Just as the Japanese had their own hidden agenda, so did the Indians. In fact, among the three-nation alliance, the only ones who seemed genuinely clueless were the Turks—who were too preoccupied with their domestic crises to see the bigger picture.
India's ambitions were by no means smaller than Japan's. Despite the fact that their own country was a chaotic mess, they still harbored dreams of becoming a global superpower.
Malatika's reckless demeanor was, at least partially, an act—a ploy to lower Kenichi Miura's guard.
Why?
Because the Indians knew about Japan's plan to secretly transport Castle to Africa after the abduction.
And they had their own ideas.
Otherwise, why else would India send nine operatives—nearly half of the twenty-man team?
The Japanese had their scheme, but India—having inherited the art of political manipulation from their former colonial masters, the British—were more than capable of playing their own game. Concepts like "burning the bridge after crossing the river" or "pulling the ladder up behind them" were second nature to them.
Even the seemingly dull-witted Turkish leader—who acted like a musclehead with no brains—had his own secret orders. His mission was to sow chaos within the U.S. during the operation, diverting attention away from Turkey's internal problems.
The reason?
Right now, the international political landscape was absolute hell for Turkey.
The U.S. and the U.K., which controlled the global media, were relentlessly smearing Turkey while simultaneously pouring weapons and funds into both the Syrian opposition and the Kurdish militant factions. Turkey was being strangled on all fronts.
To deflect domestic criticism and please its powerful corporate backers, the U.S. government, led by Benjamin, had no qualms about actively supporting Turkey's enemies.
Most of the weapons sent to Syria and Kurdish militant groups came straight from Iraq—just a short trip away from Turkey. And there were plenty of weapons to go around.
Ever since Benjamin took office, the U.S. had been withdrawing its troops from Iraq. But the sheer amount of military equipment left behind was staggering. Transporting it back to the U.S. was more expensive than simply leaving it behind or repurposing it.
Castle, using his intelligence sources, had learned that if the U.S. simply handed these weapons over to Iraq's interim government, there was a real risk of another ISIS-like extremist faction emerging.
So, in a move that killed two birds with one stone, the U.S. opted to "recycle" the weapons while simultaneously making life miserable for Turkey. A portion was handed to the Iraqi government, but the majority was gifted to Syria and the Kurdish militants—arming them to the teeth against Turkey.
To make matters worse, the U.S. even "retired" two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers and sold them to Syria's underdeveloped navy, allowing them to challenge Turkey in the Aegean Sea.
Despite Syria's bankruptcy and financial collapse, nationalism burned strong among its people, particularly when it came to their territorial disputes with Turkey. With U.S. backing, the European Union passed a special loan bill for Syria, turning the country into a heavily armed fortress.
As a result, Turkish and Syrian naval forces were now locked in a constant standoff in the Aegean, occasionally exchanging artillery fire.
But Syria was just one problem.
The Kurdish militant groups, with a deep-seated hatred for the Turkish government, were a much bigger issue. Unlike Syria, which was mostly posturing, the Kurdish fighters had no reservations about launching full-scale attacks.
Armed with U.S. and U.K. weapons—and backed by military "advisors"—they wasted no time escalating the conflict.
And since the Kurdish people were spread across multiple nations bordering Turkey, the fighting wasn't limited to just one or two locations—it was happening everywhere.
In Turkey's border regions with Syria, Iraq, and Iran, clashes between Kurdish fighters and Turkish forces were intensifying. In major cities like Istanbul and Ankara, bombings had become a regular occurrence, further destabilizing the country.
The Turkish military was now engaged in full-scale battles along multiple fronts, and the Kurdish forces—who had already proven themselves formidable in previous conflicts—were now even deadlier with U.S. support.
Several critical border regions were on the verge of falling to the insurgents.
Turkey had previously announced plans to withdraw from NATO at the start of the new year, declaring the alliance to be "unfair." And they followed through on that promise, officially leaving NATO right after Christmas.
This move deeply embarrassed the U.S., prompting Washington to double down on its support for Kurdish militants—arming them even further.
At the same time, the U.S. was secretly preparing for war, waiting for the perfect justification to intervene.
And Castle's situation provided the perfect opportunity.
If Turkey's operatives were caught attempting to abduct Castle, the U.S. would have an ironclad excuse to officially take action against Turkey.
This was one of the reasons why the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had dispatched two A-10 Warthogs to the region—ensuring nothing could go wrong.
Since the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S. had never fully recovered, which was one of the reasons why the conservative wing of the Democratic Party managed to win the election. The country was too exhausted to keep waging wars.
But once in power, President Benjamin—thanks to his corporate backers and the influence of his aide, Moz—quickly aligned himself with the military-industrial complex.
And war meant profit.
For any senator or congressman, regardless of political affiliation, there was one universal truth: war was always good for business.
Turkey, which had humiliated the U.S. and now loudly declared its departure from NATO, was the perfect target. Strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey's geographical importance made it an ideal "example" for the U.S. to showcase its power.
Of course, the military-industrial complex was the biggest driver behind this push for war.
The U.S. had invested heavily in acquiring advanced technology from Castle.
Their newly upgraded electronic reconnaissance planes, stealth bombers, and AC-130 gunships weren't just for show. They needed real combat tests to prove their value to Congress.
And Turkey provided the perfect testing ground.
Meanwhile, Turkey had its own reasons for targeting Castle.
First, they wanted his technology.
Second, they weren't naive enough to believe Japan was acting out of sheer goodwill.
Japan's goal was to use Turkey as a scapegoat—to let Turkey take the fall while they reaped the benefits.
Turkey, on the other hand, wanted to expose Japan's involvement, forcing the U.S. to redirect its wrath toward Tokyo instead.
As for India?
Well, the Indians had walked right into this mess voluntarily.
To both Turkey and Japan, the Indians were nothing more than useful idiots—fools who would gladly take the heat while their so-called "allies" pulled the strings from behind the scenes.
Thus, every member of the so-called "three-nation alliance" had their own hidden motives.
Miura, fully aware of this, was delighted by the internal divisions within his team.
The more these fools bickered, the easier it would be for him to shift the blame onto them later.
Meanwhile, in New York, an infiltration mission was set to launch simultaneously with the attack on Castle.
The distraction in Hawaii would divert attention, allowing Suzuki Mitsuhiro to break into Castle's estate and steal valuable data from his storage array servers.
If the Japanese successfully extracted the technology, Castle would no longer be the only person who held those secrets—giving Tokyo much greater flexibility in their future plans.
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