Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 60

60. Preparing for the Cheongil Hunt (2)

Taesu looked at Hansu with pleading eyes, hoping he would change his mind.

‘If he still doesn’t give in, there’s nothing I can do. It must be Hansu’s fate,’ Taesu thought. *Jininsa daecheonmyeong* [Do one’s best and wait for the will of heaven; a Korean proverb about accepting fate].

This marked the end of Taesu’s persuasion. All that remained was Hansu’s decision.

After a long silence, Hansu nodded.

“Okay, I’ll do it. I can’t help it since I was born this way.”

His eyes were firm with resolve.

“Since I’m going to be a knife anyway, I’ll wield it for my family and my brother.”

“Thank you.”

“Saving a company is better than killing people.”

“Yes.”

Taesu was genuinely happy that Hansu had made such a significant decision.

‘Keeping Hansu as a small ornamental knife would be a disservice to him, wouldn’t it? It’s also a waste of talent,’ he mused.

Taesu patted Hansu on the shoulder.

“Hyung [older brother], but the work I’m doing now is too boring. Running in circles like a hamster isn’t for me.”

“Yeah, I happen to have something you’d be perfect for.”

Hansu’s eyes lit up.

“What is it?”

“A jungle knife. This time, you’ll have to hack through the jungle and clear the path.”

He was planning to entrust this task to Hansu.

“Let’s go to America and start a company.”

“A company? What kind of company?”

“An investment company.”

He was planning to leverage the money inflated by the oil shock [a period of significant increase in oil prices].

‘If I suddenly show up with a huge amount of money, I’ll be an easy target,’ Taesu reasoned.

Everyone knew the amount of the road construction funds.

‘But what if Taesu spends even more money on apartment construction? Everyone will be wary of Taesu,’ he thought.

‘Laundering funds.’

He was planning to disguise the money’s origin with this investment company.

Even if it was actually Taesu’s money, it would appear as though he were borrowing it from external sources.

‘And one more thing, I need to prepare for the hunt,’ he added to himself.

He would erase Taesu’s traces and move quietly beneath the surface, like a predator stalking its prey.

‘This time, the target is Cheongil Oil.’

The goal was to use the oil shock to crush Cheongil Oil.

“It’s probably going to be fun.”

Taesu knew he had to collaborate closely with Hansu and discuss the plan at length.

* * *

Secretary Song waited outside Han Cheongho’s study.

Crash.

The sound of breaking objects emanated from within the study.

‘It’s been especially long today,’ Secretary Song observed.

That meant Han Cheongho’s mood was particularly foul. And why wouldn’t it be?

The people he had sent to bury Kang Taesu in the Middle Eastern desert had all returned empty-handed.

But that alone wouldn’t have made him so enraged.

‘All the spies that Chairman Han had painstakingly planted over the years have been uprooted,’ Secretary Song realized.

It was a painful loss. How much money had he invested in them?

‘He lost informants who were feeding him information from the president’s closest aides all at once.’

His eyes and ears had disappeared. It would take a significant amount of money and time to rebuild them.

‘Where did things go wrong?’ he wondered.

The study fell silent after a while.

“Come in.”

At Han Cheongho’s summons, Secretary Song entered the study. As expected, it was a mess.

“They were all kicked out, right?”

“Yes.”

He was referring to the spies who had been exposed.

Since they had been caught, being expelled was the natural consequence.

Strictly speaking, they weren’t just kicked out.

“I heard they were dragged to the Central Intelligence Agency’s interrogation room. They’re definitely going to point fingers at us. What should we do?”

“Cut off the tail.”

The tail referred to the Cheongil employees who had been bribed to recruit the special agents, instead of Han Cheongho himself.

Han Cheongho laughed.

“The dead tell no tales. The guy who took the money is dead, so who would dare to hold me accountable? I don’t know anything about it.”

Secretary Song felt a chill.

‘That cruel bastard. I’ll probably end up like that someday too,’ he thought.

Han Cheongil’s anger shifted elsewhere.

“Cha Gibeom played a clever trick.”

It was likely Cha Gibeom’s doing. He had used the situation in the Middle East to carry out the parasite detection operation.

“So he was the first to offer to pick the special agents who would go to the Middle East himself.”

