Chapter 43: That Time I Drilled for Oil in South America (2)

TL: Skye

"...Three times?"

I couldn't believe my ears.

"Director Lucio conducted intensive interrogations while transferring the prisoners, and extracted statements indicating the Northern Oilfield holds a minimum of 1.8 billion barrels and a maximum of 2.6 billion barrels in reserves."

"2.6 billion barrels..."

My jaw dropped. At 2.6 billion barrels, a simple calculation put the value well over 100 billion dollars. That was a scale worthy of being called a giant oilfield.

"Don't tell me... they downplayed the reserves and even staged a terrorist attack just to swallow the whole thing?"

"Originally, it seems they intended to falsify the reserves and acquire development rights at a bargain price, but Your Excellency got in their way. As a result, we believe they devised a plan to overthrow the previous government entirely."

"Good lord..."

I was too stunned for words.

"And that's not all."

Isabella's eyes gleamed as she continued.

"Apparently, Chevron had even built an offshore platform so they could begin drilling at any time."

"A platform? Already?"

"Yes. At a shipyard near Houston, a drillship and platform already over 60% complete are reportedly standing by."

I clenched my fist. Normally, it takes a minimum of two years just to custom-build and install an offshore platform.

And one was already half-finished?

'That means we could start pumping oil as early as the beginning of next year, not the end.'

In resource development, where time is money, saving a year was an enormous windfall.

But at the same time, a chill ran down my spine.

"...How many people know about this?"

"Within Chevron, apparently no one at all. The five executives who were captured and the team that handled the on-site surveys were the only ones who knew, and..."

Isabella paused for a moment.

"They staged it as an accident and... drowned them all."

"......"

I was speechless.

"Absolute lunatics."

They had killed their own employees to keep the secret.

'What kind of devils are these people...'

Locking them away in prison for life almost felt merciful by comparison.

"In any case, they've been caught and the oilfield is ours now. Congratulations, Your Excellency."

Isabella was genuinely elated, but I couldn't just smile and celebrate.

'2.6 billion barrels is too big.'

Too much of a good thing, as they say. An oilfield is essentially a massive pool of oil underground. Even if I stick a straw into my own land and start sucking, if someone on the other side jams in a bigger straw, they can drain my share along with theirs.

And sitting right above this oilfield was none other than the United States, the world's greatest superpower and largest oil consumer.

If, on the off chance, America's oil majors found out about this and got greedy?

'We can't stop them with our strength alone.'

Then there was only one option. Before anyone else could dip their spoon in, we had to devour it all first.

"Director Isabella."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Contact Bureau Director Ellen and tell her to expedite the drilling. Before this gets out, we need to pump as much as possible, as fast as possible."

Isabella narrowed her eyes.

"You intend to extract everything before the other side catches on."

"Exactly. The faster we pump, the less room there is for disputes."

"Understood. I'll get on it immediately."

Isabella answered briskly and left the office.

With Yu-jin's resolve set, the San Marcos administration began moving at a pace reminiscent of wartime mobilization.

First, Isabella hounded Bureau Director Ellen day and night.

[Understood. I'll do my best to expedite things.]

Pressured by her relentless persistence and owing a debt of gratitude, Ellen compelled Chevron to prioritize San Marcos's oilfield for drilling.

Meanwhile, Yu-jin called Chairman Jeong Suman of Hyunhwa Group. Crude oil storage facilities were the most urgent priority before drilling could begin.

"I'd like you to accelerate the pipeline and storage facility construction at the Northern Oilfield as much as possible."

Sensing Yu-jin's urgency, Chairman Jeong let out a hearty laugh.

[Ha ha, sounds like something's come up.]

"I'll explain the details later..."

[No need for explanations. If Your Excellency says it's urgent, then it's urgent.]

The chairman accepted without a single question or objection.

[The groundwork is already done and all materials and equipment have been transported. We just need to fly in the manpower. Even if we have to run three shifts around the clock, we'll have it finished within three months. You can count on this old man.]

"Thank you, Chairman."

Relieved by the chairman's generous reassurance, Yu-jin seized the momentum to make one more request.

"Is there... any way to begin extracting crude oil before the offshore platform is installed?"

Even if Chevron's drillship arrived, installation and commissioning would take months. Yu-jin couldn't afford to waste even that much time.

[Have you heard of an FPSO?]

"An FPSO?"

[Think of it as a ship that functions as an offshore platform. It looks like a vessel, but once you lower a pipe, it can pump crude oil right away, do basic refining on board, and store it too.]

Pride crept into the chairman's voice.

[Our latest model built by Hyunhwa Heavy Industries can pump a solid 200,000 barrels a day, no problem.]

"200,000... barrels?"

Yu-jin was privately astonished. That was production on par with most fixed offshore platforms.

[As it happens, we have one sitting idle after an order cancellation. It was originally meant for a Brazilian oil company, but they went bankrupt and it lost its buyer.]

"Could we use it?"

[Of course. If you'd like, I can send it over right away. I'll even include the crew to operate it.]

"How much does it cost?"

[The listed price is 2.2 billion dollars, but considering it's sitting in inventory, I'll let it go for 2 billion.]

"2... billion dollars?"

Yu-jin was struck dumb. Two billion dollars was close to 3 trillion won in Korean currency.

