The leader seated at the head of the table continued, "Because of his father, Sean, this writer has a personal grudge against our organization.
Back when our organization was just beginning to take root in the CIA, we had an irreconcilable conflict with Sean—his biological father—who is now a prominent figure in the underworld and a senior member of the High Table. It was because of this conflict that Sean, once a top operative with the potential to become the CIA's third-in-command, was forced by our predecessors to flee the country.
Now, the CIA's interest in acquiring his 'God's Eye' tracking software has escalated matters to this point. Even our operative, who had risen to the rank of CIA deputy director, was forced to resign over this.
This leaves us with two choices: either we go all out against this writer or stop provoking him altogether. What's your take?"
The subordinates whispered among themselves before someone raised a question: "The real issue is whether this guy is even willing to negotiate with us. Didn't you say earlier that he might already have our list of operatives within the CIA and could soon hand it over to Benjamin, who's set to take office? If Benjamin starts a purge as soon as he's in charge, wouldn't our influence within the CIA be significantly weakened?"
The leader replied calmly, "No, that's only our worst-case scenario. Don't forget, Benjamin will need stability in the CIA when he takes office. He'll also require support from others besides Castle. A major purge of our operatives is unlikely.
This is one of the reasons we're still open to negotiation."
Ultimately, the majority of the Luxette organization's members agreed with the leader's suggestion to attempt negotiations with Castle. If they could peacefully coexist, they would promise not to take any actions against Castle or his family.
This decision was one of necessity. While their influence extended beyond the CIA into the broader US political arena, their activities had to remain in the shadows. Knowing how difficult Castle could be to deal with, they lacked the courage to pursue a mutually destructive path and chose instead to attempt diplomacy.
However, Castle was entirely unaware of Luxette's capitulation and intent to negotiate—and even if he knew, he wouldn't agree. Was this a joke?
His System's ultimate mission included dismantling Luxette, a shadowy organization that had caused endless trouble for his father and wife in the original timeline. Initially, Castle had assumed Luxette was merely a parasitic group within the CIA, a bunch of moles hiding in the dark. But this latest incident with Senator Vera had revealed their infiltration of American politics, making them seem more like Marvel's infamous Hydra.
No wonder his System had assigned him the mission to destroy them. What Castle had originally thought would be a straightforward task—taking out their operatives within the CIA—now seemed far more challenging.
Luxette's hopes of reconciliation with Castle were purely wishful thinking.
As for the situation with Senator Vera, Castle decided to leave it be. Jarvis had already released the incriminating videos online, and with its network of posts stirring public opinion, the issue was out of Castle's hands. Several major media tycoons, fed up with the increasing arrogance of certain political figures, had also taken a stand, seizing this opportunity to deliver a sharp rebuke to those who exploited racial issues for personal gain. Confident that the matter would no longer trouble him, Castle moved on to more pressing concerns.
One such concern was a request from a Japanese conglomerate. Representatives had approached Northrop and DuPont, seeking licensing rights for the synthetic explosive used in the "Ex-Wife" missile. Both companies, which had acquired the explosive's formula from Castle in exchange for equity, had referred the request back to him. This meant Castle would need to meet with the Japanese delegation in New York.
The precision of the Japanese request was remarkable. They had zeroed in on the most valuable invention Castle had ever produced: the formula for the new high-explosive. However, both Northrop and the larger DuPont Corporation had little interest in granting access to a nation still hosting foreign military bases.
After failing with these corporations, the Japanese resorted to leveraging financial influence and managed to secure a meeting with Castle through his friend, the New York mayor. The mayor had been offered an irresistible benefit in exchange for facilitating this encounter.
Castle was baffled upon hearing this. Why would the Japanese approach him after failing with Northrop and DuPont? This high-explosive, though seemingly straightforward, was incredibly complex to synthesize. Even as its inventor, Castle had no intention of selling it to the Japanese.
What was DuPont thinking? Were they trying to get him killed?
Only after speaking with a senior vice president at Northrop did Castle learn the full story. It turned out that Japan, as a key ally hosting US military bases, had special permissions to acquire certain sensitive technologies. The Pentagon, seeing no issue with the transaction as long as the inventor agreed and the price was right, had given the green light.
But for Castle, selling such a weapon to Japan was unthinkable.
In his past life, Castle had belonged to a country with a deep-seated enmity toward Japan. As someone who had personally visited the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, Castle firmly believed that "the only good devil is a dead devil."
Confucius himself had said, "Even a grudge ten generations old can still be avenged." Forgive and forget? Forget that nonsense.
If not for the personal request from the mayor, Castle wouldn't have given these Japanese representatives the time of day. Even so, their request to acquire sensitive weapons clearly hinted at ulterior motives.
Wasn't it obvious?
While Castle was now an American on paper, he wasn't about to arm Japan.
Seething with anger, Castle met the Japanese representatives with cold indifference. Their financial influence had unearthed not only his ownership of the high-explosive formula but also his shareholder status in Northrop, General Dynamics, and Pratt & Whitney. They even invited him to visit Tokyo.
What they didn't realize was that the man before them, despite his Western appearance, had a deeply rooted disdain for Japan. Castle, knowing the true nature of these seemingly humble individuals, flatly rejected all their proposals. Whether it was licensing the explosive formula or collaborating on aircraft technologies, Castle claimed he had no interest and was satisfied with his current position.
Castle also noticed the representatives' strong emotional reaction to his rejection, further confirming their ulterior motives. It wasn't just about the explosive formula—they clearly had other plans.
But Castle wasn't concerned. Wasn't this New York? Did these ritualistic seppuku enthusiasts really dare to harm him here?
Shrugging off the encounter, Castle left, quickly forgetting about the disgruntled Japanese. After all, he wasn't just a writer anymore. Though lacking some of the deeper resources that came with legacy power, Castle had already secured a place among the highest echelons of the country. Would these scheming Japanese dare provoke someone like him?
With some rare free time, Castle decided to visit the 12th Precinct to catch up with his wife's colleagues, Esposito and Ryan. It had been a while since he'd dropped by, and being in Manhattan was the perfect opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
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