After the Divorce, I Found a Thousand Bitcoins - Chapter 189

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Got Divorced and Found a Thousand Bitcoins Episode 189

White House, Washington D.C., USA.

The solid mahogany door of the Oval Office was tightly shut without a gap.

A thick file folder was roughly thrown onto the desktop of the executive desk placed in the center of the office.

Thud!

“Mr. President. This is a clear security threat.”

The voice of Defense Secretary Williams, dressed in military uniform with four stars, cut through the air of the Oval Office.

Blue veins were prominently bulging above his thick nape.

“Sentinel Dynamics is a company that possesses core technology controlling the heart of the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class nuclear submarines. A majority stake in such a company has fallen into the hands of an Asian private enterprise in just 48 hours.”

“Through legitimate Wall Street market transactions.”

President Edwin was looking up at Williams with his chin resting on his clasped hands.

At his steady voice, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff standing next to Williams stepped forward.

“The problem is that the owner of that capital is KH Group.”

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s gesture swept broadly through the air.

“They have built an independent data ecosystem called Nova in India. If the U.S. Department of Defense’s top-secret control technology flows into their main servers, the United States would be handing over the Pentagon’s core entirely to a foreign company’s servers.”

“Mr. President. You must immediately mobilize the Federal Trade Commission and the Committee on Foreign Investment.”

A third general concluded his words while placing both hands on the executive desk.

His upper body leaned threateningly toward Edwin.

“Exercise the administration’s veto power over this sale on grounds of national security. This is a matter of American hegemony at stake.”

The passionate arguments poured out by the three generals filled the office completely.

Metallic sounds scraped from vocal cords and rough breathing intersected.

However, President Edwin’s posture didn’t waver even an inch.

The generals’ heated arguments circled in the air before soon dying down.

They were overwhelmed by Edwin’s consistent silence.

As they closed their mouths on their own, only the sound of the desk clock’s second hand remained in the Oval Office.

Thud.

Edwin closed the Pentagon’s file folder that had been spread on his executive desk without hesitation.

Then he put down the fountain pen he had been holding, dropping it onto the desk.

Clatter.

The light popping sound forcibly ventilated the heavy air in the office.

Edwin leaned back against his chair.

“Secretary. And Chief of Staff.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“Do you intend to antagonize the capital that put me in this position and the largest partner of the American economy?”

Edwin’s voice wasn’t loud but it was clear.

Secretary Williams’ lips stiffened slightly.

“Sir. What the Pentagon is concerned about is military technology…”

“The Sentinel acquisition was a perfectly legal market transaction conducted on Wall Street.”

Edwin cut him off decisively.

“To issue an executive order by framing a legitimate transaction with the outdated framework of national security.”

“But America’s core data will fall into their hands!”

“Capital exceeding that technological capability is already flowing into American territory.”

Edwin lightly tapped the closed file folder with his finger.

“Have you forgotten the source of the capital that filled the enormous gap in the Defense Department’s additional budget proposal last quarter?”

“…”

“You’ve also forgotten who the key partner is in the next-generation unmanned aircraft deployment project that the Pentagon is currently pursuing.”

The color quickly drained from the three generals’ faces.

The U.S. military’s modernization projects were already deeply dependent on the infrastructure and capital controlled by KH Group.

The moment that connection was severed, the Pentagon’s budget would be cut in half.

“Chairman Choi of KH is the most powerful supporter who led to my election.”

Edwin leaned forward slightly.

“It’s something he bought legally according to the rules of capitalism. The U.S. government will not block that legitimate flow of capital.”

“…”

“Go back. This matter will never come up on my desk again.”

It was a perfect order to leave.

It was a wedge indicating he would not tolerate any further objections.

The generals looked at each other with pale faces.

In the end, without anyone being able to open their mouth, they stiffly bowed their heads.

“…We will keep that in mind, sir.”

The generals backed out of the office as if being chased.

The heavy mahogany door closed, and quiet returned to the Oval Office once again.

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA.

The private jet carrying Kang Hyeon came to a smooth stop on the runway.

Click! Click-click-click-!

As soon as he came down the stairs, a barrage of eye-piercing flashes poured down.

The area around the space center entrance was packed with hundreds of reporters from around the world, leaving no room to step.

“Mr. Choi! What is the purpose of acquiring Sentinel Dynamics!”

“Please state your position on the U.S. Department of Defense’s sanctions warning!”

The reporters’ shouts tangled together and turned into enormous noise.

Kang Hyeon didn’t even glance at the pouring microphones and barrage of questions.

His steps headed straight toward the exclusive gate of the VVIP area without a moment’s hesitation.

Whirr- Clunk.

As the thick control room door closed, the outside noise was blocked as if by magic.

The heart of Kennedy Space Center.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows there, a scene of overwhelming scale was unfolding.

Rumble-!

Heavy vibrations were transmitted through his feet.

A massive crawler transporter equipped with continuous tracks was advancing, shaking the earth’s axis.

The giant launch vehicle erected vertically on top of it was Falcon 9.

Hiss-

Clunk, clunk.

