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Chapter 390 - Chapter 390: The Poisonous Plot

In truth, John Wick wasn't actually losing his patience; he simply felt frustrated that during this operation, he hadn't been able to do anything to help his friend Richard Castle. This made him seem so eager to get involved. For him, killing had long become a tedious task, and his current enthusiasm wasn't solely for Castle's sake.

Of course, John wouldn't directly admit this. After all, he felt deeply indebted to Castle. Despite Castle's often unreliable behavior, he had always treated John with great loyalty. Without that bond, John, with his typically cold demeanor, would never have volunteered to join Castle in planning to take down Vincent Adler.

But in this entire operation, aside from being sent by his girlfriend to quietly install a few cameras in the warehouse, John hadn't found any way to contribute. Was this a slight against the former world's top assassin? It was unbearable! Although John had considered retiring to a peaceful life, he had ended up with a restless girlfriend and had accidentally befriended Castle, who couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. Even if John wanted to stay out of it, he couldn't.

Watching his girlfriend and his friend happily plotting against another old fox day after day, John, who usually preferred action over talk, couldn't hold back any longer. Seeing everyone so enthusiastic about the scheme, even John's usually reserved nature felt the urge to join in.

Fortunately, Castle didn't have any naive ideals and strictly adhered to the principle of eliminating all threats. This concept finally gave the idle John a chance to show his skills, and how could he not be excited?

However, John only knew that Castle's plan was to kill Vincent Adler after he was captured by the FBI. He wasn't clear on the details, and now, with some free time, he intended to ask Castle exactly how he planned to eliminate Vincent despite the FBI's protection. John had initially thought that Castle would strike as soon as Vincent kidnapped Neil, but it wasn't until yesterday that he learned Castle intended to wait until Vincent was in FBI custody. This would undoubtedly make killing Vincent much harder, and John was curious about why Castle had chosen this approach.

Castle, with nothing else to do, had no intention of hiding his plan from John: "John, you should understand that the main reason I designed it this way was to clear Neil of any suspicion. If we kill Vincent as soon as Neil is brought before him, the missing items from that submarine would immediately catch the FBI's attention. But if we wait until after the FBI captures Vincent and then eliminate him, not only can we make him take the blame, but we can also shift the FBI's focus from the missing treasures to finding out who killed Vincent. Then, we could anonymously tip off the FBI that Vincent Adler had been staying at the estate of a nearby congressman. Do you think the FBI might start suspecting that congressman? Might they even think he's more likely to be involved in the missing treasures?"

John, who had always believed in action above all, was stunned by Castle's scheme. He had never imagined that Castle's plan was not only to kill Vincent and absolve their group but also to drag an entirely unrelated congressman into the mess. How could someone be so devious?

Seeing John's incredulous look, Castle's twisted sense of humor was fully satisfied, but he wasn't done yet. He continued rubbing salt in the wound: "Our plan to deal with Vincent Adler isn't particularly airtight. There are seven people in the know, and who knows how many others might be aware of it? It's hard to say if the folks on Eighth Street know we're involved with Vincent, let alone hiding this from a government eager to find that treasure. We can't just kill Vincent Adler and think we're safe. We need to give the FBI a new target.

And who better than a congressman to draw the FBI's attention? Imagine, Vincent Adler, a wanted fugitive, sneaks back into New York and stays at that congressman's estate. If there wasn't something shady going on, who'd believe it? Right?

So, by the same logic, Vincent could only have successfully raised that submarine off the coast of New York with the congressman's help. Without the congressman pulling strings, could Vincent have managed it?"

John was speechless, simply staring at Castle babbling away.

Seeing John was at a loss for words, Castle was very pleased: "You need to understand, the reason the FBI and the Justice Department agreed to give Neil a pardon wasn't just because he could help them capture Vincent Adler; it was because Neil told them that submarine was full of treasure. These people are really after the money. Now that the submarine's contents are beneath our feet, do you think we could get away with it without giving the FBI and the Justice Department a reasonable explanation?

And this congressman, isn't he the perfect scapegoat? Look, the congressman first hides his connection to Vincent Adler, a federal fugitive, then lets Vincent stay at his estate after he returns to New York. Later, he uses his power to make the Coast Guard turn a blind eye to Vincent's operation off the coast. So when the treasure from that submarine disappears, won't the FBI and the Justice Department, who were so eager to find it that they granted Neil a pardon, start to suspect the congressman?"

Castle's explanation left John in awe. He had once thought Castle was a good person, but now, after hearing this, he realized just how cunning Castle was. How had he ever thought this guy was decent?

Before John could respond, Castle continued: "Of course they'll suspect the congressman because he has both the motive and the means to pull this off. And if that's the case, won't we attract less attention?"

John was completely floored by Castle's shamelessness and cunning, to the point where he didn't even know what to say. All he could do was give Castle a thumbs-up to express his admiration.

Castle, who wasn't done with his scheme, gladly accepted his friend's admiration and continued: "I've always believed that Vincent could only have evaded capture for ten years with more than just one congressman supporting him. If we kill Vincent before the FBI has a chance to interrogate him, then the empty-handed FBI will start looking for clues everywhere. And when they discover the congressman's connection to Vincent, they'll latch onto it like a dog with a bone.

But, as I said, Vincent probably had more than one powerful ally. So, when the FBI realizes how deep this goes, will they keep digging? Or will those connected to Vincent use their influence to bury the investigation?

Either way, the fact that we emptied that submarine will likely get lost in the shuffle..."

By now, John fully understood Castle's plan. The guy wanted to blow the whole thing wide open after killing Vincent, making the situation so big that neither the FBI nor the Justice Department would dare continue their investigation. That way, the little things they had done in this affair wouldn't matter.

After all, for the FBI and the Justice Department, going after a congressman might be feasible, but going after a group of powerful individuals would be beyond their reach. And in a country like the USA, where politicians and capitalists are in control, who has that much sense of justice?

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