Chapter 163: Miscalculation

In his fit of rage, Vincent finally calmed down and realized he had made a grave error. He had relied too heavily on the intelligence gathered by his subordinates about Castle. It was now clear that this writer was far from harmless and weak as his profile had suggested. Castle not only had formidable friends but also harbored significant secrets, leading Vincent to make a misjudgment that cost him dearly.

However, Vincent would not repeat such a rookie mistake. He had learned a lot about Castle through the sacrifice of one of his best assassins. For someone like Vincent, as long as he had crucial information, finding replacements for his subordinates was just a matter of money.

Once he regained his usual sharpness, Vincent saw that the attempt to kill Castle, though a failure, wasn't as disastrous as he initially thought. The failure highlighted the necessity of reassessing Castle's threat level, categorizing him as one of the most dangerous individuals to his plans.

Vincent's confidence stemmed from his belief that with sufficient awareness and precautions, he could outthink anyone. The key was to avoid misjudgments caused by insufficient intelligence. As long as he held critical pieces of information, Vincent was confident in controlling the situation.

After contemplating alone for a long time, Vincent made a difficult decision to temporarily halt his lifelong quest to locate and salvage the submarine. Instead, he decided to focus on eliminating the new, unpredictable threat posed by Castle.

His plan was to leverage the intelligence network of the Continental Hotel, a system he had previously used, to unearth everything about Castle. Vincent refused to believe that the Continental Hotel, unlike Barry Street, would turn him down, especially given their past successful collaborations.

This writer, Castle, who had suddenly appeared in Neil's circle, was like a thorn in Vincent's throat. His intuition, honed over years, told him that failing to remove this thorn would lead to significant future troubles.

Yet, as he was about to issue the order to his subordinates, Vincent hesitated. He couldn't bear to abandon his dream of finding the submarine, a story his father had told him since childhood. Giving up now, even temporarily, for an unforeseen writer seemed unbearable. Even a pragmatic and ruthless figure like Vincent found it hard to make such a heart-wrenching decision.

Torn and feeling a bit despondent, Vincent was baffled by the rapid changes in the world around him. He couldn't understand how a novelist could have such widespread connections and significant secrets. Why did this man have to be his adversary?

Unable to let go of his cherished plan, Vincent decided not to pause it but to shift it underground, at least until he saw the light of completing the salvage mission. He sensed that Castle might bring unforeseen complications to his plans, but abandoning his lifelong dream was out of the question. Therefore, he would proceed covertly while figuring out how to eliminate Castle.

After weighing his options, Vincent believed this was the best course of action. Without further delay, he reached out to the Continental Hotel's intelligence network to gather detailed information on Castle.

Unfortunately for Vincent, he was unaware that the Continental Hotel's intelligence largely came from Barry Street's sources. As someone who had spent most of his time on Wall Street and only occasionally dealt with the underground world for strategic information, Vincent was essentially an outsider. His few prized Continental Hotel tokens and his basic membership were relics from a time when the hotel was less regulated.

Thus, Vincent's plan to use the Continental Hotel's network was doomed from the start. Recently, the hotel's owner, Winston, had been discreetly protecting Castle, Martha, and Alexis due to special instructions. Even John Wick, upon visiting the hotel after wiping out the Tarasov family, was only subtly hinted about Castle's significant background, despite being a close friend and godfather to Castle's daughter.

When Vincent, filled with confidence, retrieved his treasured Continental Hotel tokens and made the call to their unchanged service number, he was optimistic. He felt certain of his success. But when he requested information on Richard Alexander Castle, the receptionist initially responded warmly, asking him to hold. A few minutes later, her tone turned icy as she informed him, "I'm sorry, but the information you seek is classified and protected. Additionally, Mr. Vincent Adler, I'm authorized by management to inform you that your Continental Hotel membership has been revoked. Goodbye."

The phone had long gone silent, but Vincent was still in a state of shock. He couldn't fathom why a simple request for information about Castle would cause such a drastic reaction from the Continental Hotel, leading them to cancel his hard-earned membership without any explanation. The world had turned inexplicably upside down.

This realization truly scared Vincent. Though the hotel had offered no explanation, the sensitive Vincent Adler inferred a significant piece of information: Castle's influence within the Continental Hotel was far greater than he had imagined. The receptionist's mention of "protected information" suggested that Castle had powerful and deeply rooted connections within the hotel.

Vincent found himself at a crossroads. He was clearly outmatched both in the shadows and in the light. As one of the FBI's top ten most-wanted, he couldn't openly fight against someone like Castle, who had strong ties with the New York police. What should his next move be?

While Vincent wrestled with his dilemmas in his Long Island mansion, Castle was oblivious, leisurely enjoying high-quality wine at Neil's place. Listening to Neil and Mozz fine-tune their plans to deal with Vincent, Castle seemed relaxed and carefree, a stark contrast to Vincent's turmoil.

Castle's tranquility was interrupted by a call from Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel, urgently requesting a meeting. Winston, who had silently protected Castle and his family for decades, rarely left his hotel, so Castle couldn't afford to ignore the summons. He quickly stood up to bid Neil and Mozz goodbye, preparing to head to the hotel to understand the urgent matter Winston needed to discuss.

Just as he was about to leave, Mozz stopped him, looking serious. "Rick, are you sure you don't mind the FBI knowing about you?"

Castle, puzzled, responded, "Yeah, why?"

Mozz and Neil exchanged knowing smiles. "Well, make sure you look your best when you step out. There are FBI agents outside waiting to surveil you. Make sure they get some good photos, alright?"

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