I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 99

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

099-Black Dragon Gang
99.
Dae-hoon was in the Office conducting a meeting with several men, documents spread across the table before them.
As Dae-hoon reviewed the papers, something clearly displeased him. He tossed the documents onto the table and reached for the iced Americano beside him.
“Ugh, my head’s killing me. What kind of mess have I gotten myself into because of a friend?”
“Haha. Still, hyung, if you acquire a Construction Company now, it could be quite beneficial for us.”
Geun-su, sitting beside Dae-hoon, tried to soothe his frustration.
“Really?”
“Actually, acquiring a Construction Company would help us considerably.”
“How so?”
“If we gradually move into legitimate business this way, wouldn’t that be ideal? A Construction Company business card carries more prestige than a security firm card, doesn’t it?”
Currently, the Dae-hoon Faction managed its numerous members through two distinct methods.
One was assigning them to establishments where they managed themselves independently.
Most organization members operated this way.
The second method involved those who didn’t fit either category—they’d been brought in to form a security company.
The security company wasn’t truly necessary; it was an unavoidable measure to provide salaries and handle insurance processing.
It was also convenient to deploy them whenever needed.
“That’s true, but there are concerns. It requires more capital than expected, and we don’t have experts in this field. If we’re careless, we’ll just waste money and fail. We could easily get scammed if we rush in without thinking.”
“We don’t need exceptional technical expertise, do we? We can hire skilled people when necessary. What we need is a Construction Company name that allows us to expand into the Philippines. And I guarantee it—I’m confident this will succeed 100%. Has anything In-bae hyung has touched ever truly failed? Let’s trust him and make this move.”
“Fair point. So from the list, the two better options are Dae Yeon Development and Jin Woo Engineering?”
“That’s my assessment as well. What do you think, Director Go?”
Director Go Seung-min, receiving Geun-su’s gaze, adjusted his glasses slightly before speaking.
Go Seung-min—a lawyer.
While practicing law, he’d formed a connection with Dae-hoon through legal consultation work for the Dae-hoon Faction, eventually joining the organization.
His legal knowledge proved sharper than expected, and his resourcefulness in leveraging the law impressed Dae-hoon enough to personally recruit him.
Go Seung-min had initially refused.
Though his client list wasn’t extensive, he’d said he preferred remaining a lawyer.
But Dae-hoon’s actions had changed his mind.
Watching how Dae-hoon prioritized his organization and remained indifferent to immediate profits shifted his perspective.
Additionally, he’d undergone training—partly willingly, partly not—at a temporary shelter in Chungcheong Province, now called an Educational Center, and emerged filled with unwavering loyalty.
His inner being overflowed with conviction.
“Both have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Dae Yeon Development was a mid-sized Construction Company with considerable scale. But the problem arose when the private equity fund acquired it—everything fell apart.”
“If a private equity fund was managing it, why did it collapse?”
“The private equity fund didn’t acquire Dae Yeon Development to actually operate a Construction Company. These people care nothing whether the company thrives or fails. They simply extract money by selling assets, land, licenses—essentially anything sellable. They’ve probably already sold everything possible. Now they’re trying to sell even the company name itself.”
“What? They sold everything? Then there’s no point acquiring it, is there?”
“While it may seem hollow, the Dae Yeon Development name still carries value. Technical expertise remains relatively intact.”
“What good is a name? Wouldn’t it be better to build something new from scratch?”
“Because of the General Construction License. If the price is reasonable, acquisition is preferable. Existing permits and professional networks shouldn’t be dismissed either.”
“A General Construction License? Can’t we just obtain a new one?”
“New acquisition is possible, but you should expect at least a month or more. And new companies face numerous restrictions—no credibility. If you’re considering expansion into the Philippines, Dae Yeon Development, with its established name and history, would be the better choice.”
“What about Jin Woo Engineering?”
“Jin Woo Engineering is an emerging construction company led by a young CEO. They have strengths in design, but they showcase overly creative designs that don’t appeal much to the market. That’s why they’re struggling financially now, so acquisition should be possible.”
“So one’s just a name, and the other’s a fool.”
“That’s correct.”
“Both are useless. One has technical expertise, the other has design capabilities. Why not just acquire both?”
“There’s no problem with acquiring both, but it would mean unnecessary double spending, and even after the purchase, the money keeps flowing out. Once we start the Philippines project, it’ll take a while before we receive payment, and during that time we’ll have continuous fixed costs like employee salaries. There’s no real need to handle both. If necessary, it would be better to build a good relationship by outsourcing to the other company.”