They had taken out loans from the United States, but that money was earmarked strictly for infrastructure construction.

The Tortilla Company's funds were also tied up in mining development and various investments, making it difficult to free up capital on short notice.

"I'm sorry, but... we don't have the capacity to commit that kind of funding right now."

Just as Yu-jin was about to turn it down, his voice heavy with regret, the chairman made an offer he couldn't refuse.

[Pay me later.]

"...Pardon?"

[I'll put it on your tab. Sell the crude and pay it back at your leisure.]

In other words, he was proposing a "buy now, pay later" arrangement.

In truth, it wasn't an unreasonable gamble on the chairman's part, either. With oil prices staying high, once the crude started flowing, it was money that could be repaid within a few years.

And if he could build goodwill with the leader of a nation on top of it, that was an even better deal.

[Just don't forget about us at Hyunhwa down the road, eh? Ha ha ha.]

Yu-jin thought it over.

'If we bring in the offshore platform and the FPSO at the same time?'

Daily production of 400,000 barrels. Twice the speed he had originally projected.

And on credit, no less! As the saying goes, you'd even slaughter an ox if it's on someone else's tab.

"Deal. Send it right away."

*

Three months later. The northern waters of San Marcos. Two colossal steel beasts revealed their imposing forms upon the ocean.

They were the drillship on loan from Hyunhwa and the state-of-the-art FPSO that the San Marcos government had acquired on deferred payment.

"All preparations complete."

The site manager's tense voice crackled over the radio.

Watching the scene from a helicopter above, Isabella gave the order.

"Begin."

RRRRRUMMMBLE──!

The massive drill descending from the drillship began to rotate, boring into the ocean floor.

The drilling points had already been perfectly mapped out with Chevron's cooperation, so there wasn't the slightest doubt of failure.

After a brief moment.

[Drilling successful!]

An excited voice burst through the radio.

Black gold, the force that would shatter the shackles of poverty draped over San Marcos, had begun to pour forth.

"...We did it."

Isabella's eyes reddened.

Just a year ago, this would have been unimaginable. A country stained by poverty and drugs, becoming an oil-producing nation.

Only one person had made all of this possible.

'Your Excellency... what on earth are you...'

Her chest swelling with emotion, she grasped the radio.

"Well done, everyone. I will report to the Presidential Palace immediately."

*

The same moment, at the Presidential Palace office.

Yu-jin set down the phone, tension etched across his face. He had just received Isabella's report.

"It worked."

He let out a sigh of relief, then turned to Resa.

"Senior Secretary Resa."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Connect me to the broadcast station. I'm issuing an emergency address to the nation."

Yu-jin moved to the Briefing Room of the Presidential Palace and stood before the cameras. He wanted to deliver this joyous news to the people without a moment's delay.

Across every television and radio in San Marcos, regular programming was interrupted and the national anthem rang out.

[Caribbean until the seas and Mount Yunque run dry may Deus protect our nation, long live our country~]

As the national anthem Yu-jin had personally, ah, "adapted" began to play, citizens placed their hands over their hearts and listened with solemn reverence.

Then, Yu-jin's voice resonated through every television and radio.

[My beloved people of San Marcos.]

In the marketplaces of Libertad, in rural village restaurants, on construction sites, and in homes across the nation, every citizen stopped what they were doing and held their breath, hanging on the president's every word.

[Today, I wish to share a historic announcement with you all.]

Yu-jin paused to steady his breath, then declared with a voice brimming with conviction.

[Just moments ago, our first oil drilling operation in the northern waters of San Marcos has succeeded.]

"......!"

The eyes of everyone watching went wide.

[This marks the first step for our San Marcos to cast off the chains of poverty and stride forward as a self-reliant economic nation.]

Yu-jin's voice surged with strength.

[We are no longer a nation that waits for others' help. We have become a nation that can stand on its own two feet and leave a better future for our children.]

On screen, Yu-jin wore an expression of sincerity, as if making eye contact with each and every citizen.

[All of this glory belongs to the great people who endured silently through hardship, never losing hope.]

[The government will use this resource for you. We will educate our children, pave our roads, and build hospitals. We will establish a basic social safety net so that every citizen can live with hope.]

[And so, I ask all of you to trust in me and work hard alongside me.]

After the broadcast ended, a brief silence hung in the air. What shattered it was someone's sobbing.

"O-oil? Oil's coming from our land?"

"Does this mean our children won't have to go hungry anymore?"

"Didn't you hear what His Excellency just said? He said he'll use it for the people!"

The merchants in the marketplace. The laborers on the construction sites. They looked into each other's faces.

And that astonishment quickly erupted into a tremendous roar.

"WAAAAAAAAAH!"

Cheers exploded from every corner of the streets. They were strangers to one another, but it didn't matter. People embraced and danced and wept.

The elderly, who had suffered poverty their entire lives, collapsed to the ground and sobbed. The young clenched their fists and shouted toward the sky.

It was the moment hope bloomed in San Marcos, a land that had known only despair.

A thunderous cry from the people engulfed Libertad.

"Viva Yu-jin! Viva San Marcos!"

"Viva Yu-jin! Viva San Marcos!"

The people began pouring into the streets.

*****

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