
But Castle, while not entirely transformed, was already thinking differently. There was no way he would agree to such a request. After explaining the current situation to all the intermediaries speaking on Japan's behalf and firmly stating that he hadn't interfered in the matter, Castle managed to deflect the issue. He emphasized that he was also a victim in this situation and pointed out that the FBI, now leading the arrests and investigations, was solely responsible for the matter. With Castle convincingly explaining that he was powerless to help, the intermediaries reluctantly accepted the situation and reported back to Japan that this was beyond Castle's control.
Then came an even stranger turn of events. After Castle dealt with those pleading on Japan's behalf, Joe Martinez showed up on behalf of the FBI and the Department of Justice. But unlike the previous calls, their request was the exact opposite. Joe, acting under orders, explained that the FBI and DOJ wanted Castle to hand over the list of Japanese agents, using Joe's "friendship" with Castle as leverage.
This request baffled Castle, but upon reflection, it wasn't hard to understand. With less than ten days until Benjamin Arthur's inauguration, the leaders of the DOJ and FBI wanted to impress the incoming President by successfully cracking a major Japanese espionage case. A high-profile success like this would showcase their capabilities and solidify their standing under the new administration. However, why should Castle risk provoking the full wrath of a foreign government just to boost their political achievements?
Hadn't Castle already helped the FBI enough? Even though he hadn't handed over the full list of Japanese agents outside of New York, his initial heads-up to Joe had enabled the FBI to arrest many agents fleeing under Tokyo's orders. Yet now they wanted more. Was this not enough for them?
Joe, feeling awkward, candidly admitted that the impressive results of his joint task force had drawn too much attention. Although Hawaii had slightly higher arrest numbers, Joe's team had captured at least ten Japanese agents embedded in key Wall Street investment and securities firms, as well as one downline of a Japanese agent who had become a New York City councilman. These eye-catching results made the FBI headquarters envious. Upon learning that Joe's success stemmed from being Castle's friend and receiving detailed intel from him, the FBI's leadership and the DOJ's bald-headed boss decided to try their luck. And since Castle had already refused a similar request from the FBI's Hawaii division, Joe was sent in to see if a personal touch might sway him.
Joe, however, reassured Castle that he should not feel pressured. Castle had already done him a massive favor by providing the New York list, and Joe was merely acting as a messenger.
Before Gianna's scolding, Castle might have caved out of frustration or for Joe's sake and handed over the list. But now, determined to change his aimless, reactionary approach, Castle refused outright.
He asked Joe to call the FBI director on the spot. Over the phone, Castle calmly posed a single question: "If Japan decides to retaliate against me in every possible way for handing over this essentially useless list, will the FBI assign agents to protect me for the rest of my life?"
That single question shut down the FBI director's ambitions.
After Joe left, Castle couldn't help but reflect further. The current situation made it clear that he needed to consolidate his resources as quickly as possible, solidify his foundations, and grow stronger. Only then would he be able to withstand the inevitable retaliation from Japan.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]