Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Alliance
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[What do you mean by that?]
I paused, my teacup halfway to my lips, caught off guard.
Jeffrey, still wearing that affable smile, immediately pushed a file folder across the table toward me.
[Before we get to that, I believe I should first explain what ‘Sion Company’ is.]
[...]
[The truth is, our ‘Sion Company’ is an assembly of Jewish-American capitalists. It's a gathering of influential Jewish individuals from media, finance, and various industries, acting as a sort of spiritual pillar for the community.]
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry.
I was already aware that a group of this nature existed.
Not some exaggerated, shadowy organization like the Illuminati or the Freemasons.
But a real coalition of Jewish people who wielded actual influence in American politics.
Wait.
If Jeffrey belongs to such a group, does that mean he's Jewish too?
[That's right. I'm a Jewish-American myself. And just to be clear, that doesn't make me or my company a Zionist group. We are simply an organization that represents the interests of the Jewish people and the United States.]
Jeffrey, who had been staring at me intently, replied as if he had read my mind.
I was at a loss for words, and as I remained silent, he continued.
[In any case, that's the background of Sion Company. Now, let me explain how Aaron Technology came to be under our ownership.]
[...]
That was exactly what I wanted to ask, so I watched him quietly.
He pulled a sheet of paper from the file and waved it in front of me as he spoke.
[The truth is, Aaron Technology was a company established with capital we provided from the very beginning.]
[...]
[Furthermore, most of its senior engineers came from the German company, Renk.]
[I'm already aware of the engineers' origins. What I'm curious about is why a Jewish group would partner with Germans.]
The question seemed to hit a nerve, as Jeffrey's expression twitched for a moment.
But he quickly recovered his smile and spoke in a low voice.
[I understand what you're implying. It's true that some Jews, both in Israel and here in the States, still haven't forgotten the old humiliations and won't even look at German products. So, I can see why it's hard to understand why a Jewish group like ours would partner with Germans.]
[...]
[But as I said before, we are not that kind of Jewish group. So there's no reason we couldn't work with Germans.]
[...]
[And crucially, while we are Jewish, we are also Americans. So isn't it only natural that we act in the interest of the United States?]
I had momentarily forgotten.
Though their roots were Jewish, they were undeniably born and raised in America.
Therefore, his claim that they also represented America's interests was certainly convincing.
[Even so, how did you persuade the German engineers?]
That was the questionable part.
Unless they were fools, the German engineers must have known their actions would harm Germany.
Furthermore, for them to agree so readily, knowing their financial backers were Jewish, seemed strange.
[Well, persuading them wasn't as difficult as you might think.]
[...]
[Much like us, just because their roots are German doesn't mean they only represent German interests. Besides, they became American citizens a long time ago, and most of them personally held grievances against Renk.]
Hearing that made the situation a little easier to understand.
Putting that aside...
But if this is how things are, isn't this a serious problem for me?
They're currently emphasizing their American identity.
If so, they would have no reason to kindly hand over a company established for America's benefit.
[Hmm.]
A sigh escaped me as the thought crossed my mind.
I didn't even have the courage to bring up the topic.
To make matters worse, Jeffrey began to speak again, his words dashing my hopes.
[Aaron Technology's transmission technology will soon be integrated into U.S. Army tanks. That was the goal from the beginning, and we've achieved the results to make it happen.]
[Then I suppose my business here is done.]
I suppressed my disappointment and forced a smile.
Honestly, if that was the situation, what more could I say?
It wasn't as if the U.S. would just hand over the technology to us.
It was disappointing, but I had to consider myself lucky that I hadn't come all this way for nothing.
[No, it's not time for you to be disappointed yet, Chairman Jin.]
Just then, the door burst open and a man who looked to be in his early sixties entered the room.
Could this be the chairman they mentioned?
Seeing Jeffrey shoot to his feet to greet him, it seemed that was indeed the case.
[Liam Erico.]
The man walked straight up to me and abruptly extended his hand.
