thenovelthief Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Translator: Dreamscribe“CEO-nim. About the South America matter you recommended to Sentinel last time.”
"Ah, yes."
“I looked into it separately, and it seems the risk of war is currently at its peak.”
“War?”
Just hearing the word "war" is tiring now.
Isn’t the Russia-Ukraine war still ongoing?
“Venezuela and Guyana are currently in a territorial dispute, and I heard Venezuela has deployed a large number of troops along the border, ready to use force at any moment.”
I didn’t know about this.
There’s no shortage of territorial disputes around the world.
But the territorial dispute between those two countries is said to have lasted nearly 200 years.
“Originally, Venezuela didn’t really pay attention to Guyana. But then a large amount of oil and natural gas was discovered in the Essequibo region, and that’s when Venezuela started claiming sovereignty.”
“Wasn’t the Guyana side already rich in minerals?”
“Yes. Gold, iron ore, bauxite, and so on. It had plenty of minerals. I even heard uranium was discovered in that area, and many companies conducted surveys there.”
Maybe that’s why.
Suddenly, China and Russia started supporting Venezuela and insisted that the territory should be returned to them.
“There’s definitely something going on. Gold, iron ore, oil, natural gas, and even uranium. That place is filled with things worth drooling over.”
It was understandable that both countries would be greedy for it.
“We’re planning to establish a Sentinel base near Guyana’s territorial waters, but for that, we need the Guyanese government’s approval. The problem is, they said they’d allow it only if we agree to one condition.”
“What condition?”
“They’re asking us to invest in them like we did with Nigeria.”
“Huh?”
“Our Sentinel investment in Nigeria greatly improved the quality of their navy, didn’t it? Thanks to that, they’ve successfully repelled nearby pirates. It seems they found that quite appealing.”
The military power gap between Venezuela and Guyana is huge.
Venezuela currently has 150,000 troops it can mobilize.
In contrast, Guyana only has 5,000 troops, and of course, no navy.
If Venezuela were to launch an offensive now, the overwhelming difference in force would be more than enough to occupy Guyana.
But the reason Venezuela hasn’t done so is because of the US military.
Just as China and Russia support Venezuela, the United States supports Guyana.
Additionally, Brazil, which borders the region, is also criticizing Venezuela for pressuring Guyana.
In other words, if Venezuela starts a war here, the US military will be forced to intervene.
Also, the US has been conducting regular joint training exercises near the Guyana region.
“The Aiden administration has been keeping China and Russia in check while reinforcing relationships with allied nations. But now that the Aiden administration has effectively become a lame-duck government, Guyana is reportedly terrified.”
“Still, wouldn’t the US try to protect its allies?”
“The current administration is practically paralyzed, so if Venezuela were to start a war, it would be difficult for the US to respond immediately. It's uncertain whether they’d even dispatch troops to help an ally. That’s because Trump, who the Republican Party is backing as their next presidential candidate, has a stance completely opposite from Aiden’s.”
Former President Trump, both during his previous term and now.
He continued to insist that America should no longer play the role of world police.
He was also raising his voice, claiming that allied nations were all parasites sucking America dry, and that alliances should either be severed entirely or renegotiated to force massive defense cost contributions.
“Trump isn’t even president yet, but he’s already making noise. From our country to Japan and other allied nations, he’s lumping them all together in his statements, which is why Guyana is feeling uneasy.”
Trump is, how should I put it...
A strange fellow.
To be honest now, when the Republican Party is completely crushing the Democratic Party, was the best timing for Trump to boost his approval ratings.
But instead, he’s constantly shooting his mouth off and dragging down his own support.
“Trump knows. He knows there’s no one else besides him who can run for the next presidency. But it seems the Democratic Party also sees this as an opportunity. Since Trump is digging his own grave, rather than fighting him, they’re just letting him talk all he wants.”
The Republican Party had seized a golden opportunity to take back the presidency.
But thanks to Trump, the power might just end up returning to the Democrats again.
“Anyway, for those reasons, Guyana is demanding an investment from us.”
“By investment… you mean a military investment, right? Like with Nigeria, where we invested in their navy and got protection in return.”
“That’s right. And this region has been seriously suffering from criminal organizations. Just like before we set up Sentinel in Africa, now the Caribbean is also becoming increasingly unstable due to criminal groups. And the biggest issue is the rampant illegal mining.”
To those committing illegal activities, Guyana must’ve looked like a land of opportunity.
It was a land flowing with milk and honey, so rich in resources that it’s said to be harder to find areas without minerals.
That’s why all sorts of criminal organizations have swarmed in. Illegal mining is already underway, along with human trafficking, arms deals, and illegal drugs.
It was entangled in severe problems.
“But the US military and other allies aren’t able to resolve the issue directly. That’s why the companies that initially came in for mining are now starting to withdraw one by one. The number of criminal groups has exploded, and the companies get attacked and looted whenever they let their guard down.”
That was unfortunate.
But even allied nations couldn’t be expected to step in for every issue.
The biggest ally, the United States, was in internal turmoil right now, so Guyana was essentially standing on a ticking time bomb.
“What Guyana wants is a military investment, right?”
“Yes. The criminal organizations have become so rampant that the mining companies are pulling out entirely. So, they say they need investment not just in the navy but also in the army. That’s why, since we’re going to invest in the military anyway, I was thinking, why not acquire the mines as well?”
“The mines?”
“Yes. What they need is protection. But if all we do is pay for protection and don’t get anything in return, it’s not really worth it. So, we should just take over the surrounding mines. Then we’re protecting our own assets, and it’s not a waste of money.”
It didn’t sound like a bad idea.
