I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 209

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

209 – Inauguration
209.
Cheongwadae, South Korea.
“Mr. President. Today is the Philippine President’s inauguration.”
“Is that so?”
The Secretary reported lightly as he reviewed the schedule.
The Secretary extended a tablet.
“Here is the congratulatory message.”
President Kim Min-su skimmed through the congratulatory message.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy.
It contained standard diplomatic language.
Congratulations on the election.
Let us work together for peace and cooperation in Asia—
The tablet was filled with such hackneyed, clichéd phrases.
Though a message had already been sent right after the election results,
sending another one timed with the inauguration was customary.
“Very well. Let’s send it as is.”
President Kim Min-su nodded.
There was nothing problematic about it.
“The inauguration is currently underway. Would you like to watch it?”
There was no real need to watch the inauguration itself.
It would be different if this were a change of power in a great nation directly affecting the Korean Peninsula—like the United States, Japan, China, or Russia.
A leadership change in a Southeast Asian nation was hardly a matter of great importance.
Unless the nation’s fundamental direction shifted dramatically, ceremonial congratulations and routine consultations would suffice.
Yet Kim Min-su answered differently.
“Let me watch for a moment.”
It was merely a casual desire to see the new president’s face.
The screen flickered to life,
and on the podium draped with the Philippine flag, the new president, Patrick, was taking the oath of office.
The roar of the crowd echoed through the air.
“President Patrick received over 62% of the vote.”
“62%?”
Kim Min-su repeated the figure in disbelief.
“He is extraordinarily popular in the Philippines. They are calling President Patrick ‘a new hope.'”
“Is that so?”
President Kim Min-su looked at the screen again.
A president elected with 62% of the vote—
President Patrick appeared in a different light.
As I watched the screen, a familiar face caught my eye in the VIP section.
A face I knew?
What?
Gong In-bae?
Why is Gong In-bae there?
Why at the President’s inauguration?
The Gong In-bae on screen wasn’t sitting in some passing seat.
He was seated in the front row of the VIP section.
He was sitting squarely in the seat known as the place of honor.
Even the people around him were greeting Gong In-bae.
It wasn’t just a casual greeting between acquaintances.
It was a respectful and courteous greeting, as if to a superior they had long served.
People invited to a presidential inauguration aren’t simply invited.
They are the core figures of the new President.
Political backers, or those who will become future partners in state affairs, are invited.
The President will build a new era together with them.
It’s not a place one is invited to out of mere personal connection.
Kim Min-su had also deliberated extensively before sending out the invitation.
So why was Gong In-bae there?
The situation made no sense.
Kim Min-su’s attention had now shifted from Patrick to Gong In-bae.
The investigation report on Gong In-bae’s past flashed through his mind.
That report, nearly blank.
I needed to confirm what had happened in the Philippines during that gap period.
“Investigate Gong In-bae’s information again. Include overseas networks.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Secretary answered immediately and left.
It could simply be attendance.
Perhaps he had donated substantial political funds or worked in the campaign.
But Gong In-bae’s presence was too conspicuous to dismiss as coincidence.
He was radiating an enormous aura that could be felt even through the screen.
Come to think of it, Gong In-bae had never shown any intimidation before Kim Min-su either.
He was the one who summoned Wei Zhonglin with a single phone call.
And now he was sitting at the Philippine President’s inauguration, receiving greetings.
I needed to understand exactly who he was.
This was a matter related to national security.
*******
Zamboanga, Philippines.
Dennis visited Shin Jung-gi’s workshop.
Carrying a thick iced chocolate that Shin Jung-gi loved.
Shin Jung-gi was very fond of thick iced chocolate with excessive sugar.
Since Shin Jung-gi enjoyed it so much,
Dennis also took a bite, but he couldn’t swallow it.
The sweetness was sharp enough to make his tongue sting.
Chocolate chunks embedded between thick layers of cocoa.
Cold ice.
Shin Jung-gi had a particular fondness for this drink.
Because Dennis knew this, whenever he visited Shin Jung-gi, he always brought an iced chocolate along.
Even if Dennis himself wasn’t welcomed, the iced chocolate certainly was.
The moment Dennis handed over the iced chocolate, Shin Jung-gi inserted the straw with a decisive tap and began drinking it down eagerly.
Ugh… just looking at it makes you feel how sweet it is.
Dennis opened his mouth to speak to Shin Jung-gi.
“Jung-gi. You know that radar I made this time? The market response has been really excellent.”
