Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Attack is the Best Defense
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There's an old saying.
"The best defense is a good offense."
I pulled America's problems right into our backyard before they could throw the first punch. As a result, the chairman of Daeyoung Group and most of its executives ended up boarding flights to the States.
"Ahahaha!"
He danced around joyfully.
A smile he couldn't hide kept spreading across his face. He tried covering his mouth with his hand, but when the laughter kept leaking out, he finally waved it away, forcibly suppressing his emotions.
The situation wasn't 100% resolved yet.
"What's the good news?"
"Oh, nothing. Puahaha!"
Seo Kyung-hwan tilted his head, apparently not yet hearing the news. This thrill, this rush of victory. Once you taste adrenaline like this, you can never escape it!
Me, a shut-in loser from my room.
Just the fact that I'd screwed over Daeyoung Group, the second-largest conglomerate in the country, sent endorphins surging through me.
"Daeyoung won't be able to pay us any attention now."
I handed him my smartphone as I said it.
The screen showed a crystal-clear shot of Daeyoung's furious chairman boarding the plane.
"Daeyoung really cornered like this... I can't believe it even seeing it with my own eyes."
Of course.
Only we could pull this off.
Selig's home base is the good ol' USA, after all.
We leveraged our home-field advantage to apply pressure from all angles.
Daeyoung Group is basically in a state of emergency right now.
With their famously immovable chairman stepping up personally, they won't be meddling in the Vigang System until they've recovered their massive losses.
In the meantime, I'm planning to stick out my tongue and gobble up everything in sight.
And right on cue, another piece of good news arrived.
"I never dreamed we'd be supplying to the US."
"Well, making the introduction wasn't hard. Just make sure the quality holds up. Defense contracts are way more sensitive than civilian ones."
"You bet."
All of Vigang System's contracts were canceled due to corporate bullying. If things stayed like this, the company would go bankrupt, and every employee would be out on the street.
That's when Jack Laden extended a saving hand.
Did they already know about Vigang's capabilities?
I never expected such easy approval.
It wasn't a full assembly contract, just some parts, but the order volume was so huge that sales would multiply several times over.
A huge grin spread across Seo Kyung-hwan's face.
"What about the Defense Ministry?"
He stiffened as he set down his coffee at my question.
There must have been outside pressure.
"It's too late. They went with a competitor's product instead of our software."
"...Is that so?"
Hah, they're openly rigging it.
Even the Defense Ministry drone deal I had faith in fell through.
Of course, no need to despair—we already had contact from Saudi Arabia. With tensions rising in the Middle East, they were accelerating development on cost-effective drones.
After seeing footage of billion-dollar tanks and armored vehicles—the former kings of the battlefield—getting blown up by a few million won's worth in real time, it was only natural.
I'd revise strategies and tactics too if I were them.
"I hear the Saudi crown prince is pushing drones as a key industry. They're expanding the commercial drone market fast, using it as a springboard to boost smart cities, agriculture, and defense."
"Same thought here."
What is Saudi Arabia?
One of the countries with the world's largest oil reserves.
Just the proven reserves are estimated at around 266 billion barrels.
It's the very definition of "Show me the money."
They're VIP clients we absolutely need to land.
Once they invest in something, the scale changes entirely.
If Vigang System cooperates on this, they'll be a solid ally for the next decade. That would put even the conglomerates pressuring us in a tough spot.
The little pup they thought they could trample anytime turns out to be a tiger.
'Seol-hwa really came through big time.'
Who'd think Saudi would invest in us? Crazy.
This was all possible thanks to Seol-hwa's connections.
'Royal Highness reaching out personally...'
The Saudi royal family has countless princes, but those called Royal Highness are the king's direct line.
In simple terms, the legitimate heirs.
With fortunes in the hundreds of trillions.
No, fortunes too vast to even estimate. And they wanted Vigang System.
'If we play this right, it could be our greatest achievement ever.'
A dream country where money prints itself endlessly.
Vigang System had set its sights on Saudi Arabia, the Middle East's top oil nation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Thanks, Abdulman."
Jin Seol-hwa let out a long sigh after ending the call.
If he hadn't agreed, Vigang System might have remained a pipe dream.
Ramzan Abdulman.
One of Saudi Arabia's ten Royal Highnesses.
A man who would be first in line for the throne if not for the current crown prince.
The moment she heard he'd taken over a state-owned defense firm, she reached out to say hello.
