I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 125

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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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125 – Toto
125.
The newly developed Assand.MK3 was sent directly to China.
There was no need to hesitate.
I needed to keep a firm grip on the leashes of barking dogs.
I had been trying to resolve all problems too peacefully.
By avoiding creating problems whenever possible,
by letting things slide with “good enough is good enough,” I had allowed matters to spiral.
As a result, it seemed they were confused about who the master was.
They seemed uncertain about who held the blade.
This was an opportunity to make it crystal clear who was in charge.
I didn’t even inform the Chinese side that the composition had changed.
I would call it a notification, but these bastards would accept it as a report regardless.
They’re the type who think whatever they want, however they want.
They’ll figure it out themselves.
They didn’t say anything when they broke the contract either.
Just take what we send you.
The Assand.MK3 we sent spread across all of China in an instant.
China maintained the price they had lowered to 5 yuan—about 1,000 won.
It was burdensome to raise the price of Assand once it had been lowered.
It had already become a favorite commodity consumed by the entire population.
The price cut was unavoidable after the coup, a way to redirect the chaos elsewhere, but raising it was another matter entirely.
If we raised the price, it might spark a coup of a different kind.
Thanks to that, Assand.MK3 sold at an even more explosive rate.
.
.
.
Zhongnanhai.
Wei Zhonglin finished his work and returned to his residence, settling into a chair at the dining table.
It had been a grueling day.
In truth, not just today—every single day was exhausting.
Even when I served as a soldier.
Even when I was Minister of National Defense, there were hardships of their own.
But now that I’ve ascended to the position of Chairman, every problem seems to flow directly to Wei Zhonglin.
Why were there so many problems?
There was so much to think about, so much to consider, so much to attend to.
Honestly, it was an exhaustingly demanding position.
And yet.
Despite everything, I have no desire to relinquish this seat.
I would never surrender it to another soul.
Is it difficult?
It doesn’t matter at all.
One dose of Assand solves everything.
No matter how difficult the problem, one dose of Assand ends it.
So even if it’s hard, it’s fine.
I shower thoroughly, then pop a single dose of Assand on an empty stomach.
Assand works best when taken on an empty stomach.
Once the effects wear off, I’ll need to eat something anyway.
It’s better to take it all at once than to eat now and again later.
It has to be on an empty stomach.
I lie comfortably on the bed and place the Assand in my mouth.
The distinctive sweet, soothing sensation of Assand spreads across my tongue.
No matter how many manufacturers change or flavors vary, Assand always has that unique sweetness.
I love that sweetness.
I’m not sure if I feel it on my tongue or in my brain, but either way, it’s wonderful.
And then comes the tingling sensation.
Ahh, this is it.
Every cell in my body feels awakened.
All my thoughts empty out, then reassemble themselves.
It’s so refreshing and invigorating.
Countless pieces of information gather and scatter in my mind.
In that process, the threads of problems that were tightly knotted become visible.
Every state affair that had been giving me headaches suddenly feels so simple.
The answer is right in front of me, yet I was going in circles unable to find it.
I’m satisfied.
But today it feels a bit stronger than usual?
The stimulation is far more powerful than normal.
It lasts longer.
It’s not just a quick jab.
It’s like it’s gripping and shaking me.
Like Assand has seized me and is consuming me.
But I like it.
Actually, I like it even more.
It’s fantastic.
This is why I use Assand.
Energy surges through my entire body.
It’s incredible.
The euphoric moment comes to an end.
I naturally walk toward the refrigerator.
After taking Assand, hunger sets in.
Yet my hunger wasn’t as fierce as I’d expected.
I needed to eat something, but not with the desperate urgency I’d felt before.
Now that I thought about it, today was vastly different from other days.
The duration was longer, and the aftereffects were milder.
The potency had grown even stronger.
Wei Zhonglin’s face broke into a satisfied smile.
It seemed the research team had succeeded in their refinements.
Wei Zhonglin felt a deep sense of pride.
How long had it been since I sent those solar panels, and already the results are showing?
Could the effects truly manifest this quickly?
With results like these, I could easily provide even more.
It felt like my children were showing filial devotion—the warmth of it filled me.
Yet I found myself craving another dose of Assand.
The thought kept returning: just one more would be perfect.
One more and everything would feel so right.
My throat burned with desperate thirst.
An itching, gnawing sensation.
It was becoming unbearable to resist.
Wei Zhonglin finally surrendered to temptation and placed another dose of Assand into his mouth.
*******
“Found it.”
Toto, a fifteen-year-old Filipino boy, muttered softly as he stared at his phone screen.
Not long ago, Toto had seen a place in a short video that left a profound impression on him.
In that video, someone walked into a home and naturally turned on the air conditioning, started the washing machine.
They studied in an air-conditioned library and ate at a clean restaurant.
