It was entirely unrealistic to expect Castle to devise an intricate, foolproof plan. His personality was naturally carefree, and within this loose alliance, he was the key figure holding everyone together. He was good friends with Neal and Mozzie, and not long ago, he had helped Neal find his girlfriend Kate, who had been forced to disappear due to threats from Vincent Adler's henchman, Fowler. This earned him the trust of Neal and Mozzie, which meant that Alex, who had joined later, wouldn't criticize his plan out of respect for Neal.
Castle was also friends with John Wick, and because of this relationship, Gianna, who was pregnant and had nothing else to occupy her time, didn't object to the plan. As for the chubby little Harry, he had always looked up to his Uncle Rick, so Castle was able to present his plan and gain everyone's approval.
Castle had previously introduced Mozzie to Gianna and John at Gianna's estate on Long Island and later partnered Mozzie with Harry, effectively signaling to Neal, who couldn't attend in person due to his ankle monitor, that everything was transparent. Mozzie surely understood Castle's intention to prove his honesty and had likely conveyed this to Neal. That's why, when Castle met Neal for the final arrangements, they were able to speak freely without suspicion. Even when Castle outlined his potentially dangerous actions, Neal didn't hesitate to agree, because Castle had been completely transparent with Neal, Mozzie, and Alex from the start.
By keeping Neal, who was confined to a two-mile radius around Manhattan, in the loop, Castle not only reassured him but also ensured that Alex, who had never visited the Long Island estate, had no grounds to criticize Castle.
This transparency was also why Castle didn't care about the treasure on the submarine. Unlike Neal, Mozzie, or Gianna, Castle had no strong interest in the rumored valuable artworks inside the submarine. After all, those three had far better taste in art than Castle, who was more of a humanities guy.
Moreover, Castle was already wealthy, even without considering the imminent financial gains from his recent deals with an Italian aerospace company and the upcoming technology transfer fees from Northrop Grumman. His twenty-odd bestselling novels had already brought him substantial royalties, and the transaction involving Adam's scepter had netted him over a hundred million dollars. Although he had shared some of that wealth with Mozzie and Abraham, there was still more than a hundred million dollars sitting untouched in the overseas bank account Mozzie had helped him open. Plus, Castle had cash from his and Harry's last haul in Brazil.
Castle wasn't one to spend money frivolously, or rather, he didn't have much to spend it on. So, he truly didn't care how much the submarine's treasure was worth. His main motivation was to oppose Vincent Adler and help Neal, who seemed both lucky and unlucky.
Castle's indifference toward the submarine's treasure made him trustworthy to both Gianna and Neal, allowing him to secure their support for his plan, despite its apparent flaws. Everyone could see that Castle was more focused on resolving the "Vincent Adler problem" than on acquiring the rumored billions in treasure.
Thus, Castle found himself at Gianna's estate, alongside Mozzie and Harry, eagerly awaiting Vincent Adler to quietly transport the submarine, which he had retrieved from the ocean, into the dock hidden within a semi-submersible salvage ship, evading the Coast Guard's watchful eyes.
At dawn, Castle watched as the visibly excited Vincent, too energized to rest, personally directed his men to secretly transport the submarine into a warehouse. The cameras John had installed captured every moment. Castle knew his time to act was approaching.
Castle anticipated that once the submarine was secured, Vincent would likely admire his long-sought-after prize before temporarily locking it away in the warehouse. Vincent would probably take a few days to rest before dealing with the explosives on the submarine.
After all, Vincent Adler was no longer a young man, but a man in his fifties or sixties. After such a long journey at sea, Vincent would be exhausted, and staying in the warehouse could draw unwanted attention, potentially from the ever-persistent FBI. Castle was sure Vincent would secure the warehouse before taking a much-needed break, intending to return later to unwrap his "luxury gift box."
This, Castle realized, was the perfect opportunity to sneak into the warehouse, open the submarine, and clear out everything inside.
Events unfolded just as Castle predicted. Vincent watched as his men secured the submarine in the warehouse's dock, assigned guards, and then, as dawn broke, discreetly left the New York Harbor in a black SUV. One of the two drones in the sky tailed the SUV, following Vincent all the way to Long Island. Castle and Mozzie were stunned to discover that Vincent's safe house was just five kilometers from Gianna's estate—in another estate owned by a powerful congressman.
This unexpected revelation explained why Vincent, the mastermind behind the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history and the FBI's top fugitive for ten years, had remained at large for so long—he had a secret protector.
Mozzie, however, wasn't as concerned as Castle about this connection. He calmly analyzed the situation for Castle.
"Rick, I don't think Vincent has told that congressman the real reason he returned to New York. You have to understand, with his fugitive status, revealing his plans to recover a treasure-laden WWII submarine would put him at a disadvantage. How could he be sure the congressman wouldn't get greedy and intervene? A congressman wields considerable power, while Vincent is a wanted criminal. I doubt he's shared the truth with the congressman."
"Plus, haven't you noticed? Most of his men aren't Americans; they're people he recruited after fleeing New York ten years ago. This tells us that Vincent doesn't trust the American political class. The guy is a successful con artist, and if there's one thing con artists are known for, it's not trusting anyone!"
Castle nodded in agreement with Mozzie's analysis before stating his plan. "I don't care what's going on between him and that congressman. I'm planning to move tonight, while Vincent is at his most relaxed after just returning to New York. His men have been with him at sea for so long, and now that they've hidden the submarine, they're bound to think they're safe. Even if Vincent has set up guards, they're likely to be complacent. I'll take advantage of that, get the job done tonight, and then sit back and watch the show. What do you think?"
Mozzie was startled by Castle's boldness but had to admit that his reasoning was sound. Vincent and his men, after the tension of recovering the submarine and hiding it, would likely let their guard down, creating the perfect opportunity for Castle and his team to strike.
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