Unlike before, Richard Castle didn't make a fuss when his daughter supported him and his girlfriend underestimated him. Instead, he threw himself fully into the deep pit of "artificial intelligence." Even when Northrop Grumman reported to him about the outstanding performance of the drone prototypes he designed, which had swept aside all competitors in U.S. military bidding, he barely reacted. The drone, armed with Castle's own "Jericho" missile design, showcased integrated reconnaissance and strike capabilities that surpassed the current generation of U.S. military drones by a whole era. Northrop Grumman was overjoyed.
They knew that this bestselling novelist, who seemed to be straying from his field, actually had a complete design for a manned aircraft up his sleeve. So, after winning the next-generation drone contract for the U.S. military, a senior vice president who had been in touch with Castle rushed to his Long Island estate. The executive hoped Castle would continue his momentum by initiating the project for a multi-purpose manned military aircraft, rumored to be an enlarged version of the current drone. With the resources of Castle's own company, they wanted to see if they could get a prototype off the ground.
Unfortunately, the vice president's timing was off. Castle was busy working with his beloved "little fatty" (presumably a code or machine), both of them typing away furiously at code on their small computers. When the executive learned what Castle was really up to—developing artificial intelligence—he was stunned.
Was Castle out of his mind, or was he really confident? The vice president knew he needed to report this immediately. Whether Castle was overconfident or not, his previous achievements had already shown extraordinary ability. If Castle succeeded with AI and Northrop missed out due to a lack of trust, the company's board would never forgive him.
So, the vice president politely excused himself after confirming that Castle wouldn't be working on the manned aircraft anytime soon. He thanked Castle for not hiding his AI project from them and promised to report everything back to the board, hoping they might still get a foot in the door.
However, Castle had no intention of letting a defense contractor get involved in his AI project before it succeeded. He dismissed the eager vice president by claiming that the project's outcome was still uncertain. While Castle had indeed let the news slip on purpose to give Northrop a heads-up, he had no plans to let them interfere.
At this point, Castle had plenty of money and talent. Though the ten-person team provided by Gianna was small, their loyalty had increased after Castle gave them a 10% share of a treasure find. These former Russian interior ministry operatives, led by Big Ivan as bodyguards, were now loyal enough to ensure his safety. Castle didn't need to share the fruits of his labor with anyone else—even Northrop Grumman, which had shielded him from numerous attacks by the "Elephant Party."
Castle and Northrop had an equal exchange of benefits. They helped protect him from political attacks, and he provided them with drones that crushed their competitors. Castle owed them nothing, so why let them have a hand in developing the world's first true AI?
Castle also knew that even if the vice president reported back, Northrop's board wouldn't easily believe that he could pull off a mature AI project. After all, companies like "Soft Corp" and "Dog Corp" had invested countless resources into AI with little to show for it—only producing rudimentary systems. Even the chess-playing AI was widely regarded as useless. Castle had deliberately revealed his AI work to Northrop, but he knew they wouldn't rush to get involved.
Still, this was all part of Castle's plan. When his AI did succeed, he would have a perfect excuse if Northrop wanted in on the action. He could tell them, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't believe in me. Now that I've succeeded, you want a piece of the pie? You'll have to pay dearly for it."
After sending the vice president packing, Castle returned to his estate to continue his long coding sessions with his "little fatty." As for the political turmoil outside, he was content to ignore it for now.
But while Castle turned his focus inward, the outside world was growing stormier. In the UK, the ruling party's government had been forced to resign amidst protests and demonstrations, with the Prime Minister stepping down in disgrace. Both the House of Lords and Commons were demanding accountability, blaming the Prime Minister for the recent disaster.
The Prime Minister was frustrated. The bomb that had caused the chaos had been planted over thirty years ago during the Cold War, when the "Iron Lady" and the U.S. had conspired together. The disaster wasn't his fault, but the public didn't care. The UK's media had exposed everything, with Russia—whose capital had narrowly avoided being bombed—gleefully releasing details of the whole affair, hoping to humiliate both the UK and the U.S.
Meanwhile, the U.S., with its thick-skinned approach, pretended to ignore the issue. Attention in America had shifted to the treasure hunt frenzy after a significant find related to the Freemasons in Trinity Church. With rumors of Freemason treasure hidden beneath other churches in New York, Americans were far more interested in treasure hunting than in the mess across the Atlantic.
So, while Britain wallowed in its misery, Americans, led by treasure hunters, were more concerned with striking it rich.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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