The rocket slowly moving toward Launch Pad 39A after exiting the assembly building.

That heavy mechanical sound was so vivid it seemed to penetrate the thick soundproof glass.

Kang Hyeon stood by the window and quietly stared at that giant mass of metal.

‘The result of pouring trillions of won in just a few days.’

In the lower section of that giant launch vehicle, military-grade control boards that Kang Hyeon had obtained by throwing astronomical amounts of money were implanted.

It was merely the crystallization of enormous capital paid to forcibly twist open the door to space.

“Welcome to Florida, Mr. Choi.”

Elon Musk approached with a cheerful voice.

“CEO Musk.”

Kang Hyeon lightly extended his hand and shook hands with him.

It was the moment when the first substantial joint project between two giant capitalists trying to monopolize space infrastructure began.

“How does it look in person? This is SpaceX’s proud Falcon 9.”

Musk pointed to the rocket slowly moving beyond the glass window.

“Astra’s engines and Orbis robots are loaded inside there. Isn’t it the world’s most expensive and massive delivery box?”

“As expensive as it is, it will have to definitely deliver its worth.”

Kang Hyeon’s gaze was still fixed on Falcon 9 outside the window.

“The moment that launch vehicle breaks through the atmosphere, we’ll be the ones setting the rules of deep space.”

“Haha! Of course.”

Musk stood beside Kang Hyeon with a cheerful laugh.

That was when it happened.

Click.

The soundproof door of the tightly closed chamber inside the VVIP control room opened.

Secret Service agents in black suits entered first and lined up.

Between them, a man with a leisurely gait revealed himself.

It was the US President, Edwin.

“Outside, it’s all talk about you two, Mister Choi. And Musk.”

Edwin approached and casually extended his hand.

Kang Hyeon and Musk took turns shaking hands with him.

Three men standing at the pinnacle of global capital, technology, and power had gathered in one place.

But the air in the chamber was thoroughly calm and rational, like a meeting room of business partners.

“The old Pentagon generals came to my office and made quite a racket.”

Edwin began speaking as he received a coffee cup from his secretary.

“You devoured a core defense contractor in Virginia in just two days, so from their perspective, it was understandable they’d throw a fit about security threats.”

He took a sip of coffee and smiled slyly at Kang Hyeon.

“But I completely shut them up. I drove home the point that the state has no justification to interfere with the legal flow of capital, so there shouldn’t be any trouble from Washington for the time being.”

It was clear boasting from America’s highest authority.

An intention to firmly imprint the political umbrella he had provided.

However, there wasn’t even the slightest tremor in Kang Hyeon’s expression.

“Thank you for your efforts, Mr. President.”

Kang Hyeon nodded briefly.

It was an extremely ceremonial and calm greeting, as if receiving a briefing from working-level staff.

“Haha! Mister Choi’s confidence is always reassuring to hear.”

Edwin laughed aloud at Kang Hyeon’s indifferent response and set down his cup.

Clink.

The moment Edwin set down his cup, Kang Hyeon withdrew his gaze from outside the window and turned toward him.

“Since the President has cleared away the most troublesome problem, I should present the next bill in advance.”

“…Bill?”

Edwin’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Kang Hyeon’s words were practically rhetorical, after all.

“This joint launch with SpaceX isn’t a simple component test. That Falcon 9 has real cargo it will carry to orbit in the future.”

Kang Hyeon’s voice was calm without the slightest fluctuation.

“A KH Group exclusive space station to be built in low Earth orbit.”

Musk, standing beside them, lifted his chin slightly.

Intense interest flashed in his eyes.

It was a blatant declaration to use SpaceX’s infrastructure as a stepping stone to build massive private real estate in space.

Edwin’s brow furrowed.

“An exclusive station? Mister Choi, that’s tied to international law, so it’s not something a single company can handle…”

“That’s why I need the President’s stamp.”

Kang Hyeon firmly cut off Edwin’s words.

“NASA’s existing launch infrastructure and orbital entry route control authority. Please open exclusive rights for KH to use those with free access.”

Edwin’s facial muscles, which had been smiling leisurely just moments before, hardened stiffly.

His hand, which had been moving toward the table, stopped rigidly in mid-air.

His fingertips suspended in the air were tense, and his gaze was driven into Kang Hyeon’s face like a wedge.

It was a demand to hand over complete control of NASA, the heart of American space science and directly connected to national security, to a private company.

No matter how solid a political patron, it was a bill that far exceeded common sense.

The air in the chamber froze instantly.

Edwin’s lips pressed into a tight line, and Musk watched the tense tension between the two men with interest, chin resting on his hand.

But there was no sign of impatience or compromise on Kang Hyeon’s face as he made the demand.

Tap, tap.

Kang Hyeon uncrossed his interlocked hands and lightly tapped the table with his index finger.

The regular, indifferent friction sound cut through the suffocating silence.

“The capital that put you in that seat.”

Kang Hyeon returned the exact words Edwin had used when silencing the Pentagon generals.

“This is an opportunity to prove the value of that capital, Mr. President.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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