[Jin Hyun-seung.]
I quickly introduced myself and shook his hand, and he stared at me with a wide smile.
[You look younger than I expected.]
[It's not that I look young, I am young.]
He stared at me again, taking in my joking response.
I wondered what he was thinking; his expression was unreadable.
[Please, have a seat. As I said, it's not time for you to return to Korea just yet, Chairman Jin.]
At his words, I glanced over at Jeffrey.
But he simply remained silent, still smiling.
Still, the atmosphere didn't feel entirely negative, so I settled back into my chair.
[Frankly, I was quite impressed by the recent incident in Iran. I was surprised that South Korea made such a decision, but the fact that it originated not from a government plan but from the mind of a single individual was even more shocking to me. To be honest, that's why I was so eager to meet you, Chairman Jin.]
Chairman Liam went on for some time, praising my 'crazy stunt'.
Feeling a bit awkward, I thanked him for siding with me against the U.S. government, but he waved his hand dismissively.
[Of course we had to side with Jaewoo. Even though we are Americans, our roots are in Israel, are they not? In my case especially, I wasn't born in the U.S. but am part of the immigrant generation, so my attachment to my roots is stronger than that of other Jewish-Americans.]
He finished speaking and stared at me intently again.
His gaze was probing, as if searching for something.
Our eyes met, and he suddenly threw out an unexpected offer.
[But let's put that aside. The reason I've kept you here, Chairman Jin, is to tell you that if Jaewoo is interested, we are willing to provide you with Aaron Technology's transmission technology.]
[...]
[Furthermore, we promise not to make any future claims or assert any rights over the products manufactured with that technology.]
Hearing those words felt like being hit over the head with a hammer.
Not just providing the technology, but relinquishing all rights to it?
In simple terms, it meant they would forgo any and all interference regarding the technology.
For example, they wouldn't care where we exported it.
I couldn't help but be suspicious about what could possibly motivate such an unprecedented offer.
[Of course, there's a catch, isn't there?]
I asked immediately, trying to discern his intentions.
The corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk as he pulled a fine-looking cigar from his pocket and offered it to me.
[But of course.]
*Flick!*
Without hesitation, I took the cigar, put it to my lips, and lit it.
Perhaps because it was the first time I'd smoked in nearly four years, I felt a sudden rush of blood to my head.
[Tell me. What's the condition?]
[Well, it's definitely not money. To be frank, I have more than enough of that myself.]
Chairman Liam exhaled a cloud of smoke as he made the joke.
Seeing my unchanging, stoic expression, he looked a bit awkward and continued.
[Alright. Before I state the condition, let's briefly consider the current situation.]
[The current situation? What part of it are you referring to?]
[What else would you and I discuss besides the defense industry? I'd like to bring up the matter of the hypersonic missile that Jaewoo and Russia are jointly developing.]
I immediately thought, *so it's come to this.*
Frankly, the U.S. had been patient for a long time.
What was puzzling, though, was why I had to hash this out with this particular Jewish man. Then again, it was also a testament to the old man's stature.
[Is there a problem with that?]
[If we chose to make it a problem, it would be a very big one. Because of it, we in the United States have been incredibly busy.]
His casually delivered words had a sharp edge to them.
I stared at him in silence, and he offered an awkward smile.
[No need to look so serious. I'm not bringing this up to challenge you now. I only mentioned it because I felt I should explain why the U.S. has remained silent until now.]
[...]
[The truth is, we believed Russia had a high probability of succeeding even without Jaewoo's cooperation.]
[That's true.]
I replied quickly.
Chairman Liam glanced at me, smiled, and spoke again.
[So, rather than trying to stop it... I mean, even if we pressured Jaewoo to stop, Russia would eventually succeed in developing it anyway. So, we chose to arm ourselves with the same spear.]
[Are you saying the U.S. has also started developing hypersonic missiles?]
[More than just started; we're already seeing significant results. That's why I said we've been busy.]