This connection stemmed from her time at the PMC.
Ramzan Abdulman was the owner of the mercenary company where she'd briefly sought refuge.
"How's Daeyoung?"
Olivia smirked, pausing her furious signing at Jin Seol-hwa's question.
"Straight from a US senator. It's game over already."
"It'll go as far as a recall, right?"
"Obviously. Fatal accidents, and it's not even a domestic company—they won't favor some little Eastern nation. Expect astronomical compensation, and if they're unlucky, production lines shut down too."
"This blew up bigger than we expected."
"No need for guilt. Wars between companies are brutal, no mercy in sight. Not even a single death would be surprising."
Daeyoung would be focused on their US branch for a while.
They'd pull every trick to smooth things over.
With all their resources concentrated there, a small gap would open up right on time. Jin Seol-hwa planned to exploit it and strike their enemies.
Daeyoung would learn a harsh lesson this time.
That scamming others comes with risks they have to bear too.
"Stocks?"
"Sold it all already."
Daeyoung's share price was plummeting deeper into the abyss as time passed.
Shareholders were bombarding them with petitions daily, demanding the person responsible be dealt with.
In short, even if Daeyoung resolves the US mess, they can't relax about the domestic fallout. Owner risk is what business leaders fear most.
Losing shareholder trust to owner risk could lead to the worst: top executive shakeups.
"Profits?"
"180%."
"Not bad."
Olivia's eyebrow twitched at that.
"Hey, 180%? Do you know how much stock we bought in Daeyoung? It's enough to cover a good chunk of what Do-jun invested in this country..."
Jin Seol-hwa shrugged at the incredulous stare. She wasn't satisfied with just that. To claim the top spot domestically—or the world—she needed far more capital.
"When's HQ completion?"
Olivia handed over a report after checking her files. It detailed phased schedules, progress rates, and expected completion date.
The scale of DJ's new headquarters building was beyond imagination.
What the elite show off most is their buildings.
Taller, more artistically stunning ones earn the most prestige.
"About half a year to completion?"
"Faster than expected. We need to scout acquisition targets within that time and start bulking up ourselves."
"Exactly."
The two women bustled late into the night, preparing for the future ahead.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Ding-dong-dang!
Even during break time, Class 2 of 1st year at Daehan Middle School was packed with kids studying hard, not even heading to the bathroom.
Because a pop quiz was starting in 10 minutes.
Jin Seol-young reviewed her notes and glanced at her neighbor, Seo Soo-ji.
"How's it going?"
"Uh... I, I think it's okay."
"Let's check together one last time."
"Yeah!"
They reviewed efficiently in the short time.
Soon the bell rang, and the classroom fell silent.
Gulp!
This quiz would decide if she was the class sweetheart or a headache. Unlike other middle schools, this one was the starting point for future elites.
"Put all textbooks away. Only writing tools on your desks."
"Yes!"
"Cheating gets you zero. Once finished, leave quietly without disturbing others."
One kid raised a hand at the homeroom teacher's words.
"Teacher! Can I just lie on my desk?"
"No. It disturbs your friends."
"Okay..."
The teacher handed out large sheets to each student.
Jin Seol-young smirked the moment she saw the problems.
They were easy enough that she knew the answers.
A bit later.
Someone stood and handed in their paper.
"Done."
"What? In 15 minutes?"
"Yes."
"You didn't just guess, right?"
"No."
The one turning in the paper was Jin Seol-young.
She'd finished all 30 questions in under 15 minutes and stood up.
The problems were tougher than expected—no one else stood until the bell.
As friends swapped answer sheets after the test, Seo Soo-ji approached.
"Seol-young, how'd it go?"
"Good. Easy. You?"
"Hehe, mine went smoother than expected too. But 17 and 25... no clue."
"Oh, those... "
They'd planted traps everywhere to prevent perfect scores.
The design was so intricate it was impressive.
Jin Seol-young picked up her mechanical pencil and demonstrated the solutions.
"Do it like this, and it's super easy."
"Wow! A-Amazing!"
Seol-young shook her head at her friend's words.
"Nah. No slacking till the end."
Such worries proved unfounded when the scores went up on the hallway bulletin board in big letters.
"N-No way! 100 points?"
"Who's Jin Seol-young?"
"The girl from Class 1-2?"
"This real? That quiz was brutal..."
Jin Seol-young had aced every question for a perfect 100.