Beckett held an empty missile shell, lacking any explosives. Since none of them were professionals, Castle didn't dare let his fiancée handle a fully assembled missile. Everyone was curious why Castle had given this little gadget such an odd name.
Castle, with a mock-serious expression, said, "This is a tribute to a guy named Hammer. He was a real clown, but he's the reason I got the idea for this mini-missile. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have thought of this design."
Beckett looked confused. She could tell from his tone that this "Hammer" was probably real, but she'd never heard of him—and judging by the expressions around her, neither had anyone else.
Seeing the puzzled faces, Castle quickly changed the topic. "So, what do you all think of this mini-missile? Actually, I have an even smaller design in mind. I can make it as slim as a pen, totally usable as a personal weapon. Right now, with the current machining precision, I couldn't fully solve a few issues, so I had to settle on this size."
Everyone gaped as Castle explained, shocked he wasn't satisfied with the current size—it was already down to a cigar! Just this size was enough for individual combat use, yet he wanted it even smaller? Was he joking?
But Castle wasn't joking. What he described was similar to the micro-missiles Tony Stark used as Iron Man in the Marvel world, mounted on his Mark II suit. Castle had acquired the design thanks to the system's reward of Tony Stark's mechanical skills, which included blueprints for these micro-missiles.
However, after comparing the Marvel world's tech level and this world's machining precision, and realizing the military here wouldn't invest in such tech like Stark, he decided to drop the idea. Producing something that compact would attract the wrong buyers—gangs and terrorists—since it was small, powerful, and easy to conceal. If released, it could be a game-changer for guerrilla groups and other resistance organizations worldwide, who would use it against the US military. After careful thought, he decided not to pursue that design and focused instead on developing the "Ex-Wife."
The only one present who understood the potential was Gianna. As a family heir trained from a young age, this attractive mother looked at the "Ex-Wife" with delight. "Rick, I heard you're planning to authorize the production of your designs through this 'Castle Technology Lab' you just established. So, besides local authorization, you're also considering international sales, right?"
Castle caught onto the implication immediately and laughed. "Gianna, just say what you want. No need for formalities. Does your family have a munitions business?"
Gianna rolled her eyes at his forgetfulness. "Have you forgotten about your drones? You authorized their production to an Italian aircraft manufacturing company, where my family holds the majority share. The EU has started placing large orders for drones with my company since Northrop received the next-gen US military drone contract, and the EU had to follow suit.
"You just said that any company with aircraft manufacturing capability could produce this new missile. So why shouldn't I seize this opportunity to secure a production license?"
Castle was still processing her words when Beckett interjected. "Gianna, you probably won't get the license for this missile, at least not easily. Remember, the only reason you got the drone license was that domestic weapons manufacturers weren't aware of it back then, and it wasn't considered an offensive weapon."
"This missile, however, is a different story. I bet once Castle releases it, it'll be heavily regulated. The power of that special high-explosive compound alone would make this missile highly restricted, especially with its small size and large destructive power. I doubt you'll get authorization this time."
Gianna took a moment to think, realizing Beckett was right. The drone license was a stroke of luck since domestic arms manufacturers hadn't yet jumped on it, and drones weren't classified as offensive weapons. But this missile? Small, powerful, and armed with a new explosive? Castle had even spoken to Northrop about it, which meant they'd be closely monitoring his progress. Unlike the drones, acquiring a license for this missile would be difficult.
Even among friends, asking someone to risk giving a regulated weapon license would be too much.
Castle, however, had a different take. "No need to worry. Sure, Northrop is tracking my progress, but that doesn't mean they're guaranteed to be interested. The reason I established this makeshift lab was that Northrop didn't want to trade more of their company shares, so I made my own lab to transfer production rights to any arms company willing to pay top dollar.
"So Gianna, getting the European production license for this mini-missile isn't impossible. It just might take a little time."
Having said that, Castle grew excited. Since the high-explosive compound he developed was incredibly powerful, he hadn't dared to synthesize it freely on his property. After a few small experimental batches, he only had about fifteen grams left for testing. Now, surrounded by everyone, his thrill-seeking spirit was kicking in.
"The explosive power is just too high, so I synthesized only enough for one missile. How about we head to the coast and fire it out over the water? Let's see how strong this explosive really is." He took the empty missile shell from Beckett, his tone brimming with anticipation.
Beckett's eyes widened. "Are you insane? This is New York's high-end residential area, and you want to test-fire a missile here? If anything goes wrong, you'll be in massive trouble!"
Everyone stared at Castle, taken aback by his boldness. This was Long Island, full of New York's elite, and here he was, talking about firing a missile over the water, knowing full well how powerful the explosive was?
Castle smiled sheepishly and tried to appease the furious Beckett. "I just wanted to show you all how powerful this mini-missile is. I'll aim toward the ocean, and as long as I'm careful, nothing will happen. This is an experiment, alright? It's a very serious experiment!"
Watching Castle's serious expression as he spoke, the group collectively sighed. This guy had zero shame. Clearly, he just wanted to show off his mini-missile, but he was acting as if he were conducting rigorous research! Firing a missile in Long Island's rich neighborhood? He had guts.
Castle, without waiting for more objections from Beckett, entered a reinforced room while blocking everyone else outside.
Seeing she couldn't stop the madman from launching a missile into the ocean, Beckett sighed, her exasperation making Gianna chuckle. "Kate, don't worry. I believe Rick knows what he's doing. He's just a big kid who got a new toy and wants to show it off to his friends.
"Besides, all the beaches here are private. As long as he fires it a short distance out to sea, nothing major should happen."
As frustrated as she was by her boyfriend's childlike behavior, Beckett couldn't deny that Gianna was right. If Castle didn't get a chance to show off, he'd keep pushing until he did. She sighed, thinking, "Why did I end up with such an unreliable boyfriend?"
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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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