Chapter 163

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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When it came to console games, what was the first thing that came to mind?

That would be Sunny’s Play State.

Nicknamed the PS, this gaming console had opened up the horizon for console games and was currently dominating the market almost entirely.

As a result, Microhard felt a sense of crisis. They determined that the PS could potentially drive PCs out of the market.

If the PS did manage to push PCs out, it would be catastrophic for Microhard, a company that made PC software.

So they too jumped into the console market as a latecomer. To block Sunny’s PS expansion.

“That’s how the Circle Box was born. Despite pouring in an enormous amount of money, their market share is only 16%.”

There was a saying that money could solve everything, but reality didn’t work that way. Despite Microhard investing a massive amount of capital, they couldn’t diminish the Play State’s dominance.

“Play State had already established itself before us, but honestly, that’s all an excuse. What matters? Game quality. That’s what we need. That’s why we’re trying to acquire Cyclone.”

The console game division watched with great interest as Microhard pushed forward with the Cyclone acquisition.

Wasn’t Cyclone a globally recognized game company? But the acquisition process wasn’t going smoothly.

That was because Microhard wasn’t trying to buy a certain percentage of Cyclone’s controlling stake to manage the company—they were trying to buy every single share and completely absorb the company.

This created a problem.

Cyclone would be delisted, and Microhard’s current Circle Box would run into antitrust regulations.

“Wasn’t that why headquarters was running around to various countries desperately trying to get approvals?”

“That’s right, Director. And they’ve managed to get most of the approvals.”

“Good. On top of that, Cyclone’s market cap has been dropping, so they deliberately dragged their feet. Anyway, we’ve pretty much got Cyclone in our grasp.”

Now all that remained was to make the public announcement. That they would buy up all the shares currently circulating on the market at a 30 to 40 percent premium.

“But how on earth did this happen?”

But just before they could make the announcement.

Someone else made their move first.

“Why is Gwangwoon suddenly buying up Cyclone shares out of nowhere!?”

Gwangwoon had nothing to do with gaming. Why would they suddenly acquire a game company?

“The media empire Amplflix, the social media king PikPik, and on top of that, AMC, which dethroned Nvidia to claim the top spot in the graphics industry. They even invested in a gaming company in Turkey, and that investment paid off in a big way this time. Maybe that’s why they’re seriously looking to invest more in the gaming industry?”

“Then don’t they run into antitrust laws?”

“Because they don’t operate a console business or focus specifically on the gaming industry. There shouldn’t be any antitrust issues.”

Up to that point, it was fine. The problem was that Cyclone had long been a target that Microhard had specifically set their sights on.

A company of Microhard’s caliber usually deterred other companies from even daring to enter an acquisition battle.

The fear of retaliation from Microhard—no one wanted to risk making enemies with them.

Microhard’s greatest strength was that they created the most widely used software in the world.

With this advantage, they had deliberately attacked and completely driven out numerous companies from the PC market.

This led the U.S. and Europe to sanction Microhard, but honestly, the penalties were a slap on the wrist. They were too large to push out, and they had deep connections in politics, so everyone had essentially given up on challenging Microhard.

“But this is an outright hijacking! How can they snatch away something we, Microhard, had already marked for acquisition?!”

An opposing force had emerged to interfere with Microhard’s acquisition. They had the audacity to intercept the company mid-deal.

It was unheard of.

“But the thing is… the board has decided to give up on the Cyclone acquisition.”

“What? Why? If we offer a premium, all the shareholders would surely want to sell?”

“That’s true, but as soon as they heard that Gwangwoon had entered the acquisition race, the board completely withdrew the M&A…”

“Wait. Are you telling me our leadership got scared of Gwangwoon and backed out?”

“Yes.”

“They’re throwing away a project they spent over 20 months on? Really?”

The console game division director, Shaun, couldn’t wrap his head around it. The notoriously arrogant Microhard board—those mad dogs who never let go once they bit down—had come to their senses at the mere mention of two letters: Gwangwoon.

It was as if true madness had scared off the counterfeit madmen.

“But… it wasn’t just a conspiracy theory?”

But no less than the Microhard board itself—the very people who never released their prey once they clamped down—had snapped back to reality at the name Gwangwoon.

“Actually, the divisions involved in the acquisition had already filed protests, but the board shut everything down and explicitly ordered that the matter never be brought up again.”

“…………”

Shaun was well aware of the conspiracy theories about Gwangwoon circulating online. But as with most conspiracy theories—

A conspiracy theory was just a conspiracy theory.

Hadn’t there once been a panic that Microhard was implanting something in vaccines to control people?

