Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Episode 168. Intentional Humiliation (1)
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, north of Paris.
There, 666 Unit members belonging to the TSF France branch were hospitalized.
A middle-aged Caucasian man with dark brown hair and a neat face, dressed in a suit, led the way into the hospital room. He was Bastian Marchion, the branch chief.
He had come as soon as he heard news of his subordinates.
Bastian looked at the men lying in the three-person room and asked Rosa Taylor, his secretary and a WHITE mercenary belonging to the 666 Unit, who stood beside him.
“…Exactly what happened?”
“Out of our total deployed personnel, 6 are dead. Of the 4 survivors, 3 are here receiving treatment for severe injuries, and Jonathan Moore is still undergoing surgery due to a collapsed face and complex fractures throughout his body.”
Bastian’s expression darkened at the explanation.
“Complex fractures? Was he hit by a truck in the forest?”
“…There were no witnesses, so we’ll have to wait until Jonathan wakes up to know.”
“The others didn’t see anything?”
Two of the three men in the room had already regained consciousness.
“Their jaws and all their fingers are broken, making normal communication difficult.”
“…So, you couldn’t find out anything?”
“One of them had a functional finger, so we managed to get information via Morse code. Based on the situation, they confirmed at least 5 enemies.”
“…Five?”
“One sniper who initially shot Gamma Team. One who engaged Delta Team. Two who clashed with Gamma Team leader Jonathan and his squad in the abandoned warehouse. One who piloted the drone that collided with the helicopter. That makes a total of five. We’ve identified four as male and one as female.”
Bastian’s expression grew even more serious.
“So, effectively, only four people took down ten of my men? And after all that trouble, even deploying Tiger?”
“……”
“Is the pursuit still yielding no results?”
Of course, the TSF France branch hadn’t just stood by and taken it. They immediately checked all the CCTV feeds from nearby roads and connected urban areas.
However, Rosa Taylor’s expression was grim.
“We couldn’t find any trace.”
“Then did they vanish into the ground? Or disappear into the sky? Where on earth did they go?”
“…We will continue searching.”
Then, something suddenly occurred to Bastian.
“Kwak Chi-young was targeting FEROX, wasn’t he?”
“More precisely, a woman named Amber Montgomery, who is the FEROX agency’s representative.”
“He was aiming for an already troublesome place, and we ended up taking the fall. I shouldn’t have accepted that slippery eel’s offer.”
Bastian had also received a sudden proposal from Kwak Chi-young.
The condition was that if they provided support with the 666 Unit personnel from the France branch, he would hand over 2% of the future stake in the Black Ground Project.
The minimum seed funding for the Black Ground Project was 15 billion dollars, approximately 20 trillion Korean won – an astronomical sum.
The branch chiefs would then divide 50% of the stake based on the capital they prepared. In that case, the stake Kwak Chi-young was offering Bastian would be hundreds of billions, at the very least.
“Could Director Kwak Chi-young have had some ulterior motive?”
“If that were the case, he would have made a more definitive move. Besides, his words were true, weren’t they?”
What Kwak Chi-young had told him about an unknown organization targeting their group was the most important factor.
However, they hadn’t even caught a trace of them and had only suffered damage to their own base.
“Shall I prepare the report for headquarters?”
“I will handle the report myself. That alone will make it difficult for Director Kwak to avoid scrutiny. Furthermore, since two of our BLACK personnel were incapacitated, request replacement personnel as well.”
Jonathan Moore and Shiobe Hisajiro had been powerful weapons that Bastian had relied on for a long time.
Even in the camps where they were trained, their skills were considered top-five, and they had never failed a mission, so he had entrusted them with any task with confidence.
Yet, these two had been severely injured without even being able to properly respond.
“We will have them here by the end of today.”
“And as soon as I return to the office, I will call Director Kwak.”
“Understood.”
The two left the hospital room and went outside.
.
.
.
At the same time.
Shinwoo was meeting with Kwak Chi-young, who had visited his office. They sat facing each other after dismissing everyone else.
“…So, you want to sell me the MH Electronics shares held by the TSF Korea branch?”
“That’s correct. The 1.62 million shares we hold. At the current stock price, it’s a little over 100 billion won, but MH Future Security could offer more, couldn’t it?”
Shinwoo didn’t particularly need MH Electronics shares at the moment.
However, he understood why Kwak Chi-young had come to him directly with this offer.
“If I don’t purchase them, you mean you’ll sell them to a competitor of the MH Group?”
“As expected, your calculations are quick.”
While Kwak Chi-young was expressing his admiration (?), Shinwoo rolled two 8-Sided Dice in his hand.
Clatter— Clatter—
“Do you have a price in mind?”
“I think we should get at least 200 billion won.”
That was double the current market price.
“…The current recovery rate of MH Electronics’ stock price is over 90%. Do you think I would accept selling it to a competitor if I don’t buy it?”
“Wouldn’t it be better than it going to someone else? And it would be necessary if CEO Baek Shin-woo intends to take over the MH Group in the future.”
Kwak Chi-young believed Shinwoo’s ultimate goal was the MH Group.
“I think it’s possible even without that. You are well aware of the current situation within the MH Group, aren’t you, Director Kwak?”
Myung In-chul, who was a strong contender for succession, had stepped down from his positions as CEO of MH Electronics and MH Jeonsul to remain solely within the MH Group. Simultaneously, with the MH Foods incident in the United States, Myung Sung-chul had also become precarious.
