thenovelthief Chapter 155
Chapter 155
Translator: Dreamscribe“I’ve told you several times that I needed to meet urgently.”
“Yes. And I’ve also told you several times that I was busy and we’d talk later.”
At Rainjof’s dry reply, Jessie barely held herself back from raising her voice.
“You read the report, right? Bluezone is under attack right now.”
“Yes. I read it. But aren’t you overreacting? There’s no reason for Kwangwoon to suddenly attack us.”
Rainjof had also skimmed through the report sent by Bluezone.
Ships that were attacked by pirates were stuck in port and couldn’t supply goods to Bluezone.
“Besides, it’s not like all the ships aren’t coming in. You said two of them are arriving without any issues, right?”
“That’s not enough. The promotional sales event we planned is going to be ruined.”
“Didn’t Kwangwoon say they’d compensate for the damages?”
“That’s just a penalty for the ships not arriving. It’s not compensation for ruining our promotion.”
Still, Rainjof remained indifferent.
“So what are you saying? That Kwangwoon intentionally released pirates and had them shoot at their own ships? Just to pressure us?”
“There’s a high enough possibility.”
“You’ve been watching too many movies.”
“You saw how FaceWeb ended up in Kwangwoon’s hands. Kwangwoon is capable of insane things beyond our imagination.”
Even so, Rainjof honestly couldn’t fully accept the idea.
Sending pirates directly to attack their own expensive ships?
It didn’t make sense.
“And as soon as the ship issues are resolved on Kwangwoon’s end, they said they’d deliver all the goods inside, didn’t they? Then what’s the problem?”
Just because the ships broke down didn’t mean Kwangwoon would swallow up all the Bluezone goods inside. Kwangwoon would have to pay penalties and also deliver all the goods.
In the end, only Kwangwoon would suffer losses.
“But it can still deal a major blow to Bluezone. The same goes for semiconductors. They deliberately cut off the semiconductor supply to disrupt our BWS, using the semiconductor crisis as an excuse. We looked into it, and while other companies also reduced their supply, none of them completely cut us off like they did with Bluezone.”
“That’s probably their way of saying we need to buy at higher prices. If we negotiate, that’ll be resolved quickly.”
“They’re not even pretending to listen to our side.”
“Keep making requests until they do. Do you know how much semiconductors we purchase? Do you really think they’d give that up? And about the special sales event too. Isn’t Black Friday just a few months away? We can go big then. Was it necessary to run such a major event in advance?”
Jessie was frustrated.
Right now, Rainjof had no real interest in Bluezone.
His mind was completely occupied elsewhere.
“I know you’ve lost interest in Bluezone. But it’s still the company you founded, right? If it’s under attack now and even you aren’t paying attention, shareholders could start leaving in droves.”
“That’s a bit harsh. Are you saying I’m neglecting Bluezone?”
“It’s not wrong, is it? You’re focused solely on Blue Space, which you’re currently operating as a private company. You’re slowly selling off your Bluezone shares to fund that operation.”
“.......”
It wasn’t wrong.
Rainjof had established a private company to expand into the space industry.
Blue Space, an unlisted company completely separate from Bluezone.
It had already consumed tens of trillions of won, and it would need even more going forward.
To raise those funds, Rainjof was secretly selling his Bluezone shares.
“I need funds urgently right now. Once Blue Space is on track, I plan to buy back the shares I sold.”
“Wouldn’t it take at least five more years for Blue Space to turn a profit? No, ten years?”
“It won’t take that long.”
Blue Space was a money pit at the moment.
In the distant future, the space industry may indeed become profitable, but no one knows when that future will arrive.
In other words, until that time comes, money must be poured in endlessly, and even Rainjof, who was operating it with personal funds, would eventually hit his limits.
Nevertheless, he continued to sell shares and pour money into it.
“You need to understand this, Chairman. If you want to keep raising funds by selling your shares, the stock price of this company must be maintained.”
“.......”
