Chapter 60: More & More

"Commissioner General Choi, tell me, how much compensation should be paid to the police special operations officers who were injured for their medical expenses and emotional damages?"

It was not the police who had destroyed the South Korean branch of the Triad, but the operatives of Korea Investment. However, the media presented it as the achievement of the police special operations unit because the existence of the fund's operatives absolutely could not be disclosed. Naturally, during the raid on the gang's hideout, not a single Korea Investment operative had suffered even a scratch. Even so, the public statement claiming that numerous special operations officers had been wounded had been made for one reason only—to defuse any outrage or protests from the Chinese government.

To preserve the overall cover story, Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong had no choice but to continue maintaining the lie.

"As you may have learned from the news, fourteen officers sustained minor injuries, while four suffered serious injuries. Cover the medical expenses of the special operations officers according to the actual hospital bills, and as compensation for emotional damages, pay five hundred thousand dollars for each minor injury and one million dollars for each serious injury."

Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Five hundred thousand dollars was an enormous sum—roughly 3.65 million yuan. And the police commissioner was casually demanding half a million dollars for every officer who had walked away with little more than scratches? The medical expenses weren't even included in that figure—they were a separate item. Under normal circumstances, he would have thrown the bill right back in the Commissioner's face.

But now the Korean police had him completely cornered.

Even so, he couldn't simply accept such terms without resistance.

"Commissioner General Choi, even a minor knife cut is classified as a minor injury."

"Should I interpret your words as a refusal to pay compensation for emotional damages?"

"Not at all. I'm merely asking you to lower the amount a little."

"Hmm..."

Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong dragged out the sound thoughtfully and fell silent.

Chen Zhihui waited anxiously for his decision.

After some time, the Commissioner finally spoke, as though he had reached a conclusion.

"Well, it can't be helped. In that case, we'll simply include the medical expenses in the overall compensation for emotional damages."

"Are you mocking me?"

The words nearly escaped Chen Zhihui's lips, but fearing the consequences, he displayed extraordinary restraint and swallowed his anger.

"But treating those with minor injuries barely costs anything."

"So?"

"Ah... Never mind. I accept your proposal."

The total amount of emotional damages that Choi Dongyeong demanded from Chen Zhihui came to an impressive eleven million dollars.

In truth, even the Commissioner himself hadn't expected to collect every cent. He had intended to concede roughly half during negotiations. He had simply named the figures on the off chance that they might stick.

To his surprise, the Chinese man accepted immediately.

In an excellent mood, the Commissioner decided to flatter his opponent slightly.

"Just as I'd expect from the future head of the Triad. You certainly make bold and decisive decisions."

"...What do you mean? Future head?"

"I'm well aware of everything happening within your organization."

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"There's no need to pretend."

"Could it be..."

Choi Dongyeong immediately understood why Chen Zhihui had hesitated.

He had clearly concluded that the person leaking the Triad's internal information was his greatest rival—Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

To accomplish his objective, all the Commissioner had to do was reinforce that misconception.

"If you promise to keep it confidential, I might give you a hint about who shared the information."

"I already know who that bastard is."

"Oh? Then I don't need to say anything."

"Exactly."

"In that case, shall we settle the compensation for emotional damages immediately after all the negotiations are concluded?"

"As you wish."

"Now I'd like to discuss Deputy Secretary Zhang's medical expenses."

Chen Zhihui couldn't shake the feeling that this Korean police commissioner was unbelievably petty.

Nevertheless, he carefully concealed his true feelings.

"We'll pay Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan's medical expenses in full according to your invoice."

"Hahaha. Excellent. Then let's move on to negotiating the repatriation of the detained Triad members."

"Very well. State your conditions."

"We'll officially transfer them to the Chinese government in accordance with all legal procedures."

"Our side would prefer to settle this matter quietly."

Choi Dongyeong had absolutely no intention of playing along with the Chinese plan.

If he did, the entire scenario painstakingly prepared by the Korean side would collapse.

"The citizens of our country are watching the case involving the destruction of the South Korean Triad branch very closely. We cannot secretly send gangsters back to China behind our own people's backs."

"Well... if that's the case, it can't be helped."

At last, the perfect moment had arrived for the decisive blow.

"Oh, yes. We will not be returning Chen Shao and Li Jiahan to China."

"Wh... why?!" Chen Zhihui's voice trembled slightly from complete surprise.

"Last year, Chen Shao struck a pedestrian with his car and fled the scene. Afterwards, he ordered Li Jiahan to eliminate the witnesses in order to cover up the incident. Carrying out those orders, Li Jiahan committed premeditated murder."

Chen Zhihui went cold as [N O V E L I G H T] he realized the full gravity of the situation.

The sole reason he had personally risked everything to come to South Korea was to retrieve his son.

Now he was learning that his only heir was implicated in crimes ranging from a hit-and-run to orchestrating contract killings.

"Ha..."

Chen Zhihui let out a heavy sigh as he stared blankly into space in utter despair.

Watching him carefully, Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong realized the fish had taken the bait.

Mentally recalling Cha Jiham's advice, he continued applying pressure.

"If I were in your position, Vice Chairman Chen, I'd wholeheartedly support the Korean side's decision."

"I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at."

"It's quite possible that the Chinese authorities already know Chen Shao's true identity."

Deep down, Chen Zhihui disagreed.

His son had traveled back and forth to China countless times without incident.

If the government had known who he really was, he would have been arrested long ago.

He asked the Commissioner directly.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Enemies within are always far more dangerous than enemies without."

"Enemies within...?"

"Precisely. If I were your rival, I'd personally leak information about Chen Shao to the Chinese authorities in order to undermine you and weaken your influence. What do you think would happen then?"