Judging by the situation, it must have been Park Taejong who had stepped up. Cha Gibeom, having made the first move, already had a purge plan in place.

“I was pushed back this time, but I won’t be pushed back next time.”

He could always plant more spies. Who didn’t like money?

Loyalty? Honor? Duty?

In the face of money, even beliefs faded away.

“Find some suitable guys. We need to drug them.”

“Yes, sir.”

He had spent quite a bit of money on this, but it looked like it would cost several times more.

Secretary Song opened his mouth.

“On Friday, May 11th, the President has invited you to a luncheon meeting at the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the President of South Korea].”

“Three days from now?”

“Yes.”

Han Cheongho nodded.

“Prepare an apple box to take with me and put it in the trunk.”

“Yes, I understand.”

* * *

Hansu actively agreed with Taesu’s plan.

“That sounds really fun.”

“Going to America will be difficult in many ways until you get settled.”

“It’s okay, I have to put up with that much.”

“I want to assign someone trustworthy and capable to you separately.”

There was no one suitable.

‘Who would be good?’ Taesu wondered.

“Hyung, don’t worry too much. I can go with the guys I hang out with.”

“They’re all going to America for the first time too. We need someone familiar with the local area.”

“We can find someone trustworthy there.”

“That’s why it’s difficult.”

Taesu sighed. But thinking about it wouldn’t provide an answer. He had no choice but to trust Hansu and leave it to him.

“Hansu, let’s go to Myeongdong [a district in Seoul, South Korea] together and meet Elder Jang Mal-dong this time. I’ll formally introduce you.”

Hansu was puzzled.

“Why are you introducing me? I’ve met him before, haven’t I?”

“Because you’ll be getting a new business card and working with the Elder on a new project.”

With Jang Mal-dong?

“Is there anything I can do with the Elder when I set up an investment company in America?”

“It’s the same reason why you need to set up an investment company in America. I’m planning to join hands with the Elder and concentrate our attack on one guy.”

There was a guy he needed to catch before he could catch Han Cheongil.

If he suggested catching this guy together, Jang Mal-dong would gladly join hands.

“Okay, let’s go together.”

“Thank you. We’ll leave tomorrow morning, so keep that in mind.”

Taesu playfully patted Hansu on the shoulder.

Hansu frowned.

“I think you’re getting stronger and stronger?”

“It’s your imagination.”

“No, you’re hitting my bones now?”

“I’m telling you it’s your imagination.”

“Argh! Hitting the collarbone is cheating!”

For the first time in a while, the brothers grabbed each other by the collar.

After bickering for a while, they burst out laughing.

“You’re good with words. I was fooled by your fancy words. In the end, you’re saying I’ll be a knife no matter what?”

“You said it yourself that it’s your aptitude, ability, and the way you were born?”

“You said a surgical knife, then a jungle knife. Are you going to bring out a kitchen knife next?”

Hansu’s eyebrows twitched.

“I can’t do this. Today is a butcher knife. I’m going to get some animal blood on my hands today.”

“Eek! Is that a cheap shot to the ribs?”

Once again, the brothers’ collar-grabbing match began.

It started as a joke and ended brutally.

Nevertheless, they laughed.

“Hansu, let me ask you one thing. Answer me honestly.”

“Yeah.”

“Who encouraged you to work for the Central Intelligence Agency?”

“Um…”

Hansu’s expression hardened.

‘As expected,’ Taesu thought. An ordinary person wouldn’t specifically mention ‘Central Intelligence Agency agent.’

“Who is it?”

“The accountant.”

“The accountant?”

An unexpected person popped up.

“The accountant mentioned it first, and the miners sent from Pohang Steel also agreed. They said I’m sharp and I’ll definitely be successful if I go there.”

Even the miners sent from Pohang Steel! It was understandable since they were from special forces.

It’s common for people to leave special forces and join the Central Intelligence Agency.

‘But the accountant was the first to suggest it?’

That was strange. She was an accountant who attached receipts and prepared accounting books at the mine.

But she was the first to suggest that Hansu join the Central Intelligence Agency.

‘I should meet her later and ask her about it,’ Taesu decided.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

‘I’ll establish a proper foundation while I’m back in Korea. The Cheongil hunt, it’s starting now.’

There was a lot to prepare.

Cheongil was too big of a company for Taesu to hunt alone.

