I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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102-Regulations
102
[World Athletics Championships]
Wu Delin, China’s sprinter, stood on the precipice of the 100-meter final.
Thirty minutes prior, the Assand coursed through every fiber of his being, spreading its effects with crystalline clarity.
Each individual cell.
Every single hair follicle—I could sense them all with perfect acuity.
The most infinitesimal, delicate shifts registered with absolute precision.
I possessed complete mastery over my own body.
A euphoric surge enveloped my entire frame.
When I first arrived at the championships, my ultimate aspiration was merely to advance past the preliminaries.
Yet a single Assand tablet consumed before the competition had carried me all the way to the finals.
Naturally, the moment I crossed the finish line in first place, they subjected me to a doping test.
But the results came back clean.
As expected.
I had not taken any prohibited substances.
I had merely consumed a single candy designed to enhance concentration.
Assand was not a drug.
It was a gift from heaven itself.
That was how I understood it.
I took my position at the starting line, my nerves taut with anticipation.
Having posted an excellent qualifying time, I had earned lane four—the most favorable position.
Soon the announcer called my name, and I raised my hand in acknowledgment.
The countless Chinese spectators in attendance erupted in cheers.
With their roaring support at my back, I prepared for the start.
On your marks
Set
Bang.
The starting pistol fired,
or rather, even before it fired, I could sense it.
‘Now.’
I launched forward at a speed ever-so-slightly faster than my competitors.
Yet it was that subtle, imperceptible instant—not quite a false start.
I exploded from the blocks in perfect synchronization with the gun.
And from that moment until I crossed the finish line, no one stood ahead of me.
9.77
A new Chinese record. A new Asian record.
After becoming the first to cross the finish line, I took up the national flag and circled the track slowly.
The countless Chinese spectators who had come to support the World Championships showered me with applause.
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.
.
Liu Zhuang, who lived in Kuala Lumpur, had come to watch the World Athletics Championships from early morning.
Though I knew little about track and field and had no particular interest in it, I had simply booked a ticket after hearing that Chinese athletes would be competing.
Since it was my day off, I had purchased the ticket with the modest intention of offering my support.
Unlike the Olympics or the World Cup, the reasonably priced tickets had solidified Liu Zhuang’s resolve.
And this choice would become Liu Zhuang’s finest decision.
“Wu Delin crosses the finish line in first place.”
“Wu Delin wins the gold medal.”
“Tian Lüxin takes first place in the women’s 200 meters.”
“In the women’s 10,000 meter final, Sun Kesin crosses the finish line first.”
“Zhou Huihang wins the gold medal in men’s high jump, clearing 2.36 meters.”
“Li Xiaotong is recording an overwhelming first place in women’s javelin throw. If the competition ends as it stands, she will win the gold medal.”
“At this year’s World Athletics Championships, Chinese athletes are particularly standing out. It seems there must be some special secret unique to the Chinese team.”
“Perhaps the god of athletics is bestowing his blessings upon the Chinese athletes.”
Liu Zhuang wondered if track and field was truly such an entertaining sport.
In nearly every event the Chinese athletes competed in, they either won gold or placed in the medals.
There was genuine joy in cheering them on.
“China! China! China!!”
Liu Zhuang cheered enthusiastically for China.
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.
.
An emergency meeting was being held in the conference room of the World Athletics Championships organizing committee.
It was uncommon for an emergency meeting to be convened during a competition.
Such meetings were only held if there had been an accident at the venue, a critical issue with competition operations, or perhaps an international dispute or political conflict had arisen.
Yet now an emergency meeting was being held despite none of these problems occurring.
It was precisely because of the Chinese team’s overwhelming performance.
They had won medals in nearly every event.
Chinese athletes ranked outside the top 100 were taking first place or placing in medal positions.
Completely unexpected athletes had surged into medal contention.
There was something problematic about calling this a miracle, luck, or the result of hard work.
Everyone knew this.
Yet without evidence to support claims that there was a problem with China’s overwhelming performance, no one could speak openly.
So they had gathered.
To find a way forward.
“Chairman, this cannot continue.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“We must conduct doping tests on the Chinese team again.”
“On what grounds?”
“What?”
“They’re saying we should conduct another doping test. On what grounds are we supposed to retest for doping?”
“That’s…”
“If we just go to the Chinese team and say we’re going to retest for doping, do you think they’ll simply accept it?”
“Still, shouldn’t we do something to ensure fair competition?”
“Fine. Let’s assume we conducted a retest for the sake of fair competition, even though there’s no such regulation. But what if nothing shows up?”
“…”
“Or what if something does show up in the doping test? Then that means there was a problem with our initial testing, doesn’t it? Nothing was found in the first test, but drugs appear in the second test. Doesn’t that suggest our doping tests were a complete mess?”
“It’s possible nothing would show up, isn’t it?”
“If nothing shows up, the Chinese side will lodge a serious protest. They’ll claim we were targeting them with selective testing.”
The committee chairman’s words seemed to oppose the doping test, and everyone appeared dissatisfied, yet his logic was undeniably sound.
