Beijing, China.
A hotel inside the Summer Palace.
I had come to China on a business trip that wasn’t exactly a business trip.
The purpose was to assess demand and trends for Ascend.
But I had another motive.
To meet Chairman Wei Zhonglin.
“Brother? How did you come all the way here?”
“My little brother came to Beijing. Of course his big brother should come see him.”
Chairman Wei Zhonglin had come to find me.
Objective achieved.
“Ah! Now I feel terrible. I only called because I didn’t want to bother you, thinking you’d be too busy.”
“How could I settle for just a phone call? I should see your face in person. It would have been nice if you’d come to my office.”
I told you.
I’m not going to his office anymore.
The situation has changed, but there’s no harm in being careful.
Once you go in, coming out is no ordinary matter.
I sat across from Wei Zhonglin and drank tea.
“First of all, congratulations on your inauguration as chairman. As expected, it seems the people recognized how tirelessly you’ve worked for them day and night.”
“Thank you. I’m lacking in many ways. I hope you’ll help me a lot, little brother.”
“What could I possibly help you with? All I can offer is Ascend.”
“That alone is enough. No, more than enough. Where else in China could we find a product like that right now?”
Chairman Wei Zhonglin’s words were true.
Ascend had become China’s new tourism product.
Many writers and singers had eaten Ascend and created masterpieces.
Even more people who saw that began to need Ascend.
But Ascend was an export-prohibited item.
Ascend was classified as a key national technology, and its removal from the country was prohibited.
So people seeking Ascend had no choice but to come to China in the end.
Thanks to that, the tourism industry boomed tremendously.
The tourism industry’s share of GDP jumped from 4% to 8%.
There were no empty hotel rooms, and restaurants had no seats.
Restaurants, supermarkets, department stores—everywhere was crowded with people.
The Chinese people who had to serve those tourists were busy too.
Unemployment was at its lowest, and jobs were overflowing everywhere.
Everyone worked hard in their respective positions.
They cooked, drove, went to companies.
With the money they earned so diligently, they bought Ascend, then went back to work and worked hard again.
Foreigners also bought and ate Ascend diligently.
The Chinese economy grew, but that money all flowed toward Ascend.
Money scattered everywhere gathered entirely into Ascend.
And that money comes into my pocket.
That’s why I welcome China’s growth.
The ones touching the crumbs in the middle—
Government officials, distributors, and producers were all satisfied too.
In Wei Zhonglin’s case, he was practically being buried alive in crumbs.
That was how central Ascend was to the Chinese economy, and how it had become its final destination.
What if the supply of such Ascend were cut off in an instant?
Even if they were secretly making copies right now, what if the supply stopped immediately?
The economy would stop.
Withdrawal symptoms or whatever else aside, the economy would crash and burn.
So if Wei Zhonglin heard I had arrived, he ought to come running barefoot.
Of cooourse he should come.
Of course, controversy over Ascend never ceased.
It was bad for your health.
Excessive use could cause side effects.
Who doesn’t know that?
It’s the same as people smoking and drinking even though they know that.
But one thing was certain: anyone who had tried it always came back for more.
There were people who hadn’t eaten it, but no one had eaten it only once.
No, even that saying was wrong now.
It seemed there weren’t even people who hadn’t eaten it anymore.
“By the way, I heard you blocked the Philippine military’s attack quite well, little brother. I never imagined you’d use the drones I gave you like that.”
“I didn’t imagine it either. It was an idea from one of the guys under me. I have a lot of strange guys working under me.”
“If someone is too outstanding, they can look strange. You have good subordinates.”
I wanted to say that crazy psychopathic bastard wasn’t my subordinate, but I simply replaced denial with silence.
Then, now that I’d given him his massage, should I bring up the main point?
“I’ve been studying China again lately.”
“Is that so?”
“There were many things I didn’t know. In particular, the Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路) was truly impressive.”
“Is that so?”
A smile formed at the corners of Wei Zhonglin’s mouth.
This bastard misunderstands praise for China as praise for himself.
That’s not a good thing.
“But when I looked into it, there weren’t many projects underway in the Philippines, were there?”
“Is that so? Well, it isn’t something that happens easily. We have to coordinate with the government, coordinate with companies, and in the end, both sides’ needs have to align. Matching all that is no easy task.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Why?”