They walked through brightly lit streets at night with friends, laughing together beneath streetlamps.
Even if it was manipulated footage, he envied it.
Toto wanted to live like that too.
He wanted to live in a paradise like that place.
He wanted to study there, to attend school there.
He could study so hard if given the chance, but reality was the complete opposite.
He’d dropped out of school.
Because he needed to work.
He’d found a job, but it didn’t suit Toto.
Yet he couldn’t quit.
Someone had to earn money.
They’d said it would be much easier to find employment after graduating Senior High School.
They’d said a university degree would lead to a good job, but his mother was resolute.
She insisted they needed money right now.
There was no room to wait for the future or prepare for it, she’d said.
If I was going to find work anyway, I should quit school now and get a job.
Earn money as soon as possible.
That’s how I found my job.
Cleaning garbage at a hotel.
It was dirty, grueling work.
At the workplace, I was dismissed for being young, looked down upon, and disrespected.
Yet I couldn’t quit.
I had to earn money.
Then I saw a video on Shorts.
It looked like heaven itself.
Everyone seemed so peaceful there.
It’s definitely the Philippines with its mix of Tagalog and English, but I couldn’t figure out where exactly.
I was so curious about where that place was.
I thought the location would be in the comments, so I read through hundreds of them, but they were all just asking where it was.
There were no comments revealing the location.
Due to Unity Town’s nature of handling everything internally, there were few contact points with the outside world.
So I began searching for clues from the video to find where it was.
I watched the video again and again.
I examined the nearby buildings, the trees, and analyzed the license plates of vehicles.
I combined the clues in the video.
And I found it.
I discovered it was Unity Town near Zamboanga.
Knowing where it was didn’t change anything.
But just knowing about such a place felt like I’d found my own paradise.
All that effort to find it seemed wasted when, not long after, I started hearing the name Unity Town everywhere.
There were others like me who had searched for Unity Town.
They left comments saying it was Unity Town near Zamboanga.
I didn’t like my hard-found treasure being revealed, but thanks to it, I could gather more information.
A village for single-parent families.
A place that provided jobs for parents and education for children.
Education?
That’s what I had always wanted.
I wanted to go to Unity Town too.
I wondered if maybe I could go to Unity Town as well.
I was the eldest in a single-parent household with two younger siblings below me.
That’s why I had to work.
To someone I didn’t know,
To a place I might never reach, I began writing an email.
Like casting a message in a bottle from a deserted island.
That I wanted to go to Unity Town.
If I go, I can study hard and live a life devoted to Unity Town.
I sent the email with each character written earnestly.
******
【Brighten the Philippines, Lower Electricity Rates】
【Electricity Rate Reform, the Philippines’ New Beginning. Akbayan ng Katarungan is With You.】
【Electricity Rates DOWN, Quality of Life UP】
【The Chaos of Electricity Rates, Akbayan ng Katarungan Ends It】
The election campaign had begun.
Well, the official campaign hadn’t even started yet, but it already felt like the election was underway.
Especially the electricity rate issue was consuming the Philippines.
It all started with Akbayan ng Katarungan’s campaign promise.
Within the next five years, they would cut electricity rates in half, and within ten years, reduce them to a third of current levels.
Many people were thrilled by that promise.
They actively supported it.
But others mocked it as an unrealistic pledge.
Newspapers and media outlets questioned whether it was even possible.
They cited data and current conditions, saying it would be impossible.
Yet the controversy didn’t die down.
There was one reason.
People wanted it to happen.
Many Filipinos hoped electricity rates would drop.
Even if not by the promised fifty percent, they wanted some reduction.
You could see how much stress electricity rates caused the Filipino people.
How deeply connected they were to daily life.
Even if not immediately, they desperately wanted electricity rates to fall.
Despite such hopes, Akbayan ng Katarungan’s promise seemed to remain mere words.
But when the official campaign began, Patrick made a revelation.
He disclosed that the place featured in the shorts was where Unity Town had collaborated with Akbayan ng Katarungan.
This fact resonated powerfully with the Filipino people.
It was proof that things once thought impossible, mere dreams, could actually be achieved.
Unity Town, appearing like paradise, was in the Philippines’ darkest region.
A place infested with Rebel Forces.
Everyone was shocked to learn it was near the most dangerous Zamboanga.
Akbayan ng Katarungan was confident.
They claimed that with Akbayan ng Katarungan, all of the Philippines could become paradise.
Providing electricity.
Lowering rates—all of it was entirely possible, they explained.
How many power plants needed to be built, what level of power generation facilities were required.
They presented a roadmap showing how the rate system would work.
They turned it into shorts and distributed them widely.
Those who saw it quickly understood.
The explanation was clear and straightforward.
The necessity for eco-friendly power generation was laid out.
And the reasons why electricity was essential.
Akbayan Nang Katarunggan’s support surged dramatically.