So he had assumed the conspiracy theories about Gwangwoon were just more of the same.

“But… that wasn’t the case?”

But no less than the Microhard board—those crazy dogs who never let go once they latched on—had snapped back to reality at the name Gwangwoon.

As if true madness had startled the counterfeit madmen into retreating.

“But seriously, what are they planning to do with that massive company?”

***

“Center Director. They sank twelve pirate ships passing through the waters.”

“What about the base we discovered last time?”

“We deployed our troops and eliminated them all. We kept a few alive for intelligence purposes.”

KW Sentinel was operating perfectly smoothly.

How to describe it? Everything was incredibly seamless. Perhaps it was because everyone involved in covert operations and field deployments was a veteran—there were no hitches.

“And this is intelligence from the African region.”

“Where did you get it?”

“It came from assets handled by the CIA and MI6, so it should be accurate.”

Anthony Watson, the Managing Director and Center Director of Sentinel, reviewed the documents and nodded.

“How’s Nigeria? Any hotspots where trouble might emerge?”

“After we used the rebel situation to eliminate several politicians last time, there’s been no pushback. They don’t have proof, but they seem to sense that opposition forces are being removed—they’re keeping their heads down as much as possible.”

“And the Nigerian military?”

“They’re very favorable toward us. Thanks to the continuous funding from Gwangwoon, their naval capabilities have improved dramatically. They’re destroying pirates on sight. They’re also cracking down on criminal organizations that had been causing headaches, so the Nigerian public is very positive about it.”

Anthony smiled with satisfaction and set the documents down.

“Everything is flowing exactly as headquarters intended.”

Sentinel was a PMC, but the ones currently clearing out pirates and criminal organizations weren’t Sentinel—it was the Nigerian military.

But the Nigerian military was being directed by Sentinel from behind the scenes.

“With the rebels and everything from criminal organizations to pirates—we have the perfect justification to operate. Especially under the pretext of cracking down on criminal organizations, we can deploy our personnel not just in Nigeria and Congo, but across all of Africa.”

“You think Gwangwoon wants more than just the Nigerian military, don’t you?”

“Yes. Just look at how they keep sending new employees through the Gwangwoon Scholarship Foundation and pouring in massive donations—it’s clear Gwangwoon wants something beyond just this.”

Anthony had a vague sense of what that something was.

“The entirety of Africa.”

“Yes. Hunger in Africa can never truly be solved. But by using that as a pretext to distribute money, they can use it to seize control of nations. Just like we’re gradually taking over the Nigerian government right now.”

Countries like these were particularly vulnerable to covert operations. And the pretext of eradicating criminal organizations was perfect for building up military forces. If Gwangwoon continued investing here and raising the quality of these forces, they would have a military force that only they could control.

“In any case, this company never gives us a break. There’s so much to do it’s exhausting.”

“Yes. But isn’t it fun?”

“Heh. I suppose it is. When I was at the CIA, there were far too many restrictions.”

That was why the employees here were running around like fish in water.

“Oh, and this is the EU dossier.”

“The EU? Why there?”

“Sentinel is establishing outposts in several countries for protective operations, right? So we’re trying to set up a center in Europe, but the EU is opposing it. Especially this vice chairperson—she’s been vocally opposing it.”

Neve Kyri, the Vice Chairperson of Greek origin. Her face looked familiar for some reason.

“I think I’ve seen her in an old scandal dossier… Look into her background.”

“Is that all right? We’re currently handling the African region. Should we be poking at Europe…?”

“We need to show headquarters what we’re capable of. The reason we’re placing Sentinel around the world isn’t just for protective operations—it’s to remove obstacles like this. If we can’t even handle this, how will headquarters evaluate us?”

“But we’ve never properly reported our connections to headquarters from the outside.”

Let the left hand not know what the right hand was doing. That was Sentinel’s motto.

“Don’t worry about that. The fact that we’re having this conversation right now—Gwangwoon knows all about it. And seeing us take control of the African region, they’re probably very pleased with our work.”

***

I was looking at the reports that had come in today with a deeply satisfied smile.

“Is it good news?”

“Yes, very good news. The Scholarship Foundation has been sending employees to Africa to help people suffering from hunger and water shortages. Look at these photos of the smiling children.”

Looking at these children smiling so brightly, even the most hardened heart would naturally break into a smile.

“Come to think of it, Sir, I’ve rarely seen you indulge in luxuries. You always spend most of your personal money on donations.”

“I do indulge quite a bit, actually. I live in the penthouse at Gwangwoon Tower.”

“But that was… provided by the company, wasn’t it?”