In response to Dae-hun’s reckless question, Director Go Seung-min explains his reasoning.
“Moreover, most construction projects commissioned in the Philippines require basic maintenance work rather than exceptional creativity or originality, so Dae Yeon Development seems like the better choice than Jin Woo Engineering. However, given that Dae Yeon Development is larger than expected, significant restructuring appears inevitable.”
“Restructuring, huh…”
“It’s not something we want to do, but we can’t keep feeding them with our own money, can we?”
“Let’s go see them once. What was the name of that place again?”
“It’s MHK Private Equity Fund.”
“Right. That one. Let’s meet them face to face.”
******
“Do you really think you’ll get away with doing this to me? I won’t let you off easy later. You hear me?!”
On the outskirts of Dalapaanan.
Shin Jung-gi lay sprawled on the dirt ground, and the men who brought him here were already turning their car around to leave.
Shin Jung-gi shouted after them, but the car didn’t stop.
Left alone, Shin Jung-gi.
Despite his loud words, he felt quite helpless inside.
He studied well, he was smart, but he’d never learned about situations like this.
What’s the correct response when you’re kidnapped by a gang and then released?
What should you do first when you’re on Interpol’s red notice as a murderer?
If he’d learned such things, he might have overcome this crisis,
but of course, he’d never learned any of that.
Because he’d only lived in the orphanage, because he’d lived as a smart kid who just studied well,
he’d never experienced overcoming something unfamiliar in a new environment.
He’d simply studied hard as instructed.
So he had no idea how to navigate this situation.
Honestly, he never thought they’d actually abandon him like this.
He thought they’d just scare him a bit, then ask about the data location.
If you know what Project Moonfall is, you can’t help but covet it.
Did they already know he didn’t have the data?
That couldn’t be.
If it’s revealed that Shin Jung-gi doesn’t have the data, it would be truly catastrophic for him.
He’d have no cards left to negotiate with.
Shin Jung-gi, now in the same predicament as himself,
began walking while dragging his abandoned suitcase.
These considerate bastards even gave him his suitcase.
Shin Jung-gi dragged his suitcase and began walking down the unpaved road.
But before I’d even walked ten minutes, a man appeared from somewhere.
“Hey. Chinese?”
“Korean.”
“Oh~ A Korean came here? Most people can’t even get in this place. What brings you all the way out here?”
“That’s none of your concern. Mind moving aside? I’m on a tight schedule.”
“That so? Well, I’ve got business with you.”
“With me?”
“Yeah. You’ve got something I fancy.”
“Something I have? What? This suitcase?”
“Yeah. That suitcase and the clothes you’re wearing.”
Shin Jung-gi was genuinely taken aback.
A suitcase like this—back in South Korea, you could leave it on the street and no one would touch it.
Even if you left it somewhere for days, when you returned, it would just be shoved into a corner.
All it contained were a few sets of clothes.
Honestly, the garments in a donation bin would be superior to what was packed in this suitcase.
And he wanted this?
It was utterly bewildering.
“This? These aren’t even quality clothes. Why not target someone else? This suitcase is beneath your notice. And if you take what I’m wearing, I’ll have nothing left to wear.”
“Why should I care about that? I just need the clothes. I’ll leave you your underwear—I don’t want to be uncomfortable either.”
“Unbelievable.”
“So, do you want to get hit and stripped, or will you hand it over quietly?”
“Fine. Take it. Just leave me the clothes I’m wearing. I need to keep something on.”
“Sure. I’ll give you that much.”
I had no options.
The best I could do was protect the clothes on my back.
The Filipino Businessman came to take the suitcase.
“Thanks. I’ll make good use of this.”
The man turned back with a pleased smile, suitcase in hand.
Watching him leave with my suitcase, fury ignited within me.
Seeing that smug grin on his face only stoked the flames.
He was short, scrawny.
I could have easily beaten him if we’d fought straight up, yet I’d lost.
The thought of being bested by such a man sent rage coursing through my veins.
An unbearable fury erupted from deep within.
I picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the man.
Or rather, I thought I did.
But the man dodged as if he’d anticipated it, then glared at me.
“Did you really think I’d fall for such an obvious ambush? Ha. This is how you do a real sneak attack.”
The man moved.
I didn’t even see his fist coming before impact exploded across my face.
Thud.
Thud. Thud thud thud.
The impacts kept raining down on my body.
Heavy, furious punches—each one packed with genuine rage.
“I was going to let you keep your clothes, but I’m taking those too. Plus your shoes as a bonus. I’ll leave you the underwear like I promised.”
