My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 436

“We don’t need to go directly into this forest. However, we can contact other Karen people and ask them to relay our message.”

And the Karen people will surely be satisfied with 50 million won [approximately $37,000 USD] per person. If we’re lucky, we might be able to negotiate a lower price.

“Will the Karen betray us?”

“They have no choice. We just need to tell them that negotiations with our side are on the verge of collapse.”

No matter how unpredictable the Karen are, they wouldn’t want to engage in a full-scale war with China, of all places.

“They are fighting for independence, not to be dragged into China and have their organs sold.”

It’s not exactly a secret that China is allegedly kidnapping people in Xinjiang Uyghur [an autonomous region of China] and selling their organs. So, what about the Karen, who have even fought a war as rebels? They will probably be rounded up and have their organs sold until they are all extinct.

“Negotiating with the Chinese government is most important for them.”

“But then they won’t take money from us, will they?”

“There’s no reason to get hostages for the negotiation.”

“What?”

“It’s wisest for us to take the hostages and for China to apprehend the criminals.”

“No, why? Does that make sense? Of course, those guys should be punished in Taiwan.”

Park Do-joon scoffed inwardly at those words.

‘No, you have to insist while gauging the situation.’

Of course, what he said is true. But apart from that, there is no feasible way to execute it.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Let’s say we take them over. If we punish them in Taiwan, will China stand idly by?”

“That……”

“Yes, of course, they are organ trafficking organizations. But will China believe the evidence and testimony about that?”

“……”

“I bet they won’t believe it, not even close.”

China doesn’t recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and wants to interfere with them in any way possible. So, let’s say we catch the criminals who trafficked organs and take them to Taiwan. Then what will happen?

“China will surely use all sorts of threats to demand their nationals back.”

It doesn’t matter that they trafficked organs. The important thing is that they are Chinese citizens. Even if we present relevant evidence, they will not acknowledge it, and even if they do, they will say that Taiwan has no right to punish them.

Because they claim that Taiwan is not an independent country but their local government.

“It’s already a headache just to rescue them, but do you want to pick a fight with China on top of that?”

“Ugh!”

“This is not a matter of right or wrong. It’s just a political issue between two entities. Moreover, from the Karen’s point of view, if they have to choose one, it’s China.”

“China?”

“Yes.”

Should they hand over the hostages and criminals to China, or to Taiwan? Of course, China won’t give them money, but at least if they hand them over to China, the possibility of them being in danger is not high.

But if they hand them over to Taiwan? First of all, they don’t know if China will invade or not, and they might retaliate in other ways for embarrassing China.

The best outcome is selling dangerous weapons to Myanmar, and the worst case is that they might step up communication with the Karen on the grounds of preventing recurrence.

“And the Myanmar government is unlikely to refuse that.”

“Well, that’s true.”

The Myanmar government, no, the Myanmar military is isolated from the world because of the coup [a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government]. The only thing they trust is China.

“And you know, the Chinese government can’t stand it if they are embarrassed.”

The Chinese government believes they are superior and far better than any other country. Why else would they be proud of their wolf warrior diplomacy [a confrontational style of diplomacy adopted by Chinese diplomats], which attacks everything?

Wolf warrior diplomacy is just a diplomatic disaster. No one calls it diplomacy to treat other countries as vassal states, threaten retaliation if they don’t like something, and force other countries to bow their heads.

It’s just like kids showing off their strength.

“The problem is that they have no intention of changing it. If we hand over all the hostages and criminals to Taiwan, China will retaliate against the Karen.”

They are not a country, but a rebel group from the start. Even if they join hands with the Myanmar government and push them aside, no one will stop it.

“So, we have to give them a way to survive through concessions.”

Even if we pay to rescue them, we have to give the Chinese government a way to save face.

“The best thing is for us to aim for the hostages and China to aim for the practical benefits.”

China can claim that they didn’t rescue them, but they caught the criminals, so they won’t be embarrassed.

In this case, Taiwan can only talk about the rescue, but not about giving money.

“Well, that’s true.”

If they give money, there will be more guys committing the same crime as an excuse. In fact, everyone knows that the Korean government gave money in the Well Church case [referring to the 2007 South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan], but they don’t say how much they gave.

They didn’t even mention giving money at first, but the Taliban announced that they bought weapons with money from Korea, revealing that the Korean government gave money to rescue the hostages.

“Taiwan is not in a position to say this openly.”

They can’t say it, and they shouldn’t.

“We have to hand over the criminals to China to divert attention to China.”

“That’s right.”

