After briefly discussing things with the chubby guy and the architect, Castle quickly realized just how complicated it was to build a large facility for a supercomputer. Even something as basic as the cooling methods for the supercomputer's servers involved a variety of configurations and options, making Castle's head spin. This was precisely why he had called Moz from Brooklyn to help.
Moz, for his part, was delighted to assist. Although his computer skills weren't quite on par with those of the chubby guy or Castle, who seemed to have "cheat-level" talents, Moz was still an excellent hacker. And for any hacker, having a supercomputer as their future server was an exciting prospect.
So, when Castle made an excuse and left, saying he needed to follow up on the supercomputer purchase, neither the chubby guy nor Moz tried to stop him. Instead, they eagerly sat down to discuss the project in detail with the architect firm, which had experience building supercomputer labs, including one for Columbia University.
Castle wasn't lying, though. He really did head to Northrop-Grumman's New York office because the Senior Vice President who had been coordinating with him had arrived with representatives from IBM, the manufacturer. It turned out Castle had been naive. He had thought that ordering a supercomputer was as simple as assembling a desktop at a local computer store, like in his previous life.
In reality, it was far more complex, which was why the Senior VP had urgently brought the manufacturer's representatives to New York. After all, it wasn't every day that someone placed an order for a supercomputer with no budget limit, capable of cutting-edge performance. Such requests were unheard of. Moreover, Castle had no idea how difficult it was to purchase a supercomputer, let alone the fact that not just anyone could buy one.
Without Northrop's backing, Castle's dream of buying a supercomputer, like buying a desktop, would've been a fantasy.
From the manufacturer's perspective, Castle was the ideal customer. While they weren't out to exploit him (especially after learning about his ties to a major defense company), they were certainly thrilled at the prospect of working with someone as wealthy and influential as him. A supercomputer, even on the cheaper side, would still cost at least a billion dollars, far more than a mere laptop.
Northrop was willing to back Castle because of his potential. After all, Castle had already developed a cutting-edge drone and the incredibly powerful "Jericho" missile for them, guaranteeing future profits for the company. While they didn't fully understand why Castle—a man who presented himself as a mere novelist—suddenly wanted a supercomputer, they were more than willing to help. Who knew what other innovative designs this eccentric genius might come up with?
Capitalism is driven by both relationships and profit. Since Castle was already a shareholder in Northrop and had proven his talent in weapons design, the company pulled out all the stops to assist him in purchasing a supercomputer.
In fact, the day after receiving Castle's specifications, the Senior Vice President brought the manufacturer's representatives to New York without delay.
Customizing a supercomputer is a complex process, and the manufacturer was eager to secure such a lucrative deal. Plus, with a top defense company like Northrop handling the purchase, there was no concern about intelligence agencies interfering. The manufacturer didn't care who would ultimately use the supercomputer as long as the sale went through.
When Castle arrived at Northrop's New York office, he was greeted not only by the Senior VP who had been his point of contact but also by four representatives from the manufacturer.
Once Castle sat down and explained his requirements, the manufacturer's team was visibly stunned.
They had initially assumed that Northrop's latest shareholder simply wanted a small supercomputer for personal use and maybe a bit of research. But when they heard the scale of Castle's requested server array, they realized this was far more than a hobby. His specifications were more demanding than what some universities required for their supercomputers.
"Mr. Castle, may I ask where you plan to install this supercomputer? As you know, a supercomputer isn't like a desktop that can be easily moved or repositioned. Also, do you intend to keep the server arrays with the main machine?" one of the manufacturer's representatives asked, struggling to contain his excitement. He knew this was a massive order, the kind that could bring in substantial profits for the company.
Castle, unconcerned, replied with a casual tone, "I've recently purchased a twelve-acre estate on Long Island. My legal advisors are currently negotiating with a firm that has experience designing supercomputer labs to build a facility there. The supercomputer will be installed at the estate. Is that a problem?"
For someone wealthy enough to buy a massive supercomputer just for fun, the manufacturer had no objections. Learning that the machine would be housed in Castle's newly acquired Long Island estate reassured them. Any potential issues were now moot.
With both parties fully aligned, they quickly reached an agreement to proceed with the supercomputer purchase. While details like specific configurations and pricing still needed to be worked out later, the general agreement was in place. After all, it wasn't possible to walk out of the office with a fully built supercomputer that day.
As the elated manufacturer representatives left the office—thrilled to have secured such a major order—the Senior Vice President, who had been quietly assisting during the meeting, congratulated Castle and eagerly invited him to participate in an upcoming U.S. military drone tender. However, Castle politely declined, citing his plans to take his daughter to Europe.
The Senior VP had no complaints. He had a mission from the company's higher-ups: "Mr. Castle, following the 'develop one generation, equip one generation' principle, when do you think would be the right time to begin preliminary research on the next generation of your drone? Should we wait until your supercomputer is up and running?"
Castle was surprised that the arms dealers were so eager. His current drone design hadn't even passed the tender, yet they were already thinking about the next generation. Still, he understood the importance of reciprocating favors—Northrop had just done him a big one. After some thought, an idea came to him: perhaps he could introduce Northrop to the concept of the Quinjet from the Marvel universe?
After all, his drone was essentially a scaled-down version of the Quinjet. If they developed the full-sized aircraft, it wouldn't seem too far-fetched. Plus, he had access to the complete blueprints, making the task much easier and less suspicious.
Given that his drone was already based on a smaller version of the Quinjet, scaling it up to create a multi-purpose transport or combat aircraft wouldn't raise too many eyebrows.
The Quinjet wasn't a weak design, either. While S.H.I.E.L.D. had primarily used it as a transport, the aircraft had plenty of potential. It could function as both a fighter and a transport, perfectly fitting the trend toward multi-role aircraft.
And thanks to the technical expertise passed down from Tony Stark, Castle had the full design schematics for the Quinjet. Perhaps he could have Northrop develop it to compete with Lockheed Martin's offerings?
Castle was confident that the Quinjet would certainly hold its own against the F-35.
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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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