Chapter 16: Main Line Mission
After hastily saying goodbye at the police station, Richard Castle rushed home. After addressing his mother and daughter's greetings and sending them off to rest, he secluded himself in his study.
"System..." Thinking internally, he activated the system panel.
"The host has made contact with the female protagonist, triggering the main system mission. The details are as follows:
Main plot mission: Solve cases with the female protagonist, Kate Beckett;
Pursue the female protagonist, Kate Beckett, and have her bear your child!!! (This is the main task)
Mission details:
1. Solve various cases handled by the female protagonist, Kate Beckett;
2. Help Beckett find and punish the killer of her mother, including but not limited to legal sanctions or direct physical elimination;
3. Assist the female lead in dismantling the 'Locksette' organization's schemes.
4. Pursue and marry the female lead, Beckett, and have children.
Mission rewards and penalties: The host will receive a random reward after each successful case solved with the female lead. Upon marrying the female lead and having children, the system will issue the ultimate reward!!!
Mission tips: Please use the skills you have acquired appropriately, based on your knowledge of the plot. For instance, Beckett is reluctant to use legal measures against the senator responsible for her mother's death. Moreover, many of the killers in the cases are unforgivable, and remember, New York does not have the death penalty!!
Thus, when completing missions, adapt to the situation and follow your heart.
Remember, the system is just a tool to assist you; the extent of involvement in altering the plot depends entirely on your judgment and moral compass!
Finally, to ensure you can complete tasks more effectively, the system will gradually enhance your physical condition over the next month. However, to ensure that the improvements do not cause discomfort, this process will be slow. Please take care to supplement your nutrition accordingly!!!"
After reading the system's mission briefing, Castle, despite having a vague premonition, couldn't help but gasp.
The system's prompts seemed to be turning him from a weak, pitiful, and helpless writer into a 'Punisher' like Frank Castle! Improving his physical condition? Was he destined to become a superhero, a 'man with a grand plan under the Stars and Stripes'? But, he didn't come here to be a superhero; he didn't even want to be 'the Ancient One', just 'the personal grandpa'—specifically, Beckett's personal grandpa!
What did "including but not limited to legal sanctions and direct physical elimination" mean? Was it vaguely suggesting the best way was to make the opponents disappear? And adding, 'New York does not have the death penalty'?
Although he wasn't actually opposed to doing so, the system really did push it, suggesting he be a monk yet expect him to act like a saint, hmmm...
And what about "having her bear your child?" And claiming "this is the main mission"—was his main purpose in being transported here actually to be a seeding machine? Can't the system and I have fun anymore? Are you mocking me? Is the real purpose of improving my physical condition to make me an excellent seeding machine?
As Castle grumbled about the mission prompt, he was half thrilled that the main line mission was finally clear, and half worried that he might soon have to wear a mask while solving cases with Miss Beckett, maintaining justice by day and turning into a dark avenger by night.
What if Beckett caught him one day? What then?
Deep down, Castle was actually pleased with the system's requirements. He had lived a conformist life for nearly 40 years in his previous life, and was about the same age in this life, nearly 80 years combined.
What boy hasn't fantasized about being a chivalrous hero, sword in hand, roaming the world? Whether it was Duke, deeply influenced by martial arts novels in his previous life, or Castle, who grew up on superhero comics in this life, the childhood dreams of vanquishing evil and promoting good that were deeply rooted in his heart finally had a chance to be realized. How could Castle resist?
Not to mention the bonus of enhanced physical fitness from the system! Ahahaha, even if he couldn't evolve into a 'man with grand plans under the Stars and Stripes' and achieve that iconic American derrière, at least he could make full use of the gun skills awarded by the system, right? With that, wouldn't his chances of surviving his heroics (or rather, his mad escapades) greatly increase?
"Alright, both main and side missions are dispatched. Next, I need to ensure I can stay by Beckett's side, help her solve various cases, and gradually gain her trust. Only then can I tackle the case of her mother's murder. After that, we can talk about other things.
I also need to complete the 'Taken' side
mission soon. Oh, and I must find a way to strike up a conversation with Bryan; I remember he's bodyguarding someone? Oops, I don't know them. Well, I'll just have to engineer an encounter with Bryan at the concert and use his daughter's plans to go to Paris as a pretext to warn him.
