I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 132

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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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132 – One-on-One
132.
Beijing, China.
A hotel within the Summer Palace Hotel.
I’d come to China on what I called a business trip, though it was anything but ordinary.
My stated purpose was to understand Assand’s market demand and trends.
But my true intention lay elsewhere.
It was to meet with Wei Zhonglin, the Chairman.
“Brother? How did you come all this way?”
“My younger brother came to Beijing, so of course I had to come see him.”
Wei Zhonglin had come to find me.
Mission accomplished.
“Oh no, I feel terrible about this. I was worried you’d be too busy, so I only called instead of troubling you.”
“What good is just a phone call? I need to see your face in person. You should come to my office.”
I’d already said it.
I wasn’t going to the office anymore.
The situation had changed, but caution never hurt.
Once you went in, getting out was never simple.
Wei Zhonglin and I sat across from each other, sipping tea.
“First, let me congratulate you on your appointment as Chairman. It seems the people truly recognized your tireless efforts on their behalf.”
“Thank you. I have many shortcomings. I’ll need your help, brother.”
“Is there anything I can help with? All I can offer is Assand.”
“That’s more than enough. In fact, it’s excessive. Where else in China could you find such a product?”
Wei Zhonglin’s words were the truth.
Assand had become China’s newest tourist attraction.
Countless writers and singers had consumed Assand and created masterpieces.
Seeing those works, even more people desired Assand.
But Assand was prohibited from export.
Assand was classified as a critical national technology, making its removal strictly forbidden.
So those seeking Assand had no choice but to come to China.
As a result, the tourism industry flourished tremendously.
Tourism’s share of GDP had jumped from 4% to 8%.
Hotel rooms had no vacancies, and restaurants had no available seats.
Restaurants, marts, and department stores were all packed with people.
The Chinese people serving these tourists were equally busy.
Unemployment hit its lowest point, and job opportunities abounded everywhere.
Everyone in their respective positions worked diligently.
They cooked, drove, and went to work.
With the money they earned so hard, they bought Assand and ate it, then returned to work with renewed dedication.
Foreigners too eagerly purchased and consumed Assand.
China’s economy grew, but that money flowed to Assand.
Money scattered here and there all converged into Assand.
And that money comes to my pocket.
That’s why I welcome China’s growth.
Those who touch the crumbs in between.
Government bureaucrats, distributors, and manufacturers were all satisfied.
Take Wei Zhonglin—he was practically buried under the crumbs.
That’s how much Assand was the core and final destination of China’s economy.
What if Assand’s supply suddenly stopped?
Even if they’re secretly making copies right now, what if the supply stopped immediately?
The economy would simply halt.
Withdrawal symptoms and all that—the economy would collapse catastrophically.
So when Wei Zhonglin hears I’ve arrived, he should come running barefoot.
Yeah, he should.
Of course, controversy surrounding Assand never ceased.
It’s bad for your health.
Excessive use can cause side effects.
Who doesn’t know that?
It’s just like how people smoke and drink despite knowing the risks.
But one thing was certain: everyone who’d tried it always came back for more.
There are people who’ve never tried it, but there’s no one who’s only tried it once.
Actually, that’s not even true anymore.
It seems like there’s no one left who hasn’t tried it.
“By the way, your brother did well blocking the Philippine Military’s attack, didn’t he? I never thought he’d use the drone I gave him that way.”
“I didn’t expect it either. It was an idea from one of my subordinates, and I have quite a few unusual people under me.”
“When someone’s too exceptional, they can seem strange. You’ve got good subordinates.”
I wanted to say that psychopath wasn’t my subordinate, but I just kept silent instead, letting my silence speak the denial.
Well, since I’ve given him the massage, should I bring up the main topic now?
“I’ve been studying China again lately.”
“Yeah?”
“I realized there’s a lot I didn’t know. Especially the Belt and Road Initiative project—it really impressed me.”
“Yeah?”
A smile formed at the corners of Wei Zhonglin’s mouth.
This bastard thinks praising China is the same as praising him.
That’s not good.
“But I noticed there aren’t many projects underway in the Philippines?”
“Yeah? That’s not easy to pull off. You have to coordinate with the government, coordinate with corporations, and ultimately their needs have to align with ours. Getting that to match up isn’t easy at all.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Why?”
