I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 116

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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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116 – Going Home
116
Bohol, Philippines.
Emerald Resort.
I’d returned to what felt like home after so long.
Leaving the quiet Dalapaanan for Bohol, the throngs of people left me disoriented.
Bohol was a rural backwater compared to Seoul, yet coming from Dalapaanan, it felt like a sprawling metropolis.
Despite the chaos, there was an odd thrill to it all.
Things had finally eased up in Dalapaanan.
Edward was steadily extracting the concentrate,
and Jason was reliably delivering it all the way to China.
Everyone was doing what they did best.
From there, China would handle the rest on their own.
They’d make the candy themselves, distribute it themselves.
We’d divided the work that way.
The system was built.
Now it just needed to run smoothly.
As long as everyone fulfilled their role, we were golden.
The important part was that I had nothing to do.
I just collected my cut in the middle of it all.
Wasn’t that enough?
So today, I thought I’d get back to my real job—being a guide.
The thought of mingling with tourists visiting Bohol thrilled me.
The moment I put on my Candy Tour uniform, I could see discomfort flashing across faces around me.
They probably didn’t want to work with the boss either.
But so what?
I wanted to do this.
Should I really worry about all that just to do something like this?
Can’t I just do it?
I’m the boss.
As I was heading out with my uniform on, I heard someone calling me from somewhere.
“Young Boss, just a moment.”
It was Ana’s voice.
If Ana caught me, I’d have to sit through reports and get dragged into meetings.
I tried to slip out unnoticed, but Ana appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my collar.
“You show up and just try to leave without a briefing? Where are you going?”
“Huh? Ana? I didn’t see you. How have you been?”
I offered an awkward greeting and performance together.
“I’ve been well, thanks to you. Looks like you got plenty of rest in Dalapaanan. Your face looks much better.”
“Better? This swelling is from all the hard work.”
“Yes, let’s go with that.”
“I’m telling you the truth—”
“Yes, I believe you. So let’s look first.”
“Can’t we do the guide tour first and handle this in the evening? I was thinking of helping out since they said the guide team is short-staffed.”
“No way. The guide team is never short-staffed. If anything, they always have plenty of people. So there’s no need to worry about that. Why don’t we head to the conference room together?”
“Do we really have to go? Can’t we do this later?”
“There’s an important matter to discuss.”
.
.
.
“Unity Town is currently progressing much faster and on a much larger scale than planned.”
“I understand it’s fast, but what do you mean by larger?”
“We initially projected Unity Town would grow to only a few thousand people—ten thousand at most. But we’ve already surpassed that.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I think it was significant that we accepted everyone who needed protection. It’s becoming a multinational village.”
“That’s something Patrick and Simon will handle well on their own. They’re the ones who wanted to accept them, not me.”
I vehemently denied it, worried the fallout might land on me.
“Yes, I suppose so. The problem is money.”
“Money? Money is a problem? No, it’s not. Money isn’t an issue. Why? Because I have plenty of it. Do you want some? China keeps sending money, and it just keeps accumulating. So go ahead and use some of it.”
I was being serious.
I had far more money than I could ever spend.
I was someone who barely consumed anything, yet money kept piling up in my account.
Honestly, the money coming from GoGo Casino alone would be more than enough to live comfortably, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.
When Assand payments started flowing in from China, it was truly astronomical.
All that money was meticulously laundered and deposited into my account without any taxes paid.
On the other hand, I was either attached to the resort or in Dalapaanan, so I had no reason to spend money.
Before, I used my own funds when buying buildings, purchasing land, or constructing factories, but that stopped after Ana joined.
Ana said that spending money was more important than earning it,
and that constructing factories and such were expenditures with multiple benefits, so she insisted on conducting everything under the names of the Construction Company or the resort.
She said that was how we could receive benefits.
So the money in my account just sat there sleeping.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even my account.
It was probably a corporate account that the money cycled through before depositing.
Regardless, if money was needed, I could provide as much as necessary.
But Ana’s answer was unexpected.
“Young Boss, I probably know better than you how much is in your account. And Unity Town has plenty of money too. Not Unity Town’s money, but personal funds coming in. That’s the problem.”
“Personal funds? We have something like that?”
“Didn’t you tell me to collect child support?”
“Ah, right. Child support. We should be collecting that.”
“I’m not sure what you did, but everyone is sending it faithfully.”
“Isn’t that settled then?”
“Well, we haven’t been distributing it directly to the individuals yet.”
“Why not? Shouldn’t we? The money was received under the children’s names. It should go to them.”
“That’s what I wanted to ask about. Right now, the children lack the discernment to manage it. If we distribute the money, it’ll go to their mothers—but is that right? Or should we accumulate it like a savings account and distribute it later when they’re older?”
