At the brink of his own demise, Steve was too consumed with excitement to notice the trap closing in on him. Behind the group of so-called "mercenaries" he'd hired from impoverished African regions, a meticulously planned ambush was already in motion. The presence of Castle, a close friend of the D'Antonio family heiress, had led the Venice head of the family to nearly mobilize all their resources in the city.
Steve, at heart, was just a greedy thief. Despite his cunning, his vision was limited. He mistakenly believed that by hiring a few mercenaries with combat experience, he had a significant advantage over Charlie, Neal, and the elderly John. In truth, his lack of understanding of real battlefield tactics meant he had no idea that he was the one stepping into a trap.
While Charlie drove, Neal received updates through his Bluetooth earpiece. Castle had personally arrived at the dam where Steve was waiting, ensuring no accidents would befall them. With a relaxed tone, Neal reassured John in the backseat: "Don't worry. We've confirmed Steve's bad intentions. According to my friend, he's on the dam with his hired guns, ready to ambush us.
"As soon as we arrive, Steve plans to force us to surrender the gold with their help and then eliminate us. But he's so blinded by greed, he doesn't realize there's already a trap waiting for him. Ha!"
Charlie, who was driving, stopped the car about five hundred meters from the dam, feeling conflicted. "So, should we follow your friend's plan and not go?"
Neal chuckled. "If it weren't for your lingering faith in Steve, we wouldn't even need to be here! Now that we're sure of his intentions, there's no reason to proceed. We don't need to risk getting caught by a stray bullet."
John, seated in the back, let out a dry laugh, well-accustomed to deceit and betrayal. "Alright, since we're certain of Steve's intentions, let's tell your friend to finish it up. No need to waste any more time!"
This was the very realization Castle had come to that morning. With the upper hand, there was no reason to expose Neal and his team to unnecessary danger. As long as Charlie fully saw Steve's true colors, there was no point in meeting him face-to-face.
Meanwhile, on the dam, Steve had everything prepared and was already fantasizing about his life after he claimed the three million dollars in gold for himself. But something strange happened—the car he was expecting stopped five hundred meters away and, oddly enough, seemed to be turning around?
Steve, a petty but clever man, quickly realized something was wrong. Charlie's unexpected decision to turn the car around hinted at a flaw in his plan. Recognizing that he might need to act quickly to secure the gold, he decided to command the mercenaries to pursue them.
But just as Steve raised his hand to give the order, a gunshot echoed. His vision went black, and he knew no more.
Castle, lying in wait on a ridge less than three hundred meters away, had personally taken the shot. After Neal informed him that they were close and that Charlie had fully understood Steve's betrayal, Castle instructed them to turn around, eliminating any chance they'd risk getting hit in a crossfire. Confident in the D'Antonio family's forces, he saw no reason to let Steve live to cause further trouble.
When Steve realized Charlie's car was turning around and attempted to give chase, Castle pulled the trigger without hesitation, completing his mission to ensure Steve wouldn't leave Venice alive. With this clean kill, Castle was free to leave the mop-up to the D'Antonio family's men. After a single shot to eliminate Steve, he confidently handed off the situation to his allies and headed back toward Venice.
Not far from the dam, Neal received Jarvis's update on Steve's fate and casually informed John and Charlie of the result, keeping Castle's involvement under wraps. The three of them, relieved, returned to the safehouse where they had hidden the gold.
"Neal, are you sure we shouldn't give a share to your friend who helped us uncover Steve's trap and saved our lives?" Charlie asked.
Castle had made it clear to Neal the previous night that he was on vacation with his daughter and girlfriend and only got involved because of Neal and the unexpected intervention from his system. Neal respected Castle's decision, so he explained, "He's a friend, and he only helped because he learned about it by chance. He's here on vacation and doesn't want this incident to ruin it."
Though Charlie and John understood the subtext—they knew they were dealing with someone who had just saved their lives without expecting anything in return—they accepted the explanation.
Castle, meanwhile, was at a pier, waiting for Beckett and Alexis to pick him up by boat. He reminded himself that even though this was a vacation, he had to put on a convincing appearance. Standing idly on the dock, he found himself reflecting on the past year since he'd arrived in this world. It struck him that his life was increasingly resembling that of a villain, despite his system designating him as a "lawful good." Somehow, he was wandering further down a darker path. Was he really becoming a villain?
In the past year, he'd killed more people than he could count, and he realized he had developed a taste for operating from the shadows. His system, however, hadn't intervened. Did this mean that, despite his actions, the system still considered him a "good" person?
"I may smoke, drink, and… well, do questionable things, but I'm still a good guy, right?"
Castle liked to think of himself as a good person, even if his deeds weren't exactly "heroic." He wondered if there might be something wrong with him, given that all the good he'd done was based on personal bias or loyalty to friends. Did that even count as lawful good?
Lost in thought, Castle didn't notice when Beckett and Alexis arrived. Fortunately, his daughter's call snapped him back to reality. With a shake of his head, he brushed away his earlier doubts. So what if he wasn't a traditional "good guy"? As long as his friends and family were safe and happy, that was all that mattered. He wasn't here to save the world—keeping those close to him safe was enough. Why worry about anything else?
With this newfound clarity, he happily boarded the boat and set off to explore Venice with Beckett and Alexis.
Meanwhile, in Frankfurt, Germany, Fatty and Ramsey were about to face a crisis of their own…
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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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