I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 126

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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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126 – The Landing
126
A cabinet meeting in the Philippines.
President Melchor unveiled his plan to suppress the Rebel Forces at this cabinet meeting.
“This won’t do.”
“We cannot even fathom the scale of damage that would result.”
“We don’t have a proper grasp of the Rebel Forces’ actual size.”
“I urge you to reconsider this matter once more.”
“What are you saying? Then you’re suggesting we leave Mindanao as it is? Mindanao is undeniably Philippine territory. How much longer will we allow the Rebel Forces to run rampant?”
“It’s something that must be done eventually. It should be done now.”
“It’s absolutely necessary.”
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t do it. I’m saying we need more preparation. Aren’t we completely unprepared right now?”
“How long would that preparation take? And what if intelligence leaks during that time? We need to strike by surprise.”
The cabinet’s reactions to the Rebel Forces suppression plan were sharply divided.
Most opposed the operation.
The reason was that the damage would be too severe.
More precisely, it was because intelligence on the Rebel Forces was insufficient to formulate a proper operation.
Information about the Rebel Forces’ actual size and what weapons they possessed remained uncertain.
To charge blindly into such a situation?
The extent of casualties couldn’t even be predicted.
Naturally, this operation should be halted.
Those in favor, however, wanted to prevent the Rebel Forces’ power in Mindanao from continuing to grow.
Even now, the Rebel Forces wielded tremendous influence in Mindanao.
The response from Mindanao’s citizens was overwhelmingly positive.
Unlike the traditional Rebel Forces, Damaya was remarkably pro-people.
Rather than kidnapping, assault, imprisonment, and smuggling, they operated legitimate businesses and created jobs.
They provided insurance and paid salaries.
Many Filipinos were migrating to Mindanao.
Mindanao was growing.
There was genuine concern that Mindanao might even seek independence.
So the seeds of this movement had to be cut down preemptively.
Various opinions were exchanged at the cabinet meeting.
But President Melchor, who held the final decision-making authority, remained resolute.
“One week from now. Operation commences at 06:00.”
*****
Simon had grown increasingly bothered by the frequent sightings of unfamiliar people near the Rebel Forces base recently.
The Rebel Forces’ headquarters in Dalapaanan was located in an extremely remote location.
It was a place difficult to reach even by accident.
Yet strangers were appearing there.
It didn’t seem like they came bearing good news.
Simon’s instincts were screaming danger.
To be safe, I’d warned Alex and Patrick about it.
Strange people had been appearing lately, so they needed to stay vigilant.
.
.
.
A kimchi stew restaurant in Zamboanga.
I’d claimed that kimchi stew wasn’t my soul food, but apparently Korean blood ran through my veins after all.
This kimchi stew was absolutely delicious.
Perfectly fermented kimchi and generous chunks of pork.
The spicy kick balanced with a refreshing coolness was simply sublime.
And the rolled egg that came on the side too.
But why was Patrick eating more enthusiastically than I was?
He was sweating profusely as he finished his second bowl of rice.
Simon and Dennis beside him struggled with the heat but ate with equal determination.
Patrick ladled some stew into his rice bowl.
He stirred it carefully with his spoon.
Somewhere between mixed and soup—not quite either.
He scooped it up with his spoon and ate with practiced ease.
He blew on it gently to cool it, then ate with obvious satisfaction.
Maybe this guy was actually Korean.
After finishing his meal, Patrick casually brought up a topic while drinking water.
“I suspect a war might break out.”
What?
What kind of thing is he saying about war while eating?
“War?”
“Under the pretext of suppressing the Rebel Forces, it seems the Philippine Military will be sent here to Mindanao.”
“Really?”
“Based on information gathered through multiple channels, it seems almost certain. The military’s movements have been unusual too.”
“That’s right. Strange people keep showing up near our base. They’re probably here to scout. That’s why we deliberately pulled out some old weapons we don’t even use.”
Simon chimed in to support Patrick’s assessment.
Unlike me, who was shocked by the news, Patrick remained calm and continued sipping his water.
“Have these bastards lost their minds? They should at least act rationally.”
“It’s serious, but not necessarily something to worry excessively about.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t the Young Boss provide the Rebel Forces with sufficient weapons? He trained them too. Besides, we’re fighting defensively, which is far easier. Most importantly, the Philippine Military’s military strength isn’t that formidable.”
“Still, this isn’t right. War. People dying in war. We should prevent it if we can.”
“Agreed. We should prevent it. Prevention is the top priority, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare.”
“That’s true. We need to prepare. But whose idea was this anyway?”
“President Melchor is apparently pushing it directly.”
“Melchor? Why?”
“I suspect it has to do with the election results.”
