New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 172

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 172. Celebration (2)

Carter Till and the CIA, along with PMC Blackwater.

They had become a single operation team performing location tracking missions.

Eric Prince, the founder of Blackwater, was a former US Navy SEAL.

But he was a trusted figure who worked closely with the CIA and was called the CIA’s outsourcing partner.

“Is this person Eric trustworthy?”

“He’s reliable. He’s carried out dozens of operations so far, but has never failed even once.”

Carter Till’s expression still showed lingering anxiety.

But the Deputy Director was confident.

“I’ll arrange for real-time location information to be shared. But would there be anyone at Blackwater who could understand the system?”

“Don’t worry about that part. Blackwater has many former CIA agents working as operatives.”

The Blackwater operatives had already arrived on location in Iraq.

Carter Till shared Saddam Hussein’s movement routes and the coordinates of suspected messenger figures with them.

“Like when Saddam Hussein disappeared, there are sections where radio signals suddenly cut off.”

“If it’s radio jamming, it’s likely intentional.”

“That’s right. It appears that Saddam’s closest associates or messengers jam radio signals for security during contact.”

“Is the location still around Tikrit?”

“Yes. The signal disappeared near the Tikrit entrance route.”

They jammed radio signals to hide.

But thanks to that radio blackout, a paradoxical situation occurred where the location range was actually narrowed down.

“In the end, we’ll have to wait for when the radio gets jammed again.”

“That’s right. We can detect it immediately when radio signals are cut off around Tikrit.”

“If Blackwater operatives track the scene at that point, we should be able to get solid evidence.”

The Blackwater team was already lying in ambush at various routes.

They had set up an operation to move to the relevant area as soon as radio jamming occurred.

And now.

The Omnis system detected another radio jamming signal.

That information was immediately transmitted to the Blackwater field team.

“Two old trucks have been spotted. The passengers’ appearances haven’t been confirmed yet, but they say they’ll quietly tail them.”

“I’ll look up the vehicles through Omnis.”

Carter Till entered the truck numbers and vehicle types.

Soon Omnis displayed all related information on screen based on its stored database – the vehicles’ registration locations, movement records, and even maintenance history.

“The most recent location where these trucks were spotted is near an Iraqi Military base. The vehicle owner has been confirmed as the president of a transportation company. But that president’s son is… currently serving as an officer in the Iraqi Military.”

“You can extract such detailed information in less than a minute?”

“If information is just registered in the database, we can find out everything even with the smallest connections.”

They had registered large amounts of information through local informants.

Not only that, but they had also extracted and stored information through local photos and videos.

“The person currently in the truck could be the transportation company president’s son, or it could be another officer.”

“That seems highly likely. If we could just know the exact appearance, we could predict the situation more accurately.”

“Blackwater sent photos. His face is wrapped in a red keffiyeh, so it’s difficult to confirm his overall appearance. But his eyes and nose bridge are visible.”

“I’ll register it in the database and take a look.”

An imprecise appearance.

Clear analysis was impossible with just this photo.

But since information about the ‘transportation company president’s son’ and various data were already accumulated in the database, sufficient estimation was possible.

“The probability that it’s the transportation company president’s son has been calculated at 92%.”

“Good. We’ll need to include the transportation company headquarters in the surveillance range.”

Wiretapping during war was not illegal.

The CIA monitored communication networks through various equipment.

For something like a transportation company, precise wiretapping was possible to the extent of catching even whispers.

“The vehicle movement has stopped.”

“They seem to have arrived at their destination.”

“Now we just need to get solid evidence!”

Shortly after, Blackwater transmitted photos from the scene.

Two old trucks were stopped in front of an old building.

However, it was difficult to obtain information beyond that.

“They say the entire building is covered with black cloth, so interior photos can’t be taken.”

“They’re only moving daily necessities and a few other items from the trucks inside.”

It was impossible to know who was inside the building.

After moving the cargo, the trucks left for the outskirts of Tikrit in less than 30 minutes.

“Let’s wait until sunset. When darkness falls, vigilance tends to relax.”

“So Blackwater will continue the surveillance?”

“Ambush surveillance is Blackwater’s specialty. They’re operatives who can hold their breath and watch from one spot for days, not just hours.”

The Deputy Director’s words weren’t false.

Reports kept coming in every hour.

And when it became 2 AM Baghdad time, decisive movement was finally detected.

“They say someone from inside finally came out!”

“What about photos?”

“They just came in!”

One green photograph.

It was a low-resolution image taken with night vision lenses.

Since it was a photo taken in darkness without a single ray of light, this level of quality was the limit.

Fortunately, it wasn’t just one photo but dozens of continuous photos being transmitted in real-time.

“I’ll put all the photos into Omnis and begin identity analysis.”

“I’m not sure if proper results will come out with this level of resolution.”

The Deputy Director stared intently at the photos.

Not only the appearance but even the outline was blurry, and moreover, the lower half of the face was wrapped in a keffiyeh, making identification difficult.

But just 5 minutes later.

Omnis produced unexpected results.

“The possibility that it’s Saddam Hussein has been calculated at over 80%.”

“Such analysis is possible with just photos? Isn’t the information too limited?”

“We could find out thanks to the photos being taken continuously. Omnis can identify not only appearance but even small habits like walking patterns.”

“Is that possible?”

