Even Amir Barkawi himself hadn't expected that the Japanese government would secretly approach him and provide substantial support for his upcoming attack. He was even more surprised to receive backing from certain factions within the U.S. political establishment who were also dissatisfied with the current President.
This support greatly facilitated Amir Barkawi's plans for the attack.
Japan's secret assistance helped Amir Barkawi significantly in preparing weapons and gathering personnel.
The support from the secret organization within the U.S. was even more substantial. Their involvement allowed Amir, who hadn't initially planned to use aerial weapons to "sweep" the White House before the attack, to calmly utilize a C-130 transport plane secretly provided by Japan. Although it wasn't as powerful as the original AC-130 gunship with its 105mm howitzer and 45mm autocannon, after being equipped with several six-barreled Vulcan cannons, this modified C-130 could still inflict heavy casualties on the White House's defense forces during the initial stages of the attack, before the U.S. defense forces could react.
The best part was that, with the support of the secret organization, Amir could arrange for two suicidal pilots to fly the plane into Washington's no-fly zone without worrying about immediate interception by F-22 fighters from Andrews or Edwards Air Force Base, which were responsible for defending the airspace over Washington.
All Amir needed was to temporarily deceive or bypass Washington's air traffic control. Just three to five minutes would be enough for the Vulcan cannons on the modified C-130 to rain down bullets on the White House's defense forces before his ground forces launched their assault. This would significantly reduce the resistance his ground forces would face when storming the White House, greatly aiding his plan to quickly capture it.
In this attack, Amir Barkawi aimed to capture the unprepared U.S. President, force him to reveal the nuclear launch codes, and then execute him in front of the world. Although his family wasn't killed by the current President, Benjamin Arthur, who had ordered the drone strike, who else could he target but the current President?
The Japanese intelligence agency, which had always denied its involvement, hoped that by secretly supporting Amir Barkawi, who harbored a deep hatred for the U.S., they could teach the overbearing "American devils" a lesson. This was in retaliation for the loss of a large number of intelligence and undercover agents Japan had painstakingly deployed in the U.S. since the end of World War II, who had been captured due to a slip-up.
Moreover, the shameless American devils had used this incident to increase the price of a previously agreed-upon arms deal with Japan by 50%, forcing the notoriously stingy Japanese government to pay one and a half times the original price for the weapons they had already contracted.
How could the frugal Japanese government accept this?
Coincidentally, a radical cabinet official was in power, and in a moment of impulsiveness, they approached Amir Barkawi, who had a blood feud with the U.S., and became the main sponsor of his attack!
As for the LockSat organization within the U.S., their demands were the simplest: they wanted Amir Barkawi to publicly execute the current President, Benjamin Arthur, in front of the world after obtaining what he wanted.
For the LockSat organization, neither the U.S.'s reputation nor the potential crisis if Amir Barkawi obtained the nuclear launch codes mattered as much as political struggle. Only by eliminating Benjamin Arthur could the current Black Vice President, who was aligned with their interests, ascend to power.
To the LockSat organization, Amir Barkawi was just a tool. Did he really think he could obtain the nuclear launch codes, which required both the Secretary of Defense and the President, after capturing the White House?
Naive!!!
The LockSat organization had already prepared a contingency plan. Once the current President, Benjamin Arthur, was confirmed dead, and their supported Vice President took power, they would launch a swift and decisive strike against the attackers and Amir Barkawi, who was hiding in the mountains of Argentina, to prevent him from leaking the organization's involvement in the attack on their own capital and the assassination of their President!
As all parties made their final preparations, Castle called Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett of the Hawaii Five-0 task force: "Buddy, it's Richard Castle. Remember me?"
Steve, who had just finished a case and brought the suspect back to headquarters, was delighted to receive Castle's call. Not only had the New York writer used his "mysterious intelligence channels" to inform him that his father's death was linked to his mentor, Hawaii Governor Jameson, and a mysterious man named Wo Fat, but Castle's tips had also helped him uncover some of Governor Jameson's criminal activities in the past two months. Additionally, Castle had granted his task force a month's access to a super software that could quickly locate individuals by simply entering their details into a computer. With this software, the Hawaii Five-0 task force had outperformed the FBI's Hawaii branch in capturing Japanese intelligence agents and undercover operatives, a feat that had greatly pleased Governor Jameson.
So, when Steve received Castle's call, he was genuinely happy: "Of course, buddy, how could I forget you?
What's up? Need something?"
Castle couldn't directly explain the reason for his call over the phone, so he asked tactfully: "Buddy, I was wondering if you're free next week. Could you come to New York? I have something really important to discuss, but it's not something I can talk about over the phone. Would you mind making the trip?
If you can spare the time, I can send a private jet to Honolulu Airport to pick you up, so you don't have to deal with commercial flights…"
Steve, as enthusiastic as ever, was the kind of person who would go to great lengths for his friends. Without hesitation, he replied: "Sure, I do have some vacation time left, and flying on a private jet to New York sounds great. Give me a couple of days to wrap up some things here, and then I'll head over. How's that?"
Castle was surprised by how readily Steve agreed, almost as if he had accepted the request without a second thought. So, he quickly agreed and asked Steve to call him the day before his departure so he could arrange the private jet to pick him up from Honolulu Airport.
As for Bob Lee Swagger, Castle simply gave him a call, and the super sniper immediately drove his pickup truck, along with his dog Sam, to Castle's estate on Long Island.
Bob had always been grateful to Castle for saving him from a false accusation of attempting to assassinate the President. So, when he received Castle's call and learned that Castle needed his help, the usually taciturn sniper didn't even ask for details before coming over!
This made Castle feel that he had made the right decision in saving Bob. This kind of loyalty and gratitude was exactly the type of person Castle liked to deal with!
Looking at Castle's circle of friends, they were all people of this character—loyal, trustworthy, but with little regard for the law! Whether it was John Wick, Neal Caffrey, or Mozzie, they were all like this!
So, Castle, who still retained a deep sense of his personality from his previous life, had the support of these friends precisely because he was the same kind of person!!!
Loyal to promises but dismissive of laws, he embodied the spirit of ancient Chinese knights.
Beckett, on the other hand, was completely unaware of the conspiracy Castle and his friends were plotting. Recently, she had been representing the NYPD in a joint operation with the FBI's New York office to dismantle the smuggling routes exposed during the attack on Castle's estate, which were controlled by Japanese gang members. Beckett handled the local smuggling routes in New York, while Joe Martinez, representing the FBI, dealt with those outside New York State.
The two women, both former homicide detectives in the NYPD and close friends in their personal lives, made a perfect team. Recently, they had been making quite a splash, so Beckett had no time to concern herself with the affairs of Castle's little group…
(End of Chapter)
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