Chapter 29: “There Is No Contract with Taiwan.” Taiwan Is Now in Chaos. “Please, We Beg You.”
Chapter 29: “There Is No Contract with Taiwan.” Taiwan Is Now in Chaos. “Please, We Beg You.”
Somewhere in the arid mountains of Iraq in the Middle East.
Boom!
The burly men gathered inside the decrepit concrete building remained indifferent, as though war were part of everyday life.
Their unfocused eyes were filled with a mixture of madness and exhaustion.
“What lunatic made something like this...?”
Everyone wore a black mask that revealed only their eyes, except for one bare-faced man examining an object on the table.
It was an R-Type drone created by Ryu Hyesung.
“Well? Can you replicate it exactly?”
At his mutter of mingled shock and admiration, the commander standing beside him asked while holding an old AK-47 rifle in one hand.
(Translator’s Note:AK-47 — A Soviet assault rifle designed under Mikhail Kalashnikov and formally adopted in 1949. Its simple construction, durability, and extensive licensed and unlicensed production made it one of the world’s most widespread firearms.)
“I heard other countries send these alongside suicide drones as decoys. And they only cost five hundred thousand won.”
Using a drone that cost a mere five hundred thousand won to absorb air-defense interceptions in place of suicide drones worth five or ten million won.
It was the very height of cost-effectiveness.
“I also heard a new model recently came out with specifications good enough to carry explosives directly.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“From a Ukrainian mercenary.”
The man holding the rifle added with an undisguised, vicious smile.
“He told us everything right before he died.”
“What about the blueprints?”
The bare-faced man pressed him impatiently.
“We’ll get them soon.”
Tap, tap-tap!
At that moment, a subordinate wearing a headscarf hurried over to the large man.
“Amir!”
“The item? Did you secure it?”
The commander responded as though he had been waiting.
“Well... We failed to get it.”
“What? I sent you with fifteen billion won!”
“Someone bid thirty billion.”
The fragmented blueprints by “R” circulating through the underground black market had previously sold for less than ten billion won even at their most expensive, so they had never expected to fail with that budget.
“What? Thirty billion? A private individual bought it?”
“I don’t know. It seems information leaked that we were after the blueprint.”
“You sons of bitches! Who bought it?!”
“I-I don’t know!”
“Amir, calm down.”
Just as the enraged commander was about to strike the subordinate with the butt of his rifle, the bare-faced man, who had been sweating as he dismantled the R-Type drone, stopped him.
“Even if we had obtained the blueprint, I probably would not have been able to understand its structure perfectly.”
“What? You’re the best technician in this field. Weren’t you supposed to be able to do it?”
“...This is on an entirely different level.”
Until now, nearly any weapon could be replicated in his hands, so the commander’s shock was even greater.
The commander’s gaze turned toward a dark cave prison far below the sheer cliff in the distance.
A cold murderous intent entered his murky eyes.
“Then... we have no choice but to bring that insane developer here in person.”
Minister’s Office, Ministry of National Defense Headquarters, Taipei, Taiwan
“Tsk. But it’s made in South Korea, isn’t it?”
Taiwanese Minister of National Defense Lin Weizhe clicked his tongue and frowned.
He was a hard-line figure who personally looked down on and strongly disliked South Korea.
“What? Is that a problem...?”
The Chief of the General Staff asked with a puzzled expression.
“How do you know how well something made in South Korea will perform before deciding to buy so much of it?”
“Minister, you need to look at the test results. Only South Korean weapons offer this level of performance at this price.”
The Chief of the General Staff pleaded in frustration.
He urgently placed the freshly printed test data on the Minister’s desk.
“Were these tests even conducted properly? It looks like you brought in some company no one has ever heard of because you’re trying to take a kickback.”
The Minister of National Defense skimmed the performance chart and tossed it onto the desk.
Tap.
“I cannot approve this.”
Once arrogance and emotional prejudice became involved, even objective data before his eyes was treated like scrap paper.
“And asking us to let them tour TSNC as well... They should at least make a reasonable request.”
“Minister! Are you planning to fight the war like this?”
The Chief of the General Staff’s forceful appeal, veins bulging in his neck, made even the Minister flinch and retreat slightly.