"..."

The mere thought of such an outcome sent a chill through Chen Zhihui.

But Choi Dongyeong had no intention of letting up.

He mercilessly delivered the next blow.

"The Chinese intelligence services would subject Chen Shao to brutal torture in order to obtain the exact coordinates of the Triad's base in Macau..."

"Wait!" Chen Zhihui interrupted in panic.

"What is it?"

"Commissioner General Choi... but how do you know the location of our main base?"

All of that information had been stored on the gold chain confiscated from Chen Shao.

Naturally, the Commissioner had no intention of revealing that secret—not even under threat of death.

"Vice Chairman Chen, I believe you already have a very good idea who my source is."

"That son of a bitch!"

Unable to restrain himself, the Chinese man exploded in fury.

"I trust those words weren't directed at me?"

"Oh, of course not. I just..."

Chen Zhihui hesitated awkwardly, clearly wanting to ask for something.

"If you have something to say, then say it plainly."

"The thing is... what would we have to do to ensure the coordinates of our base remain an absolute secret?"

"If the Triad gives its solemn word never to set foot in our country again, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Without question! I swear in my own name—we'll never come here again."

Commissioner Choi Dongyeong didn't believe a single word.

South Korea's narcotics market was expanding rapidly.

There was no chance the Triad would voluntarily abandon such an immensely profitable market.

Still, there was no reason to push his guest into absolute desperation just yet.

"Very well. I'll take you at your word. Now let's discuss what should be done with Chen Shao."

"I'm listening."

"The Chinese authorities will unquestionably extract every confession they want from your son. I don't think I need to explain what comes after that."

"...I know."

Hearing Chen Zhihui's subdued voice, the Commissioner knew he had already won most of the battle.

Only one final push remained.

"If you take Chen Shao back to China, he'll almost certainly die there. I believe it would be much safer for both him and Li Jiahan to serve their sentences here in South Korea. What do you think?"

"Before I answer, I'd like to clarify one thing."

"Go ahead."

"What sentence is my son facing?"

Choi Dongyeong understood that this was the pivotal moment of the negotiations.

His answer would determine exactly how much compensation Cha Hyeonji and the families of the murdered witnesses would receive.

"For the hit-and-run, he'd likely receive around two years in prison. As for masterminding murder, the law allows for punishment up to life imprisonment. However, if the defendant provides generous and satisfactory compensation to the victims, the sentence could be reduced dramatically."

"And how much compensation would satisfy the victims?"

"The more, the better."

"Hmm..."

Chen Zhihui once again fell into thought.

Choi Dongyeong sat calmly across from him, fully aware of the calculations running through his opponent's mind.

After a long silence, the Chinese man finally spoke.

"Commissioner General Choi, if we pay one million dollars to the young woman injured in the traffic accident and five million dollars to each murdered witness's family, would that be sufficient?"

The Commissioner considered the proposed amounts more than generous, but his expression remained unchanged.

"I'll only be able to give you a definite answer after discussing the matter with the victims themselves and their legal representatives."

"Assuming they agree to a settlement, how much would my son's sentence be reduced?"

"The minimum sentence for complicity in murder is five years. Taking the traffic accident into account, he'll have to spend at least six or seven years in prison."

"Ha..."

Chen Zhihui sighed deeply.

"Well... it can't be helped."

At that moment, the fate of Chen Shao and Li Jiahan was sealed.

They would remain in South Korea to serve their prison sentences.

Considering this a tremendous success, Choi Dongyeong moved on to the remaining issues.

"What should we do with the ordinary Triad members we captured alive?"

"Can't they also serve their sentences here?"

The Commissioner shook his head.

"If we refuse to return the ordinary gang members to China, the Chinese government will face serious difficulties."

"Why is that?"

"They're criminals, yes—but they're still Chinese citizens. If we keep them in our prisons, the Chinese public won't understand, and there'll be an uproar."

"Ah... That's true. I hadn't considered that."

"And one more thing. Please accept my apologies, but we can't hand them over free of charge."

"Naturally. What amount of compensation are you seeking?"

After a brief round of mutual concessions, Choi Dongyeong and Chen Zhihui agreed that China would pay one million dollars for each mid-level Triad leader and five hundred thousand dollars for each ordinary member.

Since the most difficult issue had already been resolved, they reached agreement on all the remaining details without much difficulty.

"Vice Chairman Chen, give me some time to speak with the victims."

"I'll be waiting in my room. Contact me as soon as a decision has been made."

With those words, Chen Zhihui stood up, opened the conference room door, and walked out.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong turned to me.

"Manager Cha, roughly how much did Cha Hyeonji's treatment cost?"

"Around fifty million won."

"So if we secure one million dollars for her—that's approximately 1.35 billion won—that should be more than enough?"

I shook my head.

"My younger sister will have to live with serious long-term health consequences because of that accident. Taking that into account, one million dollars really isn't that much."

"Hmm... Now that I think about it, you're right. All right. I'll see if I can squeeze even more out of him."

As Commissioner Choi nodded in understanding, the conference room door opened once again, and Chairman Park Yeongil entered with the others.

We hurriedly rose to greet them.

"Commissioner Choi, you've done an outstanding job."

"Hahaha! Thank you, Chairman."

Once everyone had taken their seats, Chairman Park Yeongil continued,

"While you were negotiating with Vice Chairman Chen, Chief Secretary Kang contacted the legal representative of the murdered witnesses' families."

"Really? And what was their response?"

"They said that Chen Shao and Li Jiahan must receive the full punishment they deserve under the law. They also asked me to express their heartfelt gratitude for helping them obtain such substantial compensation."

"Whew... thank goodness."

Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong let out a long sigh of relief.