Chapter 278: Escalation

The bomb was far more powerful than the one detonated at the department store on Fifth Avenue earlier that morning. John McClane barely managed to get everyone off the subway in time, and because he was checking for any stragglers, he was the last to leave. When the bomb exploded, it nearly took the invincible John McClane's life. Luckily, he had already stepped onto the exit stairs when the bomb went off. Despite the massive explosion that collapsed the entire Wall Street subway station, John McClane survived, albeit barely.

With the explosion, Simon's plan to rob the Federal Reserve vault was officially underway. As a soot-covered John McClane emerged from the half-collapsed Wall Street subway station, Beckett, who was outside maintaining order and preventing bystanders from entering, received an urgent order from headquarters. All NYPD officers were to stop their leave and report for duty immediately to find the 2,400-pound bomb Simon had hidden in one of New York's 1,446 schools.

Meanwhile, the ever-present and resourceful media had already connected the two explosions from this morning. Astonishingly, even without any press release from Simon, these journalists managed to uncover Simon's identity and his history with John McClane, and began widely reporting on their enmity.

As news of the 2,400-pound bomb in an unspecified New York school spread, the entire city erupted in panic.

High-ranking officials, whose children also attended these schools, were particularly alarmed. Simon had revealed the bomb's existence but not its exact location or the school's name, leaving the police in a dire situation. The FBI and Homeland Security, previously vying for jurisdiction over the Fifth Avenue explosion, were now dragged into the fray as well.

Because of the media leak, the NYPD had no choice but to temporarily set aside the Wall Street subway station bombing investigation. Every officer was dispatched to search for the bomb in schools across the city. The mayor and other high-ranking officials were putting immense pressure on the police. This pressure, which could have crushed the NYPD, unexpectedly extended to the FBI and Homeland Security as well, turning the situation into a black comedy of sorts.

In this chaos, Captain Montgomery remained unfazed. He knew that Castle would soon reveal the exact location of the bomb. All he had to do was wait and then lead Beckett and his team to defuse the situation under the eyes of New York's high-ranking officials, reaping political benefits and rewards.

So, while all of New York's law enforcement was frantically searching for the bomb, Captain Montgomery leisurely sat in his office, waiting for Castle's intel. He knew the situation hadn't fully escalated yet, and Castle understood this too. It would be at least two hours before Castle provided any useful information, giving Montgomery time to relax.

As Captain Montgomery sipped his coffee, Beckett stormed into his office. Unlike others, Beckett was aware of the plan between her boss and Castle, but her sense of responsibility made it hard for her to sit idly by while her colleagues searched tirelessly for the bomb.

Seeing Beckett's expression, Montgomery immediately understood her frustration. With ample experience in dealing with her, he calmed her down with a single sentence: "Beckett, no matter how anxious you are, Castle still needs time to gather information. If you go out now, you'll only be wasting time, energy, and manpower. It's better to wait for Castle's notification, right?"

Beckett, initially full of momentum, deflated at her boss's words. Montgomery was right; rushing out wouldn't solve anything. Additionally, the Wall Street explosion site had been handed over to the city's construction team, so Beckett had no choice but to accept and leave Montgomery's office.

However, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She immediately called Castle, hoping to expedite the process of finding the bomb.

Castle, fully aware of Beckett's impatience, appeased her with vague reassurances before refocusing on the surveillance footage. Simon had begun his next move.

Simon and his men had quietly taken over the Federal Reserve Bank's lobby and successfully gained control of the building. They were now heading towards the underground vault. Meanwhile, the fourteen garbage trucks were arriving near the Wall Street subway station, ready to enter the subway tunnel and, under the guise of clearing debris from the explosion, move closer to the Federal Reserve vault.

Watching Simon's men execute the plan flawlessly, the tech guy excitedly remarked to Castle, "Uncle Rick, Simon's team is really something!"

Castle, lounging on the sofa and munching on the tech guy's snacks, replied indistinctly, "Of course. Most of Simon's men are his former comrades from the German military. They're all highly trained professionals. If we didn't know his plan in advance, the NYPD would be caught off guard, let alone those clueless FBI and Homeland Security agents."

As Simon's men smoothly executed their plan, maneuvering the garbage trucks into the subway tunnel and diverting them to a passageway near the Federal Reserve vault, the tech guy, having hacked into the subway tunnel cameras, exclaimed, "Uncle Rick, Simon really plans to use the fake bomb to distract law enforcement and blast a path to the Federal Reserve vault. Isn't he worried about being discovered?"

Castle, patient with the tech guy's naivety, explained, "Look at Manhattan's streets now. Can you find fifty cops? The police are all being pressured by officials with kids in school to search for the bomb. Wall Street is practically unguarded! Except for our John McClane and Zeus, it won't be long before McClane notices something's off and realizes there are no police on Wall Street."

Just as Castle finished speaking, the drone feed showed John McClane, disheveled and bruised, stumbling out of an ambulance. As Zeus approached him, McClane was already sensing something was wrong. 

First, it was odd that such a massive explosion, which collapsed the Wall Street subway station, had no police presence. Secondly, the drivers of the garbage trucks that passed by gave McClane a bad feeling. The last time he had felt this way was during the Nakatomi Plaza incident in Los Angeles, where Simon's brother led a team of former German soldiers. The drivers he had just seen gave him the same vibe, raising his suspicions.

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