“And I don’t think Kwangwoon will stop here. If those bastards have an agenda, then soon...”
At that moment, the secretary rushed in urgently.
“Chairman, and CEO. I’m sorry. This is such urgent news...”
“What is it?”
“We’ve just received word that the two ships scheduled to arrive on our side were once again attacked by pirates and couldn’t make it.”
“!?”
Jessie looked at Rainjof.
It was a look that said, “Do you still think I’m wrong?”
“Phew...”
Rainjof had no choice but to accept it now.
It was certain that Bluezone had become Kwangwoon’s target.
“Convene the board. We’re going to need to go all out.”
After a long time, he was returning to a chaotic workplace.
***
“They were attacked again?”
“Yes. This time, the attack was much more intense than before. Normally, they just steal goods and flee without harming anyone, but this time they even shot people.”
“What about the escort ships we assigned?”
“That’s the problem. The escort ships didn’t respond properly, and the damage was worse because of it.”
Had I taken the pirate issue too lightly?
The situation was more serious than expected.
Even though the number of pirates had increased significantly, they used to just seize ships without bloodshed or shooting the people onboard.
“The weakening of surrounding naval forces also plays a big part, and while pirates used to mostly come from Somalia, Togo, and Nigeria, nowadays they’ve been frequently appearing in Asian regions too.”
Somali pirates were a thing of the past now.
In places like Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, various groups had risen for survival and were committing crimes at sea.
“Also, many of them have no qualms about killing people, so the crew on the ships are becoming more and more terrified. The number of people quitting is increasing too.”
This was a crisis.
Not because of competitors making shipping dangerous, but because of pirates.
Competition between companies can be overcome by working hard.
But this, this had become a matter of risking lives.
Why were crew members quitting?
No matter how much money you offer, people will run if their lives are in danger. It’s human nature.
“Is there a way to increase the number of escort ships?”
“There aren’t many companies that offer ship escort services. The work involves being at sea for long periods, and the pay isn’t that great either. Plus, many of today’s criminal organizations include former special forces operatives.”
The world had become a dark place, with even former soldiers turning to criminal groups in droves.
“.......”
It was troubling.
We couldn’t just call the navy every time pirates showed up.
By the time the navy arrived, the pirates would have already taken everything and escaped.
“This is really problematic. I hear that navies in many countries have also lost a lot of power due to military budget cuts... And since the escort services aren’t operated by us directly, it’s hard to deploy the personnel effectively.”
It was at that very moment.
Something in the department head’s words triggered my intuition.
“Department Head, what did you just say?”
“Hmm? That the navy’s influence has...”
“No, not that.”
“That because we don’t run the escort service ourselves, it’s hard to allocate the personnel properly?”
That hit me again, my intuition shook my mind once more.
It was a simpler problem than I had thought.
If there was no company to protect us, then we just had to create one ourselves.
“That... sounds like a good idea.”
“Right. One of the reasons escort ships are struggling is due to funding issues, weapons, personnel, ship performance, and so on. But if we solve those problems through massive investment, the quality of the security will greatly improve.”
In that case, there was no time to waste.
Since we didn't know which ship might be attacked next, we had to proceed as quickly as possible.
“We can’t set up a company like that in our country, right?”
“No. It’s impossible in our country. Weapon transactions aren’t allowed. But it’s possible overseas. And it would be best to set it up somewhere close to our shipping routes.”
“Then could you show me the main routes used by Kwangwoon Shipping?”
“Ah, yes.”
If we were really going to establish a company, we would need to set up bases not only for the headquarters but in multiple locations.
We especially planned to focus personnel in areas where pirates frequently appeared.
“.......”
I looked through our main shipping routes.
Then, at one point, a bright light suddenly started radiating from a specific location.
“This place...”
It was the optimal location my intuition had chosen.
***
“What the hell. Why are there so many pirates all of a sudden? Has it always been like this?”
“No. Normally, there should be even fewer pirates than before. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were nearly wiped out.”
