Chapter 194: The Reward System

Vice Chairman Wei Chen promised to return the next morning and left the villa with his men. After seeing them off, we resumed our interrupted conversation.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan briefly glanced at the golden Buddha statue standing in the corner of the living room and addressed me.

"Director, are you planning to take the golden Buddha back to Korea?"

"We've already confirmed that it isn't cultural heritage. Is there any reason to take such a risk?"

"In that case, I'm curious why you turned down the deal Vice Chairman Wei Chen offered."

"In this situation, he's the one in a hurry, not us."

Only then did Kang Inhan fully understand what I was planning. I was deliberately dragging things out so I could sell the statue to Wei Chen for the highest possible price.

"Ah, now I understand what you're getting at."

"We've had a long journey today, and I'm quite tired. How about we get some rest?"

"You should rest, Director. We're not tired at all."

I could see right through Kang Inhan. Worried that someone might steal the statue, he intended to guard it all night.

"Chief Secretary Kang, the villa is completely surrounded by Triad men outside."

"That's precisely why I'm worried."

"Come on, really?"

"If there's anyone in this world you should trust last, it's Triad gangsters."

"Haha, sounds like you've got quite a bit bottled up. Well, do as you see fit, Chief Secretary Kang."

Still, Kang Inhan's sharp instincts regarding the golden Buddha were certainly not something to dismiss.

At that moment, Lee Menghong joined the conversation, looking as though he had something to add.

"Chief Secretary Kang, perhaps we should call Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol over?"

"Call Lee? What do you mean?"

"I heard that Lee and his subordinates were planning to return home through Dalian International Airport."

"Ah, that's an excellent idea."

Kang Inhan dialed Lee Hyeonsol's number, spoke with him for a couple of minutes, then hung up.

"Director, Team Leader Lee's group of five is currently staying at a hotel downtown."

"Good. Have them come here. I think I'll head upstairs."

Knock, knock, knock.

I had barely lain down in bed to get some sleep when there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, Kang Inhan was standing there.

"Director, Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol just arrived. He has an urgent report."

"Understood. Let's go downstairs."

Chief Secretary Kang and I went down to the first floor, where Lee Hyeonsol and Lee Menghong were already waiting for us. I walked briskly over to the main armchair, sat down, and addressed Lee.

"Report. What happened?"

"While examining the contents of Major General Lee Cheolseung's laptop, we discovered an emergency communications network."

"What kind of network?"

"North Korea maintains cyber units in ten locations, including Beijing."

Deputy Director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau Jo Ilcheol had previously mentioned that a North Korean hacking group was operating in Dandong to steal cryptocurrency. However, Lee Hyeonsol was now reporting that there was a network operating in other regions as well.

"Is this information reliable?"

"We haven't been able to verify it yet, so I can't say with one hundred percent certainty. But they were definitely conducting cyberwarfare."

North Korea did not use the global network available to the rest of the world. Because of that, conducting cyberattacks directly from its own territory was difficult. That was why it had established hacking cells inside China.

"What are the main tasks of these groups?"

"Spreading disinformation to manipulate public opinion, stealing intelligence data, and attacking the websites of government agencies, banks, television stations, and media outlets."

I nodded in understanding and turned to Lee Menghong.

"Director Lee, is there any way to verify this communications network?"

"The best way would be to personally visit the locations and conduct reconnaissance."

A different idea from Lee Menghong's suggestion formed in my mind. Whether it would actually work, however, was another question. Putting that thought aside for the moment, I continued.

"How long would verification take?"

"Considering that we don't have many operatives in China, it would take quite a while."

There was no helping it. I'd have to use my plan.

After finishing my conversation with Lee Menghong, I immediately called National Intelligence Service Director Om Giyeon. After several rings, his surprised voice came through the phone.

"Director Cha, what happened at such a late hour?"

"Director Om, you know who Major General Lee Cheolseung is, the man we captured at Liu Peiqi's villa, correct?"

"Of course."

"While analyzing his laptop, we found an emergency communications network."

I gave Om Giyeon a detailed account of our conversation with Lee Hyeonsol and Lee Menghong.

"...I believe we need to interrogate Lee Cheolseung to verify the information."

"Naturally. We'll do exactly that."

I asked Lee Menghong to forward the network diagram we had found to the NIS Director.

"Director Om, did you hear what I just asked Lee Menghong to do?"

"Yes. We'll verify everything as quickly as possible."

After discussing a few more work-related details with him, I ended the call. The moment I did, Lee Menghong spoke to me.

"Director Cha, I've just sent the file to Director Om."

Kang Inhan, who clearly had a question bothering him, joined the conversation again.

"Director, what if Lee Cheolseung refuses to cooperate and doesn't say anything?"

"We'll deal with that problem if it comes up."

***

The next morning.

I had barely slept all night.

The reason was that I hadn't heard anything from NIS Director Om Giyeon.

After quickly getting dressed, I went down to the first floor, where Kang Inhan, Lee Menghong, and Lee Hyeonsol rose from their seats to greet me. I glanced at the Buddha statue standing in the corner of the living room and sat down in an armchair.

"When did you all get up?"

"It's hard to sleep in an unfamiliar place, so we got up at the crack of dawn."