With a smile honed by years of sales experience,
a smile that made him look like a good person, he spoke.
“Anyway, you’re such a liar.”
But Shin Jung-gi brushed off Dennis’s words lightly and shot back.
Still, a slight smile played at Jung-gi’s lips.
“What lie? I’ve never told a lie in my entire life.”
Dennis made a fuss, his expression turning serious.
“Hehe. But you haven’t even made the product yet—how could the response be good?”
Shin Jung-gi laughed.
Dennis also laughed awkwardly along with him.
I knew Dennis was good at lying.
There was no malice in his lies.
Dennis’s lies were simple.
He lived with lies on his lips—to make others feel good, to give them strength.
Beautiful. Impressive. Handsome. Good. Well done.
How did you come up with such an idea? Remarkable.
He found and praised even the smallest changes.
He always told those white lies that everything was done well.
But Dennis seemed slightly flustered and hastily offered an excuse.
“I mean, it just shows how much interest there is. The people’s interest is tremendous.”
“Of course. How else would it be made?”
Shin Jung-gi didn’t press further and simply played along appropriately.
“It’s not just talk. Once we see a demonstration, we’ll get more concrete terms, but even now it’s very positive.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Dennis glanced around and spoke very carefully.
“And another thing. I got a contact from Parallax.”
“Parallax? What’s that?”
“What? A weapons smuggler doesn’t know Parallax?”
“I know what it means. It’s the concept that an object appears different depending on the observer’s perspective, right? It’s a term from astronomy, and now it’s widely used in graphics and humanities as well.”
“Huh? That’s not what I meant. You really don’t know? You’ve never heard of Parallax?”
“I said I only know the meaning of the word.”
“Wow, it’s like a tech YouTuber not knowing Apple or Samsung.”
“What?”
“Parallax is the largest broker and dealer in the black market. They’re number one in the industry. They don’t just sell—they provide consulting too.”
“Consulting?”
“Yeah. War consulting. You could say Parallax has their fingers in virtually every modern conflict. If you count civil wars and regional disputes, there’s no way to count how many wars they’ve orchestrated.”
“Then just sell to them. Since they’re number one in the industry, they’ll pay well.”
Shin Jung-gi’s tone was indifferent.
He showed no interest whatsoever in Parallax.
He simply meant selling to whoever paid the most.
“The problem is, I’ve heard they’re declining these days.”
“Declining? What do you mean by that?”
“Peace treaties and all that—nobody’s fighting anymore. And even when wars do break out, the costs have plummeted. Lethal weapons are being reduced, and the battlefield is being flooded with cheap alternatives like drones, satellite communications equipment, and explosives.”
“Ah, so wars aren’t profitable anymore?”
“Something like that. Compared to the old days, it’s laughable.”
Shin Jung-gi spoke in a tone that showed he had no interest in the matter whatsoever.
“Well, just sell it however you see fit. The Young Boss will be happy if you get a good price, won’t he?”
“Have you ever seen the Young Boss happy about something like that? He doesn’t even care whether we sell or not.”
“Exactly. To make him care, you need to bring in serious money. Not just adequate amounts.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll have to work harder this time. To catch the Young Boss’s attention.”
Shin Jung-gi smiled faintly, as if he understood.
“Anyway, Dennis will handle the sales. Dennis is good at that.”
“That’s right. No one can match me in that.”
Shin Jung-gi uttered a white lie without conviction.
Dennis laughed in good spirits.
.
.
.
A hotel in Singapore.
Dennis met with Gavin, Parallax’s purchasing director.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Gavin extended his hand.
Dennis grasped it and returned the greeting.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment immensely. Doing business with Parallax feels like a dream.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. Isn’t Parallax the ultimate goal for every black market dealer? I feel like I’ve achieved my dream. Haha.”
“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. I have a feeling our conversation today will be quite fruitful.”
Gavin smiled.
But unlike Gavin’s smile,
Gavin had come to this place without knowing anything about today’s situation.
He had simply obtained information that one of the weapons smugglers in the Philippines had developed something quite impressive.
He had only confirmed it was related to radar technology, but knew nothing of the details.
It wasn’t that he wanted this technology or needed it.
How could he want something when he didn’t even know what it was?
He didn’t want the technology, nor did he need it.
He wasn’t even curious about it.
He had come only to stake a claim before it could be sold elsewhere.
With the shackles of a contract.
Parallax was a consultant.
People who designed the board and orchestrated the game.
