Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 173

Translator: DreamscribeFrom the moment Jung Jin-ho began recruiting people who could meet influential foreign figures on Hwang Dae-woon's behalf, a new team was born within Kwangwoon.

"Is the Strategic Planning Team all set up?"

"Yes. Per your orders, Chairman, we've finished structuring it and selected the necessary personnel through a rigorous screening process."

John Hamilton Klein, former Chief of Staff to President Aiden.

He had been the starting point for the creation of the Strategic Planning Team.

Their purpose was to make contact with domestic and foreign figures, and to support the work Jung Jin-ho intended to carry out.

If Jin-ho had laid the initial framework starting with John Hamilton, it was Hwang Dae-woon and the executives who fleshed it out afterward.

"What about the Japan operation?"

"In accordance with the list CEO Jung Jin-ho sent, we're distributing donations within legal boundaries."

"What does the strategy team plan to do?"

"They say they'll provide solid support. First, they'll collaborate with the marketing department to firmly back the politicians we've funded, dig up weaknesses of their opponents, and spread them widely through social media. Additionally, if any negative articles or stories about the candidates we support start circulating online, they're prepared to have them swiftly deleted."

Campaigning the old-fashioned way was no longer enough to win elections.

Victory belonged to those who knew how to harness the power of media.

And in that regard, Kwangwoon held an overwhelming advantage.

"Good. All we need to do is quietly support Jin-ho's work from behind the scenes."

Until now, unless it was something extraordinary, Jin-ho hadn't issued detailed instructions to headquarters.

There were two reasons for that.

"Part of it is that he doesn't want to burden me. The other part is that he trusts us to handle things on our own."

But they had to be careful.

"Increase the support. What I mean is, scale it up significantly from where it is now. There can't be any obstacles in Jin-ho's work. If things go wrong and it causes problems on his end, everyone had better be prepared for the consequences. You understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, sir!"

If they got complacent and the day came when Jin-ho let slip that headquarters had been falling short, that would be the day a bloodbath swept through Kwangwoon Group's main office.

Making sure that day never came was their mission.

* * *

"You've heard the news. Kwangwoon has finally extended its reach into Japanese politics."

"Well... it's nothing new. These are the people who already killed a former prime minister over there to install a ruling party."

"But this time it's different. They're propping up ethnic Korean Japanese citizens to seize complete control of Japan's political landscape."

Japan was an extraordinarily conservative country.

So conservative that even the way they chose their politicians reflected it.

There was a saying that Japanese elections were a league of their own.

Over long years, the bonds between local constituency support groups and political families deepened, commercial ties formed, and political succession became the norm.

On top of that, Japanese citizens kept mechanically voting for the same old faces rather than embracing change, which was how the current Japanese government had come to be.

"Normally those hereditary politicians would have risen to power, but this time things are different. Kwangwoon is using the media to reshape public opinion in Japan, unearthing scandals of hereditary politicians and spreading them far and wide. They're also treating the Fukushima contaminated water discharge as a serious issue."

Kwangwoon's moves this time were in earnest.

They intended to demonstrate firsthand that media could overturn any election, that even Japan, where hereditary politics ran deep, could not withstand its power.

"The Fukushima contaminated water discharge might have been part of Kwangwoon's plan all along."

"How so?"

"They used it as justification to pour massive donations into the IAEA and forge a connection. And with the IAEA already frustrated by the anti-nuclear trend, they joined hands with Kwangwoon to establish a new base in Guyana. On top of that, it gave them the perfect platform to push ethnic Korean Japanese politicians under the banner of protecting Japan's waters."

All of this had been made possible because Japan announced its decision to discharge the Fukushima contaminated water.

Had that not happened, Kwangwoon would never have partnered with the IAEA, nor would a new nuclear headquarters in Guyana have come into being.

"If this election goes the way Kwangwoon wants, what happens next? Having tested their playbook in Japan, Kwangwoon will target advanced nations and install politicians to their liking on a massive scale. Citizens won't even realize they've been brainwashed through Kwangwoon's media, and they'll dutifully elect whichever politicians Kwangwoon has handpicked."

Starting with Japan, every advanced nation would be filled with Kwangwoon's politicians.

In other words, Kwangwoon would conquer the developed world, both commercially and politically.

"And yet the Republicans are wasting all their time trying to destroy our administration, even when the situation is this dire."

Antitrust Bureau Director Eileen fumed.

Right now, even as Kwangwoon was scheming behind the scenes, the Republicans were pouring every ounce of their energy solely into crippling the current administration.

"This is exactly what Kwangwoon was banking on. Those idiotic Republicans will spend two years rallying around Trump to prepare for the presidential race, doing everything they can to make our administration look foolish. And in the meantime, Kwangwoon gets to do whatever they want without anyone keeping them in check."

