Chapter 191: Hehehe. In That Case...

There was an unspoken implication behind Chief Secretary Kang Inhan’s question: ‘Why don’t we take the golden Buddha statue with us?’

However, I had a completely different opinion on the matter.

“It looks like the statue is merely gold-plated, so let’s just leave it alone.”

“May I ask why you came to that conclusion?”

“To cast a gold statue that size would require about 2.5 tons of gold. Considering that one kilogram of gold costs around eight hundred thousand dollars, that statue would be worth two billion dollars. It simply makes no sense to display something that expensive in the corner of a reception room.”

“But couldn’t Politburo member Liu have put it on display to show off his wealth?”

“There were North Korean hackers and Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives staying at this villa. What would be the point of showing off his wealth to them?”

“Even so, we have nothing to lose. Why don’t we take it anyway?”

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan stubbornly refused to give up. I needed to dispel this illusion of his once and for all.

“We’d need a forklift to move that statue, and that would attract far too much attention.”

“Our men can handle that problem.”

“Chief Kang is absolutely right,” Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol chimed in.

I wagged my finger, making it clear that the idea was out of the question, and continued speaking to Kang Inhan.

“Kang Inhan, let’s say our men manage to carry the statue out. Where are you going to put it?”

“In the trunk of our car.”

“We need to drive all the way to Dalian. There are bound to be temporary checkpoints along the way. How are you planning to deal with that when they inspect the car?”

“We’ll cover it with the suitcases we brought on the business trip.”

Director Lee Menghong, who had been watching our argument, joined the conversation.

“Director Cha, traffic on the expressway to Dalian is heavy, so I doubt they’ll thoroughly inspect the trunk of every single car.”

“Director Cha, you heard what Director Lee said, didn’t you?” Kang Inhan asked triumphantly.

It was time to play my final trump card.

“Let’s say we manage to get it to Dalian. What do we do after that?”

“We’ll sell it to Vice Chairman Wei Chen below market price.”

“And if an appraisal shows that it’s nothing more than ordinary gold plating?”

“Well, then we’ll just consider all our effort wasted.”

“Haha... Fine, do whatever you want.”

“Haha, excellent decision! Team Leader Lee, hurry up and move that statue before Director Cha changes his mind!”

After receiving the order, Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol and the other men brought over ten steel pipes, each one and a half meters long, and laid them out across the floor at equal intervals. They removed the glass display cover and tightly wrapped the statue in bubble wrap to protect it from damage. Then they wrapped it in red cloth, carefully laid it on top of the pipes, and secured it firmly with ropes.

Gripping the ends of the pipes from both sides, they lifted the heavy load together and carried it out of the reception room. Watching their coordinated movements, I could only shake my head.

“I hope it’s pure gold so all their effort doesn’t go to waste.”

“Director Cha, I’m absolutely certain it’s pure gold,” Lee Hyeonsol said before anyone else could speak.

“And why are you so sure?”

“Statues like this are usually made of copper and then plated with gold. For reference, copper is about 1.2 times less dense than gold. If the statue weren’t made of pure gold, the guys wouldn’t be struggling this much.”

“That does make sense,” I said with a nod. “Team Leader Lee, you’ll take responsibility for the laptops we collected here and bring them back to Korea.”

“I’ll give one to each of our men.”

“Do that. Search the villa thoroughly and take every document and piece of material that might prove useful.”

“Understood.”

“Bring the unconscious Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives in the basement upstairs. And destroy Politburo member Liu’s villa so thoroughly that not one stone is left standing.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll see you back home.”

***

Inside the car heading toward the hotel.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan, who had been admiring the scenery outside the window, turned toward me.

“Director Cha, may I ask why you ordered the villa destroyed?”

“After taking out the hacker group, our men spent the entire night there. There’s a good chance they left behind traces, fingerprints, or hair.”

“Ah, now I understand.”

Bzzz!

Just as Kang Inhan nodded in understanding, the phone in my hand vibrated. I quickly glanced at the screen and saw Vice Chairman Wei Chen’s name. Knowing why he was calling, I didn’t hesitate and immediately answered.

“Vice Chairman Wei, how did it go?”

[The cargo ship Silver Crystal just departed from the Port of Dalian.]

“That’s excellent news. You did a great job.”

[I merely watched from a distance as Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan put on his show.]

“Haha, is that so?”

[By the way, why did you ask me to conceal the destruction of Golden Trading’s warehouse?]

Vice Chairman Wei Chen had suggested using the captured Sheng Kou to leak information to Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui about the destruction of the warehouse where the TEL components had been stored. However, I had been adamantly against it. He had tried to find out why, but I had postponed the conversation. Now, consumed by curiosity, he asked the question again.

“If Chen Zhihui learns that the warehouse was destroyed, the information will immediately reach Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan.”

[Of course.]

“The warehouse contained TEL components intended for North Korea, while the Silver Crystal was carrying North Korean weapons. If Zhang Jinan learned that the warehouse had been destroyed, he might suspect that the Silver Crystal was destined to meet the same fate.”

[Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?]

“You can never be too careful.”

[Hmm, that makes sense. Then when should we leak the information to Chen Zhihui?]

“The later, the better.”

[And why is that?] Wei Chen asked, genuine interest evident in his voice.

“The fire at Golden Trading’s warehouse spread to the neighboring premises, and the damage continues to grow. Golden Trading is obligated to compensate everyone who suffered losses.”

[Because they were the source of the fire?]

“Exactly. It would be better to pass along the information after the firefighting operation is over.”

[Hahaha! Now I understand. When are you planning to arrive here?]

“We’re leaving here at ten in the morning, so we should arrive around two or three in the afternoon.”

[I’ll send you the address of our hotel in a message. Come there.]

“Agreed. Oh, right! Prepare equipment for testing the authenticity of gold.”

[I assume you have a reason for that?]

“At Politburo member Liu Peiqi’s villa, we found a golden Buddha statue about 1.3 meters tall.”

I told Wei Chen exactly how the statue had come into our possession.

“...We want to check whether it’s real gold.”

[If the statue turns out to be pure gold, what are you [N O V E L I G H T] planning to do with it?]

Originally, I had intended to sell it to Wei Chen.

But I could clearly hear greed in his voice.

‘Hehehe. In that case...’

“The statue looks quite unusual. We’ll have experts in cultural artifacts examine it first, and then we’ll decide.”

[Should I invite an antique appraiser as well?]

“We can call one after we confirm that it’s gold.”

[Understood. See you in Dalian.]

Click.

As soon as I hung up, Kang Inhan, who had been listening attentively to the entire conversation, immediately asked,

“Director Cha, aren’t you planning to sell the statue to Wei Chen?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Then why did you imply that you didn’t want to sell it?”

“There was naked greed in his voice.”

“Ah...” Kang Inhan drawled in understanding as he nodded.

***

Normally, there wasn’t much traffic on the highway between Dandong and Dalian. Today, however, the expressway was completely jammed. In the two hours since leaving Dandong, we had traveled only about fifty kilometers.

Just as my irritation was beginning to get the better of me, Kang Inhan turned to Lee Menghong.

“Director Lee, why is traffic so bad here?”

“I assume it’s because of the temporary checkpoints set up all along the highway.”

“Are there any alternate routes?”

“Of course, but the situation there is probably the same.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do. When do you think we’ll reach Dalian?”

“At this rate, not until this evening.”

That meant the journey would take twice as long as usual.

“What if someone desperately needs to use the bathroom?”

“In China, relieving yourself by the side of the road is still considered normal, so no one will say anything.”

“Well, China really is an amazing country.”

“Haha, I completely agree.”

Bzzz!

At that moment, the phone in my trouser pocket vibrated. I took it out and saw Director Griffin’s name on the screen.

“I’m listening, Director Griffin.”

[Ten minutes ago, a massive explosion occurred aboard the Silver Crystal. The ship is slowly sinking.]

That meant all twenty Composition H6 charges planted on the ship had detonated.

“Will the Silver Crystal sink completely?”

[The water there is about fifty meters deep, so the hull has gone to the bottom, but some of the containers will remain afloat. However, the twenty containers carrying North Korean weapons have been completely destroyed.]

The containers weren’t airtight, so seawater would quickly fill them from the inside. The cargo would be ruined and written off. Consequently, Eastern Shipping, which was responsible for transporting it, would suffer enormous losses.

“Well, that means all six operations are complete.”

[You can say that again. You did an excellent job directing this entire operation.]

“Haha, you flatter me.”

[While I have you, there’s something else I’d like to discuss.]

“I’m listening.”

[China is accusing our country of destroying the naval base in Dalian. How should we handle this situation?]

“I think the best approach is to face it head-on. You should continue firmly denying any involvement.”

[Do you have an argument to support that?]

“Eight warships ran aground because Composition H6 was detonated directly beneath their keels. And four submarines were hit by Chinese torpedoes. The Chinese command will realize that soon enough.”

[And what if they continue insisting that we’re responsible even after learning those facts?]

I already had a plan prepared for that possibility.

“Without evidence, their accusations won’t lead anywhere. If they keep insisting, remind them about the destruction of the ammunition depot.”

[What exactly do you mean?]

“There are only two ways to destroy a depot like that: a missile strike or infiltration from the inside. The first would mean their air defense system failed. The second would mean their security was negligent. What do you think will happen when Chairman Xi Jinping learns about that?”

[The top brass of the Chinese military will try to bury the matter as quickly as possible to avoid punishment.]

“Exactly. May I hang up now?”

[Wait a second,] Griffin stopped me.

“Is there something else?”

[Director Volasky is proposing that we disclose information about the destruction of the naval base to the media.]

“They won’t be able to conceal the incident anyway. Publicizing it would indeed make sense for boosting Ukrainian morale, but we need to wait for the right moment.”

[Volasky mentioned that you were confident it would be possible to destroy another Chinese base. Is that really feasible?]

“The Triad is in the same boat as us, so it’s entirely possible,” I replied confidently.