“Then what the hell is going on? Where do these bastards keep crawling out from?”
Kim Doo-young was going crazy.
If it were a problem with the company or the ships, he could put more effort into management.
But pirates were a different matter.
This was something Kim Doo-young couldn’t do anything about.
“The biggest factor is that a global financial crisis has been erupting in a chain reaction. And the recent Russia-Ukraine War delivered the final blow.”
“So now everyone’s turning to crime?”
“Yes. When a financial crisis breaks out like this, already struggling countries fall into even deeper trouble, and their national economies can’t function properly. So people start picking up guns.”
Pirates rising due to a chain of financial crises...
The real issue was figuring out where this financial crisis came from.
Even when Kim Doo-young thought about it, the ongoing financial crises seemed abnormal.
And Kwangwoon always reaped the biggest profits.
“On top of that, didn’t the COVID hit too? The economy got worse because of it, and just when shipping demand exploded, people naturally turned to piracy.”
So in the end, was all of this caused by Kwangwoon?
All of the major incidents that had occurred so far were connected to Kwangwoon.
“But honestly, I don’t think this is entirely a bad thing.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“With pirates swarming the seas, CEO Jung Jin-ho requested that our group establish its own security company, right? It’s officially a security company, but in reality, it’s a PMC.”
PMC.
Private Military Company.
A private military organization that conducts military operations, security, and training in war or conflict zones.
In other words, a company that runs its own military.
“CEO Jung Jin-ho even chose Turkey as the headquarters. That’s incredibly precise.”
“Exactly. Think about where Turkey is. Before the Russia-Ukraine War broke out, CEO Jung had already invested in a Turkish defense company called Baykar and built close ties with their government. And because of the Russia-Ukraine War, Baykar hit the jackpot.”
That’s why the Turkish government was extremely cooperative with Kwangwoon.
“Moreover, Turkey controls the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, and it’s a strategic hub linking Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.”
“Wait. So CEO Jung thought this far ahead and invested in advance?”
“Honestly, we all thought it was strange. There are so many defense companies out there, but he specifically singled out Turkey for investment.”
That’s true.
If he really knew that the Russia-Ukraine War would break out, then even if Baykar was going to hit the jackpot, it might have been better to choose another company.
And yet, Jung Jin-ho chose Turkey.
“Turkey is a suitable location to establish a PMC, and since weapons can be traded through a defense company directly operated by the Turkish government, they have no reason to stop us. On the contrary, they’ll welcome us with open arms.”
“Dispatching security personnel based in Turkey would also be faster, and it’s a good location for expanding bases. Thanks to its geographical advantages, everything from weapons and ships to hiring personnel can proceed quickly.”
For a moment, Kim Doo-young felt his mind go blank.
“Then CEO Jung Jin-ho prepared in advance, anticipating that the number of pirates would increase?”
“That could be the case, or maybe he was looking even further ahead.”
“Even further ahead?”
“Sir. This is a PMC we’re talking about. And not just any PMC, this will be an unprecedented private military company backed by Kwangwoon’s immense capital.”
A PMC backed by none other than Kwangwoon’s capital.
That meant it would be larger in scale and higher in quality than anything else out there.
“And the justification is solid. It’s to stop the rising tide of piracy. No one can object to that. If maritime shipping gets blocked, countries around the world will face serious problems. And if they spread their bases across the globe like a decentralized network to protect shipping routes…”
“We'll have a force that can respond to our orders anywhere in the world.”
“!?”
So this was it.
Why Kwangwoon, no, why Jung Jin-ho had triggered financial crises in succession and dragged the situation to this point.
Why he had deliberately caused chaos with pirates swarming the seas.
Kim Doo-young finally understood.
Jung Jin-ho’s objective was singular.
A colossal military company that only Kwangwoon could operate.
A PMC that, under the pretense of security, would establish bases across the world.
He needed a justification to create that terrifying organization.
That was what this was all for.