Chapter 61: Light and Shadow (3)

Chapter 61: Light and Shadow (3)

After unloading its cargo and refueling, the multipurpose vessel Sapphire Express left port and rendezvoused with El Juego’s yacht near the Marieta Islands. The cargo concealed in the yacht’s shadow was transferred in full below the multipurpose vessel’s deck. The cocaine was no exception. Although our organization did not deal in narcotics, we decided to store it for the time being as it was a valuable windfall.

Now, a new morning in a secluded safe house on the quiet beach. I was listening to Suyeon detail the spoils of war.

“About 5 tons of purified cocaine, 22 million Mexican pesos and $3.8 million USD, 227 kilograms of silver, 45 kilograms of gold, 4 kilograms of platinum, 9 kilograms of palladium, plus small amounts of rhodium and bearer bonds and gems, etc. Excluding the cocaine and gems, the total current value comes to $8,227,833 USD, approximately 9.84 billion Korean won.”

It was difficult to estimate the value of the cocaine. Based on average US retail prices, among other major markets, it was a shipment worth approximately 15 trillion won, but narcotics carry great risks in handling and have high distribution costs. Besides, I had no plans to monetize it.

I asked Suyeon,

“Where is the ship headed now?”

The final hunt at the port was unscheduled. Therefore, the cargo ship’s destination after unloading would naturally differ from the original plan. As the decision maker, I had been practically comatose for three days after ending the hunt, so the person who decided the Sapphire Express’ next port of call was in effect the second-in-command, Suyeon.

Suyeon answered the question.

“Levuka Harbor in Fiji.”

Levuka was the former capital of the Republic of Fiji, a small port town on the South West Pacific. I narrowed my eyes slightly. I remembered there was an illicit maritime base there, but as it wasn’t frequently utilized, I couldn’t recall the details.

“Are the warehouses there suitable for storing the cocaine? I seem to remember a report of major damage some years ago.”

“From Typhoon Winston in 2016. Instead of repairing the original damaged facilities, plots of land on higher ground were purchased and instructions were given to construct five new camouflaged warehouses. They applied perfect seismic isolation design and withstood the great earthquake in 2018, so you may rest assured it is sturdy enough that the cocaine will not deteriorate.”

Ah, now I remember. What report I received back then, how I handled things. With my memory sharpened, I also realized there was a minor error in Suyeon’s explanation.

‘It should have been approved, not ordered.’

Even before Suyeon rose to the position of chief secretary, the former secretary already had her pegged as his successor. He said keeping his position longer would perversely make him more disloyal. He also complained he was sick of the silent burning ambition beneath him. From my perspective, the former guy fled his post-half like he was escaping.

The Levuka facility relocation was an initiative Suyeon led even back when she was already the power behind the throne. She argued that as a port of call for deep sea fishing vessels, frequent foreign ships would not arouse suspicion, that a little money could buy the powers that be, that other organizations would hesitate to establish a base there due to the frequent disasters, that with one solid investment it would be a good place to conceal goods away from the surveillance of law enforcement worldwide. This flowed into subsequent plans to reinforce bases across the South Pacific islands, also implemented under Suyeon’s leadership.

So why phrase it as an order instead of approval? She was not the type to falsely flatter. And she knew I disliked such obsequiousness.

‘Could her memory have changed?’

There were often such characters among my subordinates. Their devotion was excessive, to the point they truly believed everything they accomplished was thanks to me. This was also a form of psychological dependence. Like reason, memory was not free from the influence of emotion. Suyeon was no exception.

Reaching this thought, I realized I had unconsciously treated this girl as an exception to every rule. Even though that could never be. This was a human frailty on my part.

Suyeon, misunderstanding the prolonged silence, asked,

“Should I change the ship’s destination?”

“No.”

Shaking off my reverie, I switched topics to safer ground.

“What do you think would be the ideal use for the cocaine we acquired this time?”

“Currently there are two options.”The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

The ever prompt reply.

