Chapter 241: A Deal Behind Their Backs

Director Jean-Philippe could not hide his growing doubts.

His people had turned the entire house and surrounding grounds upside down, literally combing every meter in search of the money and diamonds Gabriel had hidden. Meanwhile, Cha Jiham's subordinates and the National Intelligence Service operatives seemed to have no intention of searching for anything at all. They were calmly enjoying their breakfast without a care in the world.

Apparently, he was not the only one having such thoughts. Branch Head Harrison approached him and said in a low voice,

"Director Jean-Philippe, don't you find all this strange?"

"I'm thinking exactly the same thing you are, Branch Head Harrison."

"Do you think Department Head Cha may have already found the money and diamonds Gabriel hid?"

"Hmm... There may be some truth to that. Why don't we ask him directly?"

At that moment, Cha Jiham and his companions finished their meal and came out into the reception room.

Jean-Philippe and Harrison rose from their seats and approached them.

"Department Head Cha, did you enjoy your breakfast?"

"More or less. Aren't you two hungry?"

"Department Head Cha, you understand perfectly well what kind of situation we're in."

He meant that they had not even had a bite to eat because they were busy trying to find Gabriel's hidden money and diamonds.

"Ah, I understand perfectly."

As soon as we sat down on an empty sofa, Director Jean-Philippe immediately got down to business and asked me point-blank,

"Department Head Cha, have you found the money and diamonds Gabriel hid?"

Of course we had found them, but I had no intention of telling the truth.

"What makes you think that?"

"Then why are you taking things so leisurely?"

I had anticipated this question, so I already had a rather convincing answer prepared.

"To give both the Federal Intelligence Service and the CIA an equal chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Our company employees and NIS operatives thoroughly searched this place before you arrived. But as you can see, we found nothing. And if we started searching for the money and diamonds again at the same time as you, that would violate the principle of fairness. So we decided to simply wait."

"Ah, I see."

Director Jean-Philippe nodded, showing that he understood my reasoning.

Branch Head Harrison, who was still plagued by vague doubts, joined the conversation.

"Department Head Cha, where do you think Gabriel could have hidden the money and diamonds?"

"Definitely somewhere around here. I'm inclined to think they're underground."

'Well, the basement floor is technically underground too.'

"Why do you think that?"

"If you neatly pack hundred-dollar bills into a large box, you can fit about five million dollars inside. To hide forty-five billion dollars, you'd need nine hundred such boxes. The only place where you could store that many boxes is underground."

"Are you saying there's a secret room somewhere underground?"

"You're absolutely right, Branch Head Harrison."

"Phew... That's still like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Harrison sighed as he stared at the ceiling.

Seeing his disappointment, I decided to give him at least a little hope.

"Branch Head Harrison, you understand that water is paper money's greatest enemy. If I were Gabriel, I'd make the secret room incredibly sturdy so that rainwater couldn't seep inside."

"I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, Department Head Cha."

"I mean that the secret room must have been built out of solid reinforced concrete."

Only now did Harrison understand what Cha Jiham was getting at.

Rebar buried underground would inevitably trigger a metal detector.

Therefore, if they combed the garden with metal detectors, finding the secret room would not be difficult.

And yet, one unresolved question remained.

"But couldn't you have found the secret room with metal detectors before we arrived?"

"If we'd had metal detectors, we would have."

"Ah! I didn't think of that."

"Well, now we'll join the search for Gabriel's hidden money and diamonds as well."

"Do as you see fit, Department Head Cha."

Ignoring Harrison's response, I turned around and gave Chief Secretary Kang Inhan an order.

"We have to find the money and diamonds before the CIA and the Federal Intelligence Service do."

"We'll do everything we can."

After answering loudly and confidently, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan took three team leaders, including Hong Jongsu, and headed off somewhere.

After casting them a brief glance, I continued my conversation with Branch Head Harrison.

"I spoke with Director Hayden, and there's something you should know as well."

"What is it? Go ahead."

"We have some uninvited guests camped out in the lobby of the hotel where we're staying."

Harrison immediately realized who I was talking about.

They had to be operatives from North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau who had rushed to Interlaken to capture Kwak Cheolhun.

Cha Jiham had referred to them as "uninvited guests" solely out of consideration for Director Jean-Philippe's presence.

"I see."

"There's no reason for us to come face-to-face with those uninvited guests. So I have a favor to ask. Bring our suitcases here."

"I'll arrange it this morning."

"Excellent. And if possible, keep track of those uninvited guests' movements."

"You don't need to worry about that."

As though he had been waiting for exactly this moment, Director Jean-Philippe cut into the conversation.

"Department Head Cha, who are these uninvited guests?"

"Let's just say they're people who cause us unnecessary trouble."

"Could it be... that these uninvited guests have something to do with Kwak Cheolhun, Vitor Gabriel's friend?"

Director Jean-Philippe clearly had not become head of the Federal Intelligence Service just for his good looks.

I had just steeled myself to formulate an evasive answer when an unexpected complication occurred.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan came rushing out of the basement, breathing heavily.

Deciding that this was actually for the best, I immediately rose from the sofa and addressed him.

"Chief Kang, what happened?"

"You need to come down to the basement immediately."

"Don't tell me... you found the secret room?"

'Heh-heh. Department Head, your acting has gotten noticeably better!'

"Not yet, but we found a suspicious spot."

"Understood. Let's get downstairs."

I hurried toward the basement after Chief Secretary Kang Inhan.

Naturally, Director Jean-Philippe and Branch Head Harrison rushed after us.

