Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Revolution or Rebellion? (1)
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Bangkok's freight rail central terminal.
Beyond the chain-link fence in a grid pattern, rusty red tracks stretched out. Unlike usual, five massive freight trains were lined up on them.
"Something feels off..."
The on-site supervisor, a station worker. He eyed the trains, which were unusually tightly wrapped to hide their contents, and spoke to his subordinate.
"You don't think something's weird right now?"
"Is it that my pay is too low, sir?"
"Damn it. You're already overpaid for your skills. No, those over there."
The supervisor pointed at the problematic trains.
"We have no idea what's inside them. The manifests say 'classified'."
"Take a look at the shipping docs. Sender's... Kra Canal Authority. Ah, this must be government-related."
"Come on, you think a state-owned company has a magic wand? They can't even do basic inspections?"
"It is a magic wand. The power kind."
The subordinate shrugged it off like it was routine, sloppy paperwork and all.
The senior supervisor clearly didn't like that. He gave the guy a half-hearted scolding before his suspicions snowballed.
"And passengers on a freight train? There must be nearly a thousand packed in there."
"Come on, boss. Let's not piss off the big shots. We got enough to do—send 'em off quick."
The subordinate gestured to the other freight trains waiting in line behind them.
The engineers stared endlessly at the red stop signal with one eye. The other eye shot resentful glares at the supervisor.
"...Can't delay them any longer. Suspicious or not, we have to let them go."
"Wrap it up quick and let's grab a drink."
As soon as he pulled the lever, the green light came on. Like they were in a race, the five mystery freight trains accelerated to max speed in seconds.
The supervisor watched the trains rumble away, feeling an ominously shaky vibration today more than usual. He muttered to himself.
"What the hell's gotten into those lazy bastards today...? Running like their lives depend on it."
* * * *
"Full speed ahead—don't be late! We must arrive before that prime minister shows up at the canal groundbreaking!"
"Yes, sir!"
The freight train—no, the rebel train—barreled along, shaking violently enough to splinter the wooden ties beneath.
One corner of a cargo car crudely converted into a passenger space, without even proper seats. Rough-looking men were changing clothes en masse.
From shabby laborer outfits into green camouflage uniforms.
"Attention, all!"
A metal whistle pierced the ears of the men lined up inside the train. At the front stood the leader of the military hardliners, now facing soldiers and NCOs who looked the part.
As the train jolted through jungle mountains, he drew his pistol and bellowed.
"In moments, our revolutionary force will reach the southern border zone. The objective of this operation is!"
Click. The pistol chambered a round with a dull metallic sound. At the center of the sights' crosshairs: a portrait of Prime Minister Ing Tak hanging on the rear wall.
"That corrupt Prime Minister Ing Tak, who's selling out Thailand's future for his own gain! You will eliminate that ringleader!"
Murmurs rippled through the car.
The soldiers, thinking this was just a classified op, showed immediate hesitation in their eyes.
Bang!
In that instant, a deafening shot. The lead slug flew from the muzzle.
Thud. A neat, deadly hole punched through the center of Prime Minister Ing Tak's portrait on the floor.
As acrid gunpowder stung their noses, the hesitation vanished.
The hardliner leader had made his point: anyone with second thoughts would be dealt with ruthlessly. He raised his voice even louder at the troops.
"No need for fear or hesitation. The revolutionary force for Thailand presses forward! And!"
It was clear threats alone wouldn't move these men.
So the leader dangled a carrot. For these mostly lowborn soldiers, an irresistible promise of upward mobility.
"When this great undertaking succeeds, every one of you revolutionaries will claim rewards beyond your wildest dreams!"
"Long live the military revolution! Long live the new Thailand!"
Shouts from a few planted cheerleaders. In seconds, the car's feverish mood swept everyone up, willingly or not.
None imagined how their fates would soon derail.
"Whew, all preparations complete. Everything's gone smoothly so far. Or has it?"
The leader stepped to the coupler between cars, looking pleased.
His adjutant pulled a match from his pocket and lit the leader's cigarette like it was habit. He chuckled.