"So, Eileen. Did you come to me just to vent?"

Eileen looked at Aiden, who had completely lost his spark, and let out a pained sigh.

"I know how hard things have been for you, Mr. President. It must have been unbelievable to learn that even your most trusted Chief of Staff was on Kwangwoon's side. But you can't just give up like this."

"Give up... I don't know. No matter what I did, I was always dancing in the palm of Kwangwoon's hand. What is there left to give up on?"

"There's still a chance. A way to stop Kwangwoon before they grow any larger."

It was the kind of thing that should have piqued his interest, but Aiden only let out a dry, cynical laugh.

"Eileen. Trust me. I've tried every method imaginable to stop Kwangwoon, and in the end, all I did was help them grow. What makes you think you'd be any different?"

"Please trust me this time. I've already drawn up an operational plan with people from the intelligence agencies."

"...And you're sure about their identities?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

The conviction in her eyes finally stirred a flicker of interest in Aiden.

"What's the plan?"

"We hit Kwangwoon where they're most vulnerable."

"Vulnerable?"

"The Sentinel headquarters in Turkey."

"...!"

Kwangwoon's PMC, Sentinel.

A mercenary organization created under the pretext of protecting shipping and corporations from pirates and criminal syndicates.

The reason Kwangwoon could be so threatening was precisely because Sentinel existed.

Headquartered in Turkey, they had outposts scattered across Africa, Europe, and even the United States.

"Every crime Kwangwoon has ever committed is recorded there."

"Are you sure? What if they've destroyed the records?"

"We already have a collaborator inside Sentinel. Apparently, due to the risk of hacking, they never keep digital records. Everything is written by hand. We raid the place, seize the documents, and release them to the world. That alone could bring Kwangwoon down all at once."

If that were true, every crime Kwangwoon had ever committed could be exposed. And all the nations that had been unable to corner Kwangwoon for lack of evidence would join forces to tear the massive corporation apart.

"If you give the green light, Mr. President, the team on standby in Turkey will move in for the search and seizure immediately."

"Will the Republicans allow it?"

"The Republicans also feel threatened by Kwangwoon's power right now. They may have risen to power thanks to Kwangwoon, but they want to cut ties. If we make our move, they'll reluctantly clear the path for us."

"But what if Kwangwoon refuses to cooperate?"

"Then that only gives us more justification. We'll pressure the Turkish government and force it open if we have to. The legal groundwork has already been laid."

This was no plan thrown together in a day or two.

"......"

Aiden closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

Perhaps this truly was the last chance.

"Go ahead. You'll have my full support."

"Yes, Mr. President."

But a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Knowing Kwangwoon, wouldn't they have already prepared for this?

* * *

"They want to do what?"

"The United States has officially sent a request for investigation, claiming that our Sentinel's activities are suspicious. They say they'll conduct a search and seizure of our Sentinel headquarters in Turkey, go through all the documents, and verify whether anything is amiss."

It was an exhausting report to receive first thing in the morning.

The U.S. investigating our Sentinel.

And not even a Sentinel facility on American soil, but our headquarters in Turkey, which they intended to investigate personally?

The first thought that came to mind was that this was going too far.

"What exactly is so suspicious that they're doing this to us?"

"It seems the American side takes issue with our alleged ties to the Nigerian military, and they're unhappy with our maritime activities, including the Guyana operations."

"So they're raiding a headquarters that's clearly in Turkey? I'd think the Turkish government would take offense at that too."

"They've already announced they'll be coordinating with the Turkish government."

How to put it.

I was angry because it felt so unjust.

What was the purpose of our Sentinel in the first place?

It was a security company we voluntarily created because no one else would protect our shipping on seas teeming with pirates and criminal organizations.

Our sole purpose was to safeguard our crew and our vessels.

And they took issue with even that?

"They say it's suspicious, so what can we do. Cooperate with them."

"Sir? But... this is an unjustified investigation. We're well within our rights to refuse."

Would refusing be the better move?

Just then, my instinct flashed through me with piercing intensity.

It wasn't signaling me to refuse.

It was the opposite.

"The fact that they've come at us like this means they've already factored refusal into their calculations, don't you think? We'd only be making things harder on ourselves for no reason. We can't let this prevent Sentinel from doing what it needs to do."

Besides, we had nothing to worry about since we had genuinely only ever done legitimate security work.

We hadn't committed a single illegal act.

"Pass the word to Sentinel as well. Tell them to cooperate fully. No, better yet, leave just a few staff members behind and vacate the entire building so they can take whatever they want. And tell the Americans to wrap it up as quickly as possible."

In other words, we had nothing to hide, so they could take any documents they pleased.

* * *

"What? Headquarters did what?"

