American TV Writer

That evening, the non-spicy Sichuan feast prepared by Castle was a resounding success. The cooking skill he had received from the system proved incredibly useful. Castle, who had been a foodie from China in his previous life, still retained that foodie soul, which explained his lack of any psychological barriers while causing chaos across the USA. In his mind, he wasn't an American but rather an undercover agent in the USA. Truly, this was how Castle viewed himself. Aside from his loved ones—like Alexis, Beckett, his mother, and Neal—he couldn't care less about the fate of other Americans. In fact, he would have preferred if everyone else dropped dead. This sentiment was also one of the hidden reasons why Castle was so eager to establish ties with Northrop Grumman. If his antics ever attracted the wrath of powerful financiers or conglomerates, having a stake in Northrop Grumman might save his life.

The dinner not only made his daughter Alexis jump for joy but also left Beckett pleasantly surprised. Beckett had always known Castle was a talented novelist and, thanks to his many strange sources of information, a skilled investigator. However, she hadn't expected him to be such an accomplished cook as well. This was especially surprising for Beckett, who usually relied on takeout and rarely ventured into the kitchen herself.

Castle was thrilled by Beckett's astonishment and smugly explained that he had practically raised Alexis on his own from birth since her mother, Meredith, was an actress and often away. This forced Castle to hone his culinary skills.

Alexis, busy devouring the non-spicy Sichuan dishes, enthusiastically confirmed her dad's claim, then promptly returned to enjoying the meal.

After the "family of three" finished the sumptuous dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, Alexis went upstairs to study. Castle, however, didn't share the latest news with Beckett. Instead, he forcefully vetoed her suggestion to discuss anything serious, insisting they have a relaxing evening together. Beckett, who had been busy with police work lately, sensed Castle's desire to give her a break. Touched by his thoughtfulness, she agreed to his plan.

In Castle's luxurious Upper East Side Manhattan home, the atmosphere was filled with romance.

However, things were quite different for Nick Conan in Washington. At that moment, he was strapped to a chair, subjected to one of the USA's most notorious interrogation techniques—waterboarding. Earlier that afternoon, Congressman Gavin had learned that the President, Congress, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court had all authorized the FBI to investigate him. Now, Gavin stood with a twisted expression before Nick Conan, waiting for his men to extract crucial information from him.

Having endured several rounds of waterboarding, Nick Conan realized there was no way out for him. William Brecken had likely intended to silence him after sending him on this mission, and there was no chance Brecken would rescue him now. Furthermore, the enraged Congressman Gavin, who was his original target, would never let him live after extracting a confession. Nick knew his life was as good as over.

After another excruciating round of waterboarding, Nick finally broke, coughing and gasping as he cried out, "I'll talk… I'll talk… Ask me anything, and I'll tell you!"

Nick Conan had resigned himself to his fate. After all, waterboarding was something only those who had experienced it could truly understand. It wasn't a matter of willpower; the torment of being unable to breathe, teetering on the edge of death but never quite crossing over, was too much for anyone to bear. The cruelty of the technique, which kept him hovering at the brink of death, was terrifying for someone like him, who only cared about self-preservation.

Now, with the situation clear to him, Nick realized he had been abandoned by William Brecken. He even suspected that his current predicament was part of Brecken's plan all along (unaware that his exposure was entirely due to Castle's tip-off). If Brecken was this ruthless, then Nick saw no reason to be loyal either.

Gavin looked at his men, who nodded, indicating that Nick's psychological defenses had been thoroughly shattered by the waterboarding, and it was safe to begin questioning him. The overweight Congressman then approached, ready to ask what William Brecken was really up to.

To Gavin's astonishment, his questioning yielded far more than he had anticipated.

Once Nick Conan lost all faith in William Brecken, he spilled everything, confessing to every dirty deed he had carried out for the seemingly upstanding Senator over the past decade. Nick had been Brecken's go-to man for eliminating competitors or dealing with troublesome individuals. Now, fully aware that his confession meant certain death, Nick adopted a "drag Brecken down with me" mindset, laying out every incriminating detail.

Gavin was overjoyed. Who would have thought that after receiving an anonymous tip, he would capture someone who had been doing William Brecken's dirty work for years? And thanks to his men's accidental use of waterboarding, this man's psychological defenses and will to live had completely crumbled, leading him to confess everything—especially the numerous people he had killed on Brecken's orders, including lawyers, police officers, and anyone who might threaten Brecken.

Ecstatic, Gavin realized that Nick Conan couldn't be allowed to die, at least not by his hand. Nick's testimony was the key to destroying William Brecken, the opposition's likely candidate for the next presidential election. With this evidence, Gavin could make a significant contribution to his party, taking down a major player from the opposing side. Surely, his party's leaders would help him out of his current predicament with the FBI.

William Brecken had never imagined that the man he sent to Washington to eliminate Congressman Gavin—a man deeply familiar with his darkest secrets—would end up betraying him so thoroughly. Before sending Nick Conan on the mission, Brecken's close associate, Vulcan Simmons, had subtly hinted to Nick that he might face the same fate as a discarded pawn, prompting Nick to remain vigilant. Once in Gavin's hands and subjected to waterboarding, Nick lost all will to resist and confessed everything, his simmering resentment toward Brecken driving him to betray his former master completely.

Now, the opposition party had a major scandal on its hands. William Brecken, the man they were grooming as their next presidential candidate, had an explosive dark history. Even worse, this history was now in the hands of his political enemies. William Brecken was in serious trouble.

After securing Nick Conan's confession, Congressman Gavin, elated by his newfound treasure, ordered his men to keep Nick under tight surveillance to prevent any escape. Armed with the recording of Nick's confession, Gavin rushed to the private residence of his party's leader to deliver the shocking news.

The leader of the Democratic Party, surprised by the unexpected turn of events, was overjoyed after hearing the recording of Nick Conan's confession. Recent polls had shown William Brecken, whose public image had been carefully crafted by the Republicans, far ahead of their own candidates in popularity. Gavin, previously a minor figure in the party, had just handed them a game-changing piece of information. Even better, he had captured the hitman Brecken sent to Washington to kill him.

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