Chapter 91

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“What I want isn’t really that much. Mainly chemical companies.”

I thought he was drunk, but as soon as he started serious work talk, Chairman Kang Seong-ho’s face had his drunkenness completely disappear as if it never happened.

“And if you acquire those companies, it’ll be good for President Jeong too, right?”

I seemed to know what companies Chairman Kang Seong-ho was targeting.

“You want semiconductor component ones?”

“Right. The companies that make exactly those items Japan used to tyrannize us with this time. Of course, the Japanese government won’t easily give these up. Plus they’re companies with the world’s highest market share, so it’ll be even more difficult. But thanks to President Jeong, it might be possible.”

YCC’s collapse was spreading ripple effects throughout Japan.

Usually even when countries raise interest rates by just 2%, the shock is considerable, but Japan’s interest rates that were trapped in zero-interest-rate heaven for decades suddenly shot up by 5% at once.

No matter how much money big corporations have, they couldn’t help but shake from such shocking economic phenomena.

And the companies Chairman Kang Seong-ho was targeting weren’t even big corporations with that much comfortable funds. Although they dominate market share for specific components, in terms of their scale they aren’t very large.

“Do you perhaps have companies already picked out to acquire on the Japan side, President Jeong?”

Japan was now holding history’s greatest bargain sale.

Then other funds or institutions could charge in and try to devour companies, but it wasn’t quite like that.

Because for them too, Japan’s massive interest rate increase was quite a shock.

Especially many financial companies holding lots of yen as safe assets like dollars suffered great losses and had no capacity to turn attention elsewhere.

“I’m actually looking into a few. Especially there are two representative Japanese shipping companies, and I’m exploring how to acquire them.”

“Oh, as expected. We thought alike! Right. Ultimately to pressure Japan we must utilize shipping. President Jeong adjusted shipping schedules this time and made their ports complete chaos now.”

The report received through the research team also had content about Japan’s representative shipping companies.

As President Kim Du-young aggressively expanded Gwangwoon Shipping, he chose the method of crushing and killing companies that could become competitors with quantity and price, and as a result Japanese shipping companies also suffered great damage.

Due to that, of the four shipping companies that originally represented Japan, two went bankrupt and only the remaining two were left.

Even those were at barely hanging on levels.

Then rather than acquiring those places, just letting them collapse might be a better method.

But my intuition flashed at those two places.

“Already with Japan’s economy reeling, if logistics also becomes that chaotic, for the Japanese government their heads must hurt. But if Gwangwoon Shipping suddenly appears to acquire two Japanese companies and says they’ll normalize the disorderly ports, wouldn’t that side welcome it?”

“They would.”

“Then our movements become much freer. While immediately handling urgent things for the Japanese government, we keep continuing to control the semiconductor side. Then if talk comes up, we make excuses saying we’re late handling urgent things first.”

“Yes.”

“While pretending to cooperate with the Japanese government like that, we eat shipping companies too, and while withering semiconductor side companies, ultimately we pick and eat only the companies we want. Keu. As expected President Jeong. Were you looking this far ahead?”

“…”

It seems Chairman Kang Seong-ho was doing everything by himself.

Still, listening to it, it seemed like a good plan.

Perhaps my intuition also wanted such a picture.

***

Mylon Tusk who stepped down from Tisla’s board chairman position.

Though he suffered damage from this stock price manipulation situation even paying a whopping $20 million fine, he still didn’t regret it even now.

Because if he could just exterminate all the shorters who were swaggering and acting arrogant, he could do such things several more times.

Plus stepping down from the board chairman position doesn’t mean he can’t participate in Tisla management. Because the CEO was still Mylon Tusk.

“The satellites launched this time? Still okay?”

“Yes. From positioning to connection. Everything’s successful.”

However, he grew and operated his company for an ultimate goal.

That was exactly terraforming Mars to migrate humanity.

Though everyone was pointing fingers saying it’s impossible work, just delusion, Mylon Tusk believed.

That someday humanity’s Mars migration will become possible, and that Mylon Tusk will make that first start.

So he created a company called Tisla, and established a company called Space T currently pushing forward with a project called World Link.

All of this for one single goal.

It was for Mars.

“Sir. Big trouble.”

But proceeding with business, you necessarily meet obstacles.

The problem was whether his dream would be realized or would collapse like this depended on how high that obstacle was.

“What do you mean? Suddenly can’t supply batteries?”

What’s most important at Tisla?

That’s exactly batteries.

Tisla is a place that produces electric vehicles.

But if there are no batteries that must move the cars, no matter how well you make cars they become useless.

Because electric vehicles go through batteries.

And Pitasonic responsible for those batteries suddenly stopped production.

