Chapter 345
Chapter 345
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Terror of the White Powder
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In the 2000s, if you named the keyword that dominated the era, it had to be anthrax.
“An, anthrax?”
The white powder of terror scattered across the White House and major U.S. institutions plunged America into fear.
Even the sole superpower with no rivals, America, trembled in terror of anthrax. Why would Korea be any different?
Once you knew what anthrax was, you couldn’t help but shudder.
We delivered anthrax to President Yongseong’s residence via anonymous mail.
“A gift for you, Jang Dong-yoon.”
And yet, within just a few days, the world didn’t turn upside down.
The world was strangely quiet.
“There’s no way it could be this quiet.”
No orders came down from ANSP to investigate the incident related to anthrax.
ANSP was still focused on the disappearance of Director Kwon Young-hoon.
‘There’s no way the package didn’t reach Yongseong.’
To uncover the truth, I asked Joo Dong-myung, a reporter at Daehan Ilbo.
“I haven’t heard anything about an incident at Yongseong. If it’s that kind of info, the deputy director would know better than me.”
“Got it.”
I even paid for Joo Dong-myung’s coffee before standing up.
Asking around everywhere might reveal the truth, but that would be foolish.
‘It’d be like advertising myself as suspicious.’
My mind was uneasy hearing that ANSP’s Public Security Division had turned its gaze toward Nampo in connection with Kwon Young-hoon’s disappearance, but I maintained my composure as best I could.
‘Things will get better if I wait.’
I had Oh, the section chief, send anthrax packages to two more places.
This time, the targets were the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, head of the judiciary, and the Speaker of the National Assembly, head of the legislature.
And two days later.
The reaction was immediate this time.
“Anthrax terror aimed at judiciary and legislature! Is the terror of anthrax coming to Daehan too?”
Newspaper articles poured out one after another.
Soon after, orders came down to ANSP to investigate the “anthrax terror.”
As expected, sending to multiple places was the answer.
For the next mailings, let’s space them out as much as possible.
We sent out dozens of packages with delayed delivery times.
This time, we filled them with fake anthrax powder— a mix of flour and chalk dust.
“They’ll freak out again this time.”
“That’s how we wrap up the deputy director’s case.”
While engaging in these dirty tricks, on the surface, I threw myself into the investigation.
“How’s the investigation into Deputy Director Kwon going?”
With the ANSP Director and 1st Deputy Director both vacant, I, the 2nd Deputy Director, was in full command of the agency.
For that reason, I was frequently exchanging calls with the Presidential Secretariat.
“There are no clear leads so far.”
Of course, it was a lie.
There were leads that could connect to the case, but I’d gotten rid of them midway.
The Chief of Staff sighed and then said this.
“Then let’s hand that case over to the police for now.”
The Presidential Secretariat wasn’t in a position to keep ANSP tied up with the deputy director’s case anyway.
They needed manpower for national security incidents and had to respond to the anthrax issue.
To handle all that, they had to pull resources from the deputy director’s case.
A dead guy was just a dead guy, after all.
I welcomed the Secretariat’s order.
“Yes. We’ll wrap it up that way.”
Handing it to the police was just talk— in reality, it meant shelving the case.
The fact that they were burying the murder of a minister-level official showed just how chaotic and disorganized the regime was.
‘I picked the perfect time to take out Deputy Director Kwon.’
As per the regime’s orders, we shifted our gaze to anthrax bacteria.
Yongseong was urging us daily to resolve the anthrax issue, but no method came to mind for handling it without suspicion.
After agonizing over it, I quickly fabricated a bullshit scenario for the anthrax terror incident.
By leveraging ANSP’s specialty— fabrication— there was no need to catch the real culprit.
I reported the prepared scenario to the Secretariat.
“A plot by cultists aiming to overthrow the state.”
The Chief of Staff thought the scenario was a bit bland, but he was wrong on that point.
“With this, we can give the public a sandbag on behalf of the regime to vent their anger.”
“Sandbag?”
“If the public has a target they can hate freely, won’t that divert their eyes from Yongseong?”
“That’s true enough. Then polish up the scenario and make something good out of it.”
“Yes. I’ll definitely live up to your expectations, Chief.”
The scenario meant nothing on its own.
We needed clear evidence to convince the public.
The prerequisite was that it had to seem credible, whether fabricated or not.
That was something Domestic Security Bureau experts could produce.
While the evidence was being manufactured, the anthrax terror only grew more severe.