It was a question I’d never considered.
It was the kind of question that wouldn’t have surfaced if she hadn’t genuinely cared about the children.
I felt grateful to Ana.
I was already deeply thankful for how well she managed the enormous funds, but beyond that, she was carefully considering the purpose and source of each incoming payment, even contemplating the children’s futures.
“What do you think, Ana?”
“To be honest, I think it would be better to distribute it when they become adults. Right now, it’s an opportunity for the mothers to work. We’re providing jobs for them too. If we give them the money now, I suspect half of them would stop working.”
“You think so?”
“With very high probability. They might even abandon Unity Town entirely, relying on that money alone.”
“Really?”
“It’s entirely possible. If we give them money, quite a few would leave their children behind, wouldn’t they? When we were recruiting residents for the town, many people said they’d only take the children. The kids would be abandoned. And when the children grow up and want to do something, won’t they need money? We’ll safeguard it until then.”
I wiped all playfulness from my expression and asked again.
“Do you realize that if done wrong, that becomes embezzlement? It becomes the despicable act of stealing children’s living expenses.”
“I have no such intention. Rather, I’m thinking of circulating the money through a fund to create a substantial sum. When they grow up and want to pursue something, it can be solid financial backing for them.”
“If that’s the case, there’s no reason to object. But you must inform them how much money came in and how much has accumulated. And you must absolutely tell the children that this money comes from their fathers. At least they should know their fathers didn’t abandon them—that they’re working hard far away and sending money.”
“Yes. I’ll arrange it that way.”
“And no matter what happens, ensure the principal is guaranteed. Even if the investment incurs losses, make up the principal plus interest from other funds. You understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes. I understand completely. I would never touch the principal. In fact, I’m planning to generate interest as substantial as the principal itself.”
“Good. Then Ana, please pay special attention to this. This money could become the children’s future.”
“Yes.”
*******
Zhou Chiming couldn’t hide his smile as he gazed upon the massive quantity of Assand concentrate that had arrived through Guangzhou.
With this, it seemed the chronic supply shortage could finally be resolved.
How much suffering the lack of inventory had caused all this time.
New Assand stores needed to open, but delays kept mounting due to insufficient stock.
When existing stores couldn’t even be properly supplied, how could new ones possibly open?
But with the concentrate arriving, much of that concern had been alleviated.
Once this massive quantity of concentrate combined with the daily production capacity of hundreds of millions of units, the supply problem would be swiftly resolved.
“Send it to the factory so we can begin production immediately.”
“Understood.”
“And take samples to the Drug Supervision and Administration Bureau for another component analysis. Then investigate whether we can replicate it identically.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Zhou Chiming issued instructions to his subordinates, then watched the Assand being unloaded.
Just seeing Assand lifted my spirits.
Was it a placebo effect?
Without even consuming it, merely looking at it improved my mood.
But there was something even better.
Zhou Chiming’s power grew exponentially as Assand’s distribution network expanded.
First and foremost, he’d secured a steady financial pipeline.
That fool was supplying goods at prices far cheaper than expected.
If it were up to Zhou Chiming, he’d demand considerably more.
So he was pocketing a tidy profit beyond his initial projections.
The store operators themselves paid him a monthly kickback.
The payments scaled with sales volume.
This meant Zhou Chiming needed to push even more Assand into the market.
Once rumors circulated that Zhou Chiming oversaw Assand’s entire operation, people began lining up to curry his favor.
Everyone wanted to secure at least one Assand franchise for their retirement, so they pledged their loyalty to Zhou Chiming.
******
The Standing Committee of Political Bureau convened.
Seven committee members gathered for the session.
“We’ve received reports of a sharp surge in obesity and diabetes cases. Research indicates a strong correlation with Assand consumption.”
Though a critical public health crisis had been raised as an agenda item, none of the attendees treated it with any real gravity.
Such matters were inconsequential to them.
They sat there with an attitude of indifference—whatever happens, happens.
What truly weighed on them was a deeper frustration with this tedious committee meeting itself.
The recent Standing Committee members had grown increasingly dissatisfied with these sessions.
The nation’s direction diverged sharply from their personal visions.
The fact that they had to defer to Li Guoqing’s opinions—opinions they found utterly distasteful—infuriated them.
This reality made every gathering unbearably uncomfortable.
There was a time when such resentment didn’t exist, but now their patience was wearing dangerously thin.
From the perspective of the Minister of National Defense, who bore responsibility for the nation’s military, that idiot Li Guoqing understood nothing.
And yet here he was, shamelessly spouting nonsense about extending work hours for the common people.