“To speak precisely, they say production is impossible due to logistics chaos that burst on the Japan side now. Also batteries already finished producing have no method to send here to America. Plus due to YCC collapse, all of Japan is swept up in economic crisis so it’s chaos in various ways now.”

Pitasonic is responsible for Tisla’s batteries.

They did build the relevant factory in Nevada, but the problem is to make finished products here, core components from the Japan factory must absolutely come over.

Without that, no matter how much you build factories here, you can’t make batteries.

“What’s all this? What happened while I was paying attention elsewhere?”

Mylon Tusk didn’t access external news well recently.

Because of the World Link test launch he was pushing.

Fortunately the launch ended successfully, but he was in the middle of testing whether connection with land worked well after that.

Out of nowhere things burst on the Japan side.

“So someone is intentionally pressuring Japan?”

“Yes.”

“That someone would be Gwangwoon?”

“Correct.”

Gwangwoon again?

Just hearing that name made him shudder involuntarily.

Not because of Gwangwoon, but because of that man operating Gwangwoon from behind.

“What’s the Japanese government doing? If they’re attacked by logistics like that, shouldn’t they take some measures?”

“Rather they’re cooperating. They say Gwangwoon side first extended their hand saying they’d absorb two nearly dying Japanese shipping companies and organize port logistics.”

“And Japan purely grasped that? Even though anyone can see it’s pretending to be generous while planning to exploit?”

“For the Japanese government there’s no method now. Already Japan’s economy was about to collapse from YCC collapse, and if logistics also causes trouble it becomes really serious. So the government dimension even entrusted all logistics to Gwangwoon. Using that excuse, Pitasonic side logistics got pushed completely back.”

The Japanese government must’ve been in a bind.

This YCC collapse incident was a financial incident giving great shock globally.

And rumors are circulating that Gwangwoon is at that center.

No. According to what Mylon Tusk found out, it’s definite.

Wasn’t bear funds all attacking Japan in unison because they followed Jeong Jin-ho’s back?

And Jeong Jin-ho had a reason for bursting YCC.

He collapsed the last shipping defense line that remained somewhat on the Japan side, and seized that place, practically gaining weapons that can threaten Japanese companies anytime.

The Japanese government should’ve protected at least that, but they being unable to delay time anymore due to YCC raised the white flag.

Though Jeong Jin-ho outwardly says he’ll help Japan, now he created the optimal route that can attack the Japan side anytime and also devour companies there.

“But why are they attacking us?”

Pitasonic is actually a company experiencing various difficulties.

They challenged home appliance business, solar, and electronic components then were pushed by other companies and were on the verge of collapse when what became their exit was exactly the development of electric vehicles.

The electric batteries they made gained global recognition and became Tisla’s exclusive supplier.

Of course, they’re also increasing battery supply quantities to other companies, but if Pitasonic gets attacked, the place shaken first would be Tisla.

Other automobile companies can make gasoline vehicles, but Tisla only produces electric vehicles.

“Could they be touching Pitasonic to acquire them?”

“It doesn’t seem like that. We haven’t heard news of Gwangwoon mass purchasing Pitasonic shares. Probably touching our supply chain to inflict direct damage on Tisla?”

“Why on earth? What did we do?”

“I also don’t really..”

Various thoughts flashed through Mylon Tusk momentarily.

Since it’s not for the purpose of acquiring Pitasonic yet attacking now, it clearly sniped Tisla the core supply chain.

Why? Why on earth?

Did making him fly all the way to America when first meeting last time make him feel bad?

Or could it be because of that last incident?

Because Gwangwoon also received suspicion due to that stock price manipulation situation?

But ultimately even then only Mylon Tusk received investigation alone and no damage went to Gwangwoon, right?

“Ngh.”

No matter how much he thought, he didn’t know.

What on earth did I do wrong to fall out of Jeong Jin-ho’s favor?

If there’s something wrong, at least call and say something.

“Did you contact Gwangwoon side? Is there no other method?”

“There’s also the method of bringing components using other shipping companies. But doing that makes costs too expensive. Plus even putting contact to Gwangwoon Shipping side, they’re only giving standard answers saying they don’t know well.”

Ultimately to solve things, there was only one method.

“No matter how I see this, doesn’t it seem that side is sending signals telling me to come over?”

“Yes. No matter how many times I look at this case, it’s right they’re blatantly attacking our company.”

Mylon Tusk let out a short breath.

Having to meet Jeong Jin-ho again.

It wasn’t a very welcome thing.

Because he played around going between long and short with Tisla stocks?

Well, it’s fine up to there.

Because thanks to Jeong Jin-ho he somewhat exterminated shorters too.

