Reborn as Richard Castle in Criminal Minds

Castle wasn't just bragging. In the past, he might not have dared to drive a truck full of weapons around New York City. But now, thanks to the success of his first novel based on Beckett and its positive portrayal of the NYPD, he had earned significant goodwill from the department and its leadership. This novel had rocketed to the top of the New York bestseller list within a month, bringing immense social and political benefits to the NYPD. Therefore, he felt confident that even if he were to be pulled over by the police, he wouldn't face any serious trouble.

Moreover, the warehouse he recently rented, which included a small workshop, wasn't exactly a secret, but Castle preferred to keep its existence low-key. This included keeping it from Winston. It wasn't about distrust; Castle knew that if Winston found out about his activities, his father Sean would too. While having a powerful father was beneficial, Castle instinctively felt uncomfortable with the idea of his every move being monitored. So, even though the warehouse didn't hold any major secrets, Castle declined Winston's men's offer to deliver the goods and decided to drive the truck himself.

Once he was out of sight, Castle transferred all the weapons from the truck into his personal storage space, leaving only the drone modification parts and materials. This was his real reason for not fearing police inspections.

Driving leisurely, Castle soon arrived at the warehouse he had rented, which was well-equipped with tools and machines. He unloaded the parts and materials, leaving enough to modify a high-performance drone. The rest he stored in his personal space, then set about implementing a drone modification concept he had from his system's reward: Tony Stark's design from the Marvel universe.

Castle wasn't a fool. The warehouse was conveniently located, but the parts and materials he obtained through Winston were top-notch, many of them military-grade. He couldn't leave such valuable items unguarded in the warehouse. While the large machines were safe, the smaller, easily stolen parts were not. The warehouse was only meant to be a workshop for testing his drone modification ideas.

Initially, Castle planned to use the parts to upgrade a DJI civilian drone, but upon receiving them, he decided to experiment with Tony Stark's drone design. Transforming into a skilled technician, Castle got to work.

The mechanical proficiency skills from the system, derived from the Marvel universe's Tony Stark, flowed seamlessly. Using the tools and equipment left by the previous tenant, Castle quickly assembled a peculiar-looking drone frame from the parts he had received.

This wasn't just any modern-day technology; it was a design directly copied from Tony Stark's mind. The drone, when finished, would surpass current technology, even outclassing military drones like the RQ-4 Global Hawk and the MQ-1 Predator in terms of endurance and range.

Castle debated whether to equip the drone with weapons for Harry. The advanced drone would certainly intrigue Harry, but Castle couldn't decide if he should replicate Tony Stark's military design completely. After much contemplation, he opted to finish the drone's main body first and then consider adding weapons later.

From midday, Castle worked tirelessly, single-handedly handling all aspects of the build. By nightfall, he had completed the drone's frame. Realizing how late it was, he stored the day's work in his personal space, double-checked the warehouse for any overlooked items, locked up, and headed home. The box truck used for transporting the weapons was now his, intended as a future mobile drone command center.

Castle, feeling proud of his frugality and resourcefulness, walked out to find a taxi. However, the warehouse's location near Brooklyn's edge made finding a cab difficult. He had two choices: take a shortcut through a dangerous neighborhood or take a longer, safer route.

Unconcerned for his safety due to his improved skills, Castle chose the shortcut. As he walked through the predominantly African-American neighborhood, he noted the hostile glares from some of the locals but remained unfazed.

Suddenly, a figure standing outside a hardware store caught his attention.

"Is that... no way. That guy looks like Nick Fury! No, wait, he has hair and both eyes... must be Zeus from 'Die Hard with a Vengeance.'"

Castle recognized the man, who bore a striking resemblance to a young Nick Fury. The man's hair and glasses gave him a scholarly appearance, and the store sign behind him read "Zeus Electrical."

Castle realized that this must be Zeus Carver, the smart and resourceful character from "Die Hard with a Vengeance." 

"Could it be that Simon hasn't yet robbed the Federal Reserve?" Castle wondered.

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