"But if the government does this, aren't they just setting up a powder keg right there?
My God, if those Workers' Party armed forces actually manage to achieve their so-called 'nation-building' goal, wouldn't that place become the next Israel-Palestine?"
John took a sharp breath. "Shit, if that's the case, our government will have a perfectly justified reason to intervene in Syria and Iraq next, won't they?"
Damn, even John—who had killed without blinking—felt like an innocent flower compared to these politicians, whose hearts were so black they could manipulate entire regions into endless conflict without taking a single loss themselves.
Castle scoffed at his friend's shock. Was this even surprising?
Back in his previous life, the U.S. had done even dirtier work in Eastern Europe, supporting Ukraine (the USSR's foolish son) against Russia. And so what?
Everyone knew why the U.S. backed Ukraine, but what could they do? Ukraine had been completely duped.
Besides, who told them to elect a selfish actor as their leader?
This was just standard U.S. strategy—no need to make a fuss about it!
The two brothers chatted idly on their way back to the landing point at the southeastern tip of India. From there, they took another Northrop-chartered speedboat and returned safely to Jaffna, reuniting with Beckett, Gianna, and the kids.
Meanwhile, Big Ivan's Russian bodyguards, along with the two generals and the political officials' forces, had all gathered in Kochi—a city near the temple. Once assembled, they immediately set out toward the temple, where two of the Russian bodyguards stood guard.
Interestingly, Sandalaja was nowhere to be seen, which saved Castle a lot of trouble.
While Castle was reuniting with his wife and kids, Big Ivan led a large team to the temple and began excavation. Thanks to the temple's long-standing desolation, even with so many people digging, the nearby villagers hadn't noticed a thing. This allowed them to proceed at full speed in uncovering the underground chamber.
As soon as the first chamber was unearthed—filled with massive twelve-kilogram gold chains—the treasure's authenticity was confirmed. This revelation sent shockwaves all the way to the U.S., where the two political officials and the military leaders lost their minds.
General Peterson immediately boarded a private jet to fly over. He would set up operations at the U.S. base in Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, to oversee the treasure's transportation. Meanwhile, General Cole ordered three navy ships already patrolling the Arabian Sea west of Kochi to move closer to Indian waters, ensuring the safety of the excavation team.
Their eyes were completely bloodshot with greed. Even the CEOs of Lockheed Martin and Boeing—men who were already billionaires—were rattled by the footage sent from the site. If even these corporate giants were shaken, what about the politicians and military officials?
After all, despite their power, they weren't particularly wealthy. If they could safely extract the treasure and transport it out of India, their personal fortunes would skyrocket beyond imagination. How could they not take this seriously?
The Speaker of the House held an immensely powerful position, but it didn't pay well. Who would have thought that he'd get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of such a massive financial operation?
Once his trusted men confirmed the treasure's authenticity—and that they had already dug up dozens of tons of gold—the Speaker knew it was time to get to work.
His job? To shield Castle from political pressure once India inevitably found out what had happened.
After all, Castle had made his intentions clear back in New York—once the treasure was safely extracted and divided, he fully intended to let the Indian government know he had taken a priceless hoard from their country.
And he was doing it solely to deliver a resounding slap to their faces!
This was the entire premise behind Castle's willingness to share the treasure, and the Speaker had agreed to the plan. Now that the treasure was confirmed to be real, it was time to start preparing for the inevitable fallout.
The other high-ranking politician and the CEOs of the three major arms companies were thinking along the same lines.
Castle had done his part—now it was up to those who wanted a share of the treasure to handle their responsibilities.
But Castle couldn't care less.
After reuniting with his wife and kids in Sri Lanka, he completely put the matter out of his mind. He wasn't aiming for a big share of the treasure, but he was guaranteed to get what was due to him. Big Ivan and his team weren't there just for fun, after all.
The distribution had already been settled in advance, and Castle doubted anyone would dare make a move against him now.
So, since they were already in a country famous for its tea and sapphires, why not take the opportunity to travel with his wife and kids?
The man was truly carefree.
Gianna, after hearing John relay their conversation on the way back, found it all a bit overwhelming. But Castle? He acted as if none of it concerned him. He simply dragged John and Beckett along with the kids, embarking on a journey across Sri Lanka.
Still, during the trip, Castle took a moment to explain things to Beckett and Gianna:
"These things are beyond our control. First, breaking up Turkey has become a core part of the U.S. government's strategy. No matter what led to it, it's now a done deal.
Second, even if the government successfully goes to war with Turkey and hands over a piece of its territory to the Workers' Party armed forces, so they can 'build a nation'—so what?
It's not that I'm cold-blooded, but this is completely out of our hands.
And let's not forget how the Turkish government tried to target me.
I'm no saint. Why should I care if their people live or die?
Sure, the civilians in Turkey or within the Workers' Party forces might seem innocent and pitiful in all this—but who told them to elect such a dumbass government that led them into war?
The Workers' Party has always been oppressed by Turkey—are you sure they won't see this as their long-awaited opportunity?
Who can say?
For all we know, they might actually be overjoyed to finally achieve their dream."
Gianna wasn't the sentimental type. In fact, if she had Castle's resources, she would probably be even more ruthless than him.
Castle's words were mainly directed at Beckett.
Luckily, as a seasoned NYPD officer with over a decade of experience, she wasn't particularly sensitive to international affairs. The lives of foreign civilians? They didn't fall under the jurisdiction of the 12th Precinct.
So, she was easily convinced.
Call her cold-hearted, but this was an entirely normal reaction for an average person.
Was a New York police chief supposed to concern herself with global politics?
And as for the supposedly innocent Turkish civilians who might die because of this?
Ha—did she even know them?
After all, Turkey was the one who started this mess.
Should she just let Turkey's government get away with it? Now that the U.S. was stepping in to deal with Turkey, Beckett felt nothing but satisfaction.
She was kind-hearted, yes, but she didn't have a savior complex. Her kindness was reserved for those close to her. She was just an ordinary cop—she had no delusions of world peace or universal love.
Instead, she appreciated that her government was standing up for her man.
See? Simple, honest love and hate.
As for the Turkish civilians who might suffer—was that really her problem?
Right now, all she cared about was her man and the little guy who still couldn't even sit up.
Gianna? Even less concerned.
In her eyes, the fate of Turkey's people didn't even register.
Castle, at this point, had enough influence to shape certain national policies. But why should he stop the government from using his near-kidnapping as a pretext to strike Turkey?
In the end, how many Turkish people died from this had nothing to do with Castle.
He was the 'victim' here, after all.
All he ever wanted was to quietly research technology at home, but he kept running into idiots who lusted after his work.
Honestly, Castle had been waiting for a good excuse to send a message to all those lurking in the shadows.
And now, with the U.S. government backing him and even going to war with Turkey—wouldn't that serve as the perfect wake-up call?
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