While Beckett was having the chubby kid track Castle's whereabouts, Castle, aboard a Gulfstream jet, had already arrived at a place he never dreamed of—Montenegro, a country in Europe that emerged after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia!
When he woke up, he was shocked to find that the person sitting in front of him was someone he actually knew, or rather, was familiar with—not from this lifetime, but from a movie he had seen in his previous life!
The man sitting across from Castle, who had just woken up from the anesthesia-induced coma, had one eye that looked distinctly abnormal, as if he had cataracts. If Castle remembered correctly, this man, named Le Chiffre, was a banker who laundered money for African warlords. Why on earth had this guy gone to such lengths to kidnap him?
Of course, Castle wouldn't let on that he not only recognized the fool sitting in front of him but also knew that this poor guy would soon cross paths with the so-called "most violent 007 ever," a suit-wearing brute played by Daniel Craig. This 007 was far more terrifying and destructive than his predecessor, Pierce Brosnan. Just think about it—this 007, who was considered the least stylish of all, even had to drive a Mondeo, a car that in Castle's previous life in China would've cost just over 100,000 yuan. Soon, this 007 would come face-to-face with the pretentious idiot sitting in front of Castle, who was putting on an air of "the world is in my grasp."
Because in that movie, Le Chiffre's fate wasn't exactly a happy one!
And now, Castle really wanted to know why this guy had kidnapped him.
He also wanted to know where he was.
Castle remembered that this idiot had taken money from African terrorists to short-sell the stock of a major aircraft manufacturer that had just developed a so-called ultra-long-range, ultra-high-capacity plane (Castle suspected it was the Airbus A-380). But because the plane was about to make its maiden flight, Le Chiffre couldn't let the company succeed and wanted to blow up the plane to cause the stock to plummet, allowing him to make a fortune. However, 007 stopped him, causing Le Chiffre to lose a fortune in the stock market. Desperate, he had no choice but to participate in a Texas Hold'em tournament in Montenegro, hoping to use his impressive gambling skills to win back the money he had lost. But in the end, he was outplayed by 007 and was later killed by the African warlords he owed money to.
So why had he come after Castle?
Seeing that Castle had woken up from the anesthesia-induced coma, Le Chiffre, who had been sitting across from him, swirled the glass of wine in his hand, finished it in one gulp, and then introduced himself to Castle, who was pretending to be confused but was actually trying to figure out the real reason for his kidnapping.
"Hello, Mr. Castle, it's a pleasure to meet you…
Please forgive me, but I had no other choice. I had to resort to this rather ungentlemanly and inappropriate method to bring you here from New York…"
Castle pretended to be furious. "Who are you? Why did you kidnap me? And where is this place?"
Le Chiffre seemed not to notice Castle's excellent acting skills and thought the writer was genuinely angry. But in his own territory, and believing he held all the cards, Le Chiffre didn't care about Castle's anger and continued, "This is Montenegro, in Eastern Europe, a country that was once part of Yugoslavia. Do you know it?"
Castle was genuinely surprised this time, and his shock was evident on his face, which pleased Le Chiffre greatly.
But what this idiot didn't know was that Castle wasn't surprised to be in Montenegro—he was shocked that he had been taken from New York to Eastern Europe in just one night!
This was a huge joke! His wife must already know he's been kidnapped. Originally, he thought the kidnappers would meet him somewhere in the United States, which was why he had gone along with the kidnapping, thinking it would be a fun little adventure. But now these bastards had brought him to Eastern Europe?
When he got back, Beckett, who would have been worried sick, would surely make him pay for this!
Damn it, you guys lied to me… I thought we'd just be moving around within the U.S., but now we're on the other side of the Atlantic? What am I supposed to do when I get back?
If I don't kill you this time, I'll change my last name to Chiffre!!!
Wait, no, that's not right. Hasn't this idiot already used the African warlords' money to short-sell that aircraft company's stock? But he's here in Montenegro, which should only appear at the end of that movie?
What's going on? Where are we in the timeline?
Castle was a bit confused!
Fortunately, Le Chiffre didn't let Castle stay confused for long. He quickly explained why he had "invited" Castle here in such a manner.
It turned out that, just as Castle had guessed, Le Chiffre hadn't yet reached the events of "Casino Royale." Right now, he was still laundering money for African warlords and doing dirty work for his home country, France, on the side. Montenegro was a stronghold he had been quietly building, which was why he later thought of hosting a Texas Hold'em tournament here to win back the money he lost in the stock market.
Although it was strange for a Frenchman to host a Texas Hold'em tournament in a former Yugoslav republic in Eastern Europe, as long as the screenwriter didn't think it was strange, it wasn't strange, right?
The reason for kidnapping Castle was that Le Chiffre had received a secret order from a French shareholder in a European aircraft company. This shareholder wanted Le Chiffre, a "legendary" figure in the international criminal world who specialized in money laundering, to help kidnap the American writer who had invented the technology that allowed aircraft to achieve visual invisibility—a technology that had captured the world's attention after being featured on the news a few nights ago. The goal was to obtain this technology by any means necessary.
As for what to do with the writer after obtaining the technology? The shareholder didn't say, and Le Chiffre didn't ask. But most likely, they'd see if the writer still had any use. If not? Well, there were plenty of places in Eastern Europe where they could bury him.
Of course, Le Chiffre wouldn't tell the "furious" Castle that once he handed over the visual cloaking technology, he would be killed. Instead, he pretended that he was only interested in the technology and had resorted to this method because the U.S. government would never allow it.
And what if the European aircraft company got the technology and Castle disappeared without a trace, leading the U.S. government to come knocking?
Le Chiffre claimed he was just a hired hand and had no idea what they would do. Even if they came after him, who could prove he had kidnapped Castle?
After Le Chiffre's insincere explanation, Castle finally understood his situation: essentially, Le Chiffre hadn't yet started the events of "Casino Royale." It seemed that Mr. Chiffre was not only laundering money for African warlords but was also quietly doing dirty work for certain agencies or individuals in his home country.
This made Castle realize why, in the movie he had seen in his previous life, M had ordered 007 to go after Le Chiffre relentlessly. England and France were historical enemies, so it was no wonder M had been so obsessed with Le Chiffre. It was likely that he was secretly working for his country's intelligence agencies, which made the British want him dead.
But knowing all this, how could Castle simply comply?
For one thing, being taken from New York to Eastern Europe had completely disrupted Castle's original plan of just playing along. Now, his disappearance must have already caught Beckett's attention, and with Jarvis using the "Eye of God," his movements from the previous night had undoubtedly been tracked. When he got back, he was in for a world of trouble.
Under these circumstances, did they really think he would just hand over his technology? They must be dreaming!
Le Chiffre probably knew he couldn't just intimidate Castle into submission, so he told Castle that he needed the technology but would give him some time to think it over. In the meantime, Castle would be well-fed and accommodated, but he wouldn't have access to any means of contacting the outside world—no phones, no computers. In fact, the place where Castle was currently being held wasn't his final destination. Soon, Le Chiffre's men would take him to an ancient castle in the mountains, where he would be held until he agreed to cooperate. Only then would he be given a computer without internet access.
After explaining the situation to Castle, whom he saw as a helpless weakling, Le Chiffre left. Four burly men then entered, handcuffed Castle, and took him away. They got into a car and headed for a mountain in Montenegro…
(End of Chapter)
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