“Fine, tsk. Understood. I will inspect the performance personally, so prepare a demonstration.”
“Understood. I will order my subordinates to conduct a flawless test—”
“No. The arms dealer should come and perform the demonstration. Do you not even understand basic courtesy?”
“What? But he must be one of the busiest people in the world.”
“We are the buyers, which means we hold the upper hand. Proceed with a proper understanding of that, Chief.”
“Yes... Understood, Minister.”
At the Minister’s irritated command, the Chief could say nothing more and merely bit his lip.
Science Facility Factory No. 2 Office
“What? Taiwan asked for a demonstration?”
Taeju spoke in disbelief while stuffing his mouth with a convenience-store lunchbox.
“It seems approval for the 150-billion-won purchase was blocked at the Minister of National Defense’s level.”
I answered calmly while slurping hot broth from my cup noodles.
It was an excessively peaceful lunch considering that a contract worth hundreds of billions of won was at stake.
“Hmm, 150 billion won. It would be a shame to lose it.”
“Right?”
I naturally expected him to push me out the door and tell me to leave immediately because of the enormous sum.
His next words were unexpected.
“Let’s not sell to them.”
“Why?”
“Europe keeps pressuring us to deliver sooner. This actually works out well.”
“The official who visited from Taiwan looked extremely desperate...”
“If they’re desperate, they can perform the demonstration themselves. Insisting that you come personally is just an abuse of buyer power.”
“Is it...?”
“There’s no need to go. Let’s show them exactly what it means to be an indispensable supplier.”
Taeju grinned as he tipped the remaining sausage side dish into his mouth.
“Fine. If they’re truly desperate, they’ll come here themselves.”
Minister’s Office, Ministry of National Defense Headquarters, Taipei, Taiwan
“Minister, China has sent a reconnaissance drone into Taiwanese airspace!”
As though surrounding the Taiwan Strait was not enough, the Chinese military was now launching reconnaissance drones and flying them around the island as if it were their own territory.
The threatening flight path included the TSNC semiconductor factory, called the heart of Taiwan, and a nuclear power plant.
“What... Shoot it down! What are you doing?”
“Should we intercept it with a Patriot missile?”
(Translator’s Note:Patriot Missile System — An American mobile surface-to-air missile system used to defend military sites and populated areas against aircraft, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles. Its high interceptor cost makes using it against inexpensive drones economically inefficient.)
“No, wait. One of those costs five billion won. Shoot it down with a gun!”
“Ah... Understood.”
That was when—
“Huff... Huff... Minister!”
The Chief of the General Staff burst through the office door, panting heavily.
His face was deathly pale, as though all the blood had drained from it.
“Ah, Chief. What happened with the demonstration? When did they agree to come? We may need it rather urgently now.”
Unlike his arrogant demeanor several days earlier, the Minister’s expression had also hardened.
The Chinese military’s increasingly suffocating behavior was deeply ominous.
“Tell them to come as soon as possible. They know the situation we’re in, don’t they?”
“Well...”
The Chief’s expression twisted miserably.
Something had clearly gone terribly wrong.
“Speak quickly. Every moment is critical.”
“They said they cannot come.”
“...What? What did you say?”
“South Korea refused. I told you from the beginning that we should simply buy them!”
The Chief shouted at him in an almost insubordinate tone.
“But shouldn’t the seller come and demonstrate the product?”
“What are you going to do now?”
“Fine. We do not need the demonstration. Just purchase them. I will approve it immediately.”
Forcing himself to swallow his pride, he hurriedly held out his hand for the approval file.
However, the Chief’s next words cut off his breath.
“Minister, Europe has offered to purchase the entire quantity we canceled.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you delayed approving the deposit, the contract has been completely lost.”
Thump.
The Minister collapsed into his chair without realizing it.
Only now did he understand.
He had believed that because he was paying, he held the upper hand.
In truth, he had been the desperately powerless party all along.
The Minister of National Defense, who had spent his entire life reigning from the pinnacle of power, was now floundering in an overwhelming whirlpool of contradiction and despair.
“Wh-What should I do?”
His mind had completely stopped working.
With trembling fingertips and a blank expression, he asked for help.
“Go there yourself.”
“Where?”
“Go to South Korea and beg them in person. Before the Chinese military blocks the airspace too!”