“I was thinking, what if we brought nuclear power plants to the Philippines as part of the Belt and Road? It didn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“Nuclear power plants?”
“Yes. As far as I know, China’s nuclear power is the best in the world. It’s superior to America, Russia, and France, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“And didn’t you develop fourth-generation reactors, as well as commercialize small modular reactors, SMRs? It’s truly remarkable.”
“As expected, my little brother knows his facts.”
Wei Zhonglin still wore a pleased expression.
“My thought is this. I’m not asking you to build some incredibly huge nuclear power plant. What would you think about adding small modular reactors to the Belt and Road project?”
“Huh?”
“I heard small modular reactors are built in a factory and then you just take them over and set them down like Legos, right? I heard you make them that well?”
“That’s right?”
“And China is the best in the world at that.”
“Th-that’s right?”
“And we happen to need those reactors. How could everything fit together so perfectly? I suppose our bond really is fate. Hahahaha.”
“That may be true, but there are many things we have to consider besides that…”
“Brother. I know. I understand. But as your little brother, would I ask for too much? I’m not asking you to lower the price. Charge full price. However, since we don’t have money right now, if you build them first, we’ll pay you back with the electricity fees we collect.”
“Mm… The thing is, that isn’t perfectly complete yet. There are still many tests to conduct.”
“Is that so?”
Wei Zhonglin was troubled.
The Belt and Road wasn’t something like that.
Its goal was to build infrastructure on behalf of countries lacking economic and technological power, and economically encroach upon those countries.
Construction costs were charged back with high interest added on.
They weren’t spending hundreds of millions of yuan to build roads, ports, airports, and dams for nothing.
All the manpower needed at the construction sites was brought in from China.
Engineers, equipment, labor, even the ingredients they ate there were brought from China.
By planting Chinese people like that, and burdening those countries economically, the goal of the Belt and Road was to make them not colonies, but something like colonies.
There was no benefit for the host country from infrastructure construction.
It didn’t create jobs, it didn’t create technology, and it didn’t create infrastructure either.
What remained when construction ended was—
A massive debt and infrastructure that was inconvenient to use.
I mean, if you build a high-speed railway, what are you doing putting the station on the outskirts?
It takes over an hour just to get to the train.
It’s a mess and inconvenient, but the construction costs and interest all have to be paid.
That’s the Belt and Road.
But a reactor was a little different.
A reactor produced electricity.
It had more than enough value.
They needed to charge a high price, but in the current situation, it was hard to do that.
Hadn’t I already said I had no money?
How much money had we sent them as payment for Ascend?
Shouldn’t they show some sincerity?
Even so, he couldn’t raise his voice.
Raising his voice was easy, but if Ascend were cut off because of that, it would be a serious problem.
When Ascend was suspended last time and Desand was released, China had truly come to a halt.
He couldn’t create such a disaster again.
There was a reason he had sent drones this time.
If Ascend was suspended, it would be a catastrophe.
So he had to somehow make an excuse and prevent the Belt and Road from happening.
That was why he lied and said it wasn’t complete.
Even though it was fully complete.
“Aha. Then that’s even better. We’ll become beta testers.”
“Huh?”
“If we test them in the Philippines too, you’ll get more data, won’t you? This is really fortunate. I’m glad I can help you, Brother. I truly felt sorry, so this is a relief.”
“R-right?”
“Instead, since we’ll be testers, we should receive some costs.”
“What? Costs?”
“You know, what they call bioequivalence trial gigs? When a new drug comes out, people work part-time at hospitals by taking medicine, having blood drawn, and getting tested. This is exactly the same as that, isn’t it? It’s a dangerous nuclear power plant, but for your sake, we’ll prepare to test it in the Philippines. In return, you’ll naturally have to give us the small modular reactors to test, and we should receive testing costs too, but you can just set aside the testing costs. Between us, it would be embarrassing to talk about such things.”
“No. You don’t have to go that far.”
“Oh, Brother, you’re feeling sorry again. You don’t have to. I’m receiving small modular reactors, even if they are test versions. You don’t need to feel sorry.”
“That’s not what I mean…”
“As expected, you are Asia’s great leader. In my view, this isn’t just a move for China, but for Asia. When I look at you, Brother, admiration comes first. Perhaps your name will be engraved on the next Nobel Peace Prize?”