“The first is to hand it over in bulk to a certain organization as payment in kind in lieu of cash. Groups like ‘Bratsky Krug’ and ‘Yamaguchi-gumi’ would have the capacity to take on this volume.”

“Next.”

“The second is to utilize it as a tool of attack and diplomacy. As you taught, the devil-worshipping cult Order of 7 Angles’ leader Grace had an enmity on par with London’s Round Table. By gifting 5 tons of purified cocaine, we can endow them with tremendous financial power. England will suffer the triple disasters of drug addiction and increased crime rates, as well as the spread of religious terrorism.”

“You two dig in as well. Best when it’s hot.”

“Yes.”

Kyung-tae smiled happily and started eating directly from the bowl and dish. Suyeon, who had wrinkled her nose on the first bite, quietly emptied her bowl too.

After the meal, we paired the avocados with non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Couldn’t drink real liquor with so much to read and sign off on piling up.

“It’s kind of disappointing without the alcohol feeling.”

Kyung-tae’s regret as he sliced the avocado with an infantry saber. The saber was taken from the British army. Halving the fruit, Kyung-tae poked the large round pit out of the flesh with the blade tip. It popped right out with just a light tap. Running the blade vertically to score lines, he peeled off each half in turn, leaving just the green-rimmed yellow flesh. His large build concentrating hard on cutting the small fruit was amusing.

“Here, this is for you, hyung....nim?”

A dish of diced flesh already sat before me. Kyung-tae looks to Suyeon. Suyeon was calmly preparing the second fruit.

“Sigh.....”

I felt an indescribable sense of déjà vu from Kyung-tae’s pointless disappointment. It wasn’t just one or two days they would mess around like this. The one who added the flesh he cut to my dish now prepared his own share, asking,

“Hyungnim. How much longer do you plan on spoon-feeding that Admiral Martínez?”

“Spoon-feed him?”

“Isn’t that effectively what you’re doing? Aside from us, he has no avenues, even if you give him money everything has to be laundered and delivered here finished, currently the volume we can supply is limited, and it’s not like the goods are special quality or bargain prices either.... Ultimately, how much he grows depends on how much you choose to baby him.”

“Assuming that’s true, do you have a specific reason for asking?”

“Didn’t I thoroughly investigate those UNAPROP (Port Security) friends yesterday? It was during your conversation with the Admiral.”

“And?”

“Well, they’re born soldiers, those friends. You could see them clearly following the Admiral. They all stood up stiffly like fresh recruits from the training camp, with eyes twinkling brightly. Wow, it was quite impressive, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just an outward appearance.”

“Is that so...”

“Yes.”

He couldn’t have paid much attention to it, but if Kyung-tae saw it that way, it must be true. This was the quality assurance of being an admiral.

Eaten near the growing area, the avocados were slightly more oily and nutty than I remembered. The richness of the fruit and the sparkling wine’s crispness combined well.

Kyung-tae spoke up.

“I don’t mean to pry like Sister Suyeon calculating this and that, but won’t that Admiral become a reliable business partner we can count on in tough times if you raise him well? So since you’re going to raise him anyway, how about lavish early investment like you did with White Chief? Become his angel investor. Money is power in Mexico anyway.”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

In other words, make another human being like the White Chief.

My heart leaned towards trusting Kyung-tae’s sense for once. There was timing to every investment. The faster the better for leaving a strong impression.

Author's Thoughts

Disclaimer:

This novel is a work of fiction! While it may incorporate elements inspired by our "real" historical world, including historical events, settings, and cultures, it is important to note that the story and characters are entirely products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased, or actual events is purely coincidental. This work should be enjoyed and interpreted as a work of fiction and not as a representation of historical facts or reality.

Also, if you find some error in translation please do let me know by tagging me (@_dawn24) in our Discord server. Since this series is kinda hard to translate. But I'll try my best to make it at least readable :)

Enjoy reading~!