The Imperial Hunter

Chapter 6: Search (2)

“Meanwhile, how about the buyers in this area?”

I list potential customers one by one, folding my five fingers one by one.

“The Guangdong Triad, who thrive as Communist Party followers; the Yakuza who play within Japan, killing each other; the Moro Liberation Front, playing tug of war with the Philippine government; Myanmar, struggling with human rights issues over arms imports; various rebel groups fighting Myanmar and the forces supporting them…”

There were actually more, but they were not important here. There was no need to disclose all my business partners one by one. I lowered my fist and asked a question.

“Lieutenant, do you see any commonalities among these people?”

“…It’s not a priority for our government.”

“More precisely, their priority is lower.”

With the United States’ power no longer what it used to be, there were more problematic issues to manage. Above all, there was China, North Korea, and Russia in Northeast Asia. These three were like black holes that suck up the U.S. intelligence budget. It was a matter of where to spend the limited money first.

My throat was dry from talking for so long. When I picked up the empty cup, Suyeon brought me the teapot and poured me a cup. After drinking the warm tea-like water, I continued my unfinished words.

“Let’s humbly admit it. We can’t surpass the real explosives experts playing with oil money in a gunpowder warehouse, nor can we attract as much attention from the U.S. and the world as they do. As long as we strictly adhere to the line we need to protect, we won’t have any trouble.”

That line was not acting like amateurs. It meant not storing products just about anywhere, not selling to just anyone, and not exchanging money recklessly. Although these were the basics of smuggling, the investment and management costs were so high that amateurs couldn’t even think about it. Or, even if they could, they didn’t do it.

In any field, problems often arise from not adhering to basic principles. If we stuck to the principles, we’d be comfortable, and so would the intelligence agencies. I decided to give him a warning just in case.

“You should also strictly adhere to the line. Even if I promise unlimited purchases, if you get greedy recklessly, that’s when you’ll attract the intense interest of the mainland.”

Releasing a large quantity of goods in a short period of time, or touching risky items that shouldn’t be touched. Even if I refused to accept them, there might be parts I hadn’t examined, so I want to remind them.

Also, it was a way to shift the focus of the current risks, which were tailored to me, onto the other party.

As expected, Walker interrupted with frustration.

“Heh, don’t you trust us? We’re very cautious, and our supply capability is much greater than what Chief thinks. Until now, there simply hasn’t been a partner who can digest that quantity. If our headquarters decides to start pushing out goods, you’ll regret your ‘unlimited’ promise.”

“I hope it really turns out that way.”

“Your confidence is excessive.”

“Well… If you can come up with $1 billion by the end of next year, then I’ll consider myself defeated.”

“$1 billion?”

The shocked Walker repeated the same words as if he had malfunctioned for a moment.

“…$1 billion? $1 billion, did you say?”

“I did. I said it’s unlimited.”

“Oh.”

The second “Oh” in a moment had a different meaning.

“With that money, you could even buy a destroyer.”

I shrugged as if to agree.

“Well, compared to Pepsi’s heyday, it’s nothing.”

“What are you talking about? Hahaha!”

Walker bursts into laughter. It was somewhat unexpected that he understood my joke right away.

In 1989, in exchange for supplying the Soviet Union with about $3 billion worth of cola, Pepsi received a fleet consisting of seventeen traditional submarines, one frigate, one destroyer, and one cruiser. Even if we add up all the achievements of Cali Cartel, which was notorious for arms smuggling during the Soviet dissolution era, it would not surpass this single contract that Pepsi signed in terms of scale.

“Okay.”

Finally, Walker’s resistance collapsed. Money was money, and the quick surrender was inevitable.

“I lost. $1 billion, that’s too much. I can’t afford it. It’s such an unrealistic amount that it doesn’t feel real… It’s such a big deal that it’s difficult to give you a definite answer right here, but I’ll try to get you a positive response within a week.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“But by the way.”

“What is it?”