So, let me see what else I need to prepare..."
Castle meticulously planned out the necessary steps for the coming period...
The next morning, after a good night's sleep without actually searching for any case connections, Castle, reinvigorated, walked into the New York Police Department's 12th Precinct with two cups of coffee in hand.
"Good morning, Detective Beckett!" Castle greeted his muse warmly, offering her one of the coffees.
"Mr. Castle, why are you here so early? Oh, thank you for the coffee.
We're about to head to a crime scene; there's been another case imitating your murder method.
I mean, it wasn't actually you, was it?" Beckett, packing up to head to the crime scene, greeted Castle while playfully jabbing at him.
"Ahahaha, how could I possibly commit murder? A friend once told me that I make far more killing with a pen than I could with a gun!" Castle understood that in the original story, Harrison Tisdale, motivated by revenge against his father and a desire for a larger inheritance, had executed his plan, killing the third victim.
"My detective adventure begins now..." Castle shouted in his heart.
"Can I come with you to the scene? I think it might give me a better perspective." Castle, seizing the moment, made his request to Beckett.
Beckett, about to depart, turned with a hint of surprise and said, "We're heading to a crime scene, are you sure you can handle it?"
"Of course, you forget, I'm a detective fiction writer, I've even self-studied forensic science. Don't underestimate me; what I know might just surprise you." Castle replied suggestively.
"Alright then, you're our consultant, of course, you can come along. But just to be clear, you can't touch anything or ask questions at the scene without my permission, got it?" Beckett quickly agreed to Castle's request to join her at the scene.
"Okay, you call the shots..." Castle replied, all eagerness.
"Then follow me, let's go!" Beckett led the way out of the police office briskly.
Following Beckett into a swimming pool inside a large building, the crime scene immediately revealed a strikingly beautiful Black forensic examiner squatting beside a victim in a yellow evening gown, conducting an onsite investigation.
"The death of the prom queen," Castle blurted out upon seeing the scene.
"Renee, what's the situation? Oh, right, this is Castle, our consultant for this case," Beckett inquired about the situation from the forensic examiner while casually introducing Castle to Renee.
"Renee-Paris, hello there, writer, I like your books, you know, your descriptions of death are spot on..." The stunning Black woman stood up and greeted Castle.
"Hello, Dr. Paris, it's a pleasure to meet you. May I take a look at the victim?" Castle, though familiar with the beautiful forensic examiner, responded in the most formal manner, politely asking for permission to examine the victim.
"Of course, you're the consultant! What do you think, see anything interesting?" Renee didn't expect the newly arrived Castle to make any significant discoveries.
"There isn't much blood around the wound, which means she was dead before being stabbed; there's no froth in her mouth, indicating she wasn't drowned. Moreover, there's not much blood in the pool, so this isn't the primary crime scene. She was killed first and then staged here, just like the previous victims; lastly, the angle of the dagger in the victim's spine suggests the killer is at least twenty to twenty-five centimeters taller than the victim..." After a thorough examination of the victim lying on the ground, Castle couldn't help but spoil a bit of the plot.
"...You've impressed me, writer!" Renee didn't hide her surprise.
"Thank you for the compliment. You know, in preparation for my writing, I not only self-studied forensic science, but I also have several forensic friends!" Castle felt that now was not the time to be modest; he needed to demonstrate his value to stick around Beckett longer.
Beckett also looked at Castle in surprise, seemingly amazed at how quickly he had managed to piece together so many clues.
Just then, Beckett's phone rang. The call brought news that they had found a clue in a letter written by a fan to Castle.
Castle knew that this was a ploy by the real killer, designed to mislead the police and buy time. Deciding to intensify his spoilers to help Beckett avoid det
ours, he made a suggestion.
"Detective Beckett, if you're going to look for the owner of that letter, then I won't join you. Can I study this case at the police station?" Castle asked as they headed back to the station.
"Of course, Mr. Castle, it's wise of you not to participate in the police action," Beckett replied, clearly relieved to be rid of Castle's company for the time being.
"Hehe, when you bring back your wrongly accused suspect, I hope you can still smile..." Castle smiled mysteriously!!!
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