I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 82

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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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082-Conference
82.
Tarapanan, Mindanao, Philippines.
Edward followed Alex out.
To confirm the location of the Factory.
“What do you think about building a Factory around here?”
“Building a Factory?”
“Yeah. We need to produce medicine.”
“Here?”
“Yeah. Isn’t this place good? The transportation is decent, water is abundant, electricity runs well, and there are lots of farms nearby, so it’s easy to use as a cover. Don’t you think it’s good? I think it looks good.”
Edward was bewildered by Alex’s matter-of-fact response, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Build a Factory?
What kind of nonsense was this?
He’d asked for healthy medicine to be made, but could Alex possibly be confusing this with producing health supplements, vitamins, or tonics? Edward was genuinely concerned.
The spot Alex had indicated for the Factory was slightly set back from the Commercial District.
Roads connected to it, electricity ran well, and water flowed whenever you turned a tap.
If we were truly manufacturing health supplements or the like, it would have been an ideal location,
but what we produced wasn’t that kind of thing.
It was something that needed to be hidden, kept secret, and protected with tight security.
The kind of thing that would cause serious problems if anyone found out or word leaked.
That’s why we preferred remote, sparsely populated areas.
Deep in the Mountains or isolated places.
Locations where no one would ever pass through.
We controlled access to ensure only essential personnel could come and go.
That’s how critical security was for this operation.
Building a new Factory from scratch was something I’d never even considered.
To avoid suspicion, we always repurposed existing Buildings.
If you started constructing a Building in a remote area, anyone would become curious.
They’d want to know what kind of Building it was.
To block such unnecessary curiosity,
we’d created our operations using abandoned Factories, Warehouses, and farm sheds.
Naturally, the workflow, sanitation, and systems were all a complete mess.
We could barely manage to produce the medicine itself.
Edward had moved around to various locations producing medicine, but most weren’t significantly different.
I’d thought it was unusual that the Young Boss here wanted healthy medicine made,
but I’d never imagined he’d want to build a Factory in the Commercial District.
But this couldn’t happen.
If a report came in, we’d be caught immediately.
There’d be no time to escape.
If we were in the Mountains, someone would be watching and could warn us if enforcement showed up.
Then they’d abandon the factory and flee.
But here, there’s no time to escape.
With so many people around, how could I possibly tell who’s an enforcer and who’s an ally?
Setting up a drug factory in a place like this won’t work.
Edward broached the subject cautiously.
“I don’t think this location will do.”
“Why? Is there a problem? The conditions seem quite favorable.”
“No, the location itself is excellent, but wouldn’t it be too conspicuous? It’s more central than I expected, and there’s heavy foot traffic.”
“So it won’t work?”
“Not that it won’t work, but… how do I put this? Our operation requires maintaining security. I think we need to pay more attention to that aspect.”
“Security?”
“Yes. Security.”
“There’s no place with better security than here.”
“Excuse me? With this many people around, how could security possibly be good?”
“Each and every person here is a radar and a watchtower. Outsiders can’t get in.”
“What?”
“Only people we know can move around here. The moment a stranger shows up, guns are drawn.”
“Where exactly is this place?”
“Here? This is Dalapaanan. It’s also the Rebel Forces’ headquarters. You didn’t know?”
Edward’s face hardened once more.
.
.
.
Edward followed Alex into a nearby office.
Alex seemed to be a more significant figure than I’d initially thought.
He moved through the Rebel Forces’ headquarters with the ease of someone in his own home,
and many people greeted him as he passed.
I found myself curious about who Alex really was.
“Come in. Let’s discuss the details now. I’ve called in someone to help you.”
“Yes.”
Edward followed Alex into the office.
There would likely be several people to assist Edward and technicians capable of constructing the factory.
Building a factory was unfamiliar territory, but this kind of situation was routine.
Wherever I went, people like this were always provided.
Several people were already seated in the office.
But they didn’t look young.
Usually, errand runners are mostly young kids.
And they were all dressed in formal suits.
Was I mistaken about what to expect?
As I tilted my head in confusion, all the suited men seated there greeted Alex with utmost respect.
“Hello.”
“How have you been?”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve met.”
“Everyone, it’s been forever. How have you all been?”
“Thanks to you, CEO, we’ve been doing well. Is the person next to you someone who will be joining us in this venture?”
“Yes. Everyone, introduce yourselves. This is Edward, who will be heading our new health sector.”
“Hello. I’m Edward.”