Walker, who had been hesitating strangely, asked me.

“Chief. Before the deal, could you possibly get us some cocaine?”

…Look at this guy.

“You guys do drugs?”

If that’s the case, it was worth reconsidering this deal. Those addicted to narcotics were reckless idiots who didn’t know restraint in everything, and they would eventually get into trouble one way or another. Once they touched narcotics, they had no future, and it was as foolish to discuss long-term plans with someone who had no future.

My gaze was cold, and Walker quickly waved his hand.

“Please don’t misunderstand. We’ll keep our end of the deal, I promise. We just want to take out insurance because we have an inflexible friend.”

“Is it part of risk management?”

“Yes.”

It was difficult to be sure, but based on his physiological signs, it didn’t seem like a lie. However, there were still doubts.

“If you catch someone using narcotics as a weakness, wouldn’t it be burdensome when you actually use it?”

“We’ll show the evidence not to the military police but to our wives and children. It’s a safe way.”

“I see.”

I, who was lost in thought, asked in reverse.

“If one person needs to take it about three or four times, is that enough?”

Upon hearing this, Walker looked somewhat embarrassed.

“How would you feed just one person that? We’ll have to lure the guys who’ve been dealing with drugs back on the mainland to work as winds catchers, so please prepare generously if possible. For the winds catchers, the drug itself will be an incentive.”

“Alright. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be cocaine, so I’ll get you morphine. It should be enough as a weakness to ruin a career if it’s about abusing unapproved opioid preparations.” (+)^[1]TLN: Opioids are a class of drugs. Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. Some people use opioids because of the euphoria (“high”) they can produce.

Morphine was highly addictive, but compared to cocaine, it was pale. Especially in terms of side effects. It was my small favor to Walker’s “inflexible friend.”

I respected people who were faithful to their work. As long as they didn’t threaten me.

Walker seemed to be relaxing his frown.

“Morphine is too weak…”

“Morphine is too weak” was quite an ironic statement for a country where you could buy narcotic painkillers from a pharmacy without a prescription. I added the term ‘prescription’ just to emphasize the contrast.

“This isn’t a neighborhood where every passerby reeks of cocaine like in the United States, Lieutenant. Unless you’re in Gangnam’s entertainment district, if you get tracked here, even releasing one dog could chase you from Seoul to Daegu. Are you crazy enough to deliver cocaine?”

Exaggeration in this context was effective in convincing Walker. He didn’t have much knowledge about the specifics of the drug distribution process, whether it was weapons or narcotics. Cocaine did indeed leave a lingering scent compared to other drugs.

Walker raised his hand again.

“All right, I get it. Then I’ll take the morphine. And finally—”

“Finally?”

“After we’ve ramped up the deals, will the payment method stay the same?”

Walker inquired for confirmation, so I took a casino chip out of my pocket and slid it onto the table.

“Go and persuade them with this.”

In the global black market, Native American reservation casinos were as reliable as Swiss banks. In fact, some casinos even operated like regular banks, and the casino I was dealing with fell into that category.

The chip I offered was akin to a promissory note issued by the casino. The fees for using it were quite high, but considering the efforts the Native Americans put into anti-money laundering and chip counterfeiting prevention, it was a reasonable price. Plus, their sovereignty served as a political shield. Walker smiled, not concerned about the cost.

The conversation continued for about another hour after reaching an agreement. Since this guy might become a general someday, it wouldn’t hurt to build some personal rapport. Walker enjoyed talking about money and expressed his envy and admiration for billionaires. In the end, he lamented,

“Lieutenant, I should have bought Bitcoin before I became an officer. That tremendous luck in 2017… It could have truly become… mine…”

He’s crazy.

“Chief, how much fun did you have with Bitcoin?”

The question was thrown with the premise that I had enjoyed it, considering that someone in my position had touched cryptocurrency. If a person involved in the black market claimed they hadn’t, even a passing dog would laugh.

“Well, I did make quite a profit. It’s been a common payment method in our industry since its early days.”