So he had to prepare step by step.

He had to tear down the pillars that supported Cheongil one by one.

‘Choi Muryong, will Chomyung Bank be able to withstand this?’

He’d shake up the money supply here first.

He was already looking forward to meeting Jang Mal-dong tomorrow.

* * *

Jang Mal-dong’s house in Myeongdong.

Today, Jang Mal-dong was sitting on a silk cushion, fanning himself with a fan.

Taesu plopped down on the floor and opened his mouth.

“Elder, have you been well?”

“How did the guy who went to the Middle East come back so quickly? Our guys who went with you haven’t heard from you yet.”

Those were loaded words. That’s because Taesu took the loan sharks as mercenaries as soon as he transformed them, and sent them to the Middle East.

“Because I handed the kids over to you, I don’t have enough hands and feet. This old body is really cumbersome.”

“Oh, dear, it’s going to get even more cumbersome than it is now. I’ve brought a lot of work for you, Elder.”

“Work?”

Jang Mal-dong’s eyes gleamed strangely, and he snapped his fan shut.

The man in the hanbok [traditional Korean clothing] also perked up his ears.

“It looks like something’s about to happen in the Middle East.”

“Something? What something?”

“Something the Elder will like, something that makes money, something that makes the factory run, something that makes your hands and feet even more cumbersome.”

Jang Mal-dong became impatient and slammed his fan on the table.

“I’m asking you what that is, aren’t I? That’s enough stalling.”

“I bought a lot of stuff from you, Elder, didn’t I? There’s a place that’s going to buy even more.”

If it’s something Taesu bought…

Jang Mal-dong’s complexion changed slightly.

“Are you going to commit terrorism in the Middle East?”

“Not me, but the Saudi government will probably need it.”

“What?”

“I know the general situation. Elder, tell me honestly. You’ve been secretly buying a lot through you in Egypt and Syria, haven’t you?”

“H, how did you…!”

Jang Mal-dong glanced at the man in the hanbok.

The man in the hanbok’s eyes flashed.

‘Not bad… A guy who’s supposed to be building roads in the Middle East has quick ears,’ he thought.

How did Taesu know that?

‘Eyes and ears even abroad? As expected, that guy in the background isn’t easy. I can’t find him at all.’

The eyes of the man in the hanbok deepened.

The mastermind that even the information merchants couldn’t find even with their eyes wide open.

‘He has a great backer.’

Taesu’s backer is future information. That’s why it’s powerful, and that’s why there are no traces.

“Information will flow to the Saudi government.”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

“I mean buying weapons in Egypt and Syria. Since that much volume has entered unofficially, they must have noticed.”

It’s not small-scale gun sales of one or two pieces. A huge amount is needed to arm an army.

Official military buildup attracts the world’s attention. So Egyptian President Sadat used both methods.

‘He openly declared war and showed gestures of military mobilization and military buildup. But the actual amount of weapons purchased didn’t jump. If it had, there would have been a real uproar.’

You have to trust money more than words.

Sadat is spending very little money on weapons purchases.

So all of Sadat’s words are bluffs.

Smart people will think they’ve guessed Sadat’s intentions that way.

‘Without knowing that he’s actually investing a huge amount of military spending through arms trafficking.’

If you know the amount of weapons purchased in Egypt and Syria, you can’t help but be nervous.

One of them, Jang Mal-dong, was secretly involved in arms trafficking.

The weapons factory that supported the independence movement was still there, growing in size.

Through the Pacific War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and now to the Middle East.

‘A secret story that was revealed long after the Middle East war broke out. The Cheongil Group’s intelligence is quite impressive.’

It’s bitter.

‘When will I be able to catch up with the Cheongil Group’s powerful capital and intelligence?’

He envies the capital and talent pool that has been built up solidly over a long period of time.

Taesu was just getting started.

‘I’ll catch them one by one.’

The prey is bigger and stronger than the hunter.

When catching something like that, it’s best to cut off its breath at once.

But that’s realistically impossible.

So what method do you use to catch it?

‘I have to attack the limbs one by one. I’ll wound it to make it bleed, and trap it to exhaust its strength.’

Taesu was preparing for the Cheongil hunt.

The target is Cheongil Oil.

This is Taesu’s hunt.