Chapter 318: Shall We Test the Hypothesis?

That afternoon, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan came into my office.

“Director Cha, I just got a call from Director Santiago of the National Bureau of Investigation.”

“Is that so? What did you talk about?”

“Last night, Philippine forces began a sweep against the drug trafficking network.”

The Philippines was sweltering all year round. Whether because of the climate or for some other reason, the local temperament tended to be unhurried. I had assumed that the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine military would take their time dismantling the cartel.

But contrary to my expectations, the operation had been launched in emergency fashion the previous night.

I asked Kang Inhan whether he knew why they were in such a hurry.

“There was an information leak. Someone leaked the fact that the NBI had arrested Carlos.”

“I see... So that’s what happened. How did the information leak?”

“This morning, NBI agents urgently arrested Commissioner General Angelo.”

“You’re saying the head of the police himself was behind the leak?”

“Director Santiago confirmed exactly that.”

“Do we know why Commissioner Angelo betrayed them and protected the drug traffickers?”

“He had been receiving enormous bribes from the criminals in regular installments.”

A laugh escaped me at the absurdity of the situation.

If even the top leadership of the Philippine police was that rotten, it wasn’t hard to imagine how corrupt the rank-and-file officials were.

“Because of Commissioner Angelo’s betrayal, it’ll probably be impossible to wipe out the entire network now.”

“Director Santiago expressed serious concern about that as well.”

Bzzzz—

At that moment, the phone lying on the table began to vibrate.

The name of NIS Director Om Giyeon appeared on the screen.

“Director Om, I’m listening.”

“Director Cha, I’m currently with Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol of the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau, Commander Kwak Taesu, and Major General Lee Cheolseung.”

“Understood. What’s this about?”

“Around noon today, Major General Lee Cheolseung received a report from one of his people in North Korea.”

“What kind of information?”

“Politburo member Liu Peiqi contacted RGB Director Kim Changho and told him he was restoring the commission rate to the previous thirty percent.”

Liu Peiqi had been laundering cryptocurrency stolen by North Korean RGB hackers and converting it into dollars.

He took thirty percent of the stolen funds as his fee.

However, when purchasing five tons of gold from Chairman Zhen Weiliang, Liu Peiqi had borrowed four and a half billion dollars from Secretary Deng Zhiping.

To pay the interest on that loan, he had raised his commission to forty percent.

And now, only a few days later, he was suddenly lowering it back to thirty!

I asked Director Om whether he knew the reason behind the move.

“I was wondering the same thing, which is why I decided to call you.”

The logic clearly didn’t add up.

Lowering the commission back to thirty percent could mean only one thing.

Liu Peiqi had found a way to repay Secretary Deng Zhiping.

But he had explicitly told Zhen Weiliang that he had no intention of selling the fourteen tons of gold he already possessed until the end of the year.

And if he intended to offer that gold to Chairman Xi Jinping, selling it would make even less sense.

‘How is Liu Peiqi planning to pay off his debt to Secretary Deng?’

At that moment, a plausible hypothesis flashed through my mind.

The instant I applied it to Liu Peiqi’s current situation, all the pieces fit together.

Still, I didn’t rush to share my theory with Director Om.

It could be wrong.

“Doesn’t this mean Liu Peiqi found a way to repay Secretary Deng Zhiping?”

“But Liu Peiqi still needs to buy six tons of gold from Chairman Zhen Weiliang, doesn’t he?”

“This morning, Liu Peiqi called Chairman Zhen and said he had failed to secure the necessary funds.”

“Ah! You mean he’s going to sell the fourteen tons of gold after all and use the money to settle his debt with Secretary Deng?”

Liu Peiqi had told Zhen Weiliang that he would only put the gold up for sale at the end of the year, so Director Om’s assumption wasn’t unreasonable.

“That’s right, Director Om.”

“I never expected such a greedy man to give up his seat on the Standing Committee so easily.”

But Liu Peiqi had no intention of giving up the power struggle at all.

If I laid all my cards on the table to Director Om now, it would only create confusion.

So I had to dodge the issue and answer vaguely.

“Director Om, there’s a well-known saying: ‘No one can truly know another person’s heart, and intentions shift like the wind.’”

“You think he might change his mind?”

“That’s the possibility I’m leaning toward.”

“But if he changes his mind, then he can’t sell the gold!”

“He only stepped back temporarily because he didn’t have enough money.”

“So if he finds the money, he’ll jump right back into the race for the Standing Committee seat?”

“Exactly, Director Om. By the way, let me change the subject.”

“I’m listening.”

“When does the Chinese government plan to introduce visa-free entry for our citizens?”

“I’ve heard it’ll be very soon. Why are you interested?”

If my hypothesis was correct, I would have to go to China personally to deal with this matter.

But since there was still a chance I could be wrong, I decided not to reveal my cards yet.

“There may be a need for a business trip.”

“Understood. I’ll try putting pressure on the Chinese side to speed things up.”

“I’ll be waiting for good news. I won’t keep you any longer.”

Click.

The moment I hung up, Kang Inhan, who had been listening carefully to the conversation, immediately spoke.

“Director Cha, are you planning a trip to China?”

“There’s a possibility.”

“What on earth is happening over there?”

“I’m still gathering information. Once the picture becomes clear, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Then tell me just one thing. Is this connected to Politburo member Liu Peiqi?”

“You’re right, Chief Kang.”

“If that man is involved, then things are taking a bad turn.”

