Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, three months had gone by.
These three months had been the most relaxing ones for Castle since he crossed over into this world. During this time, no one came looking for trouble with him. Although he had to personally take the chubby kid to the headquarters of Loma and Boeing to explain the modification plans—led by the chubby kid and polished up by Castle—the overall period was still quite enjoyable!
Among the three companies, Northrop Grumman, which quietly received Castle's thorough guidance and clarifications, ended up being the biggest winner. Thanks to their aerospace technology development director, Mark, who stayed in New York for more than half a month, Northrop managed to resolve numerous questions regarding the practical application of the technologies Castle had introduced. As a result, Northrop became the company with the most advanced and refined grasp of these technologies among the three.
Castle himself didn't actually understand technology, but he had the system's reward: the Mechanical Mastery skill set from Tony Stark of the Marvel Universe, as well as complete user experience with these technologies.
While these technologies had already been maturely applied in the Marvel Universe, Northrop had long since acquired them. However, practical applications—such as the semi-automated flight control system and even the "Ex-Wife" missiles—still had numerous minor issues during implementation and subsequent development.
Not to mention the most recent invention they obtained from Castle: technology enabling visual invisibility on subsonic aircraft!
Although this technology wasn't exclusive to Northrop, neither Loma nor Boeing were as eager as Northrop—currently holding military contracts for B-2 stealth bomber modifications—to master it immediately.
Even though Castle had handed over this technology in a highly mature state—essentially, simply installing flexible display screens on the aircraft's underside and wings and connecting them to the central control computer—practical application still revealed a variety of challenges.
The issue lay in mastering and proficiently applying these technologies, which required time. Not only did Northrop's technical department need to fully understand the technology, but the technicians involved in modifications also needed to acquire practical skills.
What Northrop lacked was time!
However, the questions and problems that had plagued Northrop for so long were all resolved during Mark's consultation with Castle.
Mark, who became Northrop's aerospace technology development director, was no slouch himself. A graduate of MIT with dual engineering master's degrees, he quickly grasped everything under Castle's meticulous guidance. If he hadn't, that would've been the real surprise.
Once Mark returned to the company after his "intensive training," Northrop made significant advancements both in the ongoing B-2 bomber modifications for the military and in the development and research of the technologies they already possessed.
Knowing that their current success was primarily thanks to Castle, Northrop showed their gratitude in practical ways. Not only did they pay Castle a hefty fee for Mark's "training," but they also shielded him from a fair amount of trouble in various situations.
After some twists and turns, the relationship between Castle and Northrop became closer once again.
Both Loma and Boeing were aware that Castle had helped Northrop, but the two companies were currently embroiled in fierce competition for military modification contracts and the promotion of their own plans. They had no energy left to focus on the writer. After all, the last time they helped Castle deal with the idiot from Cow Urine Nation, Castle had made it clear that he wouldn't get involved in this storm.
Even Castle's private "training" of Northrop's technical director was done under the guise of after-sales support for previously traded technologies unrelated to the current contracts. This left Loma and Boeing without any excuse to confront Northrop, which continued to hold its position while observing the drama unfold.
The back-and-forth between the companies didn't concern Castle. He had learned his lesson from the last encounter about how established defense contractors operated. Knowing his own limitations, Castle wisely chose to lay low. As a self-proclaimed lazy dog, he spent the past three months relaxing, mostly staying at home. Occasionally, he would tease the chubby kid, or when his workaholic partner Gianna was busy, he would join John, the stay-at-home dad, in taking their now-toddling daughter, Onona, on drives around New York under the pretense of "relaxing and gathering material for his new book."
John had no way to handle Castle. His own wife had recently acquired a significant stake in Sky Airlines following the last incident, becoming a shareholder. Gianna, who also managed the shares entrusted to her by Neil and Castle, had recently been on a career spree. Aiming to establish her base in New York, she had been busy integrating her business empire, which included an aircraft manufacturing company in Italy.
As a result, John became a full-time babysitter!
With Castle temporarily freed from parenting duties since his daughter was in school, he often dragged an unwilling John and little Onona out on excursions, much to John's dismay.
One day, the two of them were driving around with Onona and decided to head to the 12th Precinct to visit Esposito and the others. However, midway, Castle received a call from Henry. Henry, who rarely called for no reason, mentioned needing Castle's help with a matter.
Intrigued, Castle changed course, bringing John and Onona to Abraham's antique shop in Manhattan's central district.
Upon arrival, Castle embraced Abraham, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. However, before he could chat further, Abraham's attention was immediately drawn to the adorable little girl John was holding.
Despite being in his seventies, Abraham, who had spent a lifetime avoiding marriage and children due to his unique family circumstances, couldn't resist the charm of a sweet and innocent child's face. Especially not one as endearing as Onona, who had inherited the best features of both Gianna and John.
John, who had met Abraham and Henry through Castle, wasn't fazed. Though he didn't know the full extent of Henry's unusual immortality, his experiences in the underworld and his gypsy heritage made him no stranger to strange occurrences.
Little Onona, ever the charmer, greeted her father with a giggle before babbling happily to the delighted Abraham.
Henry, who had been waiting on the first floor, didn't linger. After greeting John and inviting them upstairs, he got straight to the point.
"Rick, I've encountered a situation.
As you know, ever since Jo transferred to the FBI, I've returned to my original role, assisting the police with autopsies without actively participating in investigations.
This time, however, while examining the body of a homeless man, I discovered something unusual. The current evidence is too vague to support a police investigation, and I fear the 22nd Precinct won't take it seriously.
That's why I called you. I hope you can pass this case on to Beckett and the others to look into it."
Castle felt a twinge of disappointment. He had thought Henry's call was about something serious, only to find it was just about handing a case to the 12th Precinct.
However, Castle understood why Henry had reached out. Based on Henry's explanation, the evidence might not be enough to justify opening a case, especially since the victim was a homeless man with no family to pressure the police.
But handing it to Castle was a different story. With Beckett as the precinct captain and Esposito leading the homicide team, the case would undoubtedly receive attention.
Still, Castle was curious. Henry wasn't the type to meddle in trivial matters. What exactly had he discovered that prompted him to involve Castle?
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