“So, you planned all of this from the beginning?”

“To some extent.”

That’s why they prepared cash in advance and activated cell phones that could be planted in their vehicles in advance. They can’t plant the ones they actually use.

“Criminals use all sorts of tricks to avoid responsibility. The same goes for negotiations. So, we have to secure as many cards as possible to prevent that.”

‘Moreover, even if these guys imitate terrorist groups with negotiations, they are still criminal groups in the end.’

Even if their actions are similar, their essence does not disappear. If they were a terrorist group, they would have dispersed the hostages in preparation for being wiped out or a rescue operation, or they would have rigged the hostages with suicide vests.

“Once the location is identified, and if you notify another organization, they will have no choice but to arrange negotiations.”

“What if they know that and run away?”

“If they abandon everything and run away, that’s good for us.”

If the rebels run away, all that’s left are a few criminals, which the Korean army can handle sufficiently.

“Even if Korea doesn’t send people to carry out a rescue operation, it will be serious pressure on the organ trafficking organization. Then they will naturally have to cut the price.”

“Ah!”

In the end, they have nothing to lose.

“To prepare such things.”

The Taiwanese negotiating team looked dazed. They were just thinking about how to minimize the money.

But the organ trafficking organization demanded as much as 1 billion won [approximately $740,000 USD], and they thought everything was ruined. But thanks to Park Do-joon, another solution emerged.

“Okay. Can Park Do-joon be in charge of that part? We think the negotiation will take a long time anyway……”

“I will.”

The negotiation is already complete on this side. There is no reason for them to go and waste time in that situation. They won’t let them observe or attend anyway.

“So, please drag out the time as much as possible.”

The Taiwanese negotiating team smiled wryly at those words.

“I think it will be like that even if I don’t try to.”

While the Taiwanese negotiating team was negotiating, Park Do-joon set out to find Yoon Tae-min and other Karen rebels. In fact, finding them was not difficult. It is true that they are in hiding, but it is not that their location is unknown, but that they have been left alone because there is no easy way to reach them.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You can go alone.”

“You’ve never done such a dangerous negotiation before, have you?”

Yoon Tae-min smiled wryly at those words. That’s because not only him, but almost everyone has no reason to do such a thing.

Most of them are guys who talk comfortably in a safe and secure environment.

They have never done a truly dangerous and rough negotiation with their lives on the line like now.

“If you get nervous, you’ll get caught. So, think of it as a learning experience this time.”

“I’m learning a lot of things.”

“To be honest, Korean diplomats have so much to learn. Does it make sense to become a diplomat just because you are good at Korean, English, and Math?”

Of course, there are subjects related to diplomacy, and it is true that they study them. But that is literally a textbook area.

“Even if profilers learn from textbooks, it takes at least three years to apply them effectively.”

At that time, they are often at a loss because of the gap between theory and practice.

“They don’t have any real-world experience with this kind of case.”

Of course, diplomacy is more than that.

“Let’s learn a lot.”

“Yes.”

In the meantime, Park Do-joon looked around and stopped the car.

“Stop the car.”

“Here?”

“Yes, it will only be dangerous for us to go further.”

Of course, it is a forest. And I also know that some of the Karen rebels are here. So, if you go straight along the road, you might arrive at the Karen rebel base.

“But there will be 100% armed forces there. In the worst case, you will die without even getting close, stepping on an anti-tank mine or something.”

“How do you know that?”

“The road is too well-maintained.”

“Yes?”

“The Karen rebels are in hiding. Of course, they don’t come out often, and they are discreet. But this road has parallel tracks as if cars often pass by.”

It’s like the road has been compacted because trucks or vehicles often pass by.

“If that were the case, the Myanmar army would have found the base.”

But they couldn’t even enter the forest, let alone find it.

“I know from when I did weeding work in the military. These grasses grow back the day after you cut them.”

“Ah, that……. I haven’t done it, so…….”

“I thought so.”

Park Do-joon nodded, as it was not difficult to guess that he had strong connections, so he probably spent his time in comfortable positions rather than in truly rough environments.

“The road has these parallel tracks, but there is no sign of clearing the grass around it. The surrounding grasses are fine, too.”

If trucks or vehicles often pass by, there should be traces of the surrounding grass being crushed or flattened, but there is none of that.

“It’s a trap.”

If you go inside along this road, you will probably be shot at intensively or die in an anti-tank mine explosion.

“So, we have to go in.”

Park Do-joon took out a signal pistol from his jacket. And fired into the air.

Bang!

A flare shot up into the sky with the sound of a gunshot.