“Isn’t this a single-term position anyway? Once this ends, he can’t be president again. No reelection.”
“He must be feeling the pressure. Akbayan achieved tremendous success in this election, didn’t we? If things continue as they are, maintaining power in the election three years from now will be difficult. And if he loses power, Melchor going to prison is inevitable. So the biggest threat—Akbayan—needs to be eliminated. And since Akbayan’s roots are in Mindanao, they’ll destroy Akbayan under the guise of suppressing the Rebel Forces. Public sentiment will be shattered.”
“Sigh… So they’re starting a war just to maintain power?”
“Officially, it’s rebel suppression. The title sounds good, doesn’t it?”
“This is infuriating. Simon, can you stop them if they come?”
“Of course. They won’t even set foot in Mindanao.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Dennis, is this truly possible?”
“Yes. It seems feasible. There’s a certain madman for this. He enjoys this sort of thing.”
I had a feeling I knew who that madman was, and it irritated me.
Still, I had to minimize casualties.
“First, send the Dae Yeon Development and construction personnel back to South Korea, or have them evacuate to Bohol. They can’t come here to work and get shot dead.”
“Understood.”
“And conduct evacuation drills for the citizens of Zamboanga.”
“We’re already planning that.”
“What about the military stationed in Mindanao?”
“I looked into it, and they said they’d withdraw. They won’t do anything.”
Simon answered.
“Won’t they face disciplinary action for insubordination?”
“They’re already half-rebel themselves. Government support has almost completely dried up. Actually, we provide them more support. So they’ll stay neutral—neither with the government nor with us.”
“Is that so? That’s actually fortunate. And Patrick.”
“Yes.”
“Try to establish contact with Melchor’s side. See if we can resolve this through negotiation.”
“I’ll attempt to make contact.”
“Simon and Dennis, prepare in advance for any contingencies that might arise.”
“Understood.”
“Don’t worry.”
.
.
.
After finishing my meal, I called Wei Zhonglin.
I’d always received his calls, but this was my first time calling him.
“Brother?”
– Oh! Alex is calling me? What’s the occasion? Is it my birthday? Kahahaha.
Why was he so delighted over a single phone call?
“Ah, no. I have something urgent to discuss with you.”
– Something urgent? Is it serious?
“A little bit, yes?”
– What do you mean?
“It seems Assand supply will become difficult going forward. I can’t predict how long this will last.”
– What? What are you talking about? Assand supply becoming difficult? You’re saying you won’t send Assand? Why? Is the unit price not working out? Is there a power shortage? Should I send more solar panels?
“No, it’s not that. The Philippine Government is planning an operation to suppress the Rebel Forces. Naturally, our factory will be affected by this. So I’m giving you advance notice.”
– What???? Who does something this insane?
Wei Zhonglin’s voice rose.
Insane, he said.
Wei Zhonglin himself seemed to be preparing military operations to reclaim the independent Tibet and Uyghur regions.
Was this a case of double standards?
“I’ll send you everything that’s already been produced. After that, we’ll have to see how things stand once the war ends.”
– That won’t work. That’s impossible.
“You have sufficient reserves anyway. So just make do with that for now.”
– It’s not sufficient. Assand sells in massive quantities. Don’t do this—let me send our military instead.
“Brother, in the Philippines this is coming under the banner of suppressing the Rebel Forces. If you send your military, things become complicated. It becomes foreign interference plus a declaration of war.”
– Oh~ you’re looking out for me? I appreciate that. But what’s the big deal about a little war? Just turn everything except Mindanao back to the stone age, right?
“No, it’s fine. We’ll handle our own war. I just wanted to let you know that Assand supply volumes might be somewhat disrupted.”
– Then I’ll send you some weapons—take them and use them. I can’t have you getting hurt.
“Understood. I’ll gratefully accept.”
– That’s right, take care of yourself.
After hanging up, I couldn’t hide the smile on my face.
Even with war breaking out, the Assand Factory would remain unaffected.
According to Simon and Dennis, the Rebel Forces wouldn’t even be able to reach Dalapaanan.
The reason I called Wei Zhonglin to complain was precisely to obtain weapons.
I had intended to ask for some weapons, but since he was offering to send them first, there was no reason to refuse.
Sweet deal.
******
The waters off Zamboanga.
Rain had continued falling throughout the night.
The cloudy weather made visibility extremely poor.
Lacambini, who had been put in overall command of today’s landing operation, wore a satisfied expression as he watched the falling rain.
The rain seemed to be helping Lacambini.
The Rebel Forces would never expect a landing on a day like this.
The overcast weather and falling rain would make it extremely difficult to identify enemies by sight.
They wouldn’t even know we were coming now.