"They've announced they'll fully open the company to the Americans. They've already told the U.S. side to come take whatever documents they want, and orders have come down for everyone to vacate the premises except for a few staff members who'll stay behind to guide them."

Anthony Watson shot to his feet at the sudden news.

"Is that for real? Wait. If we're talking about the Turkey headquarters, all of our records are stored there."

"Yes. Every document that was never digitized is stored at that location."

"And they're telling us to open it all up? They should have at least given us time to destroy the evidence first!"

"It seems the Americans pushed this through in complete secrecy. That's why we didn't catch wind of it in advance. With all our attention focused on China and Guyana lately..."

"Is that supposed to be an excuse? If the documents in the Turkey headquarters fall into their hands, Kwangwoon as a group ceases to exist. Do you understand? Every government that's been waiting for the chance to sink their teeth into us will tear us to shreds!"

This was not something they could just let slide.

The evidence at headquarters had to be destroyed, no matter what.

Every piece of ammunition needed to obliterate Kwangwoon was gathered right there.

"If I'd known this was coming, I would have stayed in Turkey...! Contact headquarters immediately! Tell them we need to destroy the evidence first!"

"The thing is... orders from above say not to touch a single document in the Turkey headquarters."

"Wh-what?"

"They said tampering with anything would only raise more suspicion, and the directive is to leave everything as is so they can take it all..."

Slam!

Anthony Watson brought his fist crashing down on the table.

It was an order from headquarters that defied all comprehension.

They were on the verge of completing the great empire that was Kwangwoon, and now, after coming this far, they were going to throw it all away?

"...No. No, that's not it."

Watson quickly reined in his anger.

This wasn't just any organization. This was Kwangwoon.

On the surface, their moves often seemed utterly insane, but in hindsight, there was always a reason. Surely this time would be no different.

No. It had to be.

"They said to leave a few staff members and have everyone else vacate?"

"Yes."

"......"

Something about that nagged at him.

Leave just a few behind and vacate the rest.

"Then take volunteers for the ones who stay. Have everyone else clear out and stand by nearby. So they can move if something happens."

"What kind of situation should they move on?"

"That's up to their judgment on the ground. If Kwangwoon is clearing the way like this, there's definitely something going on. If they see the signal, they should make the call personally and act. They're all sharp and skilled enough for that, aren't they?"

"Yes. I'll relay the orders as given."

But no matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, he couldn't figure it out.

Handing over Pandora's box to the Americans, of all people.

What in the world was Kwangwoon thinking?

* * *

When Eileen sent the official notice that the U.S. would coordinate with the Turkish government to investigate Sentinel headquarters, she had fully expected Kwangwoon to put up fierce resistance.

She had already drafted every possible scenario and made thorough preparations to forcibly seize their documents if necessary.

"This is too strange."

But the response that came back from Kwangwoon was bizarre.

They replied that they would cooperate fully and asked that the investigation be conducted as quickly as possible.

"Have they already gotten rid of the evidence?"

Why else would they react this way?

But according to the inside informant, Sentinel still kept everything stored deep within the facility, and there were no signs of anything being moved or incinerated.

"I'll find out what they're scheming soon enough."

Kwangwoon seemed to be up to something, but the operatives Eileen had dispatched would turn that building inside out like they were hunting rats.

And the informants who had been secretly cooperating with the U.S. government would remain inside the company to help extract every last piece of information. Kwangwoon could no longer escape.

No matter what sinister plan they were cooking up, they were already cornered.

At last, Eileen's long-held wish to bring Kwangwoon down with her own hands was about to be fulfilled.

"Director!"

Just then, her secretary rushed in.

Had they found all the documents buried in the enemy's heart?

"Well? How did things go in Turkey? Did we find everything we wanted?"

"Th-that's..."

Instead of answering, the secretary turned on the TV in front of them.

"...?"

The headline on the news channel was the first thing that caught her eye.

[Turkey struck by magnitude 7.8 earthquake]

"What...?"

For a moment, Eileen couldn't believe her own eyes.

An earthquake? In Turkey? Today of all days?

"A magnitude 7.8 quake was followed by an additional 7.7 tremor, and the death toll has already reached 70,000."

"Wh-what about Sentinel?"

"Shortly after our people were deployed, the massive quake hit. The Sentinel building collapsed, and the underground facilities were completely buried. All contact has been lost."

"!?"

Now she understood why Kwangwoon had opened everything up to the Americans.

They had known.

That was why they had planned to bury it all beneath the earth in one fell swoop.

"B-but how... how could they possibly..."

No one in the world could predict earthquakes.

That was supposed to be a domain reserved for God alone.

But Kwangwoon had already stepped into that domain.

The very realm known as the territory of the Absolute.