[...]
[However, our government's position has recently changed somewhat.]
His last words snapped me to attention.
Contextually, everything he'd said so far seemed like a mere prelude. What he was about to say felt like the real reason he'd suddenly brought up hypersonic missiles.
As I watched him with narrowed eyes, he grinned and stubbed out his cigar in a glass ashtray.
[As you know, Chairman Jin, there is no way to defend against a hypersonic missile.]
[...]
[But did you know? Jaewoo's recent development of a boost-phase intercept system has provided a clue that defense might be possible. And so, our government has decided to revive the concept of defense.]
[...]
In that moment, everything became clear.
Simply put, they were coveting the hypersonic technology we were developing.
After all, if the 'interceptor' itself is hypersonic, then depending on the precision of the guidance system, intercepting a hypersonic 'projectile' wouldn't be entirely impossible. It was a natural hope for them to have.
But what did his words ultimately mean?
[Are you saying you want us to hand over the boost-phase intercept system technology we're developing?]
[Oh, you've misunderstood. I'm not interested in the boost-phase intercept system. That's something we in the U.S. have been researching for a long time anyway, and in the field of hypersonic propulsion, we've achieved sufficient results without needing to acquire Russia's.]
[Then what on earth...]
[I'm simply proposing that Jaewoo and the United States jointly build a hypersonic missile defense system. In other words, we need Jaewoo's help with the 'ultra-precision' guidance systems and material development required for hypersonic interception. That advanced technological prowess that has astounded us until now.]
The situation felt somewhat absurd.
If I accepted this proposal, I'd be jointly developing a spear with Russia and a shield with the United States—a truly contradictory situation.
Frankly, it was a situation I would welcome with open arms, but what really concerned me was Russia's reaction.
[There's no need to worry about Russia.]
Just then, Chairman Liam replied as if he had read my mind.
I waited in silence for his next words, and he said with a twist of his lips,
[Russia is well aware of why we've tacitly condoned their actions until now.]
[...]
[Honestly, if we had decided to stop the joint development of the hypersonic missile between Russia and Jaewoo, do you really think we couldn't have done it?]
[Hmm...]
That was something I had suspected from the beginning.
After all, what kind of country was America? Would they really stand by and watch as a divine spear aimed at them was being developed?
Russia must have guessed that America's silence had its reasons, and they were likely aware that this would be the eventual outcome.
So now, if the U.S. were to bring it up, Russia couldn't really complain, however displeased they might be.
‘Besides, Russia knows better than anyone how difficult it is to defend against hypersonic missiles. They might even be betting on the fact that developing a defense is impossible. Yes, that could be it. It's easier said than done. Developing a hypersonic defense system is no simple task.’
In short, Russia might be full of confidence, thinking, *go ahead and try to defend against it if you can...*
[So? Are you still worried about Russia?]
[...]
[Then consider one more thing. If the United States and South Korea develop this, no country on Earth will be able to penetrate our air defense networks.]
He had a point.
If we could defend not only entire theaters but also against hypersonic projectiles, it would be like possessing a perfect divine shield.
Russia was the lingering concern, but after thinking it over several times, I felt it might be an excessive worry.
Frankly, there was no guarantee we would succeed in developing it. And since we couldn't say whether it would take ten years or twenty, they wouldn't rush to confront me now. Besides, knowing why the U.S. had been silent, they couldn't exactly claim hypocrisy.
Furthermore, given Chairman Liam's confidence, it seemed there had been some prior understanding between them.
In the end, no matter how I looked at it, this wasn't a hand I could fold.
[So, is the transmission technology a sort of gift to commemorate our collaboration?]
I joked, signaling my agreement.
Understanding my meaning, Chairman Liam grinned and relit the cigar he had briefly set aside.
[Let's call it that. But I'll still have to charge you for the cigar I just gave you.]
[...]
[Seventy million dollars. That seems about right.]
Well... that's cheaper than I expected.