Science Facility Factory No. 2 Office
Until only a few days ago, Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense had arrogantly demanded that we come to Taiwan and perform a demonstration.
Now he had come all the way to our office, repeatedly wiping his forehead with a sweat-soaked handkerchief and bowing as he pleaded.
“Please. CEO Ryu. No, Mr. Ryu.”
“Even if you say that...”
“We have already signed an MOU for Europe to purchase the canceled quantity.”
When Taeju spoke calmly while checking the schedule, the Minister begged with a pitiful expression.
“It is only an MOU. The final contract has not been signed, so please do something about it.”
“But you already rejected the purchase. Why come back now...?”
“We will purchase it at a twenty-percent higher price, including a penalty.”
Growing desperate, the Minister made an extraordinary offer first.
“Twenty percent?”
“Yes.”
“Still no.”
Taeju had been waiting for an opportunity to retaliate against the Taiwanese Minister’s unilateral cancellation and abuse of buyer power.
When the Minister hesitated in confusion—
“Instead...”
“Pay fifty percent more. As an advance payment.”
Taeju’s terms were merciless.
Even I felt nervous listening beside him.
Was this really all right?
No matter how desperate the customer was, wouldn’t acting this boldly offend him enough that he refused to buy?
“Yes, understood. We will pay fifty percent more. A one-hundred-percent advance payment is difficult under the national budget, but we will immediately transfer half as a deposit.”
That worked?
“We sincerely beg you. I have already spoken to our Prime Minister about the TSNC tour requested by the South Korean government.”
The Minister clung to us with a servile and humiliated expression, as though he were about to cry.
Thanks to Taeju’s insane audacity, a contract worth 150 billion won instantly rose to 225 billion.
For a cancellation penalty, it was an enormous jackpot.
Taeju also did not forget to drive in the final nail.
“And you will have to wait several more months for the reconnaissance drones.”
“What?”
“Ah, the production line for those is not ready yet.”
I quickly interjected and explained.
“How long will it take?”
“I think two months should be enough.”
“That is practically Rocket Delivery!”
Compared to the seven or eight years required when ordering from the United States, one or two months was nothing more than an instant.
The Taiwanese Minister of National Defense looked close to tears even as he signed the paperwork, while we happily concluded the 225-billion-won contract.
“Haah... I should have simply approved it back then...”
The Minister still wore an utterly miserable expression as he was practically chased out of the office.
Oval Office, White House, United States
After a fiercely contested election, a new President was elected.
The press bombarded him with questions.
“Mr. President! Is it true that you plan to increase spending even though the United States’ debt has reached astronomical levels?”
“You said there would be no wars during your term. Is that true?”
“How do you feel after nearly being killed by an assassin’s bullet during the campaign?”
The President ignored the reporters and walked straight into the White House office.
“Mr. President!”
“Presi—”
Click.
The moment the door closed, the room became instantly quiet thanks to its excellent soundproofing.
“Whew. Finally, some peace and quiet.”
Although he ignored the interview immediately after taking office, this was actually his second term.
“Whew. First... shall we start by screwing over our allies?”
“Yes. That seems like an excellent choice.”
Even the Vice President agreed with the President’s absurd first statement.
There was already no one left capable of advising him.
The United States, which had once styled itself as the world’s police, was changing.
“That country called South Korea... Isn’t it completely wealthy now?”
“That is correct. Its GDP per capita surpassed Japan’s long ago. Recently, it has also been raking in money by selling its own weapons around the world.”
“Then why does it still whine about security and cling to our trouser legs?”
“It appears to be a trick to avoid increasing its share of defense costs.”
“What a waste. Think of how much money we spend protecting that country...”
He spoke without even examining the chart.
He was simply speaking based on instinct.
“Let’s drastically increase their defense-cost contribution. About tenfold.”
“They will strongly resist.”
“Then tell them we will withdraw United States Forces Korea. What choice will they have? They are a country without nuclear weapons.”
(Translator’s Note:United States Forces Korea (USFK) — The American military command responsible for United States forces stationed in South Korea. It was formally established on July 1, 1957, and supports the South Korea–United States Combined Forces Command and United Nations Command)
But he did not know.
He did not know South Korea would respond so forcefully.