The U.S. military is notorious for its lax discipline, with soldiers stationed around the world committing countless atrocities, especially in places like Japan, where drunken soldiers often abduct local girls, and Afghanistan, where photos of armed Humvees patrolling opium fields are all over the internet. However, one undeniable fact is that within the military, the hierarchy and chain of command are taken very seriously. This is a fundamental quality of any modern military and also the reason why Castle, with the help of a brigadier general who outranked Colonel Clark, the deputy commander of Andrews Air Force Base, was able to take control of the base after detaining Clark.
So, although the military was extremely reluctant to let the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security meddle in their affairs, when faced with charges of "treason," many high-ranking military officials cooperated with Benjamin's orders to arrest the members of the LockSat organization.
Thus, while Benjamin was standing in front of the White House, assuring the world that he had survived the attack unscathed, chaos erupted across the United States. Federal agents, armed with detailed lists of LockSat members, were busy arresting suspects, while many members of the organization were desperately trying to flee. For a while, the entire country was in an uproar.
But! The two masterminds behind all this—Aamir Barkawi, the antagonist hiding in Argentina, and Castle, the protagonist, who was leisurely tinkering with an F-22 in a hangar at Andrews Air Force Base with his little sidekick, the chubby kid—remained untouched. Even as the Air Force, the Pentagon, and the Department of Defense sent special investigation teams to Andrews, they didn't disturb the "Lockheed Martin" special researcher's work.
The Air Force and the Department of Defense weren't stupid. They knew exactly how brilliant this writer was, especially when it came to developing new technologies. How could the Department of Defense, which closely monitored the military and major defense contractors, not be aware of his capabilities?
Moreover, although it was highly suspicious that Castle had arrived at the base just two days before the attack on the White House, and it was he who had alerted the brigadier general to detain Colonel Clark, leading to the timely deployment of two F-22s that shot down the rogue aircraft, all of this suggested that Castle's presence at the base was likely connected to the events that unfolded. However, since the Air Force was the only branch that had reacted swiftly and shot down the aircraft that could have caused massive casualties at the White House, they were also the ones who benefited the most from Castle's actions. Despite being criticized for allowing LockSat members to infiltrate key positions, they had still managed to score a victory thanks to Castle's foresight.
So, even as Andrews Air Force Base was under investigation, Castle and the chubby kid were allowed to continue their research. This was the result of discussions between the Air Force and the Department of Defense. After all, Castle was Benjamin's major benefactor, and the president had explicitly ordered that the genius working on cutting-edge technology not be disturbed.
Thus, even though the military was deeply curious about how Castle had known in advance that Colonel Clark was a member of LockSat and how he had predicted that the rogue aircraft was heading for the White House, they didn't confront him. The military had already sensed that this attack might have been another instance of a U.S. president using the traditional tactic of feigning ignorance about an impending attack to gain greater power or benefits afterward.
After all, whether it was Roosevelt in 1941, Bush in 2001, or Benjamin in 2011, this kind of thing was all too common, wasn't it? The U.S. seemed to have a tradition of this!
And both Roosevelt and Bush had reaped enormous benefits from attacks on U.S. soil.
Back when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, the CIA had foolishly taught Osama bin Laden how to wage guerrilla warfare and asymmetric warfare against Soviet forces. Who could have imagined that decades later, especially after the U.S. deployed troops in Saudi Arabia following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1991, bin Laden would turn against the very country that had taught him these tactics?
There were rumors that before bin Laden's attack on New York, the CIA had already known that an attack was imminent. However, for the sake of certain interests or political considerations, neither the CIA nor President Bush had taken any preventive measures.
It was said that when bin Laden's followers flew planes into the World Trade Center, Bush was in a Florida elementary school, reading to children. After the attack, Bush couldn't immediately return to Washington or go to New York because the Pentagon had shut down all U.S. airspace, fearing further attacks. Bush had to endure a grueling journey to get back to Washington before heading to New York, where he stood on the rubble of the World Trade Center and delivered his famous line: "We will hunt down the perpetrators, even if we have to go to hell to find them!"
But what happened afterward? Bush used the attack as an excuse to launch a so-called "global war on terror," allowing the CIA to intervene in domestic affairs and giving the FBI global law enforcement powers. The biggest beneficiary, however, was the newly formed Department of Homeland Security, which drew personnel from various agencies and even took away some of the CIA and FBI's authority. The U.S. also found a convenient excuse to deploy troops to Central Asia, establishing a presence south of Russia's territory.
This move put Russia in an extremely uncomfortable position but gave them no grounds to object.
But who could have guessed that the U.S. military wasn't there to fight terrorism? They were there to grow opium! Fight terrorism? Al-Qaeda only grew stronger, turning Afghanistan into a quagmire, while the U.S. military "transformed" the country into the world's largest opium exporter in just a few years. What were these guys really there for? It's obvious, isn't it?
So, U.S. presidents hiding knowledge of impending attacks and then reaping huge benefits afterward is practically a hereditary skill!
As for the attack on the White House today, it was clear to anyone with eyes that Benjamin had known about it in advance. Otherwise, how could one explain the sudden appearance of those three incredibly skilled former special forces operatives at the White House? Among them was former Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, the current head of Hawaii Five-0. How did he end up in the president's political advisor's security detail?
And then there's FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth, whose office is in the J. Edgar Hoover Building, not far from the White House. How did he become part of the president's security team?
If the military's top brass couldn't see that this was all part of the president's grand strategy, they really shouldn't be in their positions!
The LockSat organization was truly finished this time! The reason was simple: they had angered everyone. In the U.S., it's not that you can't take a shot at a president you dislike—just look at Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, both assassinated by domestic opponents. Ronald Reagan was lucky to survive an attempt by a self-proclaimed Jodie Foster fanatic.
But when you do something like that, you can't trample on the nation's dignity in the process!
If LockSat had sent an assassin to kill Benjamin in public, the Pentagon generals and other politicians might not have said much. After all, presidents come and go—just elect a new one. Everyone knows what the position is really about, and a president's term is only four years. What's the big deal?
But collaborating with foreign entities to kill the president and then failing? That's a different story. You have to take responsibility for your actions, or else the U.S.'s position as the world's leading power would be called into question by its allies.
So, when Castle suddenly heard the long-dormant system notification that his ultimate mission to destroy the LockSat organization was complete, he remained completely calm.
After this incident, even if LockSat wasn't completely wiped out, it was at least crippled. Of course, the system would recognize the mission as accomplished!
However, Castle's mindset had changed significantly since he first arrived in this world. Now, he planned to finish developing this technology and then return to New York to live a low-key life for a while. After all, since last Christmas, many of his actions had been too high-profile, especially his direct confrontation with Japan's Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. While it hadn't caused much of a stir among the public, within the upper echelons of society, he was no longer just an obscure writer. For someone like Castle, who still had a laid-back attitude, this wasn't a good thing.
So, in the aftermath of the White House attack, Castle kept a low profile, staying at Andrews Air Force Base and working on the F-22 with the chubby kid…
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