The Minister wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face.
China didn’t develop through such means.
It required a foundation of overwhelming military might.
Military power comparable to that of the United States itself.
That was the Minister’s conviction.
But Zhou Chiming’s perspective was entirely different.
Li Guoqing was indeed an idiot.
But building up military force?
That was thinking from the 1990s.
The future belonged to information.
Intelligence gathering through AI and hacking, coupled with disinformation campaigns—that was the path forward.
Without information dominance, nothing else mattered.
Only then could China become the supreme nation.
Watching these committee members take the long way around when the perfect, fastest route lay before them—or worse, heading down an entirely different path—filled me with murderous rage.
I couldn’t fathom how such incompetent fools had ever made it into the Standing Committee.
Yet among those in attendance, Li Guoqing harbored the deepest discontent.
I’d brought in obedient subordinates and seated them at the table, but lately I could see their minds wandering elsewhere.
All they need to do is follow my orders—I don’t understand what’s so difficult about that.
If they’d simply obey without taxing their feeble intellects, we’d all be content. Instead, I find myself resorting to the whip.
Li Guoqing was already contemplating replacing the Standing Committee members in the near future.
Seven committee members sat within the Standing Committee of Political Bureau, yet each harbored different thoughts.
Each envisioned a different future for China.
Their desire to build the greatest China was identical, but their methods diverged.
Especially after consuming Assand, their convictions had grown unshakeable.
In their minds’ eye, China stood as the world’s supreme power, vivid and unmistakable.
To forge such a China, they believed only their own approach would suffice.
That alone was the path to making China the world’s greatest.
Everyone else’s arguments were fallacies; only they possessed the truth.
They simply hadn’t expressed it until now—but that would change.
Restraint had become impossible.
Left unchecked, China might not become the world’s greatest—it might fall behind.
The moment for decisive action had arrived.
Each pursued their own method to construct the greatest China.
.
.
.
“Director Zhou Chiming, you’ve designated all Assand production factories as State Key Enterprises?”
“Yes. I believed it was a necessary measure for effective management.”
After the Standing Committee meeting concluded, Li Guoqing summoned Zhou Chiming privately to receive a briefing on Assand.
“Well done. That’s how it should be managed at the national level. But if you’ve designated them as State Key Enterprises, shouldn’t you replace the representatives? You can’t leave the existing CEOs in place, can you?”
“For now, I’ve kept the representatives in their positions, but instead I’ve sent auditors to oversee the entire factory operations.”
“I see.”
Li Guoqing responded, yet remained deeply unsatisfied.
The reason for broaching this matter was straightforward.
I intended to place my own people as factory representatives.
But since placing them as representatives required my approval, Zhou Chiming had bypassed that step entirely by sending auditors instead of representatives.
He’d skipped the formalities and seized control of the factories.
It appeared he’d already filled them entirely with his own people.
Li Guoqing’s expression turned bitter.
This wasn’t right.
This wouldn’t do.
Zhou Chiming’s power had grown far too rapidly, far too suddenly.
I needed to diminish it.
His influence had become far too great lately, and I found it deeply displeasing.
He’d done well acquiring Assand, but having acquired it, he should have presented it to me as tribute.
He grips it in his hand and refuses to let go.
Instead, he hungers for even greater power.
It troubles me.
I can understand skimming a little money off the top.
But gathering followers and coveting authority—that cannot be allowed.
It seems I’ll need to take action soon.
.
.
.
The old man’s instincts are sharp.
Recently, the way Li Guoqing looks at Zhou Chiming has grown ominous.
It’s clear he suspects Zhou Chiming.
That fool is so obvious with his suspicion that even a sloth would notice.
Yet Li Guoqing’s suspicion posed a grave threat to Zhou Chiming.
Whether he’s foolish or clever—that hardly matters.
The President of the People’s Republic of China and the Deputy Director of the Ministry of State Security are incomparable.
The disparity in power and available force is immense.
No matter how skilled Zhou Chiming is at handling intelligence or commanding agents,
no matter that he distributes Assand, Li Guoqing’s authority could not be carelessly dismissed.
Zhou Chiming wrestled with the choice.
Should he return to being an obedient dog?
Or be reborn as a solitary wolf?
Should he revert to being a dog, carefully wrap up all his power—Assand included—and hand it over to Li Guoqing?
Or should he transform into a wolf and tear at Li Guoqing’s throat?
His expression darkened with the weight of deliberation.
Sleep eluded him.
Unable to resist, he consumed a single Assand tablet.
The sweet, electric tingle crossed his tongue, and Zhou Chiming’s golden future crystallized before him.
With his resolve now crystallized, Zhou Chiming reached for his phone.

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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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