Come to think of it, that was true. I didn’t particularly spend large sums on myself.

Unlike others who collected watches or cars as hobbies, money simply accumulated in my account day after day.

“I actually prefer this sort of thing.”

What I had found was donation. I finally understood why famous tycoons steadily donated to help the world.

Seeing children escape hunger and smile brightly because of my donations was deeply fulfilling. Because of that, I felt every day that I was doing the right thing.

“That’s why I plan to help people as much as I can going forward. The more you give, the happier you become, right?”

“That’s right. That’s why I set up a separate account with the Gwangwoon Foundation and make regular contributions. Not just me—everyone in our department does.”

“I wasn’t forcing anyone, but I’m grateful that everyone is joining in.”

Now that Sentinel had established a presence in Nigeria, security personnel could accompany volunteer workers into other parts of Africa as well, making entry far safer and easier than before.

More helping hands were reaching those in need.

“Also, we’ve secured the minimum stake needed to control Cyclone. Wingard and White Rock have also agreed to align with us.”

“That’s a relief. What about Microhard?”

“They were testing the waters too, but apparently decided it wasn’t worth it and pulled out completely.”

Microhard had a terrible reputation in this area, so I had been a bit worried. Fortunately, they had backed out first.

“That worked out well. Then bring me Cyclone’s internal structure and employee list. We need to make sure the restructuring is done properly.”

Having acquired Cyclone, there was much to be done. First, a thorough personnel overhaul, then a complete overhaul of the management approach to normalize the game. And to integrate KW Coin and the XPT AI, there was a mountain of development work ahead.

“To recruit people for that, it might not be a bad idea to acquire some startup companies. Better than hiring completely green developers.”

“That sounds good. Have them look into what companies are available.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Wasn’t there a saying? If the game’s run badly, you do it yourself.

So we came to do it ourselves.

***

“It seems the Senate and House couldn’t reach an agreement, so the budget cuts won’t pass. There’s even talk of a filibuster.”

“…………”

Celine, Aiden’s new Chief of Staff, cautiously observed his reaction.

What was the right way to put it? His eyes had gone dead. Aiden was staring blankly into the void without so much as a word in response to Celine’s report.

Recently, whispers had begun circulating within the administration—could it be dementia? Celine had experienced this several times herself and was now harboring a reasonable suspicion that it might actually be true.

“Also, Gwangwoon has secured the minimum controlling stake in Cyclone and taken management control.”

“…………What?”

But at the mention of Gwangwoon, Aiden’s half-lidded eyes snapped wide open.

“Gwangwoon bought Cyclone? That’s a game company, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Why would they suddenly go after them?”

“The exact reason isn’t known. However, since Gwangwoon already dominates everything from social media to the media, many believe they’re making a serious push into the gaming industry. As soon as they secured management control, they began a massive personnel overhaul and have been acquiring numerous startups.”

Gwangwoon diving into the gaming industry. In a way, it was a natural progression.

“I hear Wall Street is on edge about this as well.”

“Wall Street?”

“Yes. Rumors are circulating that Gwangwoon had ulterior motives in acquiring Cyclone.”

“What kind of ulterior motives?”

“It’s not clear, but many believe there’s definitely something else going on.”

It was entirely plausible. Every time Gwangwoon made one of these eccentric moves, there was always an aftermath to follow.

“Cyclone is a pretty major company, isn’t it? And Gwangwoon is reaching for them—aren’t there any efforts to stop it?”

“It seems Gwangwoon is aware of that, as they’re currently meeting and communicating with various political figures.”

“Didn’t that chairman come by before? Is he back again?”

“No. This time, someone else is visiting in the capacity of Gwangwoon headquarters’ advisor, meeting with various people.”

“Who is it?”

At that, Celine hesitated.

“What is it? Tell me. If Gwangwoon is putting someone forward, it means they have broad connections on our side.”

“That’s correct. But the thing is…”

Celine answered with parched lips.

“The former Chief of Staff, John Hamilton…”

“What?”

In that instant, Aiden couldn’t believe his ears.

“Wh-who did you say?”

“The former Chief of Staff, John Hamilton.”

“!?”

Aiden’s legs gave out and he staggered.

“Mr. President!!”

If Celine hadn’t caught him, he would have collapsed face-first onto the floor.

“J-John actually went to work for Gwangwoon?”

“Yes…”

Only now did every question seem to answer itself at once. Why information had been leaking all this time. Why Gwangwoon had always been one step ahead in everything.

“John. You—you’ve been this whole time…!”

The person he had considered his lifelong comrade, his lifelong friend, his closest confidant—had in fact been Gwangwoon’s spy all along.