Returning to the matter of the three so-called "assassins"—who seemed more like comedians than professional killers—Castle finally understood what the old Watanabe patriarch had been relying on all along. The plan was to leverage an insider at Northrop Corporation, someone bought off during recent negotiations for a military procurement deal, to help infiltrate Castle's inner circle and execute the assassination.
The key figure for this mission was Watanabe's personal bodyguard, a retired captain from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces' special forces.
Once Castle and John pieced together the details of this convoluted plan, it all started to make sense. The reason these three amateurs had dared to loiter for two days outside Castle's Manhattan penthouse and then retreat nonchalantly to their safe house was because they had already planned to act during Northrop Corporation's upcoming visit. They intended to use their inside connection at Northrop to infiltrate Castle's Long Island estate under the guise of corporate business.
But a glaring question arose: Was Watanabe not worried about the potential fallout of exposing his mole? Wouldn't such a revelation jeopardize Japan's military procurement order, which had only been secured by agreeing to pay 1.5 times the original price?
The answer was simple: Watanabe no longer cared.
The old man, now childless and desperate for revenge, misunderstood the silence from Japan's government and intelligence agencies. He thought they were bowing to pressure from the U.S. and had no intention of avenging his son and nephew. What he didn't realize was that the government was maintaining strict secrecy because they were orchestrating a much larger operation against the U.S.
But for Watanabe, who was now facing the devastating reality of his bloodline ending, what mattered anymore? For someone raised in a culture deeply rooted in family legacy and the continuation of one's lineage, the loss of his descendants was a blow beyond measure.
In his despair and anger, Watanabe had essentially decided: To hell with the military order and diplomatic repercussions. His sole purpose now was to ensure the death of Castle, the man he held responsible for his family's destruction.
In his reckless state, Watanabe used his resources to contact the Northrop employee his son had bribed during the military procurement negotiations. He discovered that Northrop, eager to mend fences after their earlier betrayal of Castle during the Christmas incident, was rushing to New York to smooth over relations. This presented Watanabe with a perfect opportunity to exploit the situation.
The plan was clear: with the help of their insider, Watanabe's team could learn the exact time of Northrop's meeting with Castle. The insider could even arrange for fake Northrop credentials, enabling the assassins to infiltrate Castle's estate and carry out their mission.
As for the consequences? Watanabe couldn't care less. His rationale was straightforward: I've lost my family—what do I care about anything else?
Castle stared at the intel Jarvis had painstakingly gathered, feeling a mix of disbelief and exasperation. As someone whose soul once belonged to a Chinese national, Castle deeply understood the extreme actions someone like Watanabe might take under such circumstances. A man driven by despair and vengeance, with no regard for the consequences, was the most dangerous kind of enemy.
Still, the revelation that Watanabe had managed to bribe someone within Northrop left Castle deeply unsettled. If Northrop's internal security had such glaring vulnerabilities, how could Castle trust their sudden eagerness to meet with him? Was the meeting truly about repairing their fractured relationship, or was it a smokescreen to facilitate Watanabe's assassination plot?
This wasn't paranoia—it was a logical deduction based on Northrop's recent actions. Castle had already lost his trust in the company after they chose to side with Japan during the Christmas incident, prioritizing profits from the Japanese military deal over Castle's personal safety.
Now, the possibility that Northrop might knowingly or unknowingly assist Watanabe in his revenge plot wasn't far-fetched. If they couldn't win Castle over with diplomacy, would they really hesitate to "allow" Watanabe to eliminate him and conveniently take the blame?
Castle had learned his lesson from that betrayal. His once-naïve belief in corporate morality had been shattered. He now saw Northrop for what it truly was: a profit-driven entity that would sacrifice anything—even a key partner—if it meant protecting their bottom line.
"Given what we know," Castle thought grimly, "who's to say Northrop won't use this meeting as an opportunity to help Watanabe take me out, especially if they see no way to repair our relationship?"
Castle's growing wariness didn't mean he was afraid of Watanabe's plot, especially now that he was prepared. But learning that Watanabe had successfully infiltrated Northrop made him reevaluate his defenses. Even if Northrop's intentions were benign, the mere existence of this mole meant Castle needed to stay vigilant.
Separately, the matter of the three "assassins" still had to be handled.
After discussing the situation with John and receiving Big Ivan's report, Castle decided to stick to the original plan. Big Ivan and his team of ex-Russian special forces operatives would proceed with the "bait-and-trap" strategy, applying pressure to the assassins in their safe house. The goal was to disrupt their ability to execute their plan while forcing them to make desperate calls for reinforcements.
By maintaining control of the situation, Castle could dictate the terms of the encounter and avoid giving Watanabe's team any chance to exploit their inside connection at Northrop.
With Castle's green light, Big Ivan prepared to execute the next phase of the plan: a "scare tactic" assault on the safe house. The goal wasn't to eliminate the assassins outright but to pressure them into fleeing and calling for help.
Big Ivan's team surrounded the safe house. Moments later, a tear gas canister smashed through the window, filling the room with acrid smoke.
The three amateurs inside—who had been fantasizing about the rewards they'd reap after completing their mission—were caught completely off guard. Choking and coughing uncontrollably, they scrambled to escape.
In truth, Big Ivan had intentionally held back. By protocol, he should have used flashbangs to incapacitate the targets. But worried that the shockwaves might render the untrained assassins completely helpless, he opted for tear gas instead.
To ensure the plan's success, Big Ivan even ordered one of his teams to temporarily pull back, fearing that the tear gas might incapacitate the targets so thoroughly that they wouldn't attempt to flee.
As the three assassins stumbled out of the house, coughing and disoriented, Big Ivan was wracking his brain for ways to subtly "let them escape." Originally, he had prepared for a showdown with seasoned killers. But now, faced with these inept amateurs, the whole situation felt like a farce.
Even the most "trained" of the three, Sugiyama Hachi, had no combat experience despite his military background. Were these three really here to assassinate Castle, or were they just trying to make him laugh himself to death?
Inside the safe house, the assassins quickly realized this was no police raid. They had no criminal records in the U.S., and their mission hadn't even begun, so there was no reason for the NYPD to attack them.
Their only logical conclusion was that the attack had been orchestrated by Castle's people.
Although they couldn't figure out how their plans had been exposed, there was no time to dwell on it. Their priority now was to flee and regroup.
The battle of wits and endurance between Castle and Watanabe's team had officially begun.
(End of Chapter)
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