The office was empty after all the agents had left.
The aftermath of the grenade blast still lingered.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder,
and things were broken here and there.
The blood stuck to the office floor seemed to testify to how horrific things had been here until just moments ago.
Even so, I had to negotiate with Wei Zhonglin here.
This was the only place where I could obtain a cheap solution to Zamboanga and Unitytown’s electricity problems all at once.
To be honest, when these bastards came to kidnap me, I had almost greeted them with open arms.
I thought negotiating with China would make it as easy to obtain solar power as weapons.
I just hadn’t expected them to set off a grenade.
Things hadn’t gone as planned, but in the end, I was sitting across from Wei Zhonglin alone.
Even in this situation, Wei Zhonglin wasn’t shaken in the slightest.
Was this because of his military background?
He was staring at me with a sharp gaze.
Perhaps he was only pretending to be more confident so that he wouldn’t be intimidated.
“Damn, I almost died.”
“You really are going to die, you know? You don’t think you can leave this place alive, do you?”
Wei Zhonglin spoke with the confidence of a man certain that all the initiative was in his hands.
“I can hope for that, can’t I? If I die here, you’ll be in a difficult position too. Someone dying in the chairman’s office.”
“Ah! You’ll die, of course, but not here. You’ll die somewhere nobody knows about.”
“Is that so? Then you won’t be able to obtain Asand.”
“According to our information, it’s produced somewhere in the Philippines. We believe it’s probably Mindanao. If we cooperate with the Philippine government, finding it will be easy. Taking over production will be even easier.”
“You think the Philippine government can enter Mindanao?”
“Of course. We’ll help them. Or we could enter directly ourselves.”
“Wahahaha. You’re insane. Don’t people normally call that a war?”
“So what? The Philippine government will like it too, won’t they? They haven’t been able to lay a hand on Mindanao, but thanks to us, they’ll be able to clean it up completely.”
“It might not be that simple.”
“It’s difficult if you think of it as difficult. But if you think simply and push ahead, there’s no problem. If we enter under the name of development, nothing will be wrong. We can say that rebels are threatening development and that we have no choice but to send troops to protect innocent Chinese citizens. The Chinese army that goes to Mindanao that way will destroy everything you’ve built. The people, the organization, the buildings. They’ll smash everything you’ve created. Everything except the Asand factory. Wahahaha.”
Wei Zhonglin laughed confidently.
“I see.”
I answered and picked up the gun I had set down beside me.
Wei Zhonglin was startled again when he saw my gun.
He must have momentarily forgotten that I had one.
“What are you doing all of a sudden? Why are you picking up the gun? You said we were going to talk.”
“Yes, I did. But you’re sitting right in front of me, openly saying you’re going to kill me and destroy everything I’ve built. It would be ridiculous for me to just sit here.”
“Whoa. Put the gun away. That’s cheating.”
“Cheating, my ass. Just as you’re using every method available to you, I’m using every method available to me. Let’s be honest. If you send in the army, it’ll be difficult for us to win. Even so, while I may not be able to win a war, I can kill you. If I kill you here, someone else will come as your successor, but at least that person won’t start a war like you would, right? From my perspective, it’s a cheap price to pay. If you and I can stop a war with our lives.”
“……”
Wei Zhonglin looked troubled, as though he hadn’t expected this situation.
“You have two options. Want to hear them?”
“Go on.”
Wei Zhonglin answered cynically.
“The first is for you to die by my hand here. I’ll probably die too. But we can prevent a war. That’s the first option.”
“And the second?”
“We put our feelings aside and just do business cleanly.”
“Business?”
“You need Asand, and I receive goods of equivalent value in return.”
“Goods?”
“Was there no handover?”
“Unfortunately not. There was no one to hand things over to.”
“That’s understandable. I’ll explain it again, kindly. We supplied Asand, and received weapons in return. Any shortfall or surplus was settled with money.”
“Hmm…”
Wei Zhonglin fell silent in thought for a moment.
“There were many things I didn’t know.”
“There will be many things from now on that only you know, while everyone else remains unaware. You’re sitting in that kind of position.”
Could he have taken those words as me acknowledging him as the chairman?
Wei Zhonglin’s expression appeared much more relaxed.
“I suppose so?”
“Of course. But there’s something we need more than weapons.”
“What?”
“Solar panels.”
“Solar panels?”
The moment Wei Zhonglin heard the words solar panels, he was delighted.
It was nothing special.
The previous government had apparently given us weapons in exchange for Asand.
I couldn’t even imagine what amazing thing this lunatic would demand in exchange for Asand this time, and I had been a little afraid.
