Frank Moses, with a throbbing headache, looked despondently at his girlfriend, a homebody obsessed with the idea of living a spy's life, and explained weakly: "I did know my boss had a son. In fact, I even met the little guy when he was a kid. But I never expected that after more than 30 years, this little guy would become a famous bestselling author."
"Sarah, he's your favorite mystery novelist—Richard Castle. Surprised?"
"Ah… it's Rick? Your boss's son is Rick Castle? Oh my God, I'm going to lose my mind…" As expected, the moment Frank, who had no way to refuse his overly curious girlfriend's insistence on knowing who his boss's son was, uttered the name, Sarah, a longtime fan of Castle's novels, lost it.
The disbelief was shared by Marvin, who was driving: "Frank, you're not joking, right? Sean's son is the one who wrote the *Nikki Heat* novels? Damn, I loved that series! And you just said he's dating the youngest police chief in New York? So, that means the real-life model for *Nikki Heat* is now dating this writer?"
"God, he's also our old boss's son?" Marvin's shock was palpable.
Frank Moses' face, as wrinkled as an old bulldog's, twisted into a grim smile. "Marvin, if I tell you that this writer has also become a shareholder in Northrop Grumman, will you freak out like Sarah?"
"What did you just say? Sean's son is now a shareholder in Northrop Grumman?" Marvin's already small eyes widened in disbelief at what he had just heard.
"Yes, Sean just told me. That's also the main reason he dared to send me directly to his son. It's because Sean's son is now part of the military-industrial complex, so Sean, who had kept his son's information hidden for years, feels safe enough to tell me.
Now, Sean's son no longer needs to worry about being threatened by those self-righteous idiots in the CIA," Frank said with deep emotion.
Victoria, though she was a retired intelligence officer from MI6, had known Frank and his colleagues since the Cold War. She was also familiar with Sean, Frank's former boss, and the CIA faction codenamed "Lockset" that had a long-standing grudge with Sean.
What shocked this elegant British lady even more was that Sean, a top expert who had left the CIA and built an underground empire in North Africa with a Bedouin elder, now had a son who had not only become a famous mystery writer but also, through his own efforts, a shareholder in Northrop Grumman—a powerhouse in the US military industry. That was truly remarkable.
Who doesn't know that in this country, the ones who act with the most impunity and have the deepest connections are the military-industrial complexes? Companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman are the top-tier arms manufacturers in the USA. Even Boeing, despite its focus on civilian aircraft, is also a major military contractor, just like Northrop Grumman. These large military-industrial complexes control various facets of the country. Take Northrop Grumman, where Castle is a shareholder. Can you say it's just an aircraft manufacturer? It also owns the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier manufacturing plant in the USA. What does that say? This company is far from simple.
Regardless of what method Sean's son used to acquire shares in this company, would any mere CIA faction dare to mess with him? They'd be out of their minds.
Like the recent attack on Frank, which he initially thought was a cleanup operation by the current vice president—someone Frank had saved from South America back in the day—trying to erase his shady past. But after Frank reached out to his former boss for help, it took less than three hours for them to uncover the truth. It turned out that the incident was orchestrated by a senator from Montana, whose party didn't want the vice president to continue rising in power.
Frank's former boss didn't just help clarify the situation. He also put his son, now a powerful figure in New York with strong ties to the police, at Frank's disposal, ensuring they wouldn't have to fend for themselves looking for safe houses and weapons upon arrival in the city.
Sure, Frank could have gone to Winston at the Continental Hotel in New York, who, out of gratitude for Frank and Sean's help in the past, wouldn't have stood idly by. But having his old boss take care of things was certainly more convenient, right?
What made the situation even more extraordinary was that Sean's son's girlfriend happened to be the police chief responsible for the security of the vice president's venue. These coincidences even made Marvin, a habitual drug user, marvel at how strange life could be.
Sean had been willing to reveal the long-held secret of his son without hesitation when Frank called for help because he was testing the waters. His son had grown too powerful, and Sean, who couldn't even fully grasp his son's hidden strength, was curious to see if the rogue CIA faction, "Lockset," would dare confront his son.
So far, everything was within Sean's expectations. Over the past six months, his son had caused quite a stir in New York, but aside from one minor incident involving a kidnapping by a rival arms company, General Atomics, nothing had happened. You couldn't convince anyone that the omnipresent CIA was unaware of what Castle was up to. But their decision to ignore him spoke volumes.
That's why Sean had no qualms about telling Frank to go to his son for help.
Another reason was Brian Mills. After Castle helped rescue Brian's daughter from Paris, Brian had secretly returned to work for Sean, keeping an eye on Castle in New York. But to Brian's surprise, Castle's rise had been meteoric, turning him into someone untouchable in just a few months. Especially after acquiring shares in Northrop Grumman and participating as a chief advisor in the design and manufacturing of the company's next-generation military drones, Brian realized his protective role had become redundant.
Frank, knowing all this, was completely at ease heading to New York. Unlike in the original series where he sought out Morgan Freeman's character, Joe, Frank, after rounding up Marvin and Victoria, simply headed straight for New York. With Sean's assurance that his son would provide a safe house and weapons, Frank knew he had nothing to worry about, even with the CIA pursuing him.
Marvin, though more cautious than Frank, had always followed Frank's lead during their partnership, so he didn't object. Victoria, with her usual attention to detail, knew this wasn't the time to question the plan. If Frank trusted his boss, she wouldn't second-guess it either.
As for Frank's girlfriend, Sarah, who had lived a peaceful life for 30 years and dreamed of experiencing the excitement of a spy's life? She was too busy being thrilled about meeting Castle to worry about anything else.
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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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