After carefully evaluating his current resources, Castle came to a stark realization—he was essentially propped up by a hollow framework. Much of his success over the past year was due to sheer luck and his foreknowledge of events, advantages afforded by being a transmigrator. But this didn't mean he was truly powerful; it only meant he was a cheat with inside knowledge.
Take Alexis's recent kidnapping, for example. It was an incident completely outside the plotlines he was familiar with. While his initial response was decent, his outdated thinking and unrefined methods had ultimately led to the current messy situation.
To outsiders, Castle might appear incredibly formidable—a major shareholder in multiple defense contractors and the financial backer of both the incoming President and the new New York State Senator. But when Northrop's senior vice president called, indirectly asking Castle to forgive the Japanese in light of their lucrative defense contracts, it was clear where the company's priorities lay. Shareholder? Consultant? Those titles were meaningless compared to money.
If a confrontation between Castle and Japan truly erupted, Northrop wouldn't back him. At best, they wouldn't sabotage him outright. But expecting them to serve as a reliable ally? Laughable. In the face of massive arms deals, loyalty was out the window.
Ultimately, this all boiled down to one thing—Castle simply wasn't strong enough.
The wake-up call from Gianna had already set Castle on a new path. He realized that while he was indeed a cheat with foreknowledge, his greatest asset wasn't the connections he'd made but the cutting-edge knowledge and skills from the system. Among the most valuable were the mechanical engineering skills from Marvel's Tony Stark. Even more crucially, the system still owed him four random rewards, two of which he could specifically select. This meant he could deliberately strengthen his arsenal of expertise, potentially transforming himself into a high-tech weapons genius akin to Tony Stark in the Marvel universe.
If even Northrop, a company that had benefited greatly from him, could show such disregard for him in favor of Japanese contracts, Castle realized he needed to diversify his alliances. Why hang everything on one tree, like Northrop? Why not branch out and establish connections with Lockheed Martin, for instance? By casting a wider net, Castle could mitigate risks and build a more resilient network.
As for starting his own arms company? He scoffed at the idea. The established defense contractors in the U.S. weren't exactly pushovers, and they certainly wouldn't welcome a new competitor into their domain. Even if Castle had the technology and funding, he lacked the time and the managerial expertise to start a company from scratch. He knew his own limits. Instead, focusing on research and development was the smarter move.
Would he run out of ideas? Not likely. The system had rewarded him with Tony Stark's technical memory, which included countless innovations beyond the Arc Reactor and Iron Man suits. In the Marvel universe, Stark Industries had been the U.S. military's top supplier for years. The sheer volume of technology at Stark's disposal—now Castle's—was staggering.
Castle's edge lay in his wealth of advanced military technology. Northrop's recent actions, driven purely by profit, made it clear that only his own strength would ensure his survival. With that in mind, Castle resolved to stop giving away technology to Northrop so casually. In fact, it might be time to sell off some of his Northrop shares altogether.
While such profit-driven behavior might be the norm in the U.S., it still left a bitter taste in Castle's mouth. But instead of complaining, he chose to focus his energy on improving himself. There was no point lamenting others' lack of loyalty when he hadn't built up enough leverage to demand it.
Castle also decided to leverage his connections with the incoming President Benjamin Arthur and New York Senator Rutledge. He aimed to solidify his ties within the Democratic Party while exploring opportunities to work with the Republicans as well. While his past entanglements with Andrew and William Bracken had likely alienated him from the GOP, alliances weren't out of the question. For example, establishing a relationship with Lockheed Martin—firmly entrenched in the Republican camp—could bridge that gap. After all, if the deal was sweet enough, why wouldn't they cooperate? With Castle's arsenal of high-tech innovations and weapon designs, he had the resources to make them see the value in working with him.
With his new plan in place, Castle didn't let his guard down. He knew he had severely disrupted Japan's intelligence operations in the U.S., a blow they would never forgive. The Japanese, though not formidable in all areas, excelled at subterfuge. Castle understood that he needed to bolster his defenses against the inevitable retaliation.
Even though the Japanese seemed subdued for now, likely due to their pending defense contracts, Castle wasn't naive enough to think they would let the matter rest. He knew better than to trust their current compliance, fully aware of how quickly they could change tactics.
Taking advantage of the time he had, Castle returned to his estate and leveraged his role as a shareholder in multiple arms companies to procure a significant stockpile of weapons. Among his purchases were Northrop-manufactured micro-missiles—developed using his own technology—and twelve Browning M2 heavy machine guns, the "Old Faithfuls" of the U.S. military, still reliable after decades of service.
These weapons were part of Castle's contingency plan, ensuring he could defend himself and his estate if the Japanese decided to retaliate directly.
After coordinating with Ivan to oversee the estate's upgrades and security enhancements, Castle boarded a private jet with Beckett, Gianna, and John, heading to Washington, D.C., to attend Benjamin Arthur's inauguration ceremony. The event would be followed by a dinner at the White House, providing Castle an opportunity to network with key Democratic figures.
At the White House, Castle finally met Benjamin Arthur in person—a man he was already familiar with from countless phone calls but had never met face-to-face. What caught Castle off guard, however, was seeing Michael Banning, the legendary Secret Service agent, standing silently behind the President.
To Castle, Michael Banning was a name straight out of his past life's movies—Spartan King, no, Gerard Butler, no, the hero of Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. Seeing him in the flesh as the President's chief bodyguard was surreal.
The Chief of the Presidential Protective Detail was no ordinary position. These agents were the elite of the elite, with military and combat experience, many of whom had been wounded in action and decorated for valor. They were trained in urban combat, espionage tactics, and personal sacrifice, ready to shield the President with their lives. Castle couldn't help but recall scenes from London Has Fallen, where a Marine helicopter pilot selflessly intercepted a missile targeting the President's chopper.
As Chief, Michael Banning was at the pinnacle of this elite group. Castle couldn't help but marvel at the fact that Banning, who had protected Benjamin through crises in Castle's previous life, was already serving as his chief bodyguard during Arthur's first term.
Castle speculated that had Banning not resigned out of guilt after failing to save the First Lady during a car accident, Benjamin might have faced fewer disasters, including the infamous White House siege.
However, today was Benjamin's day, and Castle didn't linger on such thoughts. Though this was their first face-to-face meeting, their prior phone conversations had made them well acquainted. Castle didn't monopolize Benjamin's time; he wasn't here for the President but rather for the Democratic power brokers in attendance.
Still, as Castle chatted briefly with Benjamin, Banning couldn't shake the odd feeling that this writer kept casting strange glances his way.
Before leaving, Castle shamelessly asked for Banning's personal phone number, claiming he might have "future needs" to contact him directly. His over-the-top friendliness left the hardened bodyguard visibly uncomfortable, while Benjamin barely contained his laughter at the scene.
If Castle hadn't been accompanied by Beckett, a stunning woman clearly identified as his girlfriend, Banning might have been tempted to punch this cheeky writer.
(End of Chapter)
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