Lacambini reviewed his mission once more.
Lacambini had been tasked with an operation to move troops and heavy equipment from the naval base at Cebu Mactan to Zamboanga in Mindanao.
Traveling by ship from Mactan to Zamboanga wasn’t the best choice.
Yet this was the only method available.
All of the Philippines’ major naval bases were located in the northern part of the country.
To counter China.
There’s only one naval base in the south.
The Zamboanga Naval Base.
But the Zamboanga Naval Base declared it wouldn’t participate in this operation.
They made a fuss about it being absurd, calling it insubordination, but the other side didn’t respond.
They threatened to cut off supplies and forcibly discharge all the commanding officers for insubordination, but
since they hadn’t been receiving supplies in the first place, and their ranks were merely nominal anyway, it wasn’t much of a threat.
Reluctantly, the decision was made to depart from Cebu Mactan, the naval base closest to Zamboanga.
From Cebu Mactan to Zamboanga is 700 kilometers.
It takes at least 24 hours by landing craft.
That’s far too long.
Wouldn’t it be better to go by plane?
There were many opinions, but to transport large-scale troops, armored vehicles, and trucks together, they had no choice but to use both landing craft and transport ships.
Departing from Cebu Mactan was the only option.
And so we arrived at the waters off Zamboanga.
The steady rain concealed Lacambini’s forces.
The plan was to arrive at Zamboanga at 06:00, and the timing seemed perfect.
Though obscured by the rain, the GPS confirmed that Zamboanga lay ahead.
All I had to do was dock the ship and disembark the troops and armored vehicles.
The operation itself wasn’t difficult.
And the Rebel Forces didn’t have any significant weapons.
It was a fact our deployed Agents had confirmed through multiple cross-verifications.
According to intelligence gathered from the Rebel Forces’ base, they were still using outdated AK47s.
There was no reason to fear men using such weapons.
“15 minutes to arrival. Three kilometers remaining.”
The helmsman reported.
“Reduce speed.”
“Reducing speed.”
From here, I needed to gradually slow down and enter Zamboanga.
So I reduced the speed.
That’s when it happened.
With a thunderous boom, an enormous spray of water engulfed the ship.
The landing craft lurched violently.
“W-we’re under attack! Enemy fire!”
The helmsman reported in panic.
Not just the helmsman, but Lacambini and all the soldiers were shocked.
The soldiers inside the ship startled and craned their necks out the door to assess the situation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of shells rained down.
The shells struck the landing craft.
The radar shattered, and the antenna was destroyed.
Artillery shells exploded across the deck, tearing holes through the hull.
“All personnel to battle stations.”
Lacambini had arrived here escorted by one frigate and three patrol ships protecting four landing craft.
But now they were under attack.
Defense was no longer an option—I had to return fire.
I needed to counterattack.
“Prepare cannon fire.”
“Sir?”
“Didn’t you hear me? Prepare the cannons for firing.”
“That’s a civilian area, sir. There could be civilian casualties.”
“Civilians? How are those bastards firing mortars at soldiers considered civilians? They’re all Rebel Forces. Ready the cannons!!”
“Yes, sir. Preparing to fire.”
Lacambini prepared the cannons and peered through the telescope to locate where the mortars were being launched.
A man stood there commanding dozens of people, operating the mortars.
Rain fell steadily, and he stood in it without shelter.
And his face—he was smiling.
He looked genuinely delighted.
Watching him, I felt a chill run down my spine.
He looked insane.
Truly, genuinely insane.
Seeing that madman only strengthened my resolve to counterattack.
That madman had to be eliminated.
He seemed to be the core of the problem.
I was about to blow that position to pieces with the cannons when—
“Captain, sir. An unidentified boat is approaching at high speed.”
“What?”
“It appears to be a suicide boat, sir.”
“Open fire with the machine guns.”
Machine gun fire erupted from the deck toward the boat.
The boat approaching the patrol ship was hit and exploded.
More precisely, the explosives loaded on the boat detonated.
But behind it, more boats were approaching in succession.
“What are you doing? Keep firing! Continue firing!”
All machine guns opened fire on the boats, but the small vessels were difficult targets to hit.
Then one boat struck the hull.
Boom!!
It exploded on impact.
It wasn’t enough to sink the ship, but it tore a hole in the hull.
Water began pouring into the vessel.
“Starboard compartment three flooded. Seal the watertight door!!”
“Sealed!”
But this wasn’t over.
The boats kept coming.
Lacambini raised his telescope once more, assessing the enemy’s position.
Damn it.
The madman was looking right at me.
Our eyes had locked.
The madman’s smile deepened as he stared.
A chill ran down my spine.

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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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