The media frenzy over Castle's incredible defense setup wasn't going away anytime soon. While the NYPD, FBI, and companies like Northrop Grumman scrambled to manage the fallout, Castle found himself at the center of a storm that he couldn't have anticipated—despite being the "author" of the chaos.
The questions surrounding Castle's private arsenal—his heavy machine guns, advanced drones with cloaking systems, and the ridiculously potent "Ex-Wife" missiles—weren't just coming from reporters. Government officials, military contractors, and armchair experts on social media had all latched onto the story, making it global news within hours.
What made the whole situation easier to explain, at least for Castle's allies, was the fact that Castle's "unorthodox" inventions were already well-documented. Northrop Grumman, for example, eagerly backed Castle up, pointing out that their successful bid for the U.S. military's next-generation drone program was directly due to Castle's groundbreaking prototype work. The NYPD's leadership also stepped in, confirming that Castle had donated one of his original prototype drones—without cloaking capabilities—to the 12th Precinct, making them the first police force in the world to deploy drones for patrol operations.
As for the infamous "Ex-Wife" missiles, DuPont had recently acquired the formula for the high-explosive compound used in them. The missiles, no bigger than a large pen, were a perfect demonstration of Castle's peculiar genius: devastatingly efficient, darkly humorous, and impossible to forget. The missiles' nickname alone—a jab at divorced men's fears of financial ruin—had social media ablaze. And tonight's debut performance, where just four of them had utterly annihilated six heavily armed mercenaries, had the marketing department at Northrop Grumman grinning from ear to ear.
After handling the avalanche of inquiries from reporters and officials, Beckett and Joe finally had time to direct their teams to Castle's beach to clean up the aftermath. It wasn't an easy task. The six mercenaries who had been killed by Jarvis-controlled drone strikes were in relatively intact states, but the other five—felled by .50 caliber heavy machine guns—were unrecognizable. The sheer destructive power of those rounds left behind nothing but scattered, mangled remains.
The sniper who had stayed behind on the speedboat to provide cover fire had been the first to go. Within moments of Jarvis opening fire, the incendiary armor-piercing rounds shredded both him and the boat into pieces. Now, the beach was awash with blood, bullet-ridden debris, and the unmistakable scent of death.
The NYPD and FBI quickly cordoned off the scene. News helicopters were forced to leave the area, and any reporters attempting to approach via boat were turned away by a growing perimeter of police and federal agents. Still, the damage to Castle's public anonymity had already been done.
Within minutes of the attack, reporters had uncovered every detail of Castle's personal life that wasn't already public. His reputation as a best-selling author was now overshadowed by the revelation that he was also an eccentric inventor with a private arsenal rivaling that of some small nations. Even media outlets that had historically been friendly to Castle couldn't resist the sensational headlines.
By the end of the night, Castle had gone viral—not just in New York, but worldwide. The image of his cloaking-capable drone firing missiles had become an internet phenomenon, and his name was now synonymous with high-tech excess. Meanwhile, the eleven mercenaries, armed to the teeth with U.S. military-grade equipment, were quickly identified as veterans of the Middle East's war zones. Reports confirmed that they had been hired by none other than Watanabe, the head of Japan's powerful Watanabe Conglomerate.
However, when Beckett and Joe submitted their official reports, they conspicuously omitted one key detail: the current whereabouts of Watanabe. Both of them instinctively knew that the old man had likely already met his end, courtesy of Castle's longtime friend and ally, John Wick.
At the scene of the chaos, Castle stood by the window of his study, watching as the swarm of reporters and police officers outside his estate continued to grow. His face was a mixture of frustration and resignation as he turned to John and Gianna, who had just arrived.
"How the hell did we forget about these damn reporters and their helicopters when we planned this whole thing?" Castle grumbled.
Gianna, cradling her restless daughter Onora, handed the little girl to John, who had just emerged from Castle's bathroom after a quick shower. Smiling, she teased, "Honestly, who would've thought that TV stations would keep helicopters in the air 24/7 just to catch breaking news? And besides, Rick, you could've skipped the whole 'flashbangs and flares on the beach' part. That's what tipped them off in the first place!"
John, now holding Onora in one arm, couldn't resist piling on. "Rick, good thing you sent Alexis back to her Manhattan apartment. Can you imagine her seeing her precious beach covered in, well… pieces?" He smirked, clearly enjoying Castle's discomfort.
Castle groaned and rubbed his temples. He had indeed spared no expense fortifying his estate, but he hadn't fully considered the grisly aftermath of using heavy machine guns to defend it. The beach was now a biohazard, and even the NYPD officers tasked with securing the area were reportedly vomiting at the sight. Only Ivan and his men seemed unfazed.
What made Castle's predicament worse was the realization that his daughter Alexis, who loved jogging on the beach with their four massive Caucasian Shepherd dogs, would eventually come home to this. How the hell was he supposed to explain this to her?
John, meanwhile, had quietly ensured that his own handiwork wouldn't attract any attention. While Castle's beach was the focus of the world's media, The Continental's cleanup crew had already erased every trace of the eight people John had killed at Watanabe's estate. By morning, Watanabe would officially be classified as "missing," and no amount of investigation by the FBI or Homeland Security would yield any leads.
John had chosen to stay at Castle's estate rather than return to his own, which Gianna had generously lent to the NYPD and FBI as their forward command center. It wouldn't have been wise to casually walk into his home with federal agents swarming around, especially not after "disposing" of the man responsible for the night's chaos.
As Gianna tried to console Castle, she pointed out the obvious: "Rick, stop worrying about the reporters. Joe is already holding a press conference at my estate, and the FBI will handle most of the fallout. What you should be worrying about is tomorrow, when every military contractor and Pentagon official in the country starts knocking on your door. The internet isn't obsessed with the mercenary attack or even your machine gun bunkers—they're all talking about your drone. That ten-second clip of it decloaking and firing missiles is already a legend. I wouldn't be surprised if Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are holding emergency board meetings right now."
Castle sighed deeply. "Great. Just great. I survive a mercenary assault, only to get trampled by bureaucrats and corporate suits."
Unbeknownst to everyone, one loose thread remained: Hiroshi Kuwahara (also known as Hiroshi Broad) and his brother Taichi. Hiroshi, having seen the news reports of the attack, had pieced together that their delayed delivery of four RPG rounds and two anti-tank missiles might have saved their lives. When their call to Watanabe's now-deceased assistant went unanswered, Hiroshi grew suspicious.
But instead of retreating, he became more determined. Reaching out to his brother, Hiroshi hatched a desperate plan: they would use the weapons they had in their possession to stage a second attack on Castle's estate. For Hiroshi, the fight wasn't over yet. Tomorrow, the madness would continue.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]