Chapter 206: Correction

Whether by some divine arrangement or a self-correcting force of the universe, despite Castle's massive disruption of Dominic's journey in Brazil—turning it into a chaotic and perilous affair—the story seemed to realign itself. Hernan Reyes, far more formidable than his downgraded portrayal in the movie directed by Justin Lin, had been hunting Dominic and his crew ruthlessly, giving them no time or space to rest and plan their retaliation.

But it seemed fate was playing a joke on Castle. To his amazement, Hernan Reyes, just like in the original plot, decided to gather all his hidden cash from various spots across Rio de Janeiro and store it in the police station's basement vault, right next to the garage.

The difference from the original plot was that Dominic and his crew hadn't had a chance to use their strategy of tipping their hand to rattle Hernan. Instead, Hernan, sensing Dominic's intentions to target his money, had preemptively decided to consolidate his funds. Perhaps he thought that having his money spread out in various weakly defended locations was vulnerable to Dominic's crew, who might pick them off one by one.

Not having read Sun Tzu's Art of War, Hernan Reyes, oblivious to the strategy of using the orthodox to engage and the unexpected to win, arrogantly believed that consolidating his cash in the heavily guarded police station was the best decision. After all, heavily armed police weren't something Dominic's ragtag crew could easily handle, right?

Castle, who had been closely monitoring Hernan's moves, couldn't help but find the situation absurdly amusing.

"Damn," Castle thought, silently cursing. "Hernan's decision to move all his cash into the police station's vault is idiotic. He's practically handing Dominic a golden opportunity to clean him out in one go. It seems like fate still favors Dominic and Brian, the two protagonists, despite all the advantages Hernan has." Hernan, even with the upper hand, had made a blunder that fit the storyline perfectly.

While Castle pondered the unexpected twists of fate and gathered intelligence for Dominic's crew to execute a major operation, he wondered if Dominic's team, battered more than in the original plot, could still manage to pull off their heist.

Moreover, would they resort to the same tactic to bypass the vault's palm print security—having the long-legged beauty Giselle use her allure to get close to Hernan, letting him cop a feel and capture his palm print?

Unsurprisingly, Dominic's team, upon learning from Castle's intel that Hernan had consolidated his cash into the police station's vault, didn't feel discouraged. With the detailed information provided by Castle through the chubby hacker, they decided to send Giselle and Han to trail Hernan and look for an opportunity to acquire his palm print. The only twist was that this time, Vanessa, a local with extensive knowledge of Rio's streets and alleys, joined the surveillance team.

Dominic, Brian, and Mia couldn't risk showing themselves near Hernan, and Roman and Tej, with their distinct appearances, couldn't blend in unnoticed. The two Dominican demolition experts weren't suited for this type of task either. So, it fell to Han and Giselle, posing as foreign tourists, to follow Hernan, with Vanessa providing local guidance.

Once Dominic's crew received the weapons from the villa's basement and resolved to strike back at Hernan, events unfolded rapidly, as if fast-forwarded. On the third day after their decision, Giselle, Vanessa, and Han spotted Hernan meeting someone at the beach. Using their wits, they got close enough for both Giselle and Vanessa—each with their long, stunning legs in bikinis—to draw Hernan's palm prints onto their swimwear as he succumbed to his lecherous nature.

Castle, who could only watch through the surveillance system, was seething with jealousy. "Damn it, Hernan gets to touch them, but I can't? Why can he grab their asses, and I can't? Just like the great writer Zhou Shuren questioned: Why can the monk touch but not me?"

Cursing his own System, which forced him to stay faithful to Beckett, Castle fumed at Hernan's good fortune. Hernan had two gorgeous women by his side, groping their shapely buttocks. "You deserve to get robbed, you bastard! Serves you right! Kuzma, Kuzma! Sukabljat!!!" Castle spat out, venting his frustration in Russian profanity.

Turning away from the envy-inducing surveillance footage, Castle addressed the chubby hacker, "So, have you hacked in yet? Hobbs and his team have been acting suspicious lately. I'm worried they might be close to finding Dominic's hideout, especially with the CIA's intelligence support."

The chubby hacker, munching on his favorite chips, didn't even look up. "I'm in. I've already scanned recent communications between Hobbs and the U.S. headquarters. Your hunch was right, Uncle Rick. They're using the CIA's vast intelligence network to track down Dominic and his crew. Should we tip off Dominic about this?"

Castle pondered for a moment. He knew intervening too much could disrupt the natural flow of events. Letting Hobbs capture Dominic once could be beneficial. After all, Hernan Reyes wasn't going to let Dominic's crew leave Brazil alive, nor would he stand by as they got taken by the FBI with all his smuggling routes exposed. The American government, if they got hold of such information, would make Hernan's life a living hell.

For Dominic and his crew, having Hernan's secrets was different from the American government having them. If Hobbs managed to capture Dominic, he would likely force him to spill everything about Hernan to reduce his sentence, which would spell doom for Hernan. Given the recent killing of two DEA agents in Brazil, for which the U.S. mistakenly blamed Dominic's crew, the revelation of Hernan's involvement would make him a prime target for American retribution. They would see him as an irresistible opportunity, a juicy target for their wrath.

Just look at the formidable Hobbs, exemplifying how the U.S. flaunted its power. As an American federal agent, Hobbs had the audacity to march through Rio's streets with his heavily armed team and drive an armored vehicle, despite technically having no jurisdiction there. He was supposed to apprehend American fugitives, not operate with a full combat outfit and an arsenal.

Yet, Hobbs did it brazenly, and neither the Brazilian government nor the Rio police dared to challenge him, showing how even the mighty were wary of crossing the U.S.

Thus, after Hobbs captures Dominic, Hernan is likely to attack Hobbs' convoy, restoring the plot to its original course. Hobbs would then join forces with Dominic's crew, motivated by the sacrifice of his team members.

Nevertheless, Castle knew he couldn't entirely neglect his role. Given that the chubby hacker was a trusted source of intelligence for Dominic's crew, they could subtly warn Dominic just before Hobbs closed in, giving them enough time to evade capture. They could claim it was last-minute intel from the hacker.

Of course, Castle shared his thoughts with the chubby hacker, seeking his perspective on letting Hobbs capture Dominic.

The chubby hacker, loyal to his friend Tej, first wanted to ensure Tej's safety. Once Castle assured him that Tej would be safe, the hacker, who had been influenced by Castle's devious ways over the past few days, agreed with Castle's plan, laughing mischievously.

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