The negotiations, which had mutual understanding from both sides, concluded at a rapid pace. When Moz walked out of the Northrop Grumman office in New York, he still felt dazed. "Rick, am I dreaming? Did Grumman really give you one percent of their shares? You know, this company is valued at no less than 30 billion USD! (Note: After the 2008 financial crisis, Northrop Grumman's market value kept rising and by 2016 it reached 40.7 billion USD, but the author used a lower estimate, as this isn't the same world!) Does your drone design blueprint combined with the semi-intelligent flight control system source code really hold that much value? I suspect when you were in that conference room alone with the VP for so long, there must have been some other conditions, right?"
Castle, feeling quite satisfied, showed no impatience with Moz's questions. "Yes, when you were with their financial and legal teams to confirm the share transfer, the senior vice president candidly told me that all the shareholders of their company are aware of my feud with Senator William Bracken.
At the same time, he also mentioned that although their company has long been a major supporter of the Elephant Party, William Bracken is not liked by the shareholders or the families behind them. So naturally, they are on my side, given that I can make them a lot of money. After all, the bidding for the next-generation U.S. military drones will start in March next year, and my drone design is already complete. All they have to do is follow the blueprints to produce a finished product. Plus, they've seen the performance of those two drones that Fatty has been flying around New York lately. They've pretty much figured out the performance indicators. And they know those two drones are basically just DIY prototypes. The real finished products will be much larger. All these factors combined led to them reaching an agreement with me so quickly.
And don't forget, they also acquired the source code for my semi-intelligent flight control system. The VP himself said that my flight control system could be integrated not only into my own drones but also into their company's flagship product, the Global Hawk. They saw impressive results when they tested it on the Global Hawk. I think that's another reason why they were eager to strike a deal."
Moz marveled at Castle, who seemed to be playing it down despite his success. He knew Castle wasn't just after the money; he was looking for a strong backer. Now it seemed Castle's plan had indeed come to fruition. Moz felt genuinely happy for his friend.
Castle, feeling at ease, added, "It's not just about handing over the drone blueprints and the flight control system's source code. Don't forget, they also gave me a drone design project. From now on, I'm a consultant for Northrop Grumman's design department. I have to help them design a new drone for next year's military competition. It's not as easy as you think."
Moz gave Castle a speechless look, watching him show off. He stayed quiet, just waiting to see how long Castle could keep up his act.
Castle realized his tone was inviting trouble and quickly stopped himself from bragging further. "Now that we've completed the initial plan, let's head to Long Island to visit John and Gianna. I heard from John that they're returning to Rome in a couple of days. Gianna is more than five months pregnant and needs to go back to Rome to rest and prepare for the birth. She won't even be spending Christmas with us. So, while we still have time, let's go have some fun with them!"
But Castle's visit to Long Island wasn't just about saying goodbye to John and Gianna. He also needed to bring back Fatty, who had been letting loose lately, to help with a few things. Despite Castle's claims that he was no longer concerned about the battle between Beckett and Bracken, he couldn't truly let it go. He knew that in this quirky country, many things required following proper "procedure." Although the police and district attorney had already started an investigation into Senator Bracken's illegal activities, Bracken wasn't someone to be easily dealt with, especially considering the powerful support of the Elephant Party behind him.
Castle felt it was wise to take advantage of John and Gianna's departure for Rome to bring Fatty back from the heavily guarded estate. After all, Castle had already struck a deal with Northrop Grumman, becoming a shareholder. He figured General Atomics, who had once kidnapped Fatty, wouldn't dare make another move. If they still had any ill intentions, why hadn't they made another attempt after Castle rejected their initial contact? It was likely because Northrop Grumman had warned them privately, meaning Fatty didn't need to hide out at Gianna's estate anymore.
Another reason Castle needed to visit the estate was to retrieve the treasures he'd recovered from the submarine he salvaged with Vincent. This included nearly 50 tons of gold stamped with the eagle insignia of a certain mustached dictator, along with other valuable art pieces. With Gianna and John heading to Rome, the security at the estate would decrease, and Castle couldn't risk something happening to those items.
Gianna had already informed Castle to pick a time to remove the treasures from the estate.
Castle was in a bit of a bind. He wasn't sure how to handle these treasures. He couldn't simply split them evenly among the group, recalling the old saying, "an inch of kindness leads to a yard of hatred." As someone from a culture with a thousand-year history of political intrigue, Castle understood this concept well. Even Gianna's French friend's family, who got back their two paintings and a sculpture, had to pay several billion USD, which Castle instructed Gianna to leave in Switzerland, untouched, as he had no idea what to do with such a large sum.
Now that Gianna and John were leaving, it wasn't suitable to keep the treasure at the estate any longer. Neil and Alex had already received their share of one ton of gold each, which Moz had arranged for them. That's why Alex was able to fly off to Spain the day after Vincent was taken out by Castle and John. As for Fatty's gold, it was still in the estate since Fatty didn't care much about it. He hadn't even spent the money he got from his adventures in Brazil with Uncle Rick. After upgrading his computer, he had nowhere else to spend it. Just when he was about to enjoy life, he got kidnapped by General Atomics. If it hadn't been for Castle's swift action, Fatty would have been taken to the West Coast by now.
Since then, Fatty had been living at Gianna's estate. For a recluse like Fatty, the estate was paradise. Whatever he wanted to eat, he just had to ask, and it would be delivered to him. It was even more convenient than ordering takeout at home. Where would Fatty find the chance to spend any money?
While Castle and Moz joked on their way to Gianna's estate on Long Island, Senator William Bracken sat in his office, furious, roaring like a madman. He couldn't believe that someone as powerful as he was had fallen. Although he was only a "suspect" in name, he, being a seasoned politician, could already sense the impending disaster. His political party had just left his office, and the message they brought was nothing short of devastating: his party was planning to abandon him.
Yes, the Elephant Party was no slower than Bracken himself. They had already learned that the New York police and DA had solid evidence of Bracken's crimes. Moreover, they knew that the company bankrolling the party had absorbed the writer who played a key role in Bracken's downfall. This writer had somehow acquired something that deeply interested the Elephant Party's benefactors. Now, this same writer had become a shareholder in Northrop Grumman, the only company with the capability and facilities to manufacture nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
Although Castle was only a minor shareholder, he was no longer someone the Elephant Party could afford to manipulate. Reluctantly, they had made the difficult decision to abandon their once-prized political star, Senator William Bracken.
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