On the beach, after much internal struggle, Malatika and his two companions finally raised their hands in surrender toward Sonny and his team behind the firing position.
For Sonny, a battle-hardened gunman, today's ambush felt like a joke. He hadn't even emptied two 200-round belts before the enemy surrendered. He had been looking forward to an all-out massacre, but it ended far too soon for his taste.
And just like that, the meticulously (or rather, hastily) planned operation by the Three-Nation Alliance to kidnap Castle and steal his technology had ended in complete failure in both Hawaii and New York. Of the nearly forty operatives directly involved, six were killed on the spot, while the rest were captured by an American force that had been fully prepared for their arrival.
In Hawaii, four out of twenty operatives attacking Castle's estate were killed, while in New York, only the two assassins from the Brotherhood were eliminated. The remaining three—Turkish agent Mustafa Oglu, Indian agent Ali, and Japanese technical operative Suzuki Mitsuru—were taken into custody unharmed by FBI agents Maggie and Omar, with assistance from Castle's head bodyguard, Ivan.
Meanwhile, all the Indian operatives who had been exposed due to this operation were rounded up in a massive FBI crackdown in New York, leading to the arrest of nearly a hundred individuals.
Hawaii yielded even greater results. Aside from capturing Miura Kenichi, Malatika, and the Turkish team leader—the heads of each country's task force—sixteen other wounded operatives were apprehended, along with support personnel providing logistics and communications. Additionally, Indian operatives stationed in Hawaii and the Panamanian cargo ship meant to transport Castle after his abduction were also seized.
Even the cargo vessel that had set sail from San Francisco to deliver weapons to Hawaii was intercepted over a thousand nautical miles from the islands by a U.S. Navy destroyer and forced to turn back.
In short, the proactive countermeasure taken after learning of the Three-Nation Alliance's plan had resulted in a resounding success.
It also gave Steve and the Hawaiian law enforcement agencies—along with the FBI—a major victory to boast about.
But this was only the beginning. The U.S. still needed to extract confessions from these captured operatives before making an official diplomatic move against the three audacious nations.
The complete failure of their secret mission was immediately relayed from the Bangalore command center back to each country, triggering an uproar—especially in Japan.
Upon receiving the news, the Japanese Cabinet Secretary rushed to the Prime Minister's office. The Prime Minister had been the chief architect of this operation, frustrated by Japan's worsening economic stranglehold under the U.S., particularly the trade restrictions that had left Japan increasingly desperate. With Turkey now struggling against an Anglo-American-backed economic onslaught, Japan had sought to align with them, hoping to shift some of the pressure away from itself.
As for India? They had volunteered themselves.
A decade from now, the Indian Prime Minister would be assassinated by a shotgun blast during a street rally. But for now, he had just signed a high-speed rail agreement with Japan, which included an ultra-low 1% interest loan with a fifty-year repayment period. This fueled India's ambitions of playing a larger role on the global stage. They saw an opportunity to join forces with Japan and Turkey in a bid to steal the technological secrets that had long eluded them.
But they had completely underestimated how closely the U.S. was watching.
The Cabinet Secretary had believed their operation was well-concealed. Now, everything had been exposed before they could even act. Worse still, the majority of their operatives were captured alive.
He had placed his faith in Miura Kenichi, believing that the seasoned agent wouldn't embarrass the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.
Yet, here they were.
Why hadn't Miura followed the example of the Showa-era intelligence officers? Why hadn't he committed suicide when he realized the mission was doomed?
Now that the Americans had caught them red-handed, there was no telling what kind of diplomatic catastrophe awaited.
The Prime Minister was utterly dumbfounded when the Cabinet Secretary briefed him.
"You told me the success rate of this operation was extremely high! You guaranteed the Americans wouldn't know about it in advance! You even chose Bangalore for the intelligence summit to ensure no ties to Japan!
So how do you explain our agents walking straight into a trap the moment they acted in Hawaii and New York?"
The Cabinet Secretary was losing his mind.
Ever since the mission began, Honolulu police SWAT teams led by Steve, along with FBI agents under Hines, had already been lying in wait at the scene. The situation was so tightly controlled that even now, he could barely get any information.
All he had was a vague report from a highly-paid informant, confirming that Miura Kenichi had been captured alive. Beyond that, everything remained locked under strict secrecy.
The same informant also disclosed that the New York operation had failed completely, with FBI agents now conducting mass arrests across the city.
Even after their previous intelligence network had been devastated because of Castle, the Cabinet Secretary had tried using Japanese-American contacts to gather intel. But all he could confirm was that the operation had ended in failure.
Meanwhile, intelligence officers still in Bangalore knew more. Since India had provided the logistics, weapons, and safe houses, their personnel had managed to report back before the FBI's sweep began.
Their reports confirmed the mission's failure and, more worryingly, revealed that numerous operatives had been captured alive.
Most alarming of all was that the leaders of the Hawaii task force had been taken.
For Turkey, which had already fallen out with the U.S., this was just another diplomatic setback. But for Japan, which had tried to operate in the shadows, and for India, which had been lured by greed and ambition, the outcome was a disaster.
They hadn't even had a chance to steal any technology before plunging themselves into an international scandal.
Japan had only allied with Turkey to deflect pressure from itself—not to engage in some reckless, ill-planned mission.
India, on the other hand, had practically thrown itself into the mess. Fresh off securing a massive Japanese loan, they had overheard Japan's plans to kidnap Castle and steal his technology. Thinking this was their moment to shine, they had invited themselves into the operation, bringing resources and manpower.
To show their enthusiasm, they had even hosted the Three-Nation Intelligence Summit in Bangalore.
Then, when Japan's intelligence network in the U.S. suffered setbacks and Turkey lacked a strong foothold in America, India had eagerly volunteered to provide all the logistics and weaponry for the operation.
Yet, unbeknownst to them, Castle and the U.S. government had known all along.
Now, their underhanded ambitions were laid bare for the Americans to see.
Still, India wasn't too worried.
After all, they had historical ties with Britain, and their standing among Western nations remained relatively strong. India had always been a "top-tier pet" in the Western geopolitical hierarchy, which is why there were so many Indian expatriates in the U.S.
This also explained why India's intelligence agency, the DIA, had been able to mobilize both East Coast and West Coast operatives to assist Miura Kenichi and Suzuki Mitsuru.
So the Indian Prime Minister's first reaction upon hearing the bad news was:
"Well, at least we're not the only ones in trouble—Japan and Turkey will take the worst of it."
But what they didn't realize was that even if the U.S. government decided to let India off the hook, Castle himself would not.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.