“We’ve already registered all of Saddam Hussein’s videos and behavioral data in the database. Multiple behavioral patterns matching his have been detected.”

Omnis was capable of behavioral analysis through photos.

Of course, the CIA had even better behavioral analysis experts, but identification in such a short time wasn’t possible.

“Hmm, but Omnis results alone aren’t enough. We need additional evidence to move the US Military.”

“The insufficient parts need to be covered by operatives working in the field. We’ve already finished installing surveillance equipment around the transportation company and related individuals’ homes.”

The CIA wasn’t idle.

Not only PMC but operatives directly ran around installing surveillance equipment.

Moreover, they had prepared to monitor everything around the officer who appeared to be a messenger.

“We need to raid before Saddam Hussein moves to another hideout.”

“It won’t take that long. And since we’re monitoring the hideout surroundings 24 hours a day, we can track the location even if he moves to a new hideout.”

Only then did Carter Till breathe a sigh of relief.

With this level of information, they could sufficiently move the US Military, and if that happened, Phalancia could gain recognition from all American military and agencies.

***

15 days had passed since the war began.

As expected, oil prices continued their downward trend, and they had almost completed securing the target volume.

“Branch Manager, the oil price short position scale has been secured up to 42 billion dollars.”

“Good. We just need to secure a little more.”

“We’ve gathered maximum volume using everything from oil futures to options, spreads, swaps, commodity funds, and spot-linked derivatives. But oil prices have already dropped to 32 dollars. Shouldn’t we stop around here?”

Oil prices had already fallen by more than 15%.

Just looking at the price alone, it had dropped by 6 dollars, so we had already achieved a massive profit zone.

However, the oil price decline wasn’t over yet, and we couldn’t fold and exit now.

“We’re still far from done. The target is 25 dollars.”

“Will oil prices really fall that much?”

“It’s entirely possible. So let’s secure a bit more volume and wait.”

It was a judgment I could make because I had something to rely on.

I had received word from Phalancia that capturing Saddam Hussein alive was possible.

Of course, the military operation hadn’t started yet, and they were still in the phase of securing additional evidence.

But if Phalancia, Omnis, and even the CIA were moving, securing evidence wouldn’t take very long.

“We can fill all the insufficient volume in about 3 trading days.”

“Good. Secure additional volume. The bigger the position, the better.”

“I’ll proceed to the maximum extent.”

The employees began moving busily again.

They spent all their time traveling not just around the United States but worldwide, buying up oil-related products.

Oil prices continued their downward trend, but the pace had slowed.

They were even showing signs of gradually entering a stabilization phase, causing the General Manager and Deputy Branch Manager to send worried glances my way.

“Shouldn’t we really wrap this up now? Oil prices have dropped to 30 dollars. Waiting any longer seems greedy.”

“There’s still one final shot left.”

Even for me, I wasn’t exactly comfortable.

If the Saddam Hussein capture operation failed, I wouldn’t be able to complete the picture I wanted.

I anxiously spun my pen and just watched the clock.

Today especially, the clock hands seemed to move incredibly slowly.

At that moment, the satellite phone in my hand began to ring.

“This is Lee Jung-hoo.”

[Mister Lee! The approval finally came through! CIA and Phalancia have joined the operation and agreed to share information!]

“When does the operation start?”

[I can’t tell you the exact time, but it won’t take very long.]

We were talking on a satellite phone that couldn’t be wiretapped.

But to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, I couldn’t hear the exact details.

I could only infer the operation timing by deducing hints contained in the words.

“I’ll pray for success.”

[Omnis predicted this operation’s success rate at 89%. With that kind of probability, we have to consider it a guaranteed success.]

“I’ll be on standby for 24 hours. Please contact me anytime.”

[I’ll contact you as soon as the operation ends.]

Now the moment of decision was approaching.

I approached the General Manager and Deputy Branch Manager, who were curious about the call content, and informed them of my decision.

“The operation has begun. If the operation fails, I plan to liquidate all volume without regret.”

“What if the operation succeeds?”

“If it succeeds, I plan to close out oil at 25 dollars as originally planned.”

“Either choice won’t result in losses for us.”

“The profit margins will differ greatly, but there won’t be any losses.”

Was my expression too stiff?

The General Manager forced a smile and patted my shoulder.

“Even with current profits, we’ve exceeded our target. So don’t feel too burdened.”

“This investment needs to succeed for me to draw a bigger picture.”

“You mean real estate?”

“That’s right. We need more operating funds to cast a bigger net without burden.”

“I understand what you mean. But don’t push yourself too hard.”

I had no intention of pushing too hard.

I simply hoped that the design I had established would be realized as planned.

Actually, more important than the profit margin was the moment when the plan I drew became reality.

“Understood. I’ll relax and wait.”

“We can’t just wait indefinitely, so rest in the sleeping room for a while. I’ll be on standby in the meantime.”

“No. I’ll just rest at my desk.”

Lying down would only make time pass more slowly.

To make time pass quickly, I needed to focus on other work.

I started working on patent drafts that I had been creating bit by bit.

“Do you have the capacity to work on patent drafts in this situation?”

“This is how I rest.”

The General Manager sighed and turned away.

I shook off distracting thoughts and focused solely on the patent.

When I had stayed up all night and completed one patent draft, Carter Till called again.

[Operation success! They succeeded in capturing him alive!]

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