I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 76

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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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076-Recruitment
76.
I set down my beer and reached out to Lafei.
Lafei of the Golden Lotus might know something about this.
Macau, despite its “one country, two systems” arrangement distinct from China, remained Chinese territory nonetheless.
It was impossible not to maintain close ties with China.
Lafei, who lived in Macau and controlled it, might even know how to penetrate the Chinese market.
Even if she didn’t have a strategy, I thought I might at least gather some intelligence.
“Lafei, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
– Thanks to you. But what’s this about? Calling first? You’re not the type to reach out without a reason.
“I wanted to ask you something.”
– What is it?
“Does the Golden Lotus distribute drugs in China too?”
– No. We don’t operate in China.
“Why? Isn’t China a massive market?”
– Incredibly massive. But if you want to deal drugs in China, you have to be prepared to forfeit your life. In China, it’s execution for everyone—the dealers, the buyers, the users. All of them.
“I’ve heard that.”
– That’s why nobody rushes in. There’s talk that drugs circulate internally within China itself, but since we have no interest in that market anyway, we don’t pay attention to it.
“I see.”
– Are you thinking of entering China?
“I’m considering it.”
– Be careful. That place is truly not easy. Do you know about the Opium Wars?
Do you understand?
Aren’t you overestimating me?
“The Opium Wars?”
– You don’t know? The story is incredibly long—you’d be better off researching it yourself. Anyway, because of that, China trembles at the mere mention of opium. The nation nearly collapsed because of it. That’s why they enforce such strict controls over domestic drug distribution.
“Is that so?”
– China is a good market, I won’t deny that, but it’s absolutely not an easy one. If you’re going in, you’ll need a solid plan. And you’ll need to keep your life intact.
“Thank you. This has been really helpful.”
– And this might be useful—I know an organization in China. If you need it, I can introduce you.”
“If I need it, I’ll let you know. Your words are enough for now.”
– All right. Call me again.
The moment I finished chatting with Lafei, I searched for information about the Opium Wars.
I needed to understand what it was myself.
Interesting.
So China had such a dark chapter in its history.
To summarize simply: before modern China, there was the Qing Dynasty,
and this Qing Dynasty engaged in enormous trade with Britain.
But this trade was severely imbalanced.
Britain was suffering massive deficits in its trade with the Qing Dynasty.
Britain desired much from the Qing Dynasty—tea, silk, porcelain—yet the Qing had nothing Britain needed in return.
Britain could only offer wool, but to a civilization adorned in silk, wool was worthless.
The more Britain traded, the deeper into deficit it sank.
Transactions were conducted in silver, and Britain resented squandering such wealth on the Qing.
They sought to substitute other goods, but the Qing refused, claiming they needed nothing.
Desperate to bridge the trade gap, Britain’s East India Company devised a solution:
they began smuggling opium produced in India into the Qing Dynasty.
Opium spread with terrifying speed.
Once the Qing tasted opium’s allure, they lost all restraint, pouring vast quantities of silver into its purchase.
Before long, imports exceeded exports.
Commoners, bureaucrats, soldiers—all indulged equally in the pipe.
The people abandoned labor, government institutions ground to a halt, and the military lost all combat capability.
The state machinery itself began to collapse.
The devastation wrought by opium was catastrophic.
At last, the Qing realized this could not continue. They banned opium and confiscated every shipment Britain had distributed.
Britain protested that the Qing had no right to destroy their merchandise, and used this as justification to declare war.
Truthfully, the Qing were grateful Britain had given them cause for conflict.
Confident in their status as a great power, the Qing entered the war with some assurance.
They intended to crush Britain and reassert their dignity as a supreme nation.
But when war erupted, its nature proved entirely different from their expectations.
Charging at British soldiers wielding rifles with nothing but swords was futile.
Steel could not overcome gunpowder.
They suffered a devastating defeat and surrendered.
The price of surrender was the humiliating Treaty of Nanking.
Hong Kong passed into British hands at that very moment.
Additional ports were forced open, and astronomical war reparations were imposed.
The Second Opium War followed, with similar results.
The Qing seemed invincible until others realized they were not—so they came and stripped them bare.
China calls the period from the Opium Wars until the founding of the People’s Republic “a century of national humiliation.”
That hundred years, during which Asia’s supreme power descended into semi-colonial subjugation, stands as the darkest chapter in Chinese history.
Thus, for China, opium was the root of that catastrophe.
Opium must never again proliferate in China—this was non-negotiable.
China executes traffickers to prevent its circulation.
But I will become the East India Company anew and flood China with opium.
I will plant it in every corner, every crevice of the nation.
I will make opium accessible to anyone.
I will ensure men and women, young and old, can purchase opium cheaply.
I will return China to the age of the Opium Wars.
*******
Seo Dae-hun sat before the waters off Gunsan, gazing toward the distant sea as his thoughts crystallized.
I’d said something foolish.
I’d made a promise I couldn’t keep.
‘Since the Boss ordered it, I’ll do it. Take over Seoul.’
Ugh… it gave me chills.
Why had I spouted such insane nonsense?
