Castle, eager to test the power of his newly designed missile, moved quickly. Within ten minutes of entering the assembly room, he had loaded the missile with explosive charge specifically prepared for this trial. He came out with a compact launcher, connected it to a laptop, and led everyone—including an irritated but tolerant Beckett, who was trying to save him some face—down to his private beach. Ivan and the others followed, curiosity piqued.
For the launch, Jarvis had already deployed two drones to survey the surrounding area. Chubby and Ramsay, enjoying a rare break in the sunlight, were fascinated by the small launcher in Castle's hands. The compactness of this mini-missile was like something out of sci-fi. They couldn't help but wonder what a disaster it would be if one of these missiles fell into the hands of Middle Eastern insurgents—there'd be chaos.
After ensuring the launcher was secured on the beach, Castle had everyone step back. Once Jarvis confirmed that no boats or bystanders were near the target area, Castle activated the launcher with his smart wristband and gave the command to fire.
Thanks to Tony Stark's design, which Castle had adapted, the device worked flawlessly. After powering up and receiving the launch command, the launcher shot the "Ex-Wife" missile from its nest. The missile's micro-engine kicked in right away, propelling it over the sea toward the designated area.
Everyone on the beach craned their necks, watching the missile speed out over the ocean, even Beckett, who had been against the idea of this beach test. They were all curious: just how powerful was this little device?
Unlike conventional high explosives, Castle's new compound produced a massive effect. As the missile dove into the water, Jarvis triggered the detonation without delay. With no specific target, the missile simply exploded underwater, but even with only fifteen grams of the explosive, it sent an enormous column of water almost 40 meters into the air, startling everyone.
Castle, meanwhile, felt a wave of relief. Thankfully, this launch hadn't turned out like the comically misfired "Ex-Wife" missile by Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, which had embarrassingly failed against Ivan Vanko. Had this happened, Castle would've been mortified.
Pleased with the successful demonstration, Castle and the group returned to the main house, where Alexis joined them with baby Onona in tow. Out of consideration for the kids, the group refrained from talking about the missile and instead relaxed with casual conversation. Gianna, ever the businesswoman, was on the phone with the CEO of her family's Italian aircraft company, planning how to secure a production license for the missile once Castle finalized his negotiations with Northrop. Chubby and Ramsay were off in a corner, chatting about their own projects. Side note: Chubby had recently won over Ramsay, news that brought Castle a proud, fatherly smile.
Out of everyone present, only Beckett seemed uneasy. Castle had changed so much from when they first met, back when he was just a writer. Over the past year, it was as if his talents had mutated, transforming him into a polymath who balanced literature and engineering effortlessly. Not only had he designed a new type of drone and a specialized cluster missile for Northrop, but he'd also developed an artificial intelligence straight out of a sci-fi movie. Now he was showing off a mini-missile, leaving Beckett wondering if a spaceship would be next.
Having fulfilled his dream of firing his creation out to sea, Castle wasn't paying attention to Beckett's concerns. Instead, he was happily playing with little Onona. Everyone knew Castle and Alexis adored this sweet little girl, so nobody disturbed their fun.
But Castle wasn't only playing around; he was mulling over whether he should inform Northrop about the successful missile test. After all, the best platform for this missile would likely be the very drone he'd designed for Northrop, as they shared a technical lineage that made them perfectly compatible.
Just as he was weighing this decision, Alexis chatted excitedly by his side. She had recently received her driver's license, and to everyone's surprise, instead of opting for a small, girlish car like a Mini or Fiat 500, she convinced her dad to buy her a Ford F-350 pickup. Originally, she'd wanted an F-150, but Castle, failing to persuade her to choose something more fitting, eventually caved and upgraded her to the F-350 under the pretense of safety.
The family's reaction to this choice led to jokes that Alexis secretly had a "tough girl" side. But Castle knew better; she was a future powerhouse. In the original series he'd watched, Alexis had taken over his detective agency after Beckett's promotion. She'd run it so well that business boomed.
So Castle wasn't concerned about his teenage daughter driving an F-350 to Manhattan High School every day. Besides, she had a whole security team watching over her.
Later, after a celebratory barbecue to mark the successful test, Castle picked up the phone to call Northrop's senior VP, who had been eagerly monitoring his progress.
"What did you say? You've already built it? And you tested it on your beach just yesterday?" The VP sounded amazed. He was used to Castle's rapid work style, but this was fast even by those standards.
"…Alright. I'll be on the next flight to New York," he said, barely containing his excitement. Then he hurriedly reported the news up the chain of command, which caused a stir among Northrop's top brass.
An assessment team, led by the senior VP, was quickly assembled and put on a flight to New York.
When the team arrived at Castle's estate, he wasted no time in showing them a prototype of the missile, minus the explosive charge. Holding a missile barely the size of a Cuban cigar, the team members looked on in stunned silence, some even disbelieving. But the missile was real, and they were holding it—this weapon that had sprung from the mind of a former writer.
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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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