“I’m not saying I have no suspicions. Nevertheless, our organizing committee must operate according to regulations. If the regulations are insufficient, we should supplement and apply them properly. We cannot conduct tests arbitrarily—doing them sometimes, skipping them other times, or repeating them two or three times whenever suspicion arises. That’s not acceptable.”
“Then are you saying we must recognize all of China’s records?”
“Is there any grounds whatsoever to invalidate the records? We won’t recognize them because they’re suspicious? Is that even possible? Instead, preserve the samples we collected during the doping tests carefully. Even if it’s not illegal now, if new substances are identified years later, we can invalidate the records and confiscate the medals at that time. For now, we operate according to the current rules.”
Everyone reluctantly nodded their heads.
Their hearts weren’t in it, but in reality, there was nothing they could do.
There was no regulation that could resolve this situation.
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.
.
[China monopolizes nearly every medal at the World Swimming Championships.]
[At the FIG World Cup hosted by the International Gymnastics Federation, Chinese athletes sweep all the medals.]
[The Malaysia Open Badminton Tournament concluded with China’s overwhelming victory.]
[ISSF Cairo Grand Prix! Once again, a Chinese athlete scores 10.9 points and secures the gold medal.]
[Is China good at baseball too? They’re posting excellent results at the WBSC.]
[But what are the Chinese athletes eating on the bench? Isn’t that jelly?]
[I’ve seen athletes eat bananas, almonds, and energy bars on the bench, but this is my first time seeing jelly.]
[I thought athletes didn’t eat jelly due to dietary management, but in any case, it’s an interesting scene.]
[If the Olympics were being held this year, China would have finished first with overwhelming performance.]
[Chinese athletes have achieved dominant results or made significant progress in every sporting event held this year. It seems like a year when China’s sports have taken another step forward.]
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.
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China achieved excellent results not only at the World Athletics Championships but in every sporting event held that year.
The organizing committee suspected doping among Chinese athletes,
but the doping tests detected nothing, and no violations of regulations were found, leaving them unable to take any action.
However, athletes and staff from other nations held different views.
[U.S. Track and Field Association. Formal protest letter submitted to World Athletics. Will boycott the next competition if no countermeasures against performance-enhancing drugs are implemented.]
[Australian Swimming Federation. Will provisionally suspend participation in the next World League if a new testing system for performance-enhancing drugs is not introduced.]
[Canadian Gymnastics Association. Cancels Grand Prix participation citing athlete safety. However, some sources indicate it is related to performance-enhancing drug use by Chinese athletes.]
Athletes who had competed alongside them knew the truth.
It was 100% doping.
The Coach knew it. The Director knew it. Everyone knew it.
Even the referees suspected it.
But there was no evidence to support it.
So they refused to share the same stage with China.
They were discussing a new competition that China wouldn’t participate in.
This was the moment China began to be isolated from the sports world.
*******
MHK Private Equity Fund, Gangnam, Seoul.
Negotiations between the operational teams for the acquisition of Dae Yeon Development had begun.
Go Seung-min, the Executive Director, was handling the operational negotiations.
“MHK will be covering the closing costs, correct?”
“Excuse me? Why would we cover that?”
“What? That was already agreed upon with Young Boss Kim Chang-soo.”
“What did you say?”
“It was all agreed upon with Young Boss Kim Chang-soo. Ask him yourself.”
“No, but the terms are still···”
“And we also agreed that MHK would handle the costs for ‘post-acquisition responsibility’, ‘escrow’, and ‘transition services’.”
“What? Those terms don’t exist anywhere. The sale price of Dae Yeon Development is already 2 billion won, which doesn’t make sense. If we’re covering all those costs too… it seems like we shouldn’t sell at all. Something’s wrong here, isn’t it?”
Go Seung-min, the Executive Director, responded to that comment.
“I’m not good with names and I forgot. What was your name again?”
“I’m Park Sung-hyo, Manager of the Strategy Team.”
“Manager Park Sung-hyo. At MHK here, does a mere manager overturn decisions that multiple people have agreed upon and decided? Is this company so fundamentally unsound?”
“Excuse me?”
“A manager is changing decisions that came down from above on his own whim?”
“That… your tone seems a bit harsh···”
“Exactly. Manager. If you have the authority to make decisions, then either overturn everything and rewrite it, or shut up and just sign the contract. We’re both busy—let’s not waste time on emotional arguments. Manager Park Sung-hyo!”
“Yes? Yes···”
“One more thing I forgot to mention—if the documents you provided differ from our due diligence findings, you’ll bear legal responsibility for that as well. Let’s make sure that’s clear.”
“···Yes.”
The negotiations ended in an overwhelmingly one-sided atmosphere.
Go Seung-min, the Executive Director, had concluded a contract acquiring Dae Yeon Development for almost nothing—or rather, even receiving money in the process.
He had shifted all costs involved in the contract and protected against any additional issues or losses that might arise.
For MHK Private Equity Fund, it was the worst possible contract.
