Chapter 421: Progress

Although the kidnapping of the chubby guy turned out to be a farce due to General Atomics' misguided intelligence, it still proved one thing: Castle's drone design was indeed impressive. The chubby guy, who had been kidnapped and taken to a small private airport in the Bronx, was later rescued by Castle, who subdued everyone with a powerful tranquilizer. However, the mere fact that General Atomics had reacted so drastically highlighted the awe-inspiring capabilities of the drone. Particularly in the eyes of experts, the drone's ability to fly around New York City without triggering any alarms was remarkable. While the small size of the drone might have helped it avoid radar detection, its ability to navigate through a city filled with skyscrapers indicated the sophistication of its flight control system.

After all, it was precisely because General Atomics' engineers needed to test their new drone in New York that they noticed the chubby guy's drone flying all over the city undetected, leading to their ill-fated kidnapping attempt.

Mozzie glanced at Castle, who was driving with a goofy smile on his face, wondering what kind of daydream he was lost in this time. He had only mentioned Neal, and Castle had already spaced out, yet managed to drive with remarkable skill. Mozzie shook his head in amusement; it was better this way. If Castle started asking questions about Neal, Mozzie would be stuck between not knowing how much to reveal and what to keep secret. This way, Castle's distraction saved him the trouble.

Since receiving a reward from the System, which upgraded Castle's driving skills to match those of Vanessa Lopez, Castle's driving had improved significantly. He soon arrived at Gianna's estate in Long Island with Mozzie, who was deep in thought. John was taking a walk with the pregnant Gianna in the garden, and when they saw Castle's car pull up, they didn't rush over but continued their leisurely stroll. Gianna's belly was growing larger by the day, and she needed to maintain a certain level of physical activity. They knew Castle was here mainly for the drone business, so they didn't hurry; they could greet him later.

Castle and Mozzie parked in front of the small building where the chubby guy was staying. The chubby guy was already tinkering with the two drones on the lawn. Ever since the drones had been handed over to him, he had mastered them to an astonishing degree. He now proudly considered himself an expert in operating and controlling these drones.

Seeing Castle's car arrive, the chubby guy finally stopped what he was doing and stood up to greet them. The three of them entered the chubby guy's building, and Castle explained the change in plans to Mozzie. Initially, Castle had planned to sell the drone designs and semi-intelligent flight control system to Northrop Grumman as a one-time deal, but now he wanted to seek shares in the company instead. This meant he needed to discuss the matter with Mozzie, who handled legal affairs.

It was only now that Mozzie learned of Castle's new plan. After hearing Castle out, Mozzie pondered for a long time before finally speaking. "Rick, this idea is much better than the one-time sale we initially considered. We all know the significance of Northrop Grumman in this country. Using this drone to establish a relationship with them is a very smart move."

Mozzie didn't say the other part of what he was thinking. Given Castle's current trajectory—going after Senator William Bracken while also provoking a congressman—Mozzie was almost certain that once Neal returned to New York, and Castle learned of what had happened to Neal, Castle would enthusiastically get involved in Neal's vendetta against another New York State senator, Trenton Platt. Therefore, while Castle had the drone that Northrop Grumman desperately needed, it was wiser to seek shares in the company rather than a cash payment. By securing a "tiger's skin" of protection, Castle would have some security in his upcoming battles against those two senators and the congressman.

Additionally, trading the drone designs and flight control system for shares in Northrop Grumman meant that Castle wouldn't have to pay taxes to the IRS. The IRS is a formidable entity, requiring a cut of any transaction within the USA. But by forgoing a cash payment and instead exchanging the drone for shares, Castle would avoid paying a single cent in taxes—a very prudent move.

The chubby guy remained silent, simply listening as Castle and Mozzie quickly worked out the key points of their upcoming negotiations with Northrop Grumman. Once they confirmed everything, Castle and Mozzie discussed the specific timing of the negotiations. Since Castle was about to help Beckett with her revenge by capturing Vulcan Simmons, William Bracken's henchman who had been laundering drug money for him, they decided to schedule the negotiations for next month. With December nearly over and Christmas approaching, setting the meeting for the start of the new year made sense. After all, both Castle and Cat Factory were eager to make the deal; any differences would likely be minor and revolve around the number of shares. Since Castle's goal wasn't to acquire a significant portion of Cat Factory's shares but rather to secure a protective "tiger's skin," there wouldn't be much contention in the negotiations. Scheduling the talks for the start of the new year would allow for a smooth negotiation and would give the Northrop Grumman aerospace technical director a nice "New Year's gift."

Castle harbored a deeper, more hidden ambition regarding Northrop Grumman. As a lifelong fan of the F-14 Tomcat, he was intrigued by the company's secretive development of the "Super Tomcat." The F-14 was his favorite fighter jet, and it wasn't phased out because it was outdated but because it was too expensive to maintain, so much so that even the mighty US Navy couldn't afford it, leading to the F-18 Hornet—a much cheaper and partly plastic aircraft—replacing it. However, after losing the Navy's contract, Northrop Grumman had continued secretly refining their star fighter jet. Now, with mechanical skills on par with Tony Stark from the Marvel Universe, Castle dreamed of offering his own suggestions for the "Super Tomcat" if he managed to secure shares in Northrop Grumman. Doing so would demonstrate his value to the company while fulfilling a personal dream—a win-win situation.

Castle's aircraft design skills had already been proven with these two drones. If his proposed improvements to the Super Tomcat caught the eye of Northrop Grumman, it could elevate his status within the company. Since his primary job wasn't in aircraft design or manufacturing but as a writer, he wouldn't be competing for jobs with the engineers. Instead, as an independent shareholder offering personal insights, he might just bring some unique changes to the still-hidden "Super Tomcat."

After finalizing the negotiation details and timing with Mozzie and asking him to reach out to Northrop Grumman, Castle shifted his focus back to the more pressing matters: Congressman Gavin and Beckett's arch-nemesis, Senator William Bracken.

The chubby guy, finally getting a chance to show off, eagerly jumped at the mention of the situation. "Uncle Rick, remember yesterday when I told you that I hacked into the surveillance cameras outside Nick Cunan's safe house and discovered that he was taken by a group of people who clearly weren't law enforcement? I was bored later and checked the traffic cameras using Peanuts, and guess what—I found out that the people who captured Nick Cunan were indeed working for that congressman. But since we lack proper equipment there, I couldn't determine what happened to him afterward. However, I noticed that last night, Congressman Gavin rushed to the home of a big-shot donkey and stayed there for quite a while.

The surveillance footage shows that when the congressman arrived, he was extremely nervous and rushed, but he left looking very relaxed. So I made a bold guess that Congressman Gavin might have obtained something from Nick Cunan—something that could protect him or, even more daringly, something that could bring down Senator William Bracken. That would explain why he seemed so relieved. Also, we mustn't overlook an important detail: Senator William Bracken is a member of the Elephant Party, while Congressman Gavin is with the Donkeys. The person whose home he visited last night is also a prominent figure in the Donkey Party, so..."

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]