thenovelthief Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Translator: Dreamscribe“CEO-nim, have you heard the news? Indonesia has paid all the overdue contributions.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Even our government finds it quite unexpected. Indonesia acted like they would never pay, even if it meant entering a legal dispute. But suddenly, they changed their stance.”
Though there had been conflict between Indonesia and our country, we still distinguished between public and private matters and delivered donations to those in need.
“Could it be that our sincerity got through to them? The Kwangwoon Foundation invested a massive sum of 300 million dollars, and more importantly, our foundation staff are on-site, doing volunteer work themselves.”
“Well, what Manager Lee says does make some sense. But if they were the kind of people who knew how to be grateful, they would’ve paid the contribution long ago.”
Just like the department head said, I also didn’t believe Indonesia had changed its mind solely because of the donations.
“I suspect it has something to do with the vaccine. Isn’t a new variant virus spreading in Indonesia recently? The number of confirmed COVID cases with the identified variant has already surpassed hundreds of thousands. And no one can predict how much further it has spread.”
“Since we’re the ones holding the vaccine, they’re being cautious?”
“Yes. Indonesia used to earn a tremendous amount from tourism. But after COVID, tourism came to a complete halt, so they were trying to regain their former glory through rapid vaccine distribution.”
After we finished supplying the vaccine, the variant virus suddenly began spreading.
In this situation, even if Indonesia opens its borders, it’s useless.
Because other countries would completely ban travel to Indonesia.
“If our government and Kwangwoon start playing games with the vaccine, it’ll put them in a tough spot. The slower the vaccine distribution, the faster the variant COVID spreads, doesn’t it? Then no matter how much they distribute the vaccine, no country will allow travel to Indonesia until the situation stabilizes.”
In the end, it means Indonesia also acted based on calculation.
“Still, I think our Kwangwoon Foundation’s sincerity got through to some extent. It’s a harsh world, isn’t it? But our Kwangwoon Foundation is helping people without sparing either money or effort, so the Indonesian government must have changed their perspective.”
Unless everyone in Indonesia was cold-hearted, I had no doubt that our Kwangwoon Foundation’s donation had a positive influence.
It is said the world becomes more beautiful when we share, and life becomes happier the more we give.
If the Kwangwoon Foundation contributed even a little to resolving the conflict between the two countries, that alone was satisfying.
“Ah, but the donation didn’t go directly into the hands of the Indonesian government, did it?”
“No. We’re overseeing it very strictly to ensure the money doesn’t end up somewhere strange. If it ends up with the government, who knows whose pocket it’ll line.”
It seemed the foundation was also monitoring thoroughly to prevent such issues.
“Our staff aren’t the type to mess around behind the scenes. Plus, they report everything thoroughly. Here’s a document summarizing how this donation will be used and how it has already been used.”
Far beyond expectations, the foundation was meticulously managing the money and distributing it appropriately where needed.
“They really are working hard.”
“Yes. When it comes to helping others, they give it their all with passion.”
Home repairs from flood damage.
Earthquake relief funds.
Disease relief funds.
Nickel mine underground terminal collap…
That’s where my eyes stopped.
“Looks like there was an accident in the nickel sector.”
“Well, accidents tend to happen in mines, don’t they? There was a case before where a flood submerged a mine, and another incident where a cave collapsed. The aid is for those who were injured and couldn’t receive treatment, or whose livelihoods were affected.”
Indonesia is the world’s largest nickel producer.
Especially with the rise of electric vehicles, the demand for nickel has surged.
Processed nickel can be used in electric vehicle batteries, and also in stainless steel, which is rust-resistant steel.
Besides that, nickel is an essential material for manufacturing military equipment.
“.......”
But why is it that this word, 'nickel', is triggering my instincts?
It was radiating an intense light, forcefully drawing my attention.
“By any chance, can we procure nickel from Indonesia?”
“Since last year, Indonesia has completely restructured its business model. They used to sell raw nickel ore abroad as soon as it was mined, but now they’ve outright banned the export of raw ore.”
Nickel ore had been one of Indonesia’s main export items.
Wasn’t it the world’s largest nickel producer?
But they had suddenly banned the sale of raw ore.
“If they sold raw ore for $100, they would end up buying back the processed nickel product for $1,000. So there was no profit margin. That’s why they completely shifted their policy: banning raw ore exports, and instead requiring foreign companies to come into Indonesia, build factories, and process the ore there.”