"Wasn't it because you spent the entire night guarding the golden Buddha?"

"Haha. Why would we do that? By the way, has Director Om contacted you?"

Kang Inhan was clearly embarrassed and skillfully changed the subject.

"Not yet."

"Perhaps you should call him and ask how things are progressing?"

"It's only seven in the morning. Let's wait a little longer."

Bzzz—

The phone in my hand vibrated.

Om Giyeon's name appeared on the screen. After letting everyone know who was calling, I quickly answered.

"Director Om, any news?"

"In all my life, I've never met anyone as stubborn and tough as this Lee Cheolseung."

"I see. What are you planning to do?"

"I've decided to send our agents in China directly to the locations to verify them."

However, I couldn't agree with the NIS Director's decision.

It had already been about thirty hours since the hackers at Liu Peiqi's villa had been wiped out. News of their elimination was guaranteed to have reached the other cells by now.

I already had a Plan B prepared to shorten the verification time.

"Director Om, allow me to handle this matter."

"Do you have some ingenious idea?"

There was unmistakable interest in Om Giyeon's voice.

In truth, I intended to use the Triad's resources. Their network stretched throughout all of China. But since I hadn't discussed the matter with Wei Chen yet, there was no reason to show my hand prematurely.

"The plan hasn't been fully worked out yet."

"Well, you're the one calling the shots. If you need our help, call me anytime."

Click.

As soon as I put down the phone, Lee Menghong addressed me.

"Director Cha, what's the situation?"

"They interrogated Lee Cheolseung all night, but he didn't say a single word."

"That's unfortunate... The worst-case scenario. So how does Director Om intend to deal with it?"

"I'll handle the verification of the hacking groups myself."

"How?"

"You'll see soon enough."

Lee Menghong decided to rein in his curiosity.

After all, no one knew how to keep his cards close to his chest better than Jiham.

"Understood."

"Breakfast is sacred. How about we get something to eat?"

Brrrrr—

At that moment, Kang Inhan's phone vibrated on the table. After checking the screen, he said it was Director Pan Kai and answered the call. Once their conversation ended, Chief Secretary Kang hung up and relayed the gist of it.

"Director Pan Kai and Vice Chairman Wei Chen will be here in ten minutes."

"Looks like someone's getting impatient."

"Hahaha!"

Kang Inhan burst into loud laughter at my joke.

***

I went outside and respectfully greeted Vice Chairman Wei Chen as he stepped out of a luxury sedan.

"Welcome. What brings you here so early?"

"Haha! I thought I'd have breakfast with you, Director Cha, before you fly back to Korea."

"I'm afraid we don't have any fancy dishes suitable for entertaining guests."

"I anticipated that, so I brought both ingredients and a chef."

"Then there won't be any problem."

"Still, you look terribly exhausted. Did something happen during the night?"

I deliberately made myself look extremely tired to pique Wei Chen's interest.

The strategy worked flawlessly. The gangster immediately became curious.

"Let's go inside. I'll tell you everything."

The moment Wei Chen settled onto an empty sofa, he got straight to the point.

"Director Cha, hurry and tell me. What happened?"

"The thing is, I received an extremely important piece of information late last night."

"What kind of information?"

"North Korea has deployed cyber units in roughly ten locations, including Beijing. But we don't have the resources to verify the information."

"How can we help?"

"We need your people to go to those locations and confirm whether those hacking cells actually exist."

"Hmm..."

Wei Chen hesitated and sank into thought.

I knew perfectly well why he was hesitating. He was calculating how much he could bargain out of me in exchange for the favor.

After a few moments, he finally gave his answer.

"Director Cha, what if we simply wipe out those hacker nests while we're at it?"

"With all due respect, Vice Chairman Wei, I can't accept that proposal."

"And why is that?"

"These groups are guarded by elite Reconnaissance General Bureau personnel, and they're almost certainly armed. Without a meticulously prepared plan, an operation to wipe them out would result in enormous casualties."

"We can afford to take those risks."

"Absolutely not. All I need from you is confirmation that these bases exist."

"Very well, then. We'll do it your way," Wei Chen replied with obvious disappointment.

In return for his agreement, I decided to offer him a substantial gift.

"Vice Chairman Wei, how would you feel about introducing a reward system?"

"A reward system?"

"Depending on how quickly you confirm the hackers' presence, I'll lower the price of the golden Buddha."

"Tell me the terms."

"If you finish by three in the afternoon, I'll give you an eight-percent discount off the current LBMA price. For every hour you save beyond that, I'll add another one-percent discount."

"I accept your offer!"

"I appreciate your decisiveness. Explain to Vice Chairman Wei exactly what needs to be verified."

"Yes, understood!"

After giving a brief reply, Lee Menghong hurried into the bedroom and returned with a laptop. He opened it in front of Wei Chen and began explaining.

"As you can see, North Korea has ten facilities like these. First, you need to photograph the buildings where the hackers are based. Then determine exactly how many people are working at each location..."

Lee Menghong thoroughly explained the key verification criteria to Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

"...All information you obtain must be sent to me by email immediately."

"Director Pan, did you hear all that?"

"Yes, Vice Chairman!" Pan Kai replied loudly and clearly.