If both of them were out of the picture, Myung Soo-yeon, the third sibling and CEO of MH Hotel, remained. However, her capabilities were lacking compared to Shinwoo, the CEO of MH Future Security and MH Distribution.
“So, you have no intention of selling?”
“There’s no need to buy it expensively right now. So, you can sell it to someone else.”
Shinwoo’s unexpectedly blunt answer left Kwak Chi-young momentarily speechless.
“…It’s a mere 0.03% stake.”
It might seem like a very small amount, but its value could change the major shareholder of MH Electronics depending on who acquired it.
However, Shinwoo’s expression remained indifferent.
“What would I do with a mere 100 billion won purchase? If it were over 1%, perhaps.”
MH Electronics was a company with a market capitalization of approximately 350 trillion won. 1% of that would be about 3.5 trillion won.
In addition to the enormous sum, that amount alone would be enough to make one the second-largest shareholder.
“Even if I held that much stake, it would be impossible with the funds MH Future Security is currently managing, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s MH Electronics shares. While MH Holdings is the holding company, it’s not unreasonable to call it the mother of the current MH Group. And… when did I say I would purchase it under the name of MH Future Security?”
Kwak Chi-young was surprised once again by his last remark.
“Are you planning to purchase the shares with your personal assets?”
“From the beginning, MH Future Security itself belongs to the MH Group. MH Distribution is subordinate to MH Future Security. Even if I purchased the 0.03% stake you mentioned under the company’s name, it would be useless, wouldn’t it?”
This implied that, according to Shinwoo, he possessed personal wealth exceeding at least 3 trillion won.
“How on earth did you accumulate such funds?”
Recently, MH Distribution had undergone a financial audit. Furthermore, MH Future Security was known for having no holes in its financial statements.
Naturally, there were no visible loopholes created by slush funds, making his wealth even more surprising.
“I cannot disclose that.”
“Everyone values their livelihood, so I must have asked too deeply without thinking.”
“In any case, dispose of the MH Electronics shares as you see fit. Of course, if competitors accurately assess MH Electronics’ future growth potential, they might buy it for 200 billion won.”
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
Vrooom— Vrooom—
At that moment, Kwak Chi-young’s phone rang from his pocket. It seemed to be a message, and as Kwak Chi-young read it, his expression turned grim.
“I must take my leave.”
“Please do.”
As Shinwoo replied, Kwak Chi-young left the office.
Standing at the door was Oh Han-sung, who had just sent him the message. Kwak Chi-young immediately got into the car and said quietly.
“What do you mean the plan in France failed? Didn’t Director Bastian deploy his troops knowing Amber Montgomery was bait?”
Kwak Chi-young also sensed that they were being tracked somewhere. That’s why he had secretly embedded trackers in the combat uniforms of Na Seon-hwi, Ahn Deok-chil, and other unit members.
His guess was correct, and he had sent the troops by making unreasonable demands to Bastian.
“Out of the 10 troops deployed under Director Bastian Marchion, 6 are dead, and 4 are severely injured. Jonathan Moore, in particular, is expected to be incapacitated for several months due to complex fractures of his skull, face, and entire body.”
With that explanation, Kwak Chi-young’s complexion grew even darker.
“What happened to our side?”
“…All unit members, except for Ahn Deok-chil, are dead.”
“Even Na Seon-hwi is dead?”
“Yes.”
Na Seon-hwi was considered the next most skilled after Oh Han-sung and was scheduled to be promoted to BLACK soon.
It was natural for him to be surprised that Ahn Deok-chil, not Na Seon-hwi, was the survivor.
“How did the situation unfold like this?”
“The France branch suspects that the situation there was a trap from the start. There were at least 5 enemies, and they even shot down the Tiger HAP that Bastian had specially provided.”
Kwak Chi-young’s already dark face turned to one of shock.
“Even a heavy attack helicopter?”
“That’s likely why Director Bastian is so displeased.”
Oh Han-sung also seemed reluctant, finding it difficult to explain.
“So, what is Ahn Deok-chil’s condition? And how did he survive alone, with Na Seon-hwi dead there?”
“He reportedly has only minor abrasions. And since his face was covered with cloth, he didn’t see them directly. He lost consciousness after being electrocuted by the attackers and only overheard a few words of conversation between the enemies and Na Seon-hwi before being buried alive.”
“What was the conversation?”
At that question, Oh Han-sung’s face turned bitter.
“…I apologize. They were speaking in English. Ahn Deok-chil hasn’t acquired foreign languages yet, so he couldn’t properly understand the content.”
“I’m going to lose my mind.”
Genuine irritation was evident in Kwak Chi-young’s voice.
Oh Han-sung cautiously continued.
“However, there was a word, ‘SHASS,’ in what Ahn Deok-chil heard.”
Simultaneously, Kwak Chi-young’s brow furrowed, and his voice lowered.
“…Are you referring to SHASS?”
Ding—
The elevator doors opened during their conversation.
They quickly got into the car.
“The matter you mentioned earlier, it seems to be SHASS. As expected, they know our identities for sure. And they are clearly moving with us as their target.”
“Haa—! So, we missed them again in the end? Why on earth!”
The problem lay ahead. Now that the current situation had been revealed to Bastian, the reports on the ongoing situation, which had been postponed, would be submitted to headquarters.
If the operation had succeeded, they might have been able to mitigate their mistakes even slightly.
But since it failed, consequences would now follow.