“What if we brought a nuclear power plant to the Philippines as a Belt and Road Initiative project? I’ve been thinking about it, and it doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“A nuclear power plant?”
“Yes. From what I understand, China’s nuclear technology is the world’s finest. Superior to America, Russia, or France.”
“That’s true.”
“And you’ve developed fourth-generation reactors, even commercialized small modular reactors—SMRs. Truly impressive.”
“My younger brother really does know his stuff.”
Wei Zhonglin’s expression remained satisfied.
“Here’s my thinking. I’m not asking you to build some massive nuclear power plant. What if we add small modular reactors one-to-one to the project?”
“Hmm?”
“Small modular reactors are manufactured in factories and just need to be assembled like Lego blocks, right? And you’re so good at making them?”
“That’s right.”
“And China does it better than anyone in the world.”
“Well… yes, that’s true.”
“And we happen to need those reactors right now. Isn’t it perfect? It seems we’re truly destined to work together. Hahaha.”
“That may be, but we have many other concerns to address first—”
“Brother. I understand. I do. But as your younger brother, would I ask for too much? I’m not asking for a discount. Pay full price. But since we don’t have funds right now, if you build it first, I’ll pay you back from the electricity revenue.”
“Hmm… it’s not completely perfected yet. There are still many tests to conduct.”
“Is that so?”
Wei Zhonglin felt troubled.
The Belt and Road Initiative wasn’t like this.
The goal was to construct infrastructure for economically and technologically disadvantaged nations while economically infiltrating them.
They charged exorbitant interest on top of construction costs.
They didn’t spend hundreds of millions of yuan building roads, ports, airports, and dams for nothing.
All the labor needed at construction sites came from China.
Technicians, equipment, workers, even the food consumed there—everything came from China.
By planting Chinese workers and imposing economic burdens, the Belt and Road Initiative’s goal was to make nations colonial in all but name.
The host nation gained nothing from infrastructure projects.
No employment was created, no technology was transferred, no real infrastructure benefited them.
When construction finished, all that remained was
massive debt and unusable infrastructure.
They built high-speed rail, but put the station in the outskirts—what was the point?
It took over an hour just to reach the station.
It was a mess and inconvenient, yet they had to pay both the construction costs and interest.
That was the Belt and Road Initiative.
But nuclear reactors were different.
Nuclear reactors produced electricity.
Their value was substantial.
They needed to charge a premium, but it was difficult to do so in the current situation.
Hadn’t he already said they had no money?
How much had we sent for the Assand payment?
Didn’t we need to show goodwill?
Still, I couldn’t afford to raise my voice.
Speaking boldly was easy, but if Assand got cut off because of it, that would be catastrophic.
The last time we halted Assand and Disand was released, China literally ground to a halt.
I couldn’t allow such a disaster to happen again.
It wasn’t without reason that they’d sent the drones this time.
If Assand stopped, it would be a catastrophe.
So I had to find some excuse to prevent a one-on-one confrontation.
That’s why I lied and said it wasn’t complete.
Even though it was completely finished.
“Ah, I see. Then this works out even better. We’ll be your beta testers.”
“Huh?”
“If we test it in the Philippines too, we’ll gather much more data, won’t we? I’m so relieved. I’m glad I can help you, brother. I’ve felt terrible about this, but now I’m relieved.”
“Well… yeah?”
“Since we’re becoming testers, we should receive some compensation.”
“What? Compensation?”
“You know, like those clinical trial jobs? When a new drug comes out and people go to hospitals to take medicine, have blood drawn, and get tested? This is exactly the same thing. It’s a risky nuclear reactor, but we’re prepared to test it in the Philippines for you. In exchange, you naturally have to provide us with a small modular reactor for testing, and we need to receive testing fees. Actually, just set aside the testing fees. It’s awkward to talk about such things between us. We’re getting a small modular reactor—even if it’s a test version—so you don’t need to apologize.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far.”
“Come on. There you go apologizing again. I told you, you don’t need to. I’m getting a small modular reactor, even if it’s a test version. You don’t need to apologize.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“You truly are Asia’s great leader. From what I can see, this isn’t just for China—it’s a stride for all of Asia. Every time I see you, I’m filled with admiration. I wouldn’t be surprised if your name is engraved on the next Nobel Peace Prize.”