It wasn’t like I was some delusional teenager.
Seo Dae-hun yanked at his hair in frustration.
‘How the hell do you take over Seoul?’
It was a complete mission impossible.
Divide and conquer?
That was laughable.
I couldn’t even figure out how many criminal organizations operated in Seoul.
Whether there were dozens or hundreds—I had no idea.
If there were some kind of national gangster association where you could register and pay dues to find out, that would be one thing.
I’d already mentioned it to In-bae, but the path forward remained murky.
“Boss. Is something troubling you?”
Geun-su noticed that Seo Dae-hun seemed different from usual and asked what was on his mind.
“I need to take over Seoul, but I can’t figure out how.”
Despite the enormous statement about taking over Seoul, Geun-su showed no surprise whatsoever.
Instead, he offered a solution characteristic of himself.
“What’s there to worry about? Just push forward and take them down, right?”
“How many organizations are in Seoul? You want me to go through them one by one? Systematically crush them in order?”
“If you take them down one by one, won’t a way forward reveal itself?”
“Either a way will appear, or we’ll get destroyed trying.”
“Then why don’t we just make them fight each other instead of fighting them ourselves?”
“Is there a way to do that?”
Seo Dae-hun perked up with interest.
“Well… I’d have to think about it.”
“Haha. I like your optimism.”
After a moment of contemplation, Geun-su came up with an elegant idea.
“Ah! What if we use the Philippines angle?”
“The Philippines? How?”
“The Philippines side is looking to expand some major business operation and needs a partner. If we frame it that way, wouldn’t it work?”
“If the Philippines is expanding business, why would Seoul’s gangs fight each other?”
“What? We pick just the strongest organization in the Philippines. If we become partners with them, we can easily pull in 500 to 600 billion won a year. Spread the word, and won’t money-hungry bastards start moving?”
“They’d move to become number one themselves?”
“The ones who think they’re strong will move to prove their superiority. The second and third-ranked will move to take down the first. And the ones below them will band together and move, won’t they?”
What the hell?
I’d thought Geun-su was just some romantic idealist.
I’d figured him for someone full of romance and loyalty, but it seemed he had brains too.
“First, we spread rumors that the Philippines is making a move, then later we decide which faction to target, which ones to ally with. Once the rumors spread, they’ll betray each other, fight amongst themselves—isn’t that how it works?”
“But doesn’t the Philippines need something credible to back it up? Those fools won’t just charge in based on hearsay alone.”
“In-bae is in the Philippines, sir.”
*******
“So our boss has been having this much fun without me knowing.”
“Fun, sure. I didn’t want it to come to this, but the situation’s already spiraled. Once things are set in motion, they need to be managed. Sorry for dragging you into this.”
I received a call from Dae-hoon.
Dae-hoon laid out his plan for taking control of Seoul.
A godfather from the Philippines was searching for a Korean partner.
Becoming that partner would net an additional 500 to 600 billion won in annual profits.
He planned to select only one organization as the partner.
That’s the rumor he intended to spread.
It was a decent strategy.
It could stoke the greed of ambitious men.
Only then would they bare their fangs and try to devour each other.
When I asked about the commodity, he said he was still deliberating.
So I told him to settle on drugs as the item.
Only drugs could generate 500 to 600 billion won in annual profits.
“So you’re saying I go into Korea and make it look like I’m searching for a partner to work with there? I’m the godfather from the Philippines?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm…”
“I’m sorry for asking something so difficult. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but I can’t think of anyone else.”
“What are you talking about? Why would anyone else do this? I should be the one. This sounds like it’ll be a blast.”
“I thought you were hesitating.”
“I’m seriously thinking about it right now. How many men should I bring to look impressive? What should I wear? Should we all match our outfits for extra style?”
“What?”
“If we’re going in, we should go in with a bang, right? We need to make waves throughout the district so that Korea’s gangsters line up to meet us. If we sneak in and out, nobody notices. Anyway, being called a godfather feels surprisingly good.”
“You’re not wrong. Aren’t you the godfather of Bohol? Or have you expanded all the way to Mindanao by now?”
In reality, the Sandro Group wasn’t stopping at Bohol—it was expanding its influence all the way to Mindanao.
With the help of the Tamaya Military, the rebel forces, and backed by government protection, it was growing its power at a frightening pace.
“So when should I go? Should I leave tomorrow?”
“You’ll really go?”
“Of course. It’s our boss’s order. No matter what happens, I have to go. I’ll go there, line up those bastards, and come back.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
And as the crowning touch, Sandro was heading to Korea.
Making it look like he was genuinely searching for a partner.
The moment Sandro appeared in Seoul.
The rumor becomes reality.
******
Moon Gang-su, the Team Leader at the Jeonnam Gwangsu Police Station, had clocked out and was enjoying a bowl of sundae soup with a shot of soju as an evening drink.
Whether I was drinking soju as a chaser or ordering pork soup just to have an excuse to drink soju, I couldn’t tell anymore.
The pork soup sat untouched, exactly as it had arrived.
Moon Gang-su was simply drinking soju, nothing else.