The Filipino Businessman stripped the downed Shin Jung-gi of his garments and vanished somewhere on a motorcycle.
Shin Jung-gi let out a hollow laugh.
My own pathetic state was almost funny.
Just a few months ago, I’d been one of South Korea’s most successful elites.
In a single moment, my entire life had crumbled.
Now, a single pair of underwear was all I possessed in this world.
It was heartbreaking.
Tears came unbidden.
They stung as they seeped into my wounds.
I wanted to turn back time.
Return to how things were.
But life is a live battle.
What’s done cannot be undone.
Shin Jung-gi sat in the middle of the road wearing nothing but underwear, lost in thought for a long while.
Thinking and thinking.
What was the way to survive here?
Within ten minutes of leaving the car, I’d been stripped of my bag and clothes.
I had no idea how long it would take before they stripped away my skills as well.
It probably wouldn’t take very long.
Here, education and intelligence meant nothing.
Even if I could build a fighter jet, even if I had the Project Moonfall data, it was all useless.
Shin Jung-gi thought of a place that could protect him.
No matter how hard I racked my brain, only one place came to mind.
‘That’s it. I’ll return to Dalapaanan where I was before.’
I’d arrived by car, but I still remembered the general route.
Shin Jung-gi began walking toward Dalapaanan.
Wearing only underwear.
Barefoot on the unpaved road.
Pain shot through my feet, but I couldn’t stop.
To survive, I had to keep moving.
I trudged forward.
******
Han Ruichang, boss of the Black Dragon Gang, a criminal organization in Beijing.
He had recently attended an Assand briefing held in Guangzhou.
A sales pitch for drugs, with gangsters as the audience.
Even now, I couldn’t understand what I was thinking, why I went—it was such a foolish decision that I couldn’t comprehend my own stupidity.
There was a senior colleague in the industry I kept in occasional contact with,
and he said there was some kind of briefing session. He suggested I go to clear my head and get a change of pace.
He said they’d provide meals, drinks, lodging, and gifts. So I decided to go.
Perhaps because everything was free, my mind felt lighter about it.
But the result was anything but light.
I brought back the Beijing distribution rights for Assand.
I wondered if this was all just a dream.
But the heavy bag in Han Ruichang’s hand,
that bag containing Assand, was telling me that all of this was real.
Drug trafficking is truly the most dangerous of all dangerous businesses.
If you get caught, it’s execution.
No organization would take such a risk to distribute drugs.
Yet this time, Han Ruichang had purchased those distribution rights.
Even as I thought it was absurd, I wondered if this might become another opportunity.
The Black Dragon Gang was that desperate.
The Black Dragon Gang hadn’t read the times.
Even as the era changed, we still collected protection money, ran loan-sharking operations, and managed establishments.
But protection money had been cut to one-tenth its level due to public security crackdowns,
and loan-sharking profits had also plummeted due to changes in how Chinese people made payments.
We were barely scraping by with money from the establishments, but whether due to the poor economy or something else, even that income had dried up considerably.
We couldn’t continue operating the organization this way.
We had to find some way out.
So with a desperate hope, I went to Guangzhou.
I thought there might be a way to revive the organization if I went there.
And so Han Ruichang, heading to Guangzhou, unexpectedly came back with the Beijing Assand contract rights as well.
It was a remarkable achievement to bring back half of Beijing, but in truth, it wasn’t that remarkable.
There were only two places interested in Beijing.
It was only possible because so few organizations participated in the first place.
Beijing has over a hundred organizations, but only two attended the briefing.
The two of us divided Beijing in half.
The negotiation went faster than expected.
Beijing, the capital of China.
A massive city where over twenty million people live.
Even if you’re greedy, you can’t control it all.
A small organization can’t even manage it.
So it didn’t take long to agree on dividing it in half.
But on the way back, I regretted it.
I’d touched something I shouldn’t have.
I’d done something pointless.
It’s not weak stuff, that’s for sure.
But breaking the contract right now feels a bit much.
The bag in my hand makes Han Ruichang hesitate.
They’ve shown this much sincerity, so I should reciprocate with at least that level of courtesy.
I’ll take just a small initial batch, flip it wholesale immediately, and then wash my hands of it—that’s what Han Ruichang decided.
With that thought, my mind eased considerably.
I decided to start selling the Assand I’d brought, pricing it at 50 yuan.
I figured I’d have to lower the price if it didn’t move.
But it sold out in just one day.
What?
Is this right?
I’d sold 5 million yuan worth of Assand in a single day.
This changes the calculation entirely.
Han Ruichang began recalculating.
‘I need to scale this up.’

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