Upon entering the second-to-last room at the end of the basement corridor, I deliberately tilted my head in confusion.

"Chief Kang, but there's nothing here?"

Kang Inhan said nothing and merely nodded to Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol and the others.

They walked to the corner of the room, jumped as high as they could, and landed on the floor.

At that very moment, a dull, hollow sound rang out—"Thump!"—clearly indicating that there was an empty space beneath the floor.

"Chief Kang, you found it!"

"There's a very high probability, but we can't be one hundred percent certain yet."

At that moment, a National Intelligence Service operative ran into the room carrying a huge sledgehammer and began smashing the concrete floor in the corner with all his strength.

Boom, boom, bo-o-om...!

Chunks of cement flew in every direction with each blow of the sledgehammer.

The room was instantly filled with thick clouds of construction dust.

Fleeing the debris and dust, we hurried out into the corridor.

After a while, the NIS operative emerged from the room, covered from head to toe in cement dust.

Breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with one hand and reported,

"Haah... Department Head Cha, I found the entrance leading to the secret room."

"Excellent work. Let's get inside right away."

However, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan blocked my path.

"Department Head Cha, there may be traps installed inside the secret room. For safety, it would be better to have the NIS specialists go down first."

"You have a point. Operative Hong, safety comes first."

"Don't worry about that."

Operative Hong Jongsu nodded confidently and descended into the secret room with his men.

Word of the discovery soon reached the others, and CIA agents and FIS personnel began pouring into the basement.

As a result, the narrow basement corridor became completely packed.

After some time, Hong Jongsu appeared on the steps leading from the secret room with a large cardboard box in his hands.

He walked over to us and set the box down on the floor.

"Department Head Cha, there are no traps in the secret room."

"That's fortunate. Was there money in the box?"

"That's right."

"Hurrah!"

At that very instant, the crowd gathered in the basement erupted in cheers.

Their jubilant roar was so deafening that my ears rang.

Once the cheering subsided somewhat, Hong Jongsu continued his report.

"There's no lighting in the secret room. It's pitch-black down there. We'll have to bring all the boxes out here."

"Let's do that."

Under everyone's restless gazes, Operative Hong Jongsu opened the lid of the box.

It was filled to the brim with bundles of hundred-dollar bills.

I took out one bundle and examined it carefully. Judging by the varied serial numbers, these definitely weren't counterfeit bills.

Handing the bundle of money to Director Jean-Philippe, I continued my conversation with Hong Jongsu.

"Approximately how many boxes like this are there in the secret room?"

"It was too dark to count them all, but the room itself is larger than three rooms put together. And it's packed with boxes from wall to wall. There's barely any room to move."

"I understand. And how many bundles of money fit in one box?"

Instead of answering, Hong Jongsu lifted the box and turned it upside down.

Bundles of hundred-dollar bills spilled onto the floor with a rustle.

He squatted down and began counting them.

Seeing him do so, everyone else immediately rushed to help and began counting as well.

After a while, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan finished counting and reported to me.

"Department Head Cha, there are four hundred bundles of hundred-dollar bills in one box."

In other words, exactly four million dollars per box.

"I see."

"We'll handle bringing all the boxes outside. Wouldn't it be better for you to wait in the reception room until we're finished?"

I immediately saw through Chief Kang's intentions.

He was telling me that while they were unloading everything, I should go upstairs and negotiate the terms for dividing the money and diamonds with Director Jean-Philippe and Branch Head Harrison.

Since I had read his mind, how could I pretend I hadn't understood?

"Have the CIA agents and FIS personnel help as well."

"What are you all standing around for?!"

Before I had even finished speaking, Director Jean-Philippe roared at his subordinates.

The FIS personnel immediately rushed into the room in a crowd.

The Korea Investment employees, NIS operatives, and CIA agents were not about to fall behind and rushed inside as well.

After giving them a quick glance, I addressed Director Jean-Philippe.

"We'll only get in the way down here. Let's go upstairs and watch from there."

"Ha-ha. Agreed. Branch Head Harrison, let's go."

Once we returned to the reception room, those present all asked me the same question.

"Department Head Cha, how did the Korea Investment employees even figure out there was a secret room beneath that room in the basement?"

Saho had found it.

However, I had no intention whatsoever of revealing that secret.

"As I already told Branch Head Harrison, rainwater is paper money's greatest enemy. Knowing that, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan assumed Gabriel had built the secret room somewhere underground—either beneath the mansion itself or beneath one of the annexes."

I paused briefly to catch my breath before continuing.

"And to find that room, Chief Kang made use of Saho."

"Made use of Saho?"

"Saho's sense of smell is several times stronger than a dog's."

"Are you saying it was his sense of smell that played the decisive role in Saho finding the secret room?"

"Yes, exactly. Chief Kang trained Saho to pick up the distinctive scent of hundred-dollar bills."

"So Saho smelled the money coming from inside the secret room?"

"You're absolutely right, Director Jean-Philippe."

However, Branch Head Harrison still looked unconvinced.

"Department Head Cha, but we thoroughly searched that room too and didn't find a single crack."

"Saho's eyesight is sharper than an eagle's. There must have been a microscopic crack that we simply failed to notice."

"Ah, I see..."

Harrison nodded slowly, drawing out the words as though everything finally made perfect sense.

Now it was time to raise the truly important issue—the division of the money and diamonds they had found.

"I assume you both acknowledge the fact that we were the ones who found Gabriel's hidden money and diamonds?"