He didn’t even glance at his phone.
He just kept wiping his face with the back of his hand, over and over.
I couldn’t think of any way to handle this situation, any solution to resolve it.
The complaint calls had dwindled, but the looks directed at Moon Gang-su remained as cutting as ever.
These police bastards—they preach constantly about how bullying is wrong, how it should never happen, distributing materials about it everywhere, yet they’re ostracizing Moon Gang-su.
They mouth off about justice while doing nothing but.
Now they won’t even greet him, won’t acknowledge him, and they’re excluding him from work assignments.
He’s lost almost all credibility within the team.
If it were up to me, I’d have submitted a resignation letter a hundred times over by now.
But he has a wife and two children.
He needs to secure a way to survive before he can quit—and he has to quit.
If he leaves like this, the damage will be far worse.
If he leaves the police force in disgrace, he’ll lose access to all his police connections.
The only people he knows are cops, and without their help, his options become severely limited.
Even if he quits, he needs to set things right first before he leaves the force.
He pours another glass of soju and drinks it.
The soju tastes sweet even without food to accompany it.
At some point, soju stopped tasting bitter to him.
He pours another glass and drinks it down.
“At least drink some broth. You’re going to ruin your stomach. What kind of pathetic thing is this?”
Moon Gang-su looks toward the voice and sees Seo Dae-hun standing beside him.
Seo Dae-hun naturally sits down across from Moon Gang-su.
“The soup’s gone cold. Boss, could you reheat this broth? And bring us a plate of pork head meat too. And more soju.”
As Seo Dae-hun sits and places his order with shameless ease, Moon Gang-su glares at him.
“What are you doing? Did you come here to mock me?”
“Why would I come all this way just to mock you? That’s exhausting. I’m not that idle.”
“Then why are you here? Get out. Just seeing your face makes me want to kill you. I’m barely holding back right now. So while I’m still being civil, leave quietly.”
“Why are you being so harsh? You’re scaring me. Besides, my order hasn’t even come out yet. Let’s have a drink together.”
“Go eat somewhere else.”
Moon Gang-su growled low, but Seo Dae-hun replied in a soft voice, completely unafraid.
“Come on, let’s have a drink together.”
“You expect me to drink with a thug like you? What are you trying to pull this time? You’ve already filed complaints, so you won’t do that again. Are you going to report something to my superiors? Call in an audit?”
“No. You’re seriously misunderstanding me, sir.”
“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”
“Let’s be honest. Didn’t you go a bit overboard this time? My friend came from the Philippines, and if the police start tailing him, what does that make me? That guy was far superior to me even back at special forces school. He would’ve definitely noticed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s be honest. Didn’t you go a bit overboard this time? My friend came from the Philippines, and if the Police shows up, what does that make me? That guy was way better than me even back when we were at special forces school, so he definitely would’ve noticed, wouldn’t he?”
“What?”
“So you must be thinking that Seo Dae-hun has become some gangster punk who has police tailing him, right? To a friend I see once a year, I’ve become that kind of guy. How many incidents must I have caused to become a gangster with police following me around? You wouldn’t wonder about that? Honestly, if they followed me normally, I’d understand. But they show up whenever I meet that friend, and it pisses me off.”
“Well… well… that’s not it…”
Moon Gang-su started to make an excuse, but then realized that if he mentioned they were actually following Gong In-bae, not Seo Dae-hun, it would create an even bigger problem. So he clamped his mouth shut.
“So honestly, I was pretty angry. I wanted things to last longer with that guy. But it got messed up because of you, Team Leader.”
“Hmm… I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to do it like that…”
“Never mind. It’s in the past anyway, and I told the guys to bother you, but since you seem to be having a hard time, I told them to stop now.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Instead, help me out this time.”
“Help you? Hey. Do you think police are pushovers? I’m eating, and you come shoving your head in saying help me out—should I just help you? You keep saying I’m pretty, pretty, and now you’re saying things that don’t make any sense.”
“Doesn’t Hyung-su’s wife hate you?”
“What? You little bastard?”
“Why do you have to speak so harshly? They say a single word can pay off a thousand-dollar debt. We could resolve this amicably, we could listen and decide, but why do you always talk like that? So sarcastically. Last time too, didn’t our conversation fall apart because of that? Back then I politely asked you to just stop following me. And you went off the rails and it turned out like this. Now I’m making a polite request again, and you’re going off the rails again. Are you going to keep doing this?”
“That… that’s…”
“If you didn’t want to hear what I had to say, you should have gotten up as soon as I sat down. We’re already sitting here eating, and tons of photos have been taken. I’m proud that I’m eating with a detective, but will you be proud too, Team Leader? Should I send the photos to the police agency? I think they’d want to verify them there.”
“You… you little bastard… I’m absolutely not letting you off easy.”
“You can worry about that later. You have colleagues at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, don’t you? Could you introduce me?”
“What? Ugh, this guy is unbelievable. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency? Why there?”
“Don’t we need to expand into Seoul now? We have to go to Seoul. Team Leader, come to Seoul with us too.”

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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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