Of course, Young Boss Kim Chang-soo had never agreed to these terms, but he couldn’t refuse to sign.
He was terrified of the sashimi knife.
He didn’t want to forfeit an arm or a leg as a penalty.
********
Beijing, China.
The State Council Building’s executive meeting had concluded.
Zhou Chiming from the Ministry of State Security (MSS), who had attended the executive meeting, was preparing to leave when the Minister of Public Security approached him from the side.
“How have you been?”
“Quite well, thank you. But what brings this up?”
“Those candies you gave me to try last time—remember them?”
“Of course.”
“Could I get a few more? I’d like to purchase some, but I don’t know where to find them.”
“Haha. Fortunately, I have a few more on me.”
Zhou Chiming pulled Assand from his pocket and handed it to the Minister of Public Security.
“Thank you. I won’t forget this kindness.”
The Minister of Public Security offered his gratitude and departed.
But his place was quickly filled by another person, to whom Zhou Chiming also handed Assand.
Most of those who had attended the executive meeting received Assand from Zhou Chiming.
Not a single piece of Assand that Zhou Chiming had brought remained.
Zhou Chiming purchased more Assand using special activity funds.
It wasn’t personal greed.
It was an unavoidable action taken solely to carry out the Chairman’s orders.
.
.
.
After the executive meeting concluded, Zhou Chiming returned to his Office in Dongcheng District.
He had barely settled into his chair when his Secretary approached with a report.
“The Director of Drug Supervision has arrived.”
“Please show him in.”
Moments later, the door opened and the Director of Drug Supervision entered.
“Welcome. It’s been quite some time.”
“How have you been?”
“Well, thank you. By the way, what brings you here?”
“I’ve come to report the results of the component analysis on those candies you entrusted me with last time.”
“You could have simply sent the documents…”
As Zhou Chiming spoke, he sensed something was amiss.
“Please, have a seat. Let’s discuss this properly.”
“Of course.”
“So, what is it?”
“Would you like to see this first?”
The Director of Drug Supervision handed over the documents.
The unfolded papers were filled with complex graphs, numbers, and symbols.
“This is the component analysis report for the candies you requested last time.”
“Are there any unusual findings?”
“This is… I’m not sure how to explain it, but while it’s not a narcotic, it contains narcotic components.”
“What? It’s not a drug, but it contains drug components? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, a new compound has been discovered. We can’t definitively classify this compound as a drug, but its effects function similarly to narcotics.”
“So it’s not a drug, but its effects are similar to one? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Similar, yes.”
“Then it could be designated as a controlled substance.”
“We’d need more detailed analysis, but there’s a high probability it will be classified that way.”
Zhou Chiming was startled.
A chill ran down his spine.
I had never imagined that the candy could contain drug components.
Since I had received it from Li Guoqing, I harbored no suspicions whatsoever,
and I experienced no aftereffects from consuming the candy.
I did feel a sense of emptiness, but that could simply be hunger—I dismissed it without concern.
But drug components? That changed everything.
The shock was momentary.
I needed to resolve this situation quickly.
If I didn’t resolve it, both Li Guoqing and the State Council members would be in danger.
Perhaps the greatest danger was to myself.
Hadn’t I distributed the candy to others?
I would become the supplier.
China shows no tolerance for drugs.
As I pondered what to do, an unexpected statement came from the Director of Drug Supervision.
“However, this isn’t a drug component listed in regulations, is it? Since it’s not a drug component defined by law, it’s difficult to call it a drug.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly as I said. In its current state, it’s not a drug—merely a new compound. It produces effects similar to narcotics, but such effects exist in painkillers and pharmaceuticals as well.”
“Is that so?”
As Zhou Chiming listened to the explanation about the candy’s composition and finally calmed his racing heart, the Director of Drug Supervision said something unexpected again.
“Even if that weren’t the case, it should be made that way.”
“Pardon?”
“This candy should be documented as having no abnormalities.”
The Director of Drug Supervision’s eyes grew sharp and piercing.
Looking at his face, I suddenly remembered a State Council meeting from a few weeks prior.
After first trying Assand and finding the sensation remarkable, I had distributed it to several State Council members.
The Director of Drug Supervision appeared to have been among those who received it.
The Director of Drug Supervision had already become a devoted devotee of Assand.
Assand was a candy where there were people who had never tried it, but no one who had tried it only once.
Everyone had already become dependent on it.
That’s why he had come directly.
To prevent Assand from being designated as a controlled substance.
I felt a profound kinship with the Director of Drug Supervision, whom I hadn’t been particularly close to before.
He seemed like a comrade in the same boat.
I felt reassured.
With that person, it seemed we could build a prosperous China.
“That’s right. We must create it ourselves. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course. In any case, there are no abnormalities in Assand’s composition, so I will document it as such. That’s what I came to tell you.”
“Excellent. Thank you for coming. Let’s meet frequently from now on.”
“Whenever you call, I will come.”
After the Director of Drug Supervision left, Zhou Chiming recalled a thought.
He wondered if the governing capabilities of the entire State Council might actually improve if all its members consumed Assand.

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