Bzzz—

My phone vibrated again.

Vice Chairman Wei Chen’s name appeared on the screen.

I turned the screen toward Kang Inhan for a moment, then answered the call.

“Vice Chairman Wei, I’m listening.”

“Director Cha, my people who were following Director Liu Haoran just reported that he met with Public Security Bureau Chief Pu Zhenghua at a hotel in Beijing.”

“The same Pu Zhenghua who’s responsible for Dandong?”

“That’s him.”

The picture became clear instantly.

Liu Peiqi intended to have Pu Zhenghua seize someone else’s gold by force.

I shared my theory with Wei Chen.

“That’s exactly what I think too, Director Cha.”

“Is there any way to listen in on what Liu Haoran and Chief Pu are talking about?”

“Our organization doesn’t have anyone inside that hotel.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“You can say that again. Whose gold is Liu Peiqi planning to seize?”

In truth, I already had a specific candidate in mind.

But I kept silent, afraid I might be wrong.

If we could intercept Liu Haoran’s calls, we would know the victim’s identity immediately.

However, Director Griffin had warned me that the wiretap would not be ready until tomorrow morning at the earliest.

And we couldn’t afford to wait until tomorrow.

“I have one guess, but I’m not certain yet.”

“And who is it?”

“Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan.”

“That’s it! How did I not think of him immediately?!” Wei Chen shouted so loudly into the phone that Kang Inhan flinched.

“Vice Chairman Wei, you’re going to deafen me.”

“Ha-ha, my apologies.”

“To test my hypothesis, I need your help.”

“How can I help?”

“Check whether Pu Zhenghua and his people have started tailing Zhang Jinan.”

“Understood. I won’t waste any time. I’ll get on it immediately.”

Click.

The moment the call ended, Kang Inhan, practically standing at attention from curiosity, asked in an eager voice:

“Director Cha, is Liu Peiqi targeting Zhang Jinan’s gold?”

“The probability is extremely high.”

“Why do you think so?”

“If Liu Peiqi takes Zhang Jinan’s gold, he kills three birds with one stone. First, without spending any additional money, he gets twenty tons of gold to offer Chairman Xi Jinping. Second, once Zhang Jinan loses his stockpile, he’ll be knocked out of the race for the Standing Committee seat.”

I paused to catch my breath and continued.

“And third, by selling the seized gold, Liu Peiqi can easily repay the three billion dollars he owes you and the four and a half billion he owes Secretary Deng Zhiping.”

“But for him to cover debts that large, Zhang Jinan would need an enormous amount of gold!”

“I checked with Chairman Zhen Weiliang. Zhang Jinan currently has around twenty tons.”

“But couldn’t Zhang Jinan simply give those twenty tons to Chairman Xi Jinping without buying any more?”

I shook my head.

“Zhang Jinan found out that Liu Peiqi was preparing an offering of twenty tons. To surpass his rival and secure victory, he decided to buy additional gold and present exactly twenty-five tons.”

“Now the picture makes sense. When will we know whether Liu Peiqi really is targeting Zhang Jinan’s gold?”

“If we’re lucky, as early as this evening.”

“Then I can’t go home. I’ll stay on duty at the office.”

“Is there really any need to go that far?”

“Director Cha, your predictions have never been wrong before.”

In the end, I couldn’t break Kang Inhan’s stubbornness, and I had to give up on the idea of going home.

Because of that, KBH Investment’s top executives, led by Vice President Cho Myeongsu, were also still sitting in their offices.

I tried to send Cho Myeongsu home, but he simply waved me off.

There was far too much work left to do.

“Vice President Cho, the remaining tasks can easily wait until tomorrow.”

“I need to finalize the task force roster today.”

I had been the one to order him to form the group as quickly as possible, so I had nothing to say to that.

“But can’t you delegate the formation of the group to one of the directors?”

“I’ll be leading the group myself. How could I entrust something this important to my subordinates?”

“...What? You’re going to lead the group personally?”

“We’re pouring every last dollar of the company’s operating capital into gold futures. Who else could I possibly trust with the wheel?”

Cho Myeongsu’s logic was ironclad.

“All right. I’m counting on you. When do you plan to enter the trades?”

“As soon as the team is fully assembled. By the way, specialists from Korea Investment and Hangang Group will also be joining our group.”

“And why are they involved?”

“That was Chairman Park and Chairman Yoon’s personal decision.”

“If that’s what the shareholders decided, I won’t argue. So how much are Korea Investment and Hangang Group putting into gold futures?”

At that question, Cho Myeongsu grimaced in pain.

I had told him that the companies would invest twenty-five billion dollars each.

However, Chairman Park Yeongil and Chairman Yoon Jongu had dug in their heels and demanded that the figure be raised to thirty billion from each side.

Because of that, the argument still hadn’t died down.

After explaining the problem to me without leaving anything out, Cho Myeongsu pleaded:

“...Director Cha, couldn’t you settle this for them and put an end to the argument?”

“Let them invest thirty billion each. That’s an excellent figure.”

“Are you serious?” Cho Myeongsu asked in astonishment.

“The larger the amount, the higher our final return from the futures.”

“Ah, now I understand!”

Bzzz—

At that moment, the phone vibrated again.

It was Wei Chen.

Knowing exactly what the call was about, I answered without delay.

“Vice Chairman Wei, I’m listening.”

“Director Cha! Chief Pu Zhenghua’s people just started tailing Zhang Jinan!”