By the time Detective Beckett finally managed to break free from all the praise and awards, she was eager to return to her normal work at the precinct. However, she found herself dragged back into action by the sudden wave of treasure hunters sweeping through the city.
Several churches in her precinct's jurisdiction were just as old as Trinity Church, the site where a huge stash of Freemason treasure had recently been uncovered. As a result, Beckett had to abandon her plans to visit her boyfriend on Long Island, instead focusing all her efforts on guarding these historic churches. The goal was to prevent treasure-crazed "explorers" from tearing the buildings apart in their frantic search for more hidden riches.
The people drawn in by the treasure frenzy were a mixed bag. There were legitimate adventurers and treasure hunters, but also opportunists, gangsters, and clueless fortune-seekers who hoped to strike gold like Gates had. Ever since Beckett and her team had made the news during the Trinity Church incident, every day at the Twelfth Precinct was spent rushing between different churches, waiting to catch these increasingly desperate treasure hunters in the act.
Because the Twelfth Precinct was the best-equipped in the entire New York Police Department (NYPD) and had recently racked up numerous achievements, the NYPD headquarters had no hesitation in assigning them to deal with this new threat. These treasure hunters were no amateurs; many came from rough backgrounds and were not easily deterred. Only the Twelfth Precinct's superior firepower and cutting-edge equipment stood a chance of keeping them at bay. Unlike Gates, who was a trained archaeologist, these individuals had no respect for historical sites, seeing them only as potential gold mines. Several church leaders had already appealed to the mayor, requesting extra protection for their buildings.
Of course, whether those same church leaders might secretly dig around themselves to see if there really was treasure beneath their churches was another question entirely.
Beckett, as captain of the Twelfth Precinct, was thus too busy to return home or visit her boyfriend at his Long Island estate.
Meanwhile, Ben Gates, having received help from the Freemasons, had managed to clear his name after handing over the stolen Declaration of Independence. He returned to his father's home in Pittsburgh, bringing along a woman he had met at the National Archives during the treasure hunt. Proud of his accomplishment in clearing the family's 200-year-old name, Gates had attracted the attention of the Freemasons. Though a bit of a fool, Gates had proven himself lucky and capable, making him a useful tool for the Freemasons' continued treasure hunts worldwide. Gates, trusting and easy to manipulate, was the perfect candidate for their purposes.
Don't doubt that the Freemasons have more treasure leads. As a secretive organization that has long controlled key elements of U.S. power, they certainly possess information about numerous lost treasures. They just hadn't found anyone suitable to pursue them—until Gates came along. Why not use him? If something goes wrong, it's Gates who will face the consequences, not them.
With that in mind, the American public, focused on the treasure hunts in New York, paid little attention to the recent disaster in the UK. The explosion caused by a red mercury bomb equivalent to a nuclear blast? Sure, people were initially shocked, but the fact that it didn't affect the U.S. directly meant they soon lost interest.
If the news about Freemason treasure hadn't emerged in New York, the American public might have feigned concern for their "poor cousin" across the Atlantic. Even some of the "humanitarian" organizations, often quick to criticize their own government, might have raised their voices in sympathy. But with the treasure hunt stealing all the headlines, nobody cared about the explosion anymore. A few minor humanitarian groups did issue statements, but they garnered little attention. After all, why worry about an explosion in Britain when there's gold to be found in New York?
As for the 200,000 casualties in the UK? Americans had no sympathy for the British aristocrats who had long looked down on them. Why should they help now? The sentiment was clear: "You've always thought of us as uncouth upstarts—now you're the ones paying the price."
In short, as the world watched with a mix of amusement and indifference, the entire UK government, including the Prime Minister, was forced to resign in disgrace. The colossal mess was left for the long-reigning Queen in Buckingham Palace to deal with.
Meanwhile, Castle and his trusty sidekick, "Little Fatty," were too absorbed in their coding work to pay attention to the chaos outside. The two of them were holed up in Castle's Long Island estate, coding away in the study. After two days of writing code, Castle found himself silently cursing his idiotic system. Sure, the system had rewarded him with advanced AI technology, but did it really have to make him write all the code himself? It seemed like a cruel joke. Thankfully, Tony Stark had been generous enough to share some of JARVIS's foundational code, and Castle had Little Fatty helping him out. Otherwise, he would have been stuck working alone, miserable and overwhelmed.
Mozzie and Gianna had successfully made contact with the little-known politician Benjamin Arthur in Washington, D.C. Arthur, a third-tier candidate from the Democratic Party, had never dreamed of running for president. But after Vice President Andrew mysteriously had his past exposed, Benjamin found himself unexpectedly thrust into the race.
When Mozzie and Gianna, looking well-funded and influential, approached Benjamin and offered their support, he eagerly accepted. Benjamin was ambitious and had long harbored dreams of political power. So, despite not knowing exactly where this offer of support was coming from, he saw it as an opportunity too good to pass up.
The deal was made quickly. Benjamin figured that if he didn't win, at least the money wasn't coming out of his pocket. And if he did win, he could always handle his benefactors later. After all, they were backing him before he'd even become successful—surely a little payback would be expected once he was in power. But for now, it was too early to worry about that. He'd cross that bridge when the time came.
Having secured Benjamin Arthur's cooperation, Mozzie and Gianna completed their mission in Washington in just a few days and returned to Long Island. By the time they got back, Castle and Little Fatty had only just finished laying out the framework for the AI project. Given that Castle couldn't reveal the true origin of the technology, he had to pretend he was coming up with everything from scratch, which slowed things down. But Castle didn't mind the delay. The supercomputer they needed to run the AI was still under construction, and it would be some time before it arrived. There was no rush.
Castle had also roped Little Fatty into the project to deflect suspicion. After all, people might be skeptical of how a former novelist could suddenly create advanced AI, no matter how talented he was with computers. But with Little Fatty, a lifelong computer genius, working alongside him, any doubts about the project's authenticity would be easier to dispel.
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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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