But it was solar panels.
That was manageable.
It was almost something to be grateful for.
The coup had only recently brought him to power. If he proposed exchanging weapons and Asand, opposition might arise from numerous quarters, but solar panels could instead be presented as an achievement.
It all depended on how it was packaged.
China was the world’s best when it came to solar panels.
The overwhelming number one.
Their performance was respectable, but when it came to sheer volume, there was nowhere that could compete with China.
China produced 80 percent of the world’s solar panels.
They had recently produced far too much, leaving them with a large surplus of inventory. This was also a good opportunity to get rid of it.
We could have our cake and eat it too.
“I’m thinking of buying an electric company in the Philippines soon, but the power plants there are vulnerable. So I’m thinking of building at least one solar power plant.”
“Solar power is good. It’s cheap, eco-friendly, and efficient.”
“See? Isn’t it great when we leave our emotions out of it and just do business? We can each take exactly what we want.”
A faint smile appeared on Wei Zhonglin’s face.
“Clean and simple. So we exchange Asand for solar power? Deal?”
“Good. But…”
“What else do you have to say?”
“I think we need to adjust the unit price a little.”
“The unit price?”
“Yes. We thought of China as a partner. But now we see that we were merely a subcontractor whose deliveries could be cut off at any time. And since your side unilaterally broke the contract, there should be a penalty.”
“……”
“We thought of China as a partner and believed we were supposed to prosper together, so I thought we had shared a certain amount of hardship. But that was merely a delusion on our part. The reality is that we were subcontractors.”
“Ahem. About that…”
“So this time, I intend to receive the proper price. I don’t feel good about it either, but let’s put our emotions aside.”
“So how much?”
“I’ll take exactly ten times the usual price.”
“What?”
“Why are you surprised? I told you. We considered you partners, so we supplied it at a price that didn’t even cover our costs. Why? You also traded with us using weapons, goods that carried considerable risks. I valued that highly. But solar panels aren’t like that. They’re something you can simply buy with money, aren’t they?”
Wei Zhonglin wore a slightly displeased expression at my words.
“If you don’t like it, just pay in cash. I’ll give you a small discount if you pay in cash. But then I’ll purchase the solar panels somewhere else.”
To be honest, Wei Zhonglin had no idea how much they were currently paying to import Asand.
He also had no information on how much they would have to pay annually if the price increased tenfold.
Naturally, he couldn’t simply accept on the spot.
“We’ll need to review that separately. This is an extremely unexpected situation, after all.”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you call me here to discuss this today? And now you’re saying it’s unexpected. Were you unprepared? Or did you simply not prepare? Or were you planning to kill me and take it by force?”
“No. You misunderstand. It’s just very different from what we expected.”
“For your information, once I leave this place, every proposal I’ve made will be void. So make your decision quickly and carefully. I won’t be coming here twice.”
As I spoke, I reached into my pocket, took out some Asand, and placed it on the table.
Of course, I had taken it from my inventory.
Wei Zhonglin’s gaze fixed on the Asand.
That bastard was an addict too.
That would make this conversation easier.
I changed the tone of my voice.
I spoke with genuine desperation.
“Chairman. We need to develop our technology too. We worked incredibly hard to produce Asand for China. You know it’s exclusive to China, right? That’s why we put in everything that’s good for the body. Vitamins, zinc, iron. Even so, side effects appeared. Our researchers are working incredibly hard to eliminate them. But we have no money, and no electricity, so we can’t conduct our research. The kids leave work at five while they’re in the middle of their research. When I ask them why they’re leaving, they say the electricity cuts out at five because it’s solar-powered. They can’t do any more research. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, after learning this, Chairman, you took pity on those poor researchers and installed something like a nuclear power plant for them? But instead of a nuclear power plant, you’re hesitating even though I’m offering to exchange Asand for solar power. It’s frustrating. I’m beginning to think I chose the wrong person. We truly worked so hard to realize China’s dream, but I’m very disappointed that this is all we have to show for it.”
Wei Zhonglin subtly watched my eyes.
He must have felt that what I was saying was true himself.
His eyes had been captured by the Asand, after all.
“Hmm. Then we’ll exchange Asand for solar panels. But ten times is too much. Make it five times.”
“Deal. But include an ESS as a complimentary service.”
“What?”
“Are you not going to conduct research at night? Are you going to sleep once the sun goes down? You need to use electricity at night too. So include an ESS as well. You can throw that in as a service, can’t you? We’ve limited the increase in Asand’s price to 50 percent, and you’ve secured solar exports. Isn’t that an incredible achievement?”
