Without mentioning how the board of General Atomics plans to reestablish a good relationship with Castle and the chubby guy who hold the flight control system for their drones, the technical director responsible for aerospace systems at Northrop Grumman is currently pulling his hair out in their laboratory, racking his brains over the company's next-generation combat drone. He is reading an email attachment from someone named "Richard Castle" with shining eyes. Initially, upon seeing the name Richard Castle, the technical director wondered if it was from the writer of his favorite Derrick Storm novels. However, after formally reading the attachment from this potential author, the technical director, who has been stressed to the point of hair loss over the company's new drone, is instantly ecstatic.
He never expected that a technical issue causing him to work overtime tonight would lead to receiving an email that solves his biggest current problem. It was like a huge pie falling from the sky!
From the drone flight control system code in the attachment sent by the person who shares a name with his favorite author, it was clear that this mysterious individual had a technology vastly superior to their current system. The more he read, the more excited the technical director became, almost ready to call the sender right away using the provided contact number.
Moreover, the email clearly expressed the sender's desire to collaborate with the company. The technical director, already thrilled that his recent problem had such a solution, trembled with excitement.
After preliminarily verifying the code in the attachment was genuine, the technical director, disregarding the time, immediately called his superior, the current head of Northrop Grumman, to report the significant news.
One must admit, capitalists react similarly when discovering a profitable opportunity. Upon receiving the excited, incoherent call from his subordinate, the current head of Northrop Grumman immediately gathered all available board members for an emergency technical review meeting at the company. Additionally, they prioritized sending a team to New York early the next morning to contact the potential author who sent the email.
When the sleepy board members arrived at the company's Virginia headquarters, they found the president, who had already learned through his intelligence network that the sender was indeed the best-selling New York novelist Castle. They also discovered some new information. The president and the ecstatic technical director were laughing heartily in the conference room. The bewildered board members, unsure of what their boss was up to, sat down and waited for an explanation.
Seeing everyone was present, the current head of Northrop Grumman began with a smile, addressing the confused board members: "Ladies and gentlemen, this evening, our technical director received an email from New York. Attached to this email was a part of a flight control system code for a new type of drone. After repeated verification by our technical director, it is certain that this is a completely new drone control system, far superior to what we currently use on the Global Hawk. Before you arrived, the lab had already conducted some preliminary tests and found that this code is at least two generations ahead of our current technology."
With a "boom," the conference room erupted like boiling water. While the board members weren't experts, they knew what a drone flight control system two generations ahead of their Global Hawk meant. They couldn't contain their excitement, engaging in fervent discussions.
"President, our company must immediately locate the person who sent the email and secure this new drone control code. This would allow us to outcompete General Atomics in the next military drone contract bid, and we would no longer be mocked for our Global Hawk's limited capabilities," a younger board member excitedly suggested to the president.
The president nodded in approval of this board member's dedication and enthusiasm, raising his voice to calm the others: "Everyone, I haven't finished yet. Please, quiet down!"
As the room quieted, the president, still smiling, continued, "Before you came, I had our people in New York investigate the day's events. It turns out General Atomics' team in New York discovered and tracked this mysterious drone, leading them to the person controlling it. However, our old competitor hastily and stingily refused to pay for a technology transfer fee, resulting in a confrontation. I believe this writer may have acted in a fit of anger or sought our help to fend off General Atomics' greed, giving us this opportunity."
The board members, all seasoned professionals, couldn't help but laugh at General Atomics' bungled approach. While it seemed like stinginess, their actions were understandable. They would have likely done the same to prevent competitors from learning about such a valuable technology. Controlling the situation quietly was crucial.
Thus, with this unexpected opportunity, the president decided they must seize the chance to ally with this author. They would send a negotiation team led by the technical director to New York that night, aiming to bring the author into their fold before General Atomics could reconcile.
The board unanimously supported the president's decision. Eager and determined, Northrop Grumman dispatched their technical director and a team to New York immediately.
Meanwhile, Castle, who was sleeping soundly at the chubby guy's house, remained oblivious to these events. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care much. His priority was securing Beckett's favor and completing his system's ultimate task. Competing with Simon or developing drones were minor matters to him.
As the rising sun illuminated New York again, Castle and the chubby guy discussed what to move to the D'Antonio family's estate in Long Island. At this moment, Northrop Grumman's technical director called Castle.
Castle wasn't surprised by Northrop Grumman's eagerness to arrive in New York right after receiving his email. After all, the early bird catches the worm. Calmly, he arranged a meeting time with the technical director and then resumed his discussion with the chubby guy about what to take with them.
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