Korea as a whole trembled in fear of the white powder scattered everywhere in society.
“Eek! It’s anthrax!”
Suspicious white powder in the mail.
Just seeing it made people panic with overreactions.
As a result, this white powder prank spread nationwide like a fad.
Schools shut down and government offices paralyzed over a handful of sugar powder scattered by kids— it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“The whole country’s a total mess.”
“And that’s even better, isn’t it.”
That’s how it was for us schemers.
We first leaked the meticulously prepared scenario to the press.
The public’s reaction to the scenario was shock.
“All this was done by a cult?”
That’s right.
I’d drawn the scenario from Japan’s Aum Shinrikyo incident in the original world.
So, which cult was behind the incident?
Truth be told, there were plenty of cults we could frame.
Among them, I targeted the large-scale “Black-White Cult.”
“Black-black-black-black. White-white-white-white. Red-red-red-red.”
This cult with its bizarre prayer had long been under police scrutiny for murders.
Yet the reason the cult hadn’t been crushed by police was simple.
“We have 100,000 believers. Who’d dare touch us? We’ve got lawmakers behind us.”
100,000 believers meant 100,000 voters.
Did politicians not know the value of those votes?
Politicians quietly protected the Black-White Cult because of them.
But not anymore.
This wasn’t just anything— it was the mastermind behind anthrax terror that terrified the entire nation.
The public, hearing it wasn’t some tired subversive group but a “cult,” found it plausible.
“No, our cult didn’t do such things.”
The cult spokesman held a tearful press conference, but it was useless.
From the moment we branded them as the scapegoat, the Black-White Cult was done for.
“Yeah, no one’s buying what you’re saying.”
Public opinion turned cold, and the regime’s blade hung over their necks.
The Black-White Cult didn’t even get a chance to struggle.
“We’re issuing an arrest warrant for Black-White Cult leader Kim Pan-gon.”
In less than a week, Kim Pan-gon and the entire cult leadership were dragged to the police Public Security Office.
Once in the hands of the notoriously brutal police Public Security Division, their fate went without saying.
A few days later, the Presidential Chief of Staff called.
“Deputy Director Bae, it’s done.”
“Ah, yes, Chief.”
“The scenario turning public opinion to the cult was excellent. His Excellency was greatly satisfied.”
Of course he was.
We’d redirected society’s anger to the Black-White Cult.
“I’m honored that His Excellency is satisfied.”
“That’s why I’m passing on some good news for you, Deputy Director.”
“Good news?”
I could guess what it was, but I played it cool.
“Until a proper candidate is appointed, serve temporarily as acting director.”
It was as expected.
“Me?”
“Who else but you, Deputy Director Bae.”
No one else, naturally.
The 3rd and 4th Deputy Directors were non-Seongjun faction members Jang Dong-yoon couldn’t easily trust, and the Operations Deputy Director had no connections at all.
Promoting someone to vice-minister level would make controlling the organization difficult.
In the end, they had no choice but an acting system, and in this situation, I was the only one who could smoothly keep things running.
‘Worth eliminating Kwon Young-hoon, the Seongjun faction elite.’
I sank back into my chair.
“Chief, even if I become acting director, I’m still vice-minister level. Controlling the organization won’t be easy.”
“Don’t worry about that. His Excellency will call the deputy directors himself.”
Then there were no issues.
“Thank you, Chief.”
“Keep up the good work from now on.”
I set down the phone and sank deep into thought.
Temporary acting ANSP Director.
It wasn’t the same as the real Director position, but a director was still a director.
At the very least, the 1st Deputy Director’s office— where the key commanders were vacant— the 2nd Deputy Director’s office under me directly, and all domestic-related divisions would move at my command.
At this point, staging a coup would be no problem at all.
The problem would come after.
That is, how to seize power.
But that wouldn’t be hard either.
‘No need to sit in the top seat and control everything directly.’
If possible, ruling from the shadows as an unseen puppet master was best.
‘There are models for that.’
Japan’s LDP elders ruled that way.
Of course, doing it like the LDP required a lot of money.
‘I can get that from the conglomerates.’
Monopolizing the money flow would bring power inevitably.
And personnel.
I could plant my cultivated intelligence agents everywhere.
Money, people, information.
With those three in one hand, that was the true top power holder.
As I solidified my power-grab strategy, I shed the mask of the loyal agency man.
From now on, it was time for Bae Seong-jun to reign at the pinnacle of Daehan.