Reborn as Richard Castle in Criminal Minds

Simon really didn't expect that his previous estimation was wrong. The shot that killed his assistant and bomb expert just now wasn't from some force eyeing his big job in New York and planning to double-cross him. It was actually from the New York police? Since when did the NYPD start adopting a shoot-first approach? Or was it that today's job in New York had so thoroughly angered the NYPD chief that he issued a kill order against him and his crew?

Simon was a smart person, but this time, his clever mind conjured scenarios that truly scared him. He originally thought his plan was flawless. However, the New York police had already taught him a good lesson by quickly finding the fake bomb he planted at Chester A. Arthur International School. This incident hadn't made Simon genuinely respect the NYPD's capabilities; he merely blamed his bad luck. But now, seeing John McClane's fierce approach and the sniper rifle bullet that unhesitatingly blew off Faris Tago's head, Simon felt a chill rise from the depths of his heart. He realized that he might not make it out alive today. But why? Why would the NYPD break character and decide to kill him directly? This didn't align with his understanding of how they handled such matters.

Simon didn't know that what actually doomed him were the idiots at the CIA. If those morons hadn't notified the NYPD from their Langley headquarters that Simon and Faris Tago needed to be captured alive, Castle wouldn't have made the quick decision to eliminate these two masterminds behind today's chaos in New York.

Simon was unaware that the CIA's interest in him prompted Castle's resolve to kill him and the bomb expert, Faris Tago. Castle knew too well what the idiotic CIA agents would do—they would step in to take Simon and Faris away after the NYPD captured them, give them new identities, and then release these dangerous individuals to wreak havoc in some other country. During this process, the CIA idiots might let Simon and Faris learn about their crucial roles in today's events, and then these two would definitely escape CIA surveillance and come back to New York to cause trouble for him.

Castle disliked trouble, especially being targeted by a high-IQ individual and a genius bomb expert. Who knows if he might be blown up by some unknown device one day? He had the System, but it didn't make him bulletproof or bomb-proof.

Thus, Castle thought it best to eliminate these two troublemakers to avoid future problems. He was certain that if he let them go today, he would have to live in constant fear from now on.

While cursing the CIA idiots who hadn't suffered enough from the messes he created, Castle was in an abandoned building, using a sniper rifle to cover Zeus, who was recklessly speeding towards him. But there weren't many of Simon's men chasing Zeus; most were attacking John McClane, who was charging at Simon.

Seeing John pinned down by a barrage of automatic rifle fire in a corner, Castle quickly aimed his sniper rifle at Simon's men who were firing at the helpless John and also checked Simon's position.

Simon, worthy of his high intelligence, was sneaking with his girlfriend towards a truck loaded with gold bricks, planning to escape. Not on Castle's watch. Seeing Simon start the truck, Castle didn't hesitate and shot the engine, stalling it completely.

This shot shattered any hope Simon had left. He realized that even if everyone else survived today, he was a dead man. But why was the NYPD, supposedly only interested in arresting him, now trying to kill him?

Simon didn't know that the real reason for his predicament was the idiotic CIA agents. The NYPD had received orders to capture Simon and Faris Tago alive from Langley, making Castle decide to kill them to avoid further complications.

Castle, knowing the CIA would mess things up, decided to eliminate the threats. While grumbling about the CIA, Castle used his sniper rifle to support Zeus, who was safely out of harm's way. He then focused on Simon's men, efficiently taking them down with his PSG-1 sniper rifle.

The System had rewarded Castle with deadly marksmanship from the former top assassin, John Wick. His precise shots dealt significant damage to Simon's men, who were using less powerful 5.56mm M4s or 9mm MP5s. Castle's military-grade 7.62mm sniper rounds and twenty-round magazine gave him a significant advantage. In no time, he had significantly reduced the number of Simon's men.

Simon, hiding behind a truck and directing his men, was furious. His thirty men were quickly reduced to ten. How could just John and an unknown sniper cause so many casualties?

The distant sound of helicopter rotors indicated that the NYPD's ESU units were closing in. Both Castle and Simon heard it. John also heard it, realizing he had little time left to deal with Simon.

Simon, hearing the police helicopters, was overjoyed. He knew that once the police arrived, neither the mysterious sniper nor John would dare kill him in front of so many officers. He just needed to hold on until then.

But John McClane, full of anger from being toyed with all day, had other plans. With Castle's sniper support, he knew he had to act quickly. He couldn't let the police capture Simon only for the CIA to take him away and possibly let him loose again. He had to end Simon now, before the police arrived.

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