Leveraging the advantage of his knowledge from the movie National Treasure, Castle found himself once again holding the upper hand with insider knowledge of the plot. Unlike the situation with Dr. Bailey, which spiraled out of his control, this time he was confident and fully prepared. He parked the shipping container truck he'd arranged, not far from Trinity Church, and even ran into some patrolling officers from the 12th Precinct. However, since the officers recognized him as the precinct captain's boyfriend, they didn't bother him and allowed him to park the truck without issue.
Once night fell, Castle quietly made his way to Trinity Church, using the enhanced physical abilities granted by his system to avoid detection. He effortlessly opened the tomb and descended, knowing full well that at this hour, no one from the church would unexpectedly decide to patrol this area. Still, he remained cautious, determined not to leave any traces that might later tip off the powerful Freemasons, who would undoubtedly come looking for him if they realized what had happened.
Everything proceeded smoothly. Whether it was navigating the rickety staircase or other potential hazards, Castle handled it all with ease, thanks to his knowledge of the plot and his enhanced skills. Soon, he stood before the vast treasure, which filled the two-story vault.
At this point, Castle didn't bother inspecting the treasure in detail. His goal wasn't to carefully assess what was there but to take at least half of it before Gates arrived. Unlike Gates, who lit the vault's torches, Castle used a flashlight to avoid leaving any evidence behind. Wasting no time, he opened his portable space, carefully selecting some valuables, and quickly filled it to its full 1,000-cubic-meter capacity.
Despite his efforts, Castle realized that even after filling his portable space, he hadn't managed to take a third of the treasure. The sheer volume of the treasure was staggering, living up to its reputation as a "national treasure." Fortunately, Castle's original plan was to make multiple trips. After filling his portable space, he exited the vault and made his way to the container truck, nearly filling both containers with the treasures he'd selected.
(For those wondering why Castle needed two containers when his portable space was only 1,000 cubic meters—some of the valuable artifacts were incredibly delicate and rare. While they had been carelessly piled up in the vault, Castle had carefully chosen the most precious pieces, handling them with great care. He couldn't just toss them into the containers haphazardly.)
Castle didn't call Bob to pick up the truck right away. After all, it had only been two hours since he'd entered Trinity Church, and no one would believe a single person could move that much treasure so quickly. He needed to be strategic in order to convince others that the job was his alone.
After securely locking the containers, Castle wasn't worried about the truck's safety. He had parked it in an area frequently patrolled by 12th Precinct officers, near the border with another precinct. The neighborhood was surrounded by upscale communities, and in the USA, police presence in high-end areas was much stronger than in low-income neighborhoods. In this case, there were not only officers from the 12th Precinct but also from the neighboring precinct, constantly keeping an eye on the area. Given Castle's reputation and the officers' familiarity with him, the truck was under an unofficial but highly effective form of protection.
After waiting for another hour, Castle would notify Bob to drive the truck back to Long Island. But for now, his task was to head back into the vault and load up his portable space with another haul. If all went according to plan, by the end of this second trip, more than half of the treasure would be his.
This time, Castle didn't just grab whatever he could—he was more selective, picking only the finest treasures. His experience in art and treasure valuation had skyrocketed after the black-market heist involving Vincent Adler, and he knew exactly what to look for. After spending more than an hour picking out high-value, lightweight treasures, he called Bob, who was waiting near the Brooklyn Bridge, and instructed him to pick up the truck.
Once he was sure he hadn't left any traces in the now half-empty vault, Castle chuckled to himself as he left the vault. Now it was just a matter of waiting for Ben Gates, the fall guy, to arrive and discover the treasure that the Freemasons had been searching for over the last two centuries.
Before that, though, Castle had to make a quick trip to the 12th Precinct to set things in motion for what was to come.
Since his return from Rome, Castle had mostly stayed at his estate and had only met Beckett briefly. Now was the perfect opportunity to visit the precinct, check in on Beckett, and make sure she was prepared to arrest Ben Gates, the federal fugitive. He also needed to get Beckett ready for something even bigger: her future collaboration with Benjamin Arthur, who was destined to become the next president of the United States.
Meanwhile, Bob made the nerve-wracking drive back to Castle's Long Island estate, where Moz, Neal, Gianna, and her husband eagerly awaited his return. When they opened the containers and saw the treasure inside, they were left speechless. Castle had not only tested Bob's loyalty but also had a drone monitoring the truck the entire time. Fortunately, Bob proved to be reliable and brought the treasure back without incident. This test earned Bob the trust of Castle, Moz, Neal, and Gianna, solidifying his place in their circle.
As Castle walked into the 12th Precinct with two cups of coffee, he was greeted like a celebrity. His substantial donations had helped upgrade the precinct's defensive and offensive capabilities to the best in New York, and his intelligence had put the precinct in the spotlight during recent high-profile cases. It was no wonder the officers who had seen him driving an oversized container truck through Manhattan the previous night had turned a blind eye to such an obvious traffic violation.
After exchanging greetings with the officers, Castle stepped out of the elevator and ran into the disgruntled Esposito and Ryan.
"Castle, it's been a while! Have you forgotten about us?" Esposito complained.
Castle laughed, greeting the two detectives. "Espo, how's it going with Lanie? Ryan, when are you going to propose to Jenny? Here, I brought you both a little something—a couple of rings with at least 1,000 years of history."
He handed them each a gold ring, which he'd taken from the treasure vault specifically for this occasion. Given their close relationship, Esposito and Ryan didn't hesitate to accept the gifts. After all, they both knew Castle was a wealthy man. Anyone who could buy a twelve-acre estate on Long Island without batting an eye was clearly loaded. Besides, they knew he'd just returned from Italy, so it made perfect sense that he would bring them souvenirs.
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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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