“Oh!”

Walker widened his eyes and leaned forward.

“You must have made a fortune if you asked about money from the beginning! What was your profit margin when the price was around $15,000? $17,000? For someone like you, it must have been at the end of 2017, right?”

The end of 2017 was when the global cryptocurrency speculation frenzy reached its peak. While the average price on overseas exchanges was around $18,000, it had crossed $20,000, particularly in South Korea.

I denied Walker’s wild guess.

“No, I didn’t. I cashed out half of what I had at $1,000, then gradually cashed out the rest, completely at $4,000.”

Walker, his excitement waning, looked at me with a regretful expression as if he had lost his own money.

“Why… at $4,000? Even if it was in the middle of an upward trend…”

“That was madness, Lieutenant. Even Newton said he didn’t understand the madness of bubbles. Businesspeople should never rely on luck.”

“Ah…”

Walker’s body, which had leaned closer to the table, returned to its original position. Even if he had made a profit by cashing out half at the $1,000 mark, it seemed that this greedy fellow considered it too modest of a fortune to even inquire about the profit margin.

The guy who had been overly engrossed heaved a sigh even though this was not his story.

“It’s a pity. So, you haven’t touched that money since then?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“I’m buying only as much as I need and keeping it rolling. Whether when giving or receiving, cryptocurrencies are rare in terms of convenience for evading tracking.”

Honestly, even though I had made a financial profit, there were many inconveniences in terms of business. Due to the high volatility and reduced security, it had become difficult to use cryptocurrencies as a currency.

But there was still a reason to use cryptocurrencies: there was no alternative.

Walker expressed a strange regret.

“While you might be a cautious person, I suppose other organizations made a fortune sitting in one place? Like the drug lords in Latin America, for example.”

“…There are quite a few cases like that. Many of those who suffered losses from repeated buying and selling, but at least some of the middlemen I know have changed the unit of funds they handle since around 2017.”

“Ha, I envy them. Seriously jealous. Lately, the Mexican government can’t seem to get a grip on the cartels. They say it’s because of the power of money. Haha. Well, in the end, it’s the budget that rules the world.”

Well…

The reason President Obrador gave up the war against crime was because last year’s all-out attack against the cartel ended with significant collateral damage—civilian casualties. The background to that was the relentless financial power of the cartel, which hired former special forces and procured all kinds of heavy weapons on the black market. If you dig into it, the profits earned from the cryptocurrency market would probably have played a part.

Those who speculated in cryptocurrency investments and lost their money might even take pride in the fact that they contributed to the deterioration of security in the third world. (+)^[2]TLN: In a broader sense, the “Third World” can refer to economically disadvantaged or less developed countries that face various challenges such as poverty, lack of access to basic resources, and political instability. In this context, it could mean that those who lost money in cryptocurrency investments might take pride in contributing to the problems faced by economically vulnerable regions or countries by engaging in speculative financial activities rather than investing in their development or well-being.

• 1. TLN: Opioids are a class of drugs. Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. Some people use opioids because of the euphoria (“high”) they can produce.
• 2. TLN: In a broader sense, the “Third World” can refer to economically disadvantaged or less developed countries that face various challenges such as poverty, lack of access to basic resources, and political instability. In this context, it could mean that those who lost money in cryptocurrency investments might take pride in contributing to the problems faced by economically vulnerable regions or countries by engaging in speculative financial activities rather than investing in their development or well-being.

Disclaimer:

This novel is a work of fiction! While it may incorporate elements inspired by our "real" historical world, including historical events, settings, and cultures, it is important to note that the story and characters are entirely products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased, or actual events is purely coincidental. This work should be enjoyed and interpreted as a work of fiction and not as a representation of historical facts or reality.

Also, if you find some error in translation please do let me know by tagging me (@_dawn24) in our Discord server. Since this series is kinda hard to translate. But I'll try my best to make it at least readable :)

Enjoy reading~!

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