Castle was truly taken aback by the boldness of his friends' plan. Not only did they intend to buy up the circulating shares on the market, but they also planned to take advantage of the company's temporary difficulties to persuade small shareholders holding minor stakes to sell?
Hearing that Gianna's minimum goal was to acquire at least 10% of the shares by leveraging the information gap with the current shareholders, Castle couldn't help but marvel at her audacity. He had only wanted to use this information to make a profit from the airline's stock, but Gianna, after discussing with financial "experts" Neil and Mozzie, had come up with a strategy that left Castle feeling utterly inadequate.
However, this wasn't the most pressing issue they needed to focus on at the moment. After explaining her plan, Gianna brought up the biggest question on her mind: "Rick, are you really not going to give Benjamin any warning before the attack next month?
Wouldn't it be better to let him prepare, just in case? What if things don't go as we expect and Benjamin ends up in serious danger or even killed during the attack?
He's the one we spent a lot of money to get into the Oval Office, and it's only been less than two months…"
Everyone present was in the know, so Gianna didn't hold back in voicing her concerns.
Indeed, who besides Castle would believe that the White House, overrun by hundreds of mercenaries and terrorists, could be saved single-handedly by a Spartan emperor?
Especially when there was a traitor within the President's Secret Service?
During his unintended kidnapping to Montenegro, Castle had come to realize something: he was gradually losing his foresight of certain events.
He had specifically consulted his long-dormant system, which had been mostly inactive lately, and the system's response was that due to Castle's excessive interference, the course of events had deviated from the original plot. This had led to certain "butterfly effects," causing the system to stop issuing tasks because many events had been altered by Castle's early interventions.
For example, in the original plot, Amir Barkawi's attack on the White House next month didn't involve the Japanese government or the LockSat organization. The inclusion of these two groups would undoubtedly make the scale of the attack much larger than in the original story.
Additionally, Castle's recent kidnapping wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been so reckless.
After consulting his system in the Montenegrin castle and learning that these unexpected events were a result of his early interference, Castle realized he could no longer maintain his previous hands-off approach to the upcoming attack on the White House. He had initially planned to simply evacuate Benjamin's wife and children from the White House before the attack and leave everything to his chief protector, Michael Banning.
But now, Castle was concerned that his meddling might lead to unpredictable changes. So, in response to Gianna's worries, he candidly shared his thoughts: "Yes, Gianna, I originally planned to just get Benjamin's wife and children out of the White House before the attack and leave everything to Michael Banning.
But now I think we really need to warn Benjamin and Banning in advance about the potential attack.
However, there's one thing we must be careful about. The mastermind behind this attack isn't just Amir Barkawi, who harbors a deep hatred for the U.S., but also the Japanese government and members of the LockSat organization embedded within our country. If we warn Benjamin in advance and he makes any defensive preparations, the traitor within the President's Secret Service might find out immediately.
If that happens, what if they change the method or timing of the attack? We'd lose our foresight."
Gianna fell into deep thought, but Mozzie, who had been Benjamin's political advisor during his presidential campaign, had a different perspective: "Rick, I understand your concerns, but I still believe we should warn Benjamin before the attack…"
At this point, Gianna spoke up: "Rick, what's your plan?
From what you're saying, you agree that we should warn Benjamin about the attack in advance, but because the attackers include many insiders—like the LockSat member in the President's Secret Service and those embedded in Andrews Air Force Base or Edwards Air Force Base—you're worried that if we tell Benjamin now, any defensive measures he takes might alert the enemy, right?"
Castle nodded: "Yes, that's my biggest concern. Think about it, if we tell Benjamin but only allow him to inform his personal protector, Michael Banning, then having just the two of them aware in advance wouldn't make much difference in thwarting the attack.
But if we don't warn them beforehand and Benjamin later finds out we knew about the attack but didn't tell him, he might hold a grudge against us…
So, I have a somewhat half-baked idea…"
When Castle mentioned a "half-baked idea," everyone's faces lit up with curiosity. After all, if even the "eternal child" Castle admitted it was half-baked, how outrageous could it be?
But at least his attitude was earnest, and he wasn't stubbornly clinging to his own opinions. He was open to his friends' differing perspectives, so even John, who had been quietly holding his child, wanted to hear what Castle had come up with to solve this dilemma.
"We're worried that if we warn Benjamin about the attack now, any defensive measures he takes might alert the enemy, right?
So, what if we tell Benjamin but prepare a team that's completely outside the U.S. system? Wouldn't that solve the problem?" Castle laid out his idea but was met with puzzled looks.
Mozzie asked uncertainly, "Rick, are you saying we should still warn Benjamin but tell him not to make any defensive preparations, and then we'll secretly arrange a team outside the LockSat members' radar to ambush the White House and rescue the President when the attack happens?"
Castle thought Mozzie's summary was spot on!
Gianna was stunned by the sheer audacity of Castle's idea: "Rick, are you planning to have a team of mercenaries or something rescue the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. military?
Where would we even find such a team?"
Castle smiled at the still-confused group: "What about Big Ivan and his team? They're our bodyguards and have a legitimate reason to carry weapons when we go to Washington!"
Everyone was stunned·JPG!!
Gianna was so shocked by Castle's idea that she stood up: "Rick, Big Ivan and his team are Russians! You're planning to have a group of Russians rescue the U.S. President during an attack???"
Castle thought to himself, what's the big deal?
Didn't Gerard Butler, who played Michael Banning, do something similar later?
As a submarine captain, he led a team of SEALs to rescue the Russian President after the Defense Minister staged a coup in *Hunter Killer*. If they could film and act that out, why couldn't he bring a group of Russians to rescue the U.S. President???
Castle had a solid explanation for Gianna's shock: "I know they're Russians, but that's their former identity. Now, they're employees of my legitimate security company!
And they have federal permits to carry firearms!
So, since I'll be in Washington to evacuate Benjamin's wife and children, why can't my 'bodyguards' step in to rescue our President when the White House is under attack?
After all, everyone knows I've invested a lot in the President. Isn't it natural for me to protect my investment?
Big Ivan and his team can wait until the attackers begin their assault on the White House and then strike from behind. Thirty well-equipped, highly coordinated former special forces members should be more than enough to take down the attackers, right?"
Gianna and the others looked at Castle as if he were a mad genius. Finally, Mozzie spoke up: "Rick, the fact that they're Russians is the issue. Aren't you worried that the National Guard might mistake them for part of the attacking force???"
(End of Chapter)
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