Recently, the international scene had been in complete turmoil. Reporters from around the world were going crazy trying to locate Castle—the man who had almost single-handedly triggered the most powerful nation in the world into taking action against Turkey. These journalists, with their incredible investigative skills, even managed to dig up old conflicts between Turkish and British intelligence operatives, which only fueled their excitement further.
It turned out that everything had originated from Castle—this well-known writer in New York—who held a wealth of cutting-edge technology. That technology had not only drawn the greedy attention of the Turkish government, but they had already sent agents to New York in an attempt to steal it from him.
During this period, Turkish agents had even unexpectedly crossed paths with British intelligence in New York, leading the Turkish government to order the elimination of their "competitors" right then and there.
This ultimately led to the FBI launching an investigation into a murder case in New York, which in turn exposed Turkish intelligence operations. As a result, both the U.S. and Britain turned their attention to Turkey, setting off a chain reaction.
Outraged after being exposed, the British government retaliated against Turkey after making diplomatic amends with the U.S. They even dragged the Americans into it, forming an alliance against Turkey by supporting both Syria—Turkey's long-time territorial rival—and the Workers' Party armed forces, who had long been an oppressed ethnic minority within Turkey.
However, Turkey was no pushover. In response, they dramatically announced their withdrawal from NATO, claiming they had been "treated unfairly," delivering a humiliating slap to the United States on the global stage.
Just as the world was still reeling from this shocking development, another bombshell exploded.
The U.S. revealed that Turkey had, once again, refused to accept defeat and had attempted to kidnap renowned American writer Richard Castle.
While Castle had been "searching for inspiration for his next book" in Hawaii, Turkish operatives had launched an armed assault on him. However, their plans had been thwarted by a joint operation between the FBI and the Hawaii Task Force, who managed to capture a significant number of the attackers alive.
Soon after, the newly appointed U.S. Deputy Secretary of State took these captured agents and their confessions straight to the United Nations General Assembly, where he exposed Turkey's actions and issued a formal warning:
The United States reserved the right to declare war on Turkey.
Holy shit.
The global audience eating up these events was thrown into a frenzy. And as curiosity grew about Castle—the man at the center of it all—the demand for his books skyrocketed.
His novels, which had already been popular, now became bestsellers overnight.
His agent, Paula, and his ex-wife Gina—who was also his publisher—were absolutely ecstatic. This was pure profit!
Meanwhile, the media was obsessed with finding Castle.
After all, nearly every major event in the U.S.-Turkey conflict had revolved around him. His news value was practically off the charts.
For starters, Castle was already a well-known writer in New York, having published dozens of novels. While not every book was a bestseller, his Derrick Storm series had been a massive hit over the past decade.
Then, two and a half years ago, Castle had shocked fans by killing off Derrick Storm and introducing a new protagonist—based on the youngest precinct captain in the NYPD, Nikki Heat. This series had been an even bigger success, drawing American readers into thrilling detective stories inspired by real-life police work.
Not to mention, Castle had managed to charm the very police officer he had used as inspiration—Beckett—and now had a son with her. This was exactly the kind of juicy gossip the public loved.
And now, it was revealed that Castle wasn't just a writer—he was also a top-tier technology expert?
In the past two years, he had developed countless military technologies and had become a major shareholder in Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman?
Castle had already been a hot topic when Watanabe, the Japanese crime lord, sent mercenaries to New York to seek revenge on him. Back then, Castle had wisely stayed out of the public eye, and with support from both military contractors and the powerful DuPont family, he had managed to avoid the media frenzy.
But this time was different.
This time, the situation was too explosive.
And the U.S. government—looking to rally public support—was deliberately feeding insider information to the press.
As a result, journalists all over the world were going wild trying to locate Castle.
Of course, dedicated reporters could be even more efficient than trained intelligence agents when they put their minds to it.
It didn't take long before they discovered that Castle was currently vacationing in Sri Lanka with his wife and children.
Immediately, a swarm of reporters boarded flights to the "Pearl of the Indian Ocean," determined to track down the man who had—intentionally or not—pushed the U.S. and Turkey toward war.
Seriously.
Whoever managed to land an interview with Castle first would be looking at promotions, pay raises, and endless recognition.
Before Castle had been transported into this world, his previous self had been very familiar with the New York press. As a natural extrovert and chatterbox, he had always been a favorite among journalists.
However, after the real Castle's memories were overwritten, his focus had shifted, and he gradually distanced himself from the media.
But now, everything had changed.
With the U.S. government and Congress openly debating a potential war with Turkey, Castle was still acting like nothing was happening—vacationing in South Asia with his family?
That alone made reporters even more suspicious.
Something had to be going on behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, as Castle strolled through Colombo, enjoying his vacation, the cargo ship carrying his recently "acquired" treasure was already en route to the U.S. East Coast.
At the same time, the U.S. government was formally discussing whether to declare war on Turkey.
Of course, this was just a formality—anyone could see that war was inevitable.
The Speaker of the House was fully backing President Benjamin's war proposal, and the military was pushing hard for action. It was only a matter of time before the U.S. struck.
The global audience understood what was happening.
The U.S. had already begun military mobilization and war preparations.
If this wasn't a sign that they had made up their minds about attacking Turkey, then what was?
For reporters, finding Castle—the man who had seemingly single-handedly triggered this war—was the ultimate goal.
Back in Colombo, Castle received a call from his stocky friend, who informed him that he had become the most wanted man in the media.
Realizing that staying in Sri Lanka wasn't safe, Castle immediately took Beckett and their child, called for John and his family, and boarded the Boeing 747 that had been waiting at Colombo International Airport. This plane had been provided by Boeing and had remained on standby ever since they had arrived.
Heading home was the safest option.
The media wasn't the only concern—India had also caught wind of Castle's presence in Sri Lanka.
While Indian intelligence might not dare to make a move against him under the current circumstances, Castle hadn't forgotten about the other threat lurking in the shadows.
The Japanese.
The damn Japanese.
Those backstabbing bastards had been involved in this from the beginning.
What if they saw this as the perfect opportunity to take him out?
If they assumed both the U.S. and India were too preoccupied to suspect another attack, they might just take the gamble and strike while he was far from home and lacking protection.
As it turned out, Castle's instincts were spot on.
Because at that very moment, deep within Japan's intelligence agency, a plan was already in motion.
The moment they discovered Castle was in Asia without his usual security detail, the Japanese decided to strike again.
They believed that no one—not the U.S., not India, not even Turkey—would expect them to make a move at this particular moment.
And since Sri Lanka was right across the strait from India, the Japanese saw an opportunity to kidnap Castle and frame India for it.
If they pulled it off, the whole world would blame India.
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