Finally free to begin his "flight training," which was destined to progress at an astonishing pace, Castle thoroughly enjoyed watching the escalating feud between Britain, the U.S., and Turkey. At the same time, he also relished the shocked expressions of Big Ivan, Little Fatty, and even his flight instructor. In just a few days, he had already mastered flying a basic Cessna trainer, effortlessly performing S-turns and intricate maneuvers that left everyone—including his instructor—utterly speechless.
For someone already possessing advanced piloting skills, operating a slow-moving trainer was child's play. While Big Ivan and the others were amazed by their employer's rapid progress, John remained entirely unfazed.
After all, he knew better than anyone just how much of a freak Castle was. If this guy could match John's marksmanship, it meant he had exceptional reflexes and strong motor skills—both essential traits for learning to fly.
So, from John's perspective, Castle's "rapid progress" was nothing out of the ordinary.
Among the ten people who had signed up for flight training together, the only one still struggling on the ground was Little Fatty. He was stuck using the six-degrees-of-freedom simulator, painstakingly trying to figure out how to get a real plane off the ground. Unlike video games or even drone piloting, flying an actual aircraft was far more complex.
Meanwhile, as Castle and his friends trained at MacArthur Airport, Turkey finally snapped under the pressure from Britain and the U.S.
Just as Castle was enjoying the show from the sidelines, Turkey made a shocking announcement:
"Due to unfair treatment, we have decided to withdraw from NATO, effective January 1st of next year."
This declaration sent shockwaves around the world!
Turkey had been suffering in silence. The entire debacle had started because its agent, while eliminating a compromised British spy in New York, had inadvertently triggered a diplomatic crisis. The U.S. had seized the opportunity to accuse Britain of illegal espionage, making the Brits furious at Turkey for setting off the chain of events that led to their exposure.
After smoothing things over with Washington and signing a number of unfavorable agreements, Britain still needed someone to take out their frustration on. Naturally, Turkey—the root cause of their troubles—became the prime target.
And when it came to scheming, Britain had centuries of experience.
Unlike their brash American cousins, who had botched their covert operations in Turkey, the Brits struck with surgical precision. The CIA's previous failures had been due to sheer arrogance—they had acted as if their money and manpower made them untouchable, operating so carelessly that the Turkish intelligence services had easily caught them in the act.
The Brits, however, were on a whole different level.
So, how did Britain strike?
First, they issued a seemingly neutral statement expressing "strong concern" over the dire living conditions faced by Kurdish communities not only in Turkey but also in Syria and Iraq.
Then, invoking their favorite Western buzzword—"humanitarian aid"—they announced a plan to support these oppressed minorities.
Of course, this was merely a pretext.
Having already coordinated with the U.S., Britain took the lead in leveraging American military stockpiles left over from Middle Eastern conflicts. Under the guise of "civilian supplies," they orchestrated a massive convoy from U.S.- and UK-controlled regions of Iraq and Syria. Without the slightest attempt at secrecy, they openly funneled military-grade weapons and equipment to Kurdish insurgents in Turkey.
These groups, already squeezed into a shrinking space by the Turkish government, now received a fresh influx of arms and supplies. With renewed strength, they launched a new wave of destabilizing attacks against the Turkish regime.
For Turkey, this was a direct slap in the face.
The Kurdish militant groups Britain was arming were officially designated as terrorist organizations by the Turkish government!
Yet here were Britain and the U.S.—the very nations that had spent decades waging their so-called "global war on terror"—now brazenly discarding their pretense and aiding a group they had once labeled as terrorists.
This was the true face of Western geopolitics.
And the Brits weren't done yet.
This was just step one. Unlike their American counterparts, who preferred brute-force tactics, the Brits played a much deeper game.
After securing U.S. agreement to transfer a large stockpile of surplus military assets from abandoned Middle Eastern bases—some of which were earmarked for Kurdish insurgents—Britain then turned to another of Turkey's longstanding adversaries: Greece.
For years, Greece and Turkey had been locked in territorial disputes over numerous islands in the Aegean Sea. Normally, with its weakened economy and massive debts, Greece was in no position to challenge Turkey militarily.
But then, out of nowhere, Britain stepped in with a military aid package.
For Greece, this was an unexpected windfall.
The Greek Prime Minister couldn't believe his luck. Britain, backed by the U.S., was now offering to strengthen Greece's military capabilities against Turkey?
Turkey, you son of a bitch—look at you now!
This was the only thought running through the Greek leader's mind as he received the news.
With multiple adversaries closing in, Turkey found itself completely overwhelmed.
The Turkish government had never anticipated such a drastic escalation. Who could have predicted that Britain and the U.S. would so shamelessly discard all diplomatic facades and take such extreme measures?
Desperate to counter the onslaught, Turkey tried to rally international support—but the problem was, the captured Turkish agent had already been paraded by the U.S. as proof of Turkey's guilt.
Furthermore, the Brits, eager to deflect blame from themselves, had used their media networks to spin the narrative in their favor.
After all, while it was true that Britain had deployed intelligence operatives to New York, their agent had been assassinated before he could even carry out his mission.
From a certain perspective, Britain was the victim here.
And now, thanks to the premature exposure of their espionage efforts, the U.S. had taken advantage of the situation to extort them. Britain, left fuming, needed someone to vent their frustrations on.
And who better than Turkey?
Back at Castle's estate, everyone—knowing that this entire chain of events had been set into motion because of him—was watching the drama unfold with great amusement.
To them, this was just a case of one dog biting another.
But then, something unusual caught Castle's attention.
Jarvis had intercepted some intriguing information.
"You're saying that the Japanese Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office secretly dispatched an envoy to Turkey under the guise of a special representative of their Prime Minister?"
Standing in the underground command center of his estate—an improvised setup that he and Little Fatty had cobbled together—Castle studied the intelligence reports Jarvis had compiled.
"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied. "Since the beginning of this crisis, Japan has been making discreet moves. A few days ago, I detected unusual activity, and I can now confirm that they have sent a so-called 'Prime Minister's envoy' to establish contact with Turkey's Vice President."
"Have they reached any agreements?" Castle asked, puzzled.
"At this stage, they are still in preliminary talks. However, based on current intelligence, it is highly likely that Japan is interested in Turkey's plans to leave NATO. The most probable scenario is that Japan hopes to establish some form of alliance with a NATO-free Turkey."
Before Castle could respond, Little Fatty blurted out in confusion:
"Uncle Rick, even if Japan and Turkey team up, what difference does it make? It's not like Japan can openly defy us when we have military bases on their soil!"
Castle, who was just as perplexed, found himself at a loss. The available intelligence was too fragmented, and when it came to complex political maneuvering, he wasn't much better than Little Fatty.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Castle simply shrugged.
"Forget it, Harry. This isn't something we should—or even can—get involved in. Jarvis, send this intel to Moz. Let him deal with it. Meanwhile, let's just sit back and enjoy the show."
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