The military had long recognized that this writer, Mr. Castle, was one of those untouchable figures. From the military's perspective, they didn't care who owned a particular technology or which company controlled it. Their only concern was issuing a request and opening the bidding process to various companies.
Want to secure a contract?
Fine—just offer the most cost-effective solution!
When the military showed little interest in helping Hughes secure a collaboration channel with Castle, Hughes turned to NASA, another organization they had extensive ties with, hoping for some support. However, NASA had absolutely no connection with Castle, so the matter stalled for the moment.
Castle was fully aware of Hughes' efforts. However, his mindset had shifted since the time when he urgently needed satellites launched. Now, the three satellites already in orbit sufficiently met his needs for the time being. Although his original plan of deploying six satellites remained unchanged, Castle intentionally informed Hughes that there was no rush on the production schedule for the remaining three. He also advised them to remain patient, reassuring them that he would carefully consider their cooperation proposals and provide an answer in due time.
Hughes had no choice but to reluctantly accept Castle's response. Having some involvement was better than being completely shut out. They feared that continued missteps might not only cost them the contract but also permanently block access to Castle's coveted technology—a far greater loss.
Castle, however, didn't have the time or inclination to engage with Hughes over technology partnerships. He was now occupied with an unexpected situation: Steve had contacted him from Hawaii.
The reason was straightforward. Although Castle had previously given Steve insider information on his father's murderer, Steve discovered that this person had a complex relationship with his superior, the current governor of Hawaii, Ms. James. Months ago, when Wu Fa secretly arrived in Hawaii and Steve uncovered his presence, the former SEAL commander wisely refrained from rushing in. Instead, he sought to fully understand the connection between Wu Fa and Governor James before taking action.
Nevertheless, Steve didn't anticipate that despite his caution, Wu Fa, a master of counter-surveillance, quickly detected the monitoring. Worse yet, Wu Fa leveraged Governor James' authority to escape from Hawaii within the first moment of realizing he was being watched. With James' assistance, he fled to North Korea, a location beyond the USA's jurisdiction.
This turn of events infuriated Steve. Without conclusive evidence of the relationship between James and Wu Fa, he couldn't directly confront the governor. Having lost the chance to apprehend Wu Fa despite knowing his whereabouts, Steve felt humiliated.
The incident convinced Steve that Governor James was deeply compromised. Over the following months, he conducted a secret investigation into the very person who had once been his mentor. While he made progress, he understood that it would be nearly impossible to indict someone with such power using his limited resources.
Just as Steve was running out of options, fate threw him a lifeline. Wu Fa, for reasons unknown, left his North Korean hideout and was reportedly headed back to Hawaii. Steve couldn't believe it. He didn't yet know that Wu Fa's objective was to locate Doris, Steve's mother, who had been missing for thirty years.
Regardless of Wu Fa's intentions, Steve resolved not to let him escape this time. Even if capturing Wu Fa alive proved impossible, Steve was determined to avenge his father.
Realizing that he couldn't execute his plan alone—especially with only a few subordinates at his disposal—Steve set aside his pride and reached out to Castle for help.
Castle was genuinely pleased to hear from Steve. After all, Steve had once aided him in rescuing Alexis from a kidnapping. Moreover, Steve had performed admirably in defending the White House during Castle's previous request for assistance.
"That's what friends are for—mutual support deepens bonds," Castle thought.
This time, Castle wasn't constrained by distance as he had been during Alexis' kidnapping. He now had a private satellite positioned over the Pacific near Hawaii, capable of providing Steve with real-time intelligence support, much like the tactical advantages Steve once enjoyed as a SEAL on overseas missions.
During their call, Steve explained his predicament. He had spent months secretly investigating Wu Fa and Governor James but lacked the hard evidence needed to incriminate her. Frustrated by Wu Fa's elusiveness, he was desperate for support. Castle immediately agreed to help and advised Steve to remain patient. Wu Fa had yet to reach Hawaii, giving them ample time to prepare.
Castle also promised to gather intelligence on both Wu Fa and Governor James to increase Steve's chances of success. Knowing the plotlines of his previous life's dramas, Castle reflected that Steve's earlier impatience had scared Wu Fa off. If not for that, Steve might have confronted his father's murderer months ago.
Castle suspected that Wu Fa's return was likely tied to some plan to assassinate Governor James and frame Steve for the crime. If that were the case, things might not unfold as smoothly as they had in the fictional series. Castle wanted to prevent further complications by ensuring Wu Fa's permanent removal from the equation.
Castle ended the call under the pretense of gathering information. In reality, he was contemplating how to help Steve eliminate Wu Fa without any lingering threats. He had no intention of letting history repeat itself, where Wu Fa successfully killed Governor James, framed Steve, and caused even more trouble afterward.
Castle knew he needed a decisive solution. As for Governor James, her fate was her own concern. Castle wouldn't go out of his way to save a governor with such questionable morals.
His primary concern was whether Steve would remain resolute when the moment came to capture or kill Wu Fa. Would Steve follow through and eliminate Wu Fa for good?
Castle was no bleeding heart. The writer, who had experienced countless tales of protagonists letting villains go only to suffer later, had no patience for such folly in real life. Allowing Wu Fa to survive would only invite disaster.
After all, if you don't eliminate the root when cutting the weeds, they'll regrow with the next spring breeze.
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