“So they’re refusing to sell the raw ore and only selling processed nickel products?”
“Yes. Countries that had been sourcing nickel from Indonesia raised objections over this and even filed lawsuits in international courts. But no matter how many lawsuits are filed, if the Indonesian government insists on not selling... honestly, it’s a pointless fight.”
The countries that had been relying on Indonesia for nickel must have been thrown into chaos.
They had suddenly blocked the export of nickel ore without any prior warning.
That must have caused significant damage to businesses, and above all, the price of nickel had surged.
“I can understand Indonesia’s position. But their approach was a bit extreme. They should have given some sort of grace period, but instead, they just shut off exports, delivering a major shock to the market.”
In the end, regardless of what others said, Indonesia had enforced a total ban on nickel ore exports.
“.......”
But why?
My instincts kept signaling something about this nickel ore.
“This nickel ore... is it possible to make an inquiry with the Indonesian government?”
“Inquiry is possible but... as I mentioned, Indonesia has completely blocked the export of raw ore. They haven’t even flinched in response to protests from other countries.”
In other words, they weren’t going to listen to us either.
Even so, my instincts kept pulling at me.
“What if we offer to buy it at a higher price?”
“It still wouldn’t matter. Indonesia is already accepting foreign companies to set up factories domestically, and they plan to process and sell the nickel themselves.”
But as if stubbornly insisting, my instincts kept pushing me.
“Just ask if they’re willing to sell if we offer a higher price. I know they’ve banned exports, but still, it doesn’t hurt to ask, right?”
“Understood. I’ll make the inquiry. But I suggest not getting your hopes up...”
“Just make the inquiry.”
“Got it.”
First it was wheat, then natural gas... and now nickel.
Where would I even store nickel, anyway?
No, since Indonesia will reject our proposal anyway, maybe there’s no need to worry about that?
***
“What? Kwangwoon is asking for what?”
“They’ve made an inquiry asking if they could buy nickel ore at a price higher than the current market rate.”
President Joko was already in a foul mood, feeling like Kwangwoon had extorted the contribution money from them through pressure.
Of course, the contribution was something they were supposed to pay anyway... but still, the point was that Kwangwoon had thoroughly provoked his temper.
“And now what? They’re asking for nickel ore? After taking the contribution money from us!? Do those bastards not know we’ve banned nickel ore exports!?”
As President Joko flew into a rage, the Vice President barely managed to calm him down.
“They surely know that we’ve banned raw ore exports.”
“Then why the hell are they making this kind of offer?”
“Didn’t you say it yourself, Mr. President? That Kwangwoon’s real goal might not be just the contribution money.”
President Joko’s uneasy intuition had hit the mark.
Something had felt off already.
After handing out a massive donation of 300 million dollars, all they wanted was for us to pay our contribution?
“They obviously had another motive.”
At last, Kwangwoon had revealed its dark, hidden agenda.
Their true goal had been nickel all along.
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do! Reject it, of course! We already gave them the contribution. Asking for more now is just plain thievery.”
“But... the contribution was money we were supposed to pay anyway.”
“Yeah. It was money we should have paid, but if it weren’t for Kwangwoon, we could’ve gone on never paying it.”
Asking us to hand over nickel ore?
That was absurd.
“Reject it.”
“What if Kwangwoon tries something in retaliation...?”
“Then we’ll make sure they get thoroughly punished. Investigate every detail of where the donation money from the Kwangwoon Foundation is going. Also, find out if there’s any connection between Kwangwoon and the terrorist organizations currently operating inside Indonesia. If there’s even a shred of evidence, I won’t sit still.”
He had already swallowed his pride once by paying the contribution.
But bowing down a second time? That was unacceptable.
The Vice President agreed.
“But it’s a bit troublesome that Kwangwoon holds the vaccines.”
“Is there no one other than AstraZenon making vaccines?”
“Other companies tried developing them, but AstraZenon’s technology is at the top globally, and they control everything from production facilities to transport routes. Everyone else gave up.”
In short, AstraZenon is the only one producing the vaccine.
“Tsks. Get this across to them clearly. The moment they start using the vaccine to threaten us, it becomes a diplomatic issue between nations.”
“I’ll try to communicate that... but who knows what crazy stunt those bastards might pull. We should prepare internally.”
“Right. If they try anything inside Indonesia, we must respond with bloody retribution.”
His resolve was set.