“Really?”
Wei Zhonglin wavered again at the mention of the Nobel Prize, hesitating.
“Of course. Working so hard for Asian peace like this, they’ll surely pay close attention to your efforts there too.”
“Mm… yes…”
“Then I’ll ask for your help. Asia’s unfortunate citizens are suffering without electricity even as we speak.”
Wei Zhonglin found himself completely cornered.
There was no escape route.
The word “no” had reached my throat, but I had no confidence to shout it.
What if shouting it stopped the Assand supply?
I couldn’t speak for others, but Wei Zhonglin had no confidence he could endure that.
Wei Zhonglin needed Assand.
But it was also difficult to give away a small modular reactor.
Those things were expensive.
Brand new technology we’d just developed.
I was in a bind.
After deliberating for a long while, Wei Zhonglin had no choice but to reluctantly nod.
******
Hong Kong Central.
Chairman Zhang Tian’s expression was grave.
The faces of the executives gathered in the conference room were uniformly dark.
The results of Assand’s ambitious manufacturing and distribution had been disastrous.
What I’d envisioned as a future revenue stream, a new pipeline, had collapsed entirely.
“You said it would work out, Mao Qin.”
“Yes.”
Naturally, someone had to bear responsibility for the failure.
That someone was Mao Qin.
After all, he was the one who’d devised this plan.
“What happened?”
“I apologize.”
“Apologies won’t cut it—you need solutions, don’t you?”
······
Mao Qin had nothing to say.
The plan to manufacture Assand and conquer the Southeast Asian market had failed completely.
While multiple factors contributed to the failure, the greatest was impatience.
Haste had clouded my judgment.
I’d been swept up in the Assand craze.
When Assand gained explosive popularity in China, I grew anxious.
While the Triad Society hesitated, I feared others would enter Southeast Asia first.
The Triad Society—the very organization that had watched Assand and then hesitated, missing the opportunity.
Southeast Asia couldn’t be lost.
So I rushed.
A compulsive fear of obsolescence if I didn’t seize the market now drove me relentlessly.
Distribution had to happen quickly.
That was all I could think about.
Manufacturing and flooding the market was the most urgent priority.
I recruited technicians, secured a factory, and began mass-producing Assand.
I believed that if I could just capture Southeast Asia, it would work.
I thought that once we started producing, it would gain popularity like it had in China.
But it didn’t.
Reality was cruel, transparent, and merciless.
Another reason for failure was a fundamental misreading of the market.
Southeast Asia was already saturated with drugs.
They were common, cheap, and available anytime.
The market structure was entirely different from China and South Korea.
In Thailand, one gram of methamphetamine costs 15,000 baht.
The same drug in South Korea costs over 600,000 won, and in China, it’s a death sentence.
The primary reason Assand succeeded in China was because China was a drug-free nation.
Even minor stimulation could trigger intense reactions.
The convenience of consuming it like candy rather than through injection was also a significant advantage.
But Southeast Asia was different.
The mainstream was a potent stimulus injected directly into the bloodstream.
For the original drug dealers, Assand was nothing more than a snack to consume when bored—not a staple product.
The price wasn’t even cheap.
It would have been better to simply buy actual drugs than to purchase Assand.
Every advantage Assand had possessed in China became a disadvantage in Southeast Asia.
A drug that didn’t look like a drug,
candy-type formulations designed for convenient consumption—none of these were needed in Southeast Asia.
There were no regulations or restrictions to circumvent in Southeast Asia.
Only cheap drugs with powerful effects survived.
Assand was not that kind of drug.
Naturally, the sales figures were abysmal.
The investment was substantial, the manpower was considerable, yet nothing was being gained.
Information Team Leader Mao Qin had to devise a different approach.
Simply recovering costs wouldn’t suffice.
Profit had to be generated.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t end with being removed from the position of Information Team Leader.
Life itself could be forfeit.
A country where Assand could be sold was needed.
A country like China was needed.
A drug-free nation with expensive pricing.
While continuously analyzing the reasons for failure, I investigated countries where success might be possible.
As I studied the map, I soon pointed my finger at a single nation.
There was no other option.
Assand could only succeed in one country.
“Chairman, I would like to distribute Assand in South Korea.”

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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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