Among the three so-called "assassins," the only one with any formal military training was Watanabe's personal bodyguard, Sugiyama Hachi, a retired captain from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces. When the tear gas canister was thrown into the safe house, Sugiyama quickly reacted. He grabbed the other two members—hapless Yamaguchi-gumi enforcers who were choking from the gas and almost about to run out the front door in panic—and pulled them toward the basement entrance.
Meanwhile, outside, Big Ivan was standing at the front door with his men, conflicted about whether or not to storm the house. His main concern? That these three dimwits might not even realize they had an emergency escape route and wouldn't take the opportunity to flee.
After learning the true identities of the three "assassins," Castle had adjusted his strategy to ensure the success of his bait-and-trap plan. Knowing that the safe house had an underground escape tunnel leading to the riverside (a discovery made via drone scans), Castle decided on the tear gas approach. It was subtle enough to scare them into using the escape route, rather than overwhelming them with a full assault.
Had Big Ivan stormed the house with his full team, there was a strong possibility these amateurs would be captured or killed immediately, which would completely derail the plan to force them to call for reinforcements.
Despite knowing the risk that this lenient approach might tip off the assassins that Castle was deliberately letting them escape, Castle and John decided it was a necessary gamble. After all, these three were so incompetent that they hadn't even realized they were surrounded by Big Ivan's team for hours.
To ensure that the pressure was sufficient to drive the three into action, Castle and John carefully studied the drone's reconnaissance footage. The presence of an underground escape tunnel confirmed their plan. As a result, Big Ivan was instructed to toss in a single tear gas canister, just enough to push the three into fleeing without outright incapacitating them.
If Sugiyama, the only one with military training, could react quickly enough to lead his team into the tunnel, that would be ideal. Even if only one of them managed to escape to send out a distress signal to their superiors back in Japan, the plan would still work.
Big Ivan waited for over two minutes after throwing the tear gas before leading his men through the front and back doors of the house. The delay was deliberate, giving the occupants ample time to retreat into the basement.
However, as Ivan's team entered the house, something unexpected happened. One of the Yamaguchi-gumi enforcers, who should have already been in the escape tunnel, had stayed behind. He was holding a black suitcase and was just about to head into the basement when Big Ivan encountered him.
The enforcer had gone back to retrieve the suitcase because it contained $500,000 in cash—their operational funds for this mission. Ignoring Sugiyama's orders to retreat, the man had prioritized the money over his own safety, proving just how unprofessional he truly was.
Unfortunately for him, he hadn't expected Big Ivan and his team to enter the house wearing gas masks. The moment Big Ivan spotted the man standing in the hallway, suitcase in hand and only a wet towel over his face, he didn't hesitate. With a quick three-shot burst from his silenced rifle, Big Ivan eliminated the enforcer.
The shots were precise—each bullet struck the man's chest, instantly killing him. The suitcase fell to the floor with a thud.
From the man's lack of reaction and poor situational awareness, Big Ivan immediately confirmed he was one of the Yamaguchi-gumi thugs, not a trained professional. However, there was no time to dwell on this. Ivan's priority was ensuring that the other two had successfully escaped through the tunnel.
Instead of pursuing the escapees right away, Big Ivan ordered four of his men to conduct a sweep of the house, ensuring no one else was hiding inside. Meanwhile, he crouched next to the body of the enforcer he had just killed, searching him for anything useful.
Surprisingly, the man had no identification, no phone, and nothing else to link him to any organization. The only thing of note was his gun, casually tucked into his waistband.
The lack of evidence made Big Ivan chuckle in disbelief. These "assassins" weren't completely incompetent, it seemed. However, Ivan also noted the man's tattoos—an unfortunate hallmark of Japanese gangsters. Yakuza members often used their tattoos to display their rank and status within their organizations. Ivan made a mental note to check the body more thoroughly later for any information these markings might provide.
After the search of the house yielded no further surprises, Big Ivan's team regrouped at the basement entrance. Confident that the two remaining targets had used the tunnel to escape, Ivan sent two of his men down to confirm.
At the same time, one of Ivan's men examined the suitcase for explosives. Upon finding nothing but cash, he picked it up with a grin. To the Russian operatives, this was a valuable trophy of war. Knowing Castle's laid-back attitude toward spoils, they were certain he wouldn't mind them keeping the money.
As expected, the two remaining "assassins" had successfully escaped through the tunnel. Jarvis, monitoring them via drone surveillance, reported that Sugiyama and the other enforcer had emerged from a storm drain by the river, roughly 100 meters away from the safe house. They were now running along the riverside, heading toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
Castle, satisfied that the operation had gone according to plan, instructed Big Ivan to withdraw. The dead enforcer's body would be cleaned up by professional cleaners from The Continental Hotel. Since Big Ivan's team had used only a tear gas canister and silenced weapons, there was little risk of drawing attention from local authorities.
John suggested calling in The Continental's cleaners to ensure there were no loose ends. Castle readily agreed, knowing it would also prevent his wife, Beckett, from finding out about the incident and giving him a headache later.
As for the $500,000 in cash, Castle generously told Big Ivan and his men to split it among themselves. This unexpected windfall left the Russian operatives grinning from ear to ear.
However, Big Ivan's work wasn't over. Following Castle's orders, he and his team loaded into their vehicles and began tailing Sugiyama and his partner. Jarvis provided real-time updates on their location, ensuring Ivan could maintain just enough pressure to keep the two panicked and on the run.
The goal was clear: drive the assassins into desperation, forcing them to call for reinforcements from Watanabe's organization. The more people Watanabe sent to New York, the better it would be for Castle's plan to eliminate as many of them as possible on his home turf.
Back on Long Island, John sat in Castle's study, feeling increasingly disappointed. The so-called "assassins" were so unskilled that they posed no challenge to him whatsoever. For a former world-class assassin, the thought of going up against such amateurs was downright insulting.
"If this is what they're sending, I might as well go back to being a stay-at-home dad," John muttered.
Castle laughed, promising John that when Watanabe himself arrived in New York, he could personally deal with the old man. For now, they had bigger plans to execute—and plenty of Japanese operatives to trap and eliminate.
(End of Chapter)
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