As Edward greeted them, everyone looked at him with warm, welcoming eyes.
Alex kindly introduced Edward to each person in the office one by one.
“This is Kang Jae-ho, our department head—well, he’s the CEO now. The representative of the Construction Company that will build our factory.”
“I’m Kang Jae-ho.”
“When we construct the building, just tell Kang what you need and he’ll make it happen.”
“After hearing your instructions, CEO, I looked into some relevant materials, but since there’s very little publicly available data in that field, I was struggling. Your help would be invaluable. For now, I’m designing based on pharmaceutical factory systems as a reference, so I’d appreciate it if you could review it after the meeting concludes.”
“Yes? Of course. Absolutely.”
“And this is the Provincial Governor of Dalapaanan.”
“Hello. I’m Marco.”
“If there are any administrative difficulties or matters that need resolving, just speak with Marco. You’ve already handled the police and military, right?”
“This is an autonomous region, so the police don’t typically enter anyway. If any problems arise, I’ll handle them. You don’t need to worry.”
“What about the factory permit?”
“I obtained it under agricultural and aquatic product processing.”
“Good.”
“Thank you.”
“And this is Patrick, the mayor of Zamboanga and party chairman of Akbayan ng Katarungan.”
“Pleased to meet you. Let’s do great work together.”
“Patrick will procure raw materials, machinery, and equipment for us. Patrick isn’t really cut out for this sort of thing, but he’s so capable that there’s no helping it. Right now, Patrick is the only one who can handle it. I’m sorry, Patrick, but I’m going to have to ask for your help.”
“Don’t mention it. If you ask, CEO, I could walk through hell itself. This is nothing.”
“Anyway, make sure you take good care of whatever this guy needs.”
“Don’t worry.”
“And this is Simon, the leader of the Rebel Forces.”
“Good to meet you.”
“Simon has Mindanao firmly in his grip. If there’s anything that can’t be done, just tell Simon. I’d wager if you asked Simon to move a mountain or turn this area into a sea, he’d probably do it.”
“You’re too kind. Mountains are beyond me, but I think I could manage hills.”
“Hahaha. You hear that? So if you need anything done, just ask Simon.”
Unlike Alex’s lighthearted manner of introduction,
and despite the warmth everyone showed Edward, his expression grew increasingly dark.
He couldn’t utter a single word.
Everyone who absolutely had to be handled with care in this operation was gathered here.
Politicians, a rebel commander, administrators.
People who could destroy the factory with a single word.
People who could bring police or military at any moment and reduce the factory to ashes.
Moreover, they were people with volatile emotions who could change their minds at any moment.
Such people had gathered together and were holding a meeting about building me a factory.
They were making efforts to provide even greater benefits to one another.
Since this bewildering situation was my first time experiencing it, I didn’t know what to do, so I simply remained still.
At least it was fortunate that there were no thugs present—that much was a blessing.
If thugs were mixed into this, it would be even more of a mess.
They kindly told me to speak if I needed anything, but I didn’t think I could do that.
I was simply terrified.
Before these absolute powerholders, Edward became infinitesimally small.
Normally, I wouldn’t back down to anyone when it came to guts, but this place was in a different league entirely.
They were all smiling, yet their eyes were piercing.
It felt as though they could see right through to Edward’s very core, making my movements cautious.
‘That’s right—I’ll make it myself.’
Edward made a decision.
With just a modest space and equipment, I could produce it adequately.
Though the Young Boss here did request something strange—a healthy medicine.
I didn’t need these people to make that.
In truth, I was too frightened to ask for anything.
At that moment, the door opened and another man entered.
“My apologies. I’m late.”
The man greeted Alex with utmost respect.
“Ah! Dennis, you’re here now?”
“Yes. The firearms transaction took longer than expected, and I apologize.”
“It’s fine. It’s fine. These things happen when you’re working. I called you to introduce someone. This is Edward, who will be working with us.”
“N-nice to meet you. I’m Edward.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Dennis.”
“Our Dennis smuggles weapons honestly, you see. No deception, fair prices. Bullets and service—he provides them generously.”
“I simply follow the Young Boss’s management philosophy.”
“If you happen to need guns, tell Dennis. He’ll get you quality merchandise.”
“That’s right. If you need anything, just say so. I’ll get you top-grade stuff.”
Trembling, trembling, trembling, trembling, trembling.
Edward felt his body shaking.
A sense that something had gone terribly wrong washed over me, but escaping from here was impossible.
