Many people have a misunderstanding about satellite reconnaissance. The idea that a special forces team always has a satellite fixed above them during a mission is simply not true. In reality, satellites continuously orbit the Earth. So, when Jason and his team carried out past missions, at most, they could take advantage of a few minutes of satellite reconnaissance when one happened to pass overhead. And even then, it required precise timing and luck for a satellite to be in the right place at the right moment to gather intelligence.
Who would have thought that someone as rich as this would own a satellite capable of freely shifting between geostationary and low Earth orbits, allowing real-time reconnaissance and acting as a communication node throughout a mission?
Seriously, is this how the wealthy operate?
But why had they never heard of such an advanced satellite within the military?
Could it be that this writer's technology was more advanced than what the U.S. military was using?
Jason and his team had inadvertently stumbled upon the truth.
Upon learning that their squad would have real-time satellite support during their mission to "protect" writer Richard Castle—along with additional intelligence support from the chubby guy sitting nearby and a young girl—Jason finally smiled.
Damn it, even when operating on behalf of the U.S. military, he had never had such high-end support. With this level of technological backing, and given that they were operating on home turf in Hawaii, those so-called agents from the Three-Nation Alliance had only two choices: surrender or die.
John, standing nearby, curiously observed these five men, who were supposedly the most elite warriors on the planet. Jason and his team were also aware that their target had a bodyguard—one rumored to be a former world-class assassin. Both sides were sizing each other up, while Castle, ever the social one, introduced his technical support team—Chubby and Ramsey—to B-Team's tech officer, the African American vice-captain codenamed B2.
Everyone then gathered in Castle's study, including Big Ivan, to listen to Castle's security arrangements for after his departure.
This was necessary. Although Jarvis had gathered intelligence indicating that the opposition merely wanted to kidnap Castle unharmed after he "left" New York, where he held the most influence, they couldn't assume that the enemy wouldn't attempt a two-pronged attack—both abducting Castle and raiding his mansion while he was away. After all, the whole world knew that valuable technical data was stored in Castle's estate.
A diversionary attack was highly possible: lure Castle away while a separate team infiltrated his mansion during his absence.
Fortunately, the estate was heavily fortified—not only with twenty Russian bodyguards but also with four fully grown Caucasian Shepherd dogs. More importantly, after extensive modifications over time, the true guardian of the estate was actually the artificial intelligence, Jarvis.
The estate had secret installations under Jarvis's control, including hidden missile launch platforms and four fortified positions with .50 caliber M2 heavy machine guns.
Additionally, Jarvis could deploy armed drones at any moment, taking to the skies to eliminate any intruders attempting to breach the estate.
With these security measures in place, the mansion was as protected as it could be.
After finalizing the estate's security plans, Castle turned to Jason, who was seated at his desk, and began explaining the "luring the snake out of its hole" plan he had devised with Moz and several major arms dealers. Since Jason's team would be his personal bodyguards from now on, it was important for them to understand the full scope of the operation.
"Captain Jason, the reason U.S. Special Operations Command assigned you to me is because, prior to this, all three of these nations had separately targeted me. However...
We intercepted intelligence revealing that Turkey, India, and Japan had formed a Three-Nation Alliance specifically aimed at our country and the British government.
As a result, I once again became their target.
So, to resolve this issue once and for all—and to provide the government with solid, indisputable evidence—we devised this plan together…"
Castle laid out the entire situation for the five DG team members. While they had received a mission briefing stating that they would be protecting Castle, they hadn't been given a complete picture. Now that they knew the full context, they would not only be more motivated to protect him but also better understand the strategic objectives of the operation, enabling them to carry out their task more effectively.
Hearing Castle's explanation, the five DG members were astonished.
So, this renowned writer was also an elite technology developer?
No wonder Special Operations Command had sent them to protect him. According to Castle, those cutting-edge military drones that had appeared in recent years were actually his creations?
As team leader, Jason's first thought after hearing this was: Aren't rich people supposed to be terrified of death?
Why was this writer so different?
Why was he willing to act as bait and put himself in danger?
Jason was completely puzzled and asked Castle this question directly.
"Haha, that's because I'm not as defenseless as you might think. I'm actually quite skilled, especially in close-quarters combat and indoor shooting…"
"Let me introduce you to this gentleman. This is John Wick. He used to go by the nickname 'The Boogeyman' and was also known as 'Baba Yaga'…"
"He's an extremely dangerous and highly skilled individual. He'll be working with us on this mission."
To the so-called strongest special forces soldiers, Jason and his team, a "former world-class assassin" like John Wick didn't seem all that impressive. Until they saw his skills firsthand, they wouldn't truly respect him. After all, no matter how deadly an assassin was, against the full might of a nation's military, he was nothing but a speck of dust.
However, John had already retired and transitioned into the upper echelons of society. Since he was now closely associated with their high-value protectee, Jason simply nodded at him without much reaction. Instead, he remained focused on Castle's earlier claim about his own combat skills and decided to press further.
"Mr. Castle, our orders are to ensure your absolute safety. We weren't briefed on you possessing any combat skills. As your personal security team, we strongly advise that, regardless of your abilities, you leave all security matters to us. That is the only way to maximize your safety."
Jason's professionalism was on full display. Even though he had just learned new information that contradicted his initial mission briefing, his priority remained completing the task as efficiently as possible.
Neither Castle nor John Wick took offense at Jason's serious approach. It was the hallmark of a true professional.
In fact, John even found himself appreciating these men. Only those who were the absolute best in their field carried themselves with this level of dedication—and John himself was one of those people.
John wasn't offended that the soldiers didn't pay him much attention. If anything, he found it completely natural.
He was an assassin, after all. His greatest skill was being unnoticed, blending into the background, and striking without warning.
Castle, on the other hand, understood Jason's concerns. The team leader was simply worried that Castle might act recklessly and jeopardize their mission. With that in mind, Castle reassured him with a smile.
"Captain Jason, rest assured, I will fully cooperate with you. I just wanted you to know that if an unforeseen situation arises, I am not entirely helpless. My goal was to give you a rough idea of my capabilities so that you can factor them into your security planning.
But don't worry—John and I will not act on our own or interfere with your work."
Hearing this, Jason relaxed a little.
When it came to personal security, the worst type of client was one who ignored instructions and put themselves in unnecessary danger. But after personally interacting with Castle, Jason found him to be surprisingly cooperative. Compared to many other high-profile protection details he had handled, Castle was actually one of the easier ones.
Meanwhile, Jason's teammates—especially B3 Sonny, the team's most hot-headed assault and demolition expert—watched John Wick with great interest…
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