“Really?”
Wei Zhonglin, who had been hesitating, was swayed by the Nobel Prize again.
“Of course. You’re working this hard for peace in Asia, so I’m sure they’ll take careful note of your efforts there too.”
“Mm… mm…”
“Then I’ll leave this in your hands. Your poor Asian citizens are suffering even today because they have no electricity.”
For Wei Zhonglin, he was completely boxed in.
There was no escape route.
The words “That’s impossible” rose to his throat, but he didn’t have the confidence to shout them.
What if he shouted them and the supply of Ascend stopped?
He didn’t know about other people, but Wei Zhonglin himself had no confidence he could endure it.
Wei Zhonglin needed Ascend.
But it was also hard to give away small modular reactors.
Those things were expensive.
They were brand-new products they had only just developed.
He was in a bind.
After agonizing for a long while, Wei Zhonglin had no choice but to nod reluctantly.
******
Central, Hong Kong.
Triad chairman Zhang Tian’s expression was grave.
The expressions of the executives gathered in the conference room were all equally dark.
Because the results of the ambitious manufacturing and distribution of Desand had been disastrous.
They had thought of it as future sustenance, a new pipeline, but it had completely failed.
“You said it would go well, didn’t you? Mao Qin.”
“Yes.”
Naturally, someone had to take responsibility for the failure.
That was Mao Qin.
Because Mao Qin had been the one who devised this plan.
“What happened?”
“I apologize.”
“Not ‘I apologize.’ Shouldn’t you have a countermeasure?”
“……”
Mao Qin had nothing to say.
The plan to make Desand and target the Southeast Asian market had failed completely.
There were many factors behind the failure, but the biggest reason was haste.
Impatience had clouded their judgment.
They had been swallowed by the Ascend craze.
When Ascend became wildly popular in China, they grew anxious.
They were afraid that while the Triad hesitated, someone else would enter Southeast Asia first.
The Triad had already lost out on Ascend, which they had been watching closely, because they hesitated.
They couldn’t lose Southeast Asia too.
So they rushed.
The obsession that they would fall behind if they didn’t seize the market now had strongly influenced them.
They had to distribute it quickly.
That was all they thought.
Making the product and spreading it was the most urgent task.
First, they recruited technicians, secured factories, and began producing Desand.
They thought that would at least let them capture Southeast Asia.
They assumed that if they simply produced it, it would become popular like it had in China.
But that wasn’t the case.
Reality was cruel, transparent, and cold.
Another reason for the failure was that they had misjudged the market.
Southeast Asia was already a place where drugs had spread.
They were common, cheap, and available at any time.
Its structure was different from China and Korea.
In Thailand, 1 gram of methamphetamine could be bought for 15,000 won.
To get the same drug in Korea, it cost more than 600,000 won, and in China, it meant the death penalty.
The biggest reason Ascend could succeed in China was that China was a drug-free country.
Even a small stimulus was bound to provoke a sensitive reaction.
The fact that it could be eaten conveniently like candy instead of with a syringe also worked as an advantage.
But Southeast Asia was different.
A strong stimulus delivered directly into the veins was the mainstream.
To original junkies, Desand was like a snack to eat when bored, not a staple.
On top of that, it wasn’t even cheap.
Rather than buy Desand, it was better to just buy drugs.
Everything that had been an advantage in China became a disadvantage in Southeast Asia.
A drug that was a drug but didn’t look like one,
the candy type made for easy consumption—none of that was necessary in Southeast Asia.
In Southeast Asia, such regulations and restrictions weren’t necessary.
Cheap drugs with strong effects survived.
Desand was not that kind of drug.
Naturally, sales were disastrous.
A lot of money and manpower had gone into it, but there was nothing gained.
Mao Qin, head of the intelligence team, had to think of another way.
Merely recovering costs wouldn’t be enough.
He had to generate profits.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t end with him being kicked out as head of the intelligence team.
His life could end as well.
They needed a country where they could sell Desand.
They needed a country like China.
A drug-free country where prices were high.
While continuing to identify the reasons for the failure, he investigated countries where they could succeed.
Mao Qin, who had been contemplating while looking at a map, soon pointed to one country with his finger.
There was nowhere else.
This was the country where Desand could work.
“Chairman. I would like to try distributing Desand in Korea.”