“Do you have a map showing how many mines are over there?”
"Ah, yes. Here it is."
It was just then.
The instant I received the map from the department head, numerous points began sprouting up all over that region.
“.......”
When I heard about acquiring the mines...
At most, I had expected one or two.
This looked like it would have to be taken seriously.
‘But.......’
How are we supposed to extract from all these mines?
***
"We're acquiring mines?"
“Yes. And not just one or two. Because of the surge in criminal organizations, many companies are abandoning their mines and leaving. We’re going to acquire all of them, and Kwangwoon will manage them from now on.”
“And we’ll be handling the protection?”
“Yes. The Guyanese government will receive large-scale military investment, strengthen their forces, and eliminate the surrounding criminal organizations to protect the mines. At the same time, they’ll be somewhat freed from Venezuela’s military pressure.”
Anthony Watson, who was receiving the report, let out a short laugh.
As expected of Kwangwoon.
“Everything from A to Z. There are always so many connections in whatever Kwangwoon does that we can never predict anything.”
“Sir?”
“Think about it. If Kwangwoon hadn’t triggered multiple financial crises, the criminal organizations wouldn’t have grown to this extent, and the mines in Guyana wouldn’t have become such a problem.”
“Ah-.”
“On top of that, if the Aiden administration were functioning normally instead of being a lame-duck, the Guyanese government wouldn’t be so terrified of a possible Venezuelan attack that they’d ask Kwangwoon for help.”
“So then, could it be that all of this……?”
“Yes. It’s all connected. Even the smallest incidents that seem like nothing are just steps in Kwangwoon’s roadmap.”
Back at the CIA, hadn't he marveled every time Kwangwoon triggered events through interconnected links and took what they wanted from them?
But seeing it unfold before his very eyes in real time was even more staggering.
“Who in the world is planning all of this?”
“I don’t know. One thing’s certain though, there’s no way a single person could come up with all this. There must be a team behind it, crafting these meticulous strategies. A team capable of covering their tracks so well that even other intelligence agencies can’t find a single speck of dirt.”
Any organization, no matter how careful, leaves traces behind when it does something.
But this one didn’t leave even the slightest hint. It was chilling.
“This means it’ll be easier for us to deploy mercenaries there.”
“Yes. The Guyanese government wants it too, and as for us, we can take control of the surrounding area. But... do we really need to go this far?”
“Of course we do. Do you not understand why Kwangwoon is buying up all those mines?”
“Because they don’t want to waste money on Guyana’s military?”
“No. It’s because of the massive thing buried beneath that land.”
And what could that massive thing be?
China, Russia, and the United States, these three superpowers were all on high alert because of one resource.
“Uranium?”
“That’s right. But no matter how bold Kwangwoon is, they can’t openly mention uranium. That would be practically inviting others to attack them. So, what should they do?”
“...Pretend to mine other resources in the surrounding mines, and secretly extract the uranium from below? Th-this is way too dangerous, isn’t it?”
“Heh. That’s why I like it. Every day here is a thrill.”
“B-but, Director! No matter what, uranium is...!”
“Ssshh. That’s enough. We just do our job.”
Anthony softly brushed his hand over the map spread out on the display panel.
“As soon as our forces are deployed, start closely monitoring the area where Jackson Mobil is currently conducting drilling.”
“This place?”
“Yes. Why do you think Kwangwoon suddenly marked that area? It’s to secure the resources they need to build the empire they envision. Jackson Mobil is nothing more than a bunch of thieves stealing Kwangwoon’s resources.”
That’s why they had no intention of leaving them alone.
Jackson Mobil’s only crime was that they had the audacity to claim a spot before Kwangwoon did.
***
“It’s really hard to see your face these days.”
“But we see each other on weekends.”
“Pfft. That’s only when we’re gaming. You even skipped last week and the week before that. And seriously, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a one-on-one like this, hasn’t it?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve just been so busy.”
“Yeah, I know. But today, I felt like we absolutely had to meet, so I rushed over here. Haha.”
Chairman Kang Sung-ho had definitely solidified his place in our Trinity Guild.
Even though he joined late, he rose to become an excellent damage dealer purely on his own merit, and he was still actively playing.
Since he didn’t have many hobbies to begin with, coming to our hideout and playing games with others was what he said brought him the most joy in life.
“So, what brought you running all the way here?”
“Ahem. I was going to wait until we’d had a drink or two before getting to the point… but I guess it’s better to just say it now.”
Chairman Kang Sung-ho glanced at me cautiously before speaking up.
“You know, that Guyana place. I heard Kwangwoon is buying up mines over there.”
"Ah, yes."
That was actually what I had been worrying about.
We were picking up abandoned mines at cheap prices.
The problem was, we didn’t have the technology to actually mine them.
“Can’t you let us in on it too?”
“Huh?”
“I know what’s buried in Guyana too. I’ve heard even China, Russia, and the U.S. are practically drooling over it. But China and Russia are tied up with Ukraine right now, and the U.S. is a complete mess internally.”
“That’s true.”
“Then while those guys are distracted elsewhere, we should move fast and take control of the place. It could be a real game changer. We have a construction company too, and if we rally all the companies in Korea over there, mining won’t be that difficult.”
Getting help from Korean companies?
No, that’s not accurate. What he meant was, Kwangwoon would subcontract the work to them.
“What is it that Kangseong wants?”
“There’s only one answer to that. What resource right now could truly be a game changer?”
At that moment, I finally understood what Chairman Kang Sung-ho was talking about.
“It hasn’t been discovered yet, but they say there’s an extremely high chance that the region contains a massive amount of rare earth elements, right?”