Castle and the kid, fully absorbed in fantasies of playing with the simulator once they received it, had given no thought to the potential dangers lurking in the situation.
To Big Ivan, whose sole responsibility was security, their behavior was practically a death wish.
The Russian bodyguard, already well-acquainted with his employer's occasional lapses in both intelligence and common sense, could only sigh in exasperation. "Mr. Castle, do you have any idea how many eyes around the world are watching Lockheed Martin's development of this fighter jet? And how different do you think a fully functional flight simulator is from the real aircraft?"
Castle casually nodded. "Of course I know. If the simulator wasn't realistic enough, I wouldn't even want it."
Ivan couldn't believe it—his employer genuinely hadn't considered any implications beyond using the simulator as a toy. As a professional, Ivan felt compelled to pour some cold water on the situation.
"Sir," he continued, "think about it. If foreign operatives can't infiltrate Lockheed Martin's secure facilities for information on this aircraft, and then they learn that your estate holds an unregulated, independent simulator with identical flight parameters, who do you think they'll target?"
Both Castle and the kid froze as the seriousness of Ivan's words sank in. The kid stammered, wide-eyed, "Wait… what? Are you saying we're going to become a prime target for spies again?" (The emphasis on "again" hinted at past close encounters with espionage.)
Ivan shook his head in disbelief. His employer was a reckless fool, and the kid wasn't much better—always dragging Castle into harebrained schemes. But the damage was already done. The decision had been made without consulting him or any other security personnel. Now Ivan's job was to ensure these two overgrown children understood the gravity of the situation and heightened their security awareness.
If he could prevent them from pulling another stunt like this in the future, all the better.
Neither Castle nor the kid had truly considered the implications before now. Ironically, Lockheed Martin hadn't worried either. They assumed Castle's estate was a near-fortress, given the extreme security measures he had displayed in the past. Their logic was simple: if Castle was bold enough to make this request, he must have already planned to secure the simulator against leaks.
In truth, Castle hadn't thought that far ahead at all. The moment the kid suggested the idea, Castle was too distracted by the prospect of squeezing his bulky body into the F-35's cockpit to think about anything else.
As a self-professed "cat enthusiast" from his previous life, Castle's favorite fighter jet had always been the Northrop Grumman F-14 "Tomcat." Developed in the '60s and '70s for the U.S. Navy, it was one of the few fighter jets with variable-sweep wings, sharing this feature with the Soviet MiG-23. However, unlike the MiG-23, which could only adjust its wings to three fixed angles, the Tomcat offered a far more advanced range of adjustments. Castle had been captivated by the jet ever since he watched Top Gun as a child.
His former country had once been close to acquiring the F-14 but ultimately lacked the funds, leaving Castle bitter as he watched Iran procure a batch instead. The Tomcat was eventually retired due to its exorbitant maintenance costs, despite its excellent performance. It was replaced by the more economical F/A-18 Hornet.
Castle's deep attachment to the Tomcat was a major reason he quickly partnered with Northrop Grumman after his reincarnation, hoping to collaborate with the company that created his favorite aircraft. He even secretly involved himself in their "Super Tomcat" project to fulfill his childhood dream.
Unfortunately, Castle's body was not built for fighter jets. His reinforced physique from the system couldn't compensate for his large belly, which prevented him from fitting into an F-14 cockpit. Northrop's vice president had once humored him by bringing him to see a well-preserved F-14, but Castle embarrassingly couldn't get inside.
Moreover, the F-14 had been retired for decades, so there was no full-scale flight simulator for the model. It had been a two-seat design from the start, which meant simulators were unnecessary for pilot training. Military software for the aircraft simply didn't exist.
Castle's dream seemed permanently out of reach—until now. The kid had informed him that the F-35 simulator was a multi-axis, high-fidelity system capable of accommodating various body types. It could not only simulate the F-35 but also reproduce any aircraft with sufficient flight data. This versatility reignited Castle's enthusiasm.
To avoid objections from Beckett and Gianna, Castle and the kid had kept the plan a secret. Even Big Ivan only learned of it after Castle had finalized the deal with Lockheed Martin.
In theory, Castle had the technical expertise to build his own simulator. The principle was similar to motion-sensing game consoles from his previous life, though the industrial-grade version required far more advanced technology and physical feedback systems. The real challenge lay in obtaining complete flight data for foreign fighter jets—something even Jarvis couldn't easily achieve.
That's where Lockheed Martin's capabilities came into play. The kid, who had become an adept drone operator under Castle's training, saw the simulator as the ultimate toy. Conventional propeller planes like the Cessna held no appeal for him or Castle. If they were going to fly, it had to be state-of-the-art.
Driven by this shared mentality, the duo concocted their scheme: leverage Castle's reputation as an experienced aircraft designer to coax Lockheed Martin into handing over the world's most advanced simulator.
However, neither had foreseen the immense risks involved.
Now, Big Ivan felt compelled to hammer the point home. "Sir, no nation takes lightly the security of its military aircraft flight data. I don't know why Lockheed Martin agreed to provide you with a simulator that includes sensitive parameters for both current and future jets like the F-35. But from my perspective, all I see is danger."
Castle finally began to grasp the weight of Ivan's warning. His imagination, shaped by his past life's limited experiences and the kid's playful encouragement, had blinded him to the serious consequences. Now, with his excitement cooling, Castle's mind cleared and he started reevaluating his next steps…
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