"Heh heh. After the revolution, we should commend the rail authority first. So incompetent they're practically geniuses."
"That's why it's all so easy. Their computer systems are a total mess too."
The hardliner thumbed back at the line of cargo cars. Exhaling gray smoke, he continued.
"That Korean Ammunition Group boasted some new IT for management, but in the end, it's all about people."
"Bunch of idiots. Sticking with that rotten Ing Tak—gonna lose all their investment."
"It's heaven-sent. For our... military revolution."
The jolting eased as the train slowed from its high speed.
Ahead, a ramshackle rural halt came into view.
The hardliner gripped the humid air blowing from the summer sea. Eyes narrowed with certainty of victory, he asked his adjutant.
"How much longer to arrival?"
"About two minutes till stop."
"Not long now."
He set a timer on his digital watch.
[00:02:00]. Counting down second by second, he issued the order.
"The moment we arrive, arm all troops. Charge the groundbreaking site the instant we disembark!"
* * * *
When going on a business trip, who you bring matters as much as the agenda.
Kim Won-cheol stays in Korea, handling everything in my stead—excluded. Seong Won-sik, constantly in and out of the Export-Import Bank for government-backed deals—excluded.
Dragging silver-haired Vice President Yang Taek-su into the 104°F jungle heart would be elder abuse—excluded.
"Sigh... Chairman. No matter how I look at it, this plan's too risky."
"What? Which part?"
Yoo Se-na, my aide, sweated so profusely her carefully applied makeup was running.
She dabbed her brow with a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and replied.
"Which part...? The coup trap is fine up to snaring them in reverse. But why, of all things..."
Lately, she'd grown snappier, always tagging along on my misadventures like some curse.
It started with her rabbit mask and gambler act at the Macau casino. Hands on hips, she stepped closer and raised her voice.
"Does the Chairman really need to be right here, right now? And dragging me along, clueless as I was?"
"No. I have to be here. See that?"
She looked plenty aggrieved.
I brushed it off and nodded toward the event grounds' rear.
Prime Minister Ing Tak, barely visible on tiptoes amid heavily armed guards.
"We need to give that timid prime minister real conviction. That I'm on his side—not just words or money. And maybe even."
I smirked, mimicking a throat-slit with my hand.
The coup forces creeping in like fog. Thinking of their brutish ways.
"That I'm prepared to end it all right here with him. That message has to be crystal clear."
With the military hardliners bold enough for a coup, Prime Minister Ing Tak's domestic base was weak.
After quelling this rebellion... he'd need a reliable partner.
Even if bound by Kra Canal interests, one he could trust through life and death.
"Can't talk you out of it... Fine. But stay safe, no matter what. Promise me, Chairman."
The heat must've given her a headache.
She rubbed her temple and hooked her pinky toward me.
Worried as she seemed, reassuring underlings was part of a chairman's duty.
Our pinkies locked, I replied calmly.
"I'm not wearing this bulletproof vest in this heat for nothing. Don't worry. And crucially..."
From my summer suit's inner pocket, a flat electronic device. Hardware tech still lagged, so the tablet was thick and heavy.
Power on. After a 10-second boot, a white startup screen appeared.
The prerequisite for the entire coup suppression design and execution.
-Hawk's Eye System
"I know exactly where it's safe—it's all in the palm of my hand."
The Hawk's Eye System, fully deployed in the civilian sector. Every personnel and asset movement at the Kra Canal Authority mapped in real time.
Red dots on the map. The coup forces... about to reach the nearby halt by the groundbreaking site.
"Looks like the prime minister's side is stirring too."
"Seems so."
Sharing the Hawk's Eye with the PM's team. Amid the bustle, his direct armed guards radioed somewhere.
The central forces, fresh from southern training yesterday—mostly military moderates—waited nearby, conserving gear and fuel.
I stood up.
Adjusting my sunglasses and tightening the vest straps, I said to Yoo Se-na.
"Alright... Let's go. You'll be at my side for a moment etched in history."