If a war broke out over technology Parallax didn’t possess, it hurt.
We couldn’t respond.
Control became impossible.
So whenever a new technology emerged, we bought it unconditionally first.
Regardless of its nature, we submitted a purchase request and examined it.
Then we bound it to exclusivity whenever possible.
We ensured Parallax could monopolize it if at all feasible.
But if that proved difficult, we bought it cheap.
At minimum, we needed to know what weapon it was to devise a counter-strategy.
This was the entirety of Gavin’s strategy.
The most troublesome scenario was when technology Parallax lacked was released exclusively by competitors.
Well. Actually, that wasn’t really so troublesome.
Just annoying.
Point a gun, and they’d hand everything over.
They’d point guns too, but we had far more.
So before the situation became complicated, before it spiraled, the best approach was to pay a reasonable sum and acquire the monopoly.
It was necessary to control the war.
Technology unknown to Parallax must never emerge in the world.
Gavin too had no idea what technology Dennis had brought.
He had simply arranged this meeting to secure the monopoly.
To monopolize it before strict competitors could get their hands on it.
That was the only reason.
What Dennis had created didn’t interest me.
I only wanted to prevent that situation—technology unknown to Parallax circulating in the market.
.
.
.
Parallax hadn’t been this underhanded from the beginning.
In the early days, we followed the proper path.
I established my own research team and created a technical division.
The profits from weapons trafficking funded our weapons development efforts.
I believed that with just a little more effort, the world would fall under Parallax’s dominion.
‘Parallax controlling all the world’s troubles’
The mere thought sent shivers down my spine.
For that to be possible, technology was essential.
I needed to possess every technology available.
Only then could I negotiate, control, and consult.
But the development pace was drastically slower than the costs incurred.
The numbers simply didn’t add up.
The funding required was astronomical, yet the results were pathetic.
Failures kept repeating.
It was nowhere near achieving my goal of dominating the world through technology.
Both the costs and time required were far too much to endure.
Eventually, I changed direction.
Not development, but theft.
I chose to steal projects from other nations.
Projects that officially shouldn’t exist.
Weapons research that each country quietly concealed.
Nuclear technology, biochemical weapons, next-generation armaments, experimental weapons systems.
Parallax targeted all of it.
For example, a nation that signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was secretly researching nuclear technology.
Then that technology was stolen.
Could that nation claim ‘Parallax stole our technology’?
The moment they make that assertion, a much bigger problem emerges.
Parallax exploited that contradiction perfectly.
All nations fundamentally develop weapons unofficially.
Some develop weapons in secret where no one knows,
while others lie about being in the final stages of development just to intimidate their rivals, without actually developing anything.
Weapons are ultimately just a means to protect the nation.
If a small lie can protect the nation, it can be done a hundred times, a thousand times over.
And.
Why not just reveal it later, or develop it then?
Lies are wrong, but what hasn’t been said yet can hardly be called a lie.
In any case, Parallax exploited this duality that nations possessed very well.
With minimal spending, I recruited researchers and hired hackers.
We extracted data and erased all traces.
It was far cheaper, far faster, and far more reliable than developing it ourselves.
Technology accumulated in this manner.
But then a different problem arose.
The world gradually began to cease its wars.
Peace accords multiplied, and armistices followed in succession.
Large-scale conflicts diminished.
Weapons stopped selling.
Parallax found itself in a quandary.
How could it manufacture more conflicts?
How could it ensure greater weapons consumption?
Yet contrary to Parallax’s desires, the world increasingly cried out for peace.
Organizations like Parallax became targets of condemnation.
Profiteering grew ever more difficult.
A breakthrough was necessary.
.
.
.
“So… you’re saying you can display phantom targets on radar?”
Gavin’s voice dropped to a murmur.
Shock had seized him, but he steadied himself and sought to comprehend the situation with precision.
“Precisely. By amplifying signals, we can make them appear as multiple contacts, or fabricate entirely nonexistent targets.”
At Dennis’s explanation, Gavin fell silent.
Instead, his mind erupted with dozens of scenarios.
Phantom fighter squadrons.
Approaching fleet warnings that existed nowhere.
Friendly fire incidents.
Emergency mobilization.
Preemptive strikes.
A single radar could conjure countless terror scenarios.
Terror translates to profit.
Gavin began to laugh slowly.
This could work.
This could make money.
Without war, we could trigger one.
We could overturn the board entirely.
Gavin’s lips curled into a crooked smile.
“What’s this called?”
“Phantom Grid”

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