If those bastards tried anything within Indonesia, even if it meant getting blood on his hands, he wasn’t going to sit back and watch.
“.......”
While the President huffed in rage, Vice President Yaman was starting to feel afraid.
Wasn’t Kwangwoon infamous for always pulling off insane moves no one could predict?
***
The main artery of global trade.
That was the Suez Canal.
Located west of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, it connects to the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Red Sea in the south.
It serves as the boundary between the Eurasian continent and the African continent.
There was a time when ships traveling between Asia and Europe had to detour around the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of Africa.
But once the Suez Canal was constructed, it shortened the route by a staggering 9,000 km.
It was a revolutionary development that reduced transport time by nearly 10 days.
“Ships just keep coming in today too.”
Suez Canal employees had been terrified during COVID.
The canal, which was always overflowing with ships like now, hadn’t seen a single vessel enter back then.
But contrary to expectations, shipping traffic surged during COVID, and now more ships than ever were passing through the canal.
“But the wind’s pretty strong today.”
“So what? It’s not like a ship’s going to tip over from a bit of wind.”
“Ha ha. True enough.”
As the workers laughed and checked the incoming vessels.
“Hm? What’s that? Why is it veering off the channel?”
“Uh... hey, what’s it doing?”
At that moment, a massive container ship veered off the channel and began listing.
And just as expected.
KWAANG-!!
It collided directly with the walls on both sides.
“What the hell?!”
The ship had run aground and ended up blocking the canal completely, lying crosswise in the channel.
“.......”
The workers were all frozen, staring blankly at the scene.
It was the moment when the Suez Canal, through which tens of thousands of ships passed, was forcibly shut down.
***
After rejecting the proposal regarding nickel ore, the Indonesian government remained on high alert for a while. It was out of concern over what Kwangwoon might be plotting inside Indonesia.
However, contrary to their fears, nothing happened.
Even the terrorist groups stayed quiet, and aside from the variant virus, there was nothing particularly problematic.
“So then, was the nickel ore offer really just testing the waters? You said the vaccine production is complete and everything’s coming in, right?”
“Yes. The shipping sector is currently transporting all the raw materials and vaccines needed in Indonesia.”
What Indonesia needed right now was vaccines.
Because the variant virus had to be stopped as soon as possible before it spread any further.
Only then would other countries feel safe enough to allow travel to Indonesia again.
“Thankfully, they didn’t try anything with the vaccines.”
Could it be that the warning, that cutting off the vaccine supply would escalate into a diplomatic issue, had worked?
Still, it was strange that the infamous Kwangwoon would back down so quietly.
Well, perhaps even they didn’t want to deal with a crazed Indonesian government.
-Just as he was thinking that.
“What... what kind of nonsense is that!?”
News arrived that was hard to believe even after hearing it.
“The Suez Canal is blocked?!”
“Breaking news is already spreading everywhere. A massive container ship, due to strong winds, operator error, and mechanical failure, veered off course and blocked the canal horizontally. All ships passing through that route have come to a halt.”
It wasn’t a lie, it was real.
Every news channel was already showing footage of the canal completely blocked by the container ship.
“The problem is, all the ships headed for Indonesia are stuck there.”
“What? Don’t tell me even our vaccines...?”
“Yes. Vaccines as well as all kinds of raw materials are now stranded, and it's expected to cause at least a 20-day delay. The bigger issue is that the vaccines must be stored in an ultra-low temperature system known as the cold chain. With this kind of delay, due to fuel and maintenance issues, we can’t guarantee the quality of the vaccines.”
“!?”
With the variant virus spreading rapidly, they had been desperately waiting for the vaccines to arrive. How could something like this happen now?
This was no time to be relieved that Kwangwoon hadn’t tampered with the vaccines.
Who in the world could have imagined this?
That the Suez Canal would be blocked in such an absurd accident?
“Wait a minute.”
Then suddenly, a thought occurred.
Was this really an accident?
“They said it was due to mechanical failure and strong winds, right? And also that the captain made a mistake?”
“Yes. It was said to be operator error.”
“Are we sure the captain didn’t do it on purpose?”
“What? But this has a massive negative impact on the global economy. No one in their right mind would do that on purpose... would they?”
Right. It would be insane.
A completely unpredictable act of madness.
But if it’s Kwangwoon?
Weren’t those bastards always pulling off this kind of crazy stuff?
“If that’s the case... then these crazy bastards really...!”