Then why does meeting Jeong Jin-ho feel uncomfortable?

It was actually because of subtle fear.

How should I say.

Should I say it feels like a herbivore before a predator?

Even though the predator isn’t looking at you as prey, the fear that it can open its jaws to swallow you anytime was wrapping around him.

At first I thought he was just a lucky investor.

But looking at situations until now, there was something beyond that.

Whether that’s power moving world governments, or meticulous strategy, I don’t know.

But I’m afraid.

I’m afraid of Jeong Jin-ho.

This would be the most certain expression method.

“Try somehow making contact not to Gwangwoon Shipping but to Gwangwoon Securities side. Since we did transactions last time, communication channels would be open with that side.”

“Yes. I’ll contact them right away.”

But even so, I couldn’t just pretend not to see this.

Because if I ignore it even though the opponent is sending such clear signals, the additional attacks coming would obviously be much fiercer than now.

***

“Who?”

“Mylon Tusk. That side says they want a meeting with you, President. As soon as possible. He even left words saying he’ll come directly to Korea himself.”

Why is that gentleman suddenly coming?

“This time Gwangwoon Shipping side acquired Japanese shipping companies then is pressuring the semiconductor side cooperating with Kangsung, right? But Pitasonic seems to have been caught in between. Though neither our Gwangwoon nor Kangsung is targeting there.”

Meaning it’s not maliciously tormenting but Pitasonic happened to get swept up.

But since core batteries that must go into Tisla are being produced there, it seemed Mylon Tusk was hurriedly trying to cross over to Korea.

“Hmm. If we adjust logistics, Pitasonic side gets resolved right away?”

“Yes. Not just that, when I contacted Gwangwoon Shipping side, they say if you just give instructions to release it, President, they can send logistics immediately.”

That’s right.

Then should I quickly release logistics?

There’s no reason I must meet Mylon Tusk, is there?

Plus I didn’t want to see again Mylon Tusk’s face full of intense madness that my intuition showed me when I met him last time.

“Then..”

I tried to convey to employees to tell Tusk not to come to Korea.

“..!”

But even trying to open my mouth to speak, no voice came out.

“President?”

I tried putting strength several more times, but my mouth ultimately didn’t open.

There I felt it.

That my intuition was urging me to meet Mylon Tusk once more.

“..Could you bring materials on what projects Mylon Tusk side is currently proceeding with?”

“Ah. Yes. I wasn’t expecting, but thinking you might look for it, I received a report organizing what trends his companies including Mylon Tusk are currently showing.”

“Oh. Thanks. As expected Manager.”

“Haha. I should catch on this much now.”

I thoroughly examined the report.

There were several projects Mylon Tusk proceeds with through his companies.

Especially his dream of migrating humanity to Mars being unchanged, he was injecting much funds into rocket engine development through Space T.

Other things had nothing particularly special so while passing through quickly.

Something got stuck right in my eye.

“World Link?”

“Ah. It’s a kind of satellite communication service. Our country’s telecommunication companies all have base stations, right? But this shoots up satellites freely so network can reach anywhere in the world quickly. The problem is shooting that many satellites requires astronomical costs. Above all, it’s an unlisted company, so we can’t invest either.”

Commercialization still needs to wait several more years.

But this time Mylon Tusk says he shot up two satellites and entered test operation.

“If this succeeds, they say it’ll become the next-generation communication system.”

“Sigh. I wish something like this came into our country. This time fire went out at one base station and communication was dead for a week.”

Our country citizens’ perception of telecommunication companies isn’t good.

With expensive cellphone internet fees they sucked our money dry since childhood, and if Apple hadn’t entered, we eternally couldn’t have had WiFi on phones.

Besides that, like the unified phone subsidy law, there are really many outdated things.

These being possible is exactly because of monopoly.

Because the three telecommunication companies currently dominating the Republic of Korea, rather than competing with each other, join hands to block new competitors’ entry and continue complete monopoly, such things are happening.

“But there’s no helping it. There’s no method to beat those three companies. Right away the government is leading even network service auctions while pushing only those three companies.”

So now no matter how much money you pour in, there was no method to drive out those three companies. But such thoughts suddenly occurred.

Ground-based telecommunication companies can’t be beaten.

But didn’t they say above the runner there’s a flyer?

If it’s not on land but based on that universe?

“…”

I quietly brought my hand to World Link.

“!?”

Right at that moment.

With intense trembling, some image was forcibly injected into my retina.

An image that felt like thousands, tens of thousands of satellites spreading to all parts of Earth dominating all network systems, eerie yet feeling like the near future.

I seemed to know what my intuition was saying.

The communication means of the future was in Mylon Tusk’s hands now.