Edward resolved to create the healthy medicine on my own, no matter what.
******
Kang Jae-ho and Edward left to discuss the factory’s structure,
and I remained in the office with Patrick, Simon, and Provincial Governor Marco.
Simon said he had something to tell me.
“What is it? What did you want to say?”
“Regarding that operation from before—didn’t we scatter some gold along the riverbed?”
“Right? Just thinking about it makes me sick. Throwing money on the ground like that.”
“But how much gold did you scatter back then?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Gold is still coming out.”
“Come on. That’s nonsense. How long ago was that? Everything we scattered back then should’ve been picked clean by now.”
“Yet it continues to appear. Just yesterday, we recovered a considerable amount of placer gold from the river ahead.”
“Really?”
Simon showed me photographs.
Glittering placer gold was genuinely being extracted.
“There have long been rumors of a gold vein in this area. In fact, exploratory surveys and drilling operations were conducted in the past to locate it, though they ultimately failed.”
Provincial Governor Marco, who had lived here for years, chimed in.
“So you’re saying there could actually be a mineral deposit here?”
“The likelihood appears quite high.”
“Hmm… that’s troublesome. But won’t there be problems if a mineral deposit is discovered?”
“Sir?”
“Underground resources belong to the state, right? Once discovered, people will be coming and going wanting to mine it, government officials will be coming and going wanting to investigate, and that seems like it’ll be more of a headache.”
“You needn’t worry about that. We’ll handle everything from permits to actual mining on our end.”
Patrick said reassuringly.
“Really?”
“We’ll select a mining company and grant them the permit. Simon, you want to do it?”
“We’re pretty busy right now.”
“You’re the only organization with available manpower right now. Besides, you already operate other mines. You can rotate and use them.”
“We’ll need to hire more people.”
“Hire plenty. That way you get more tax benefits. Pay employees generously—the more you pay them, the more benefits you receive. We’ll cover the rest through policy support.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Buy lots of equipment too. Make sure you get receipts. Don’t buy used equipment cheap like last time.”
“I know that much.”
“So, Simon’s taking the gold mine?”
“We’ll proceed with exploratory work first. We’ll decide on further action after we confirm gold deposits from the survey.”
“Okay. Go ahead with it.”
.
.
.
“Congratulations.”
“Sir? Congratulations?”
Edward and Kang Jae-ho left the office and headed to another conference room.
The moment they sat down, Kang Jae-ho offered his congratulations.
Edward didn’t understand the reason.
“You’ll be working with Totem.”
“Totem?”
“You don’t know what a totem is?”
“No. I’ve never heard of it.”
“Hehehehe. That Alex over there is our lucky totem. When the CEO touches something, when he pushes something forward, even things that shouldn’t work out end up succeeding. So the story goes that when the CEO works this hard, we hit the jackpot.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So work hard. I’ll do my best to help you too. Shall we look at the design plans I brought first? For now, we’re planning to manage the research lab and production process separately.”
“Pardon?”
“The research lab is literally a space for conducting research, testing new medicines, mixing formulations, and compounding them. The production is literally a system capable of mass production. The CEO asked us to create an environment where he can focus on research in the most comfortable state possible.”
“Ah···.”
“For the production process, he asked us to maximize automation to improve quality while ensuring uniformity in product performance. So we’re planning to create a door here, and a system where raw materials can be input and mixed from here. On the opposite side, we’ll have the finished products come out.”
“Is this really possible?”
“Of course, this is just a rough sketch. It will depend on the production process of the medicine. Shall I show you the research lab design first? For the research lab design, we’ll place equipment here···.”
Edward couldn’t believe it even as he looked at the sketch in front of him.
I’d been making medicine by candlelight in a remote mountain, and here they’re talking about a fully automated system.
And they’re even providing a research lab.
I feel the desire to do this properly.
I really want to create healthy medicine.
I want to test how far I can go.
“This looks good. I think the design is fine as is. I like it.”
“Then we’ll proceed with this. Let me know if there are any parts that need modification along the way.”
“But what does Alex do?”
“Pardon?”
“He asked me to work with him, so I’m working, but the more I learn, the more he seems like someone different from what I imagined.”
“Hahahaha. Just experience it for yourself. What does it matter what others say? But you absolutely won’t regret it. As long as you’re not planning to betray him.”
Kang Jae-ho laughed in a friendly manner.
Edward found even that laughter terrifying.

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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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