Though Akbayan Nang Katarunggan had never explicitly stated it, rumors circulated that regions where Akbayan Nang Katarunggan won would see reduced electricity rates.
The implication was that areas where Akbayan lost would continue paying inflated prices.
The narrative persisted: vote for Akbayan to lower your electricity bills.
Support continued climbing.
The official campaign had only just begun, yet Akbayan had already monopolized every major issue.
Newspapers and broadcasts spoke of nothing but Akbayan.
This election seemed to have only one candidate in view.
.
.
.
“Don’t you need money for the election?”
I never thought I’d ask this question again.
Last election, I’d sold the very clothes off my back to fund the campaign.
I’d sworn never to touch electoral politics again.
Yet here I was.
Asking myself if campaign funds were insufficient.
Life truly is unpredictable.
There were several reasons I posed this question to Patrick.
First, I had far too much money.
More than I could spend, truly excessive.
I wanted this wealth to benefit Patrick somehow.
Money certainly helps in elections.
Patrick, however, believed that as Akbayan’s electoral districts expanded nationwide, the burden would grow heavier.
Each new district required staggering amounts of funding.
That’s why I asked.
To help Patrick.
Even if I supported him as before,
or even several times that amount, my accounts would remain intact.
Completely unaffected.
I’d earned an enormous fortune in the interim.
But Patrick’s response surprised me.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but this election should be manageable.”
“Really? The last one cost so much. You struggled without funds.”
“Wasn’t that when we were a fledgling party? We had no foundation, no recognition, so expenses were steep. This time is different.”
“Still, the electoral districts have expanded enormously.”
“You’re right that it costs much more than the last election, but we’ve attracted proportional sponsorships and corporate backing. With the electricity rate reduction as our platform, support has been phenomenal. Companies everywhere are offering donations.”
“Be careful with that money. You’ll get your nose twisted later.”
“Exactly. That’s why we’re only accepting what the law permits. We’re following proper procedures.”
“That must be tedious. Just don’t take it. I’ll cover it.”
“Honestly, it’s more about relationships than the money itself. By accepting donations, I’m sending a signal that I stand with you rather than rejecting them. That’s why I’m collecting smaller amounts from multiple sources.”
“Really? Politics is complicated. Why does money carry such meaning?”
“Isn’t the Young Boss far better at politics than I am? Surely you’re not the one to say that—you who have the Chinese President in your pocket.”
“No, I don’t have him in my pocket. He just calls me constantly because he’s bored. It’s driving me crazy. He calls every day asking me to tell him what kind of person he is. Then he starts laying on the flattery thick. ‘You are a leader for the people, sir. You walk a thorny path for the people, don’t you?’ Like that. Ugh, I’ve completely lost my way. I’m thinking about changing my number.”
“Hahaha. I doubt anyone but the Young Boss could speak of the Chinese President that way.”
“Anyway, if you need money, just say so. I have plenty. Do you need pocket money? Should I give you some spending money?”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Tch. You’re no fun.”
And so the election began.
This election was significant.
It was the first election in which proper party politics took root in Philippine politics, which had previously relied on established political families and individuals.
Patrick ran the election not as an individual named Patrick, but under the banner of the party Akbayan ng Katarungan, with platform promises tied to the party’s name.
This election would be recorded as the most important in Philippine history.
******
Akbayan ng Katarungan produced winning candidates across many regions in this election.
It rose to become the most powerful and influential party in the Philippines.
An impressive achievement accomplished just three years after its founding.
But with that came many enemies.
The most prominent among them was Melchor, the President of the Philippines.
This was a midterm election.
A crushing defeat here meant Melchor’s governance was unsatisfactory to the people.
Melchor hadn’t done anything particularly wrong.
If Akbayan hadn’t come forward with just the electricity rate reduction, this wouldn’t have happened.
Without that single issue, it would have been a straightforward victory.
Melchor despised Akbayan with a passion.
And the bigger problem loomed three years ahead—the general election.
That election would determine the next president.
At this rate, the chances of Melchor’s party producing the next president were drastically low.
It looked like the president would come from Akbayan.
It had to be stopped.
Some countermeasure had to be devised.
If Akbayan ng Katarungan took power and began investigating, Melchor would inevitably end up in prison.
Many former presidents had already gone to prison.
Melchor had no desire to join them.
Melchor began to think of ways.
And soon enough, he thought of a good one.
The headquarters of Akbayan ng Katarungan.
To strike at Mindanao, the cradle from which Akbayan ng Katarungan was born.
Conveniently, it was also the stronghold of the Rebel Forces.
I could send the military under the pretense of suppressing the Rebel Forces and wipe the place clean.
Along with that eyesore of a Unity Town.
The Rebel Forces,
Unity Town,
Akbayan ng Katarungan—I could eliminate them all in one stroke. It was the perfect idea.

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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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