Wei Zhonglin seemed somewhat shaken by my words.
The distribution of Asand, solar exports,
and the Asand shimmering before his eyes.
But an ESS was too expensive.
Too expensive to give away as a complimentary service.
“Chairman, even now, there are countless people standing outside like zombies, unable to do anything. You saw them too, didn’t you?”
Wei Zhonglin flinched at my words.
It was a side effect of Disand.
It was the one thing Wei Zhonglin most wanted to hide.
And it was also the problem he needed to solve first.
The solution was Asand.
“They’re all precious Chinese citizens. You should embrace them in the arms of China. Embrace them with Asand. But are you going to cast your people aside over one measly ESS? You’re not that kind of person, are you, Chairman? Aren’t you? You’re a kind and good person. You have principles, and when you believe something is right, you’re the kind of person who’ll walk into a sea of fire. You’re someone who can accept any sacrifice for the sake of the people. Isn’t that why you made such a momentous decision this time too? I’m right, aren’t I? That’s how I saw you. That’s why I came to meet you, Chairman. Because you’re a great man. Because you’re a man with principles and convictions.”
Wei Zhonglin was moved.
Every word was true.
Wei Zhonglin looked again at the man sitting before him.
He was a man with insight entirely different from his shabby outward appearance.
The only person who had seen through his innermost thoughts, thoughts no one else knew.
That was right.
Wei Zhonglin had not carried out this coup for his own benefit.
He had done it for the people.
It had been an unavoidable action taken to create a great China.
Wei Zhonglin had not coveted power. He had made a sacrifice.
And this man understood that.
No one else had known, but this man alone had recognized it.
He was grateful.
He barely managed to hold back the tears welling in his eyes.
A person with such insight should be kept close.
An ESS was a small price to pay in return.
“All right. Fine. I’ll give you the solar panels and the ESS.”
.
.
.
The Central Guard Bureau was thrown into an emergency.
A grenade had exploded in the chairman’s office.
Something that had never happened in history had occurred.
Every agent had been dispatched, and the military had finished preparing for deployment and was waiting on standby.
The agents surrounded every corridor from the front of the office,
as well as the area around the building, several times over.
Every possible entrance and exit was secured with multiple layers of security.
The building was thoroughly sealed off so that no one could leave.
They were all waiting for the office door to open.
The moment it did, they would arrest the man and take him away.
Every plan had been drawn up in a short time.
They would arrest him and take him to a secret prison in China.
The darkest, coldest, cruelest place.
They would take him there, where death was the only respite, and torture him for the rest of his life.
They would uncover every detail about who was behind him.
The agents loyal to Wei Zhonglin steeled themselves and waited for the door to open.
Click.
The sound of the office door unlocking rang out.
Dozens of agents waiting outside raised their guns and aimed at the office door.
They had no idea what might happen.
They had to prepare for every possibility.
Tension surged through their hearts.
Gulp.
The door opened.
But the scene visible through the open doorway was different from what they had expected.
They had devised the entire operation under the assumption that the man would take Wei Zhonglin hostage and force his way out.
But there was no hostage. The two men had their arms around each other’s shoulders.
They looked as though they had become close friends in that brief span of time.
No one could understand what was happening.
This was the man who had detonated a grenade in the chairman’s office.
And yet he was standing arm in arm with him.
But Wei Zhonglin’s following words were even more incomprehensible.
“From this moment onward, Alex’s status will be elevated to that of a state guest. Arrange protocol accordingly.”
Everyone was bewildered by Wei Zhonglin’s words, but they had no choice but to obey.
The people who had gathered to arrest the man were instead assigned to escort him according to state-guest protocol.
.
.
.
I moved to Beijing’s finest hotel.
It was a hotel located within the Summer Palace.
Wei Zhonglin had told me to stay at Zhongnanhai, but I didn’t want to remain there any longer.
After entering the hotel, I lay on the bed like a corpse for a long time.
I was exhausted.
Far too many things had happened in a single day.
After lying there for quite some time, I picked up the phone and called Edward.
—Yes.
“Edward, it’s time to get back to work.”
—Work? Are we producing Asand again?
“Yes. It looks like we need to start production again. And I think we need to develop a new product too.”
—Again?
“That’s just how things turned out.”
—What do we do this time? Do you have a direction for us again?
“Of course. This time, push the addictiveness all the way to the limit. These bastards aren’t listening. Make it so addictive they’ll be drooling all over themselves. You can do that, right?”
—Hehehe. That’s what I’m best at.