Free Web NovelThe documents Manager Ma brought contained a lengthy report on Zhou Yongkang.
I silently read through the pages that spanned several sheets.
“He’s an amusing man.”
I tossed the papers onto the table and lifted the corner of my mouth.
“Why do you say that?”
“There are a lot of strange parts. A man with no prior record suddenly gets appointed Minister of Land and Resources in 1998, then keeps getting promoted. And before long, he becomes the top figure in national public security. Take a look.”
Following my instruction, Manager Ma began reviewing the documents.
Just as I had pointed out, Zhou Yongkang’s career path was bizarre.
He had passed through only three major posts in total.
In 1998 he began as China’s Minister of Land and Resources, then became Party Secretary of Sichuan Province, and right after that was appointed Minister of Public Security.
Even for China, a place where politics run heavily on guanxi, this was an impossible speed.
He had vaulted into the national top-twenty ranking in just four years.
When Jiang Zemin stepped down, he appointed Zhou Yongkang—this top-tier post of all top-tier posts—as Minister of Public Security.
That meant Jiang Zemin trusted him deeply.
And on top of that, Jiang Zemin also made him a member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Secretariat, Deputy Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and a State Councilor.
He had literally created a monster of a Public Security Minister.
‘So that’s why Xi Jinping got rid of him on corruption charges to cut down Jiang Zemin’s power.’
In later years he would eventually be purged for all kinds of corruption, but until then he had exercised unchecked authority.
Someone like that doesn’t just suddenly fall from the sky.
I wanted to get his background because knowing the past would make it easier to guess what had happened.
But aside from graduating from the Petroleum Institute and working in the oil sector, Zhou Yongkang had no unique track record.
For someone like that to suddenly make a glamorous debut in central politics?
No matter how I looked at it, something didn’t add up.
Manager Ma carefully placed the documents back on the table.
I asked him, ƒгeewebnovёl.com
“Well? What do you think, Manager?”
“At this level, he seems to be someone Jiang Zemin trusted deeply. Otherwise, he couldn’t have risen so fast in rank.”
“Right? Not normal, is it?”
Manager Ma, nodding, pinpointed the same part I had focused on.
“Yes. Looking at this man’s background, he worked exclusively in the oil sector—nothing political. Given the nature of that field, becoming Minister of Land and Resources isn’t unthinkable, but Party Secretary of Sichuan Province is strange. It’s practically a sudden leap in hierarchy.”
As expected. Strange indeed. I looked at Manager Ma and shared my deduction.
“He probably built Jiang Zemin’s slush funds while working in the oil sector. Otherwise, none of this can be explained. We should dig into that side.”
“Yes, Boss. I’ll contact the U.S. immediately.”
If I contacted the U.S. now and tried to gather new intel, it would take a significant amount of time. Yes—if I used official channels.
For this job, I needed a different card.
“No. For this one, I’ll get help from a friend. That should be faster.”
“Understood. I’ll proceed that way.”
Manager Ma bowed his head.
“Still, just in case, contact the U.S. as well. I want the full information on every member of the Chinese Communist Party ranked within the top 100. From birth to present.”
“To collect every detail on that many people will take quite some time, Boss.”
If I wanted to elevate Hu Jintao and install the successor I wanted, preparation had to start now.
“It’s fine. We have all the money and manpower we need. Tell them to burn through everything necessary. No matter how long it takes.”
“Understood.”
“Then make the call. I need to make a phone call to the U.S. myself.”
Manager Ma rose, and I picked up my phone.
The call signal droned on for quite a while, but the person on the other side didn’t answer.
Then, just before it disconnected, the line finally opened.
“Jessica. Long time no see.”
— .......
No reply. I called her again.
“Jessica?”
— Ha, what do you want this time?
At her venomous tone, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
— Why are you laughing?
“Jessica, I just didn’t expect that reaction. Why are you so sharp-edged today?”
— Are you seriously asking? Because of you, I—
Running her mouth like that. I corrected her in a cold voice.
“Let’s speak properly. Did you receive any disciplinary action? From what I know, you were actually recognized for the intel I provided. And you even prevented a terror attack. Isn’t that enough? As long as it balances out on both ends, that’s all that matters. Someone listening would think I only cause you harm.”
Jessica’s reaction baffled me.
We had a mutually beneficial relationship.
Neither side was losing anything, yet she bristled like that.
“Am I wrong? Did I misunderstand? Then I’ll find someone else.”
— .........No.
A softened voice finally returned.
To Jessica, I was practically a lifeline made of gold.
— Iraq has my nerves on edge. Sorry.
“Iraq? Didn’t they already capture Hussein? His sons are dead too. What trouble is left in Iraq?”
— His followers killed the brother of the man who gave us the tip about Uday and Qusay. And suicides and bombings keep breaking out everywhere.
I had seen the news. Even though Hussein had been captured and taken to the U.S., his followers were still resisting all across Iraq.
— So now we’re in full emergency mode. The tipsters and their families are living in the U.S. with citizenship, but if any of them get killed on American soil, who’ll ever trust us again? And on top of that, the Shia and Sunnis are fighting each other. Haah...
I quietly listened as Jessica vented her frustration.
After rambling for a while, she finally spoke with a calmer voice.
“Feeling better now?”
— Sorry. I made a fool out of myself.
“It’s fine. I understand. Just because the war ended doesn’t mean everything else did.”
This chaos had been set the moment the U.S. invaded Iraq and captured Hussein.
The rift between Shia and Sunni went far deeper than anything we could imagine.
Hussein, a Sunni dictator, had forcibly suppressed it, but now even that was gone.
With the Shia—Hussein’s opposition—gaining power with America’s support, the Sunnis would never sit still.
As I organized the situation in my head, a good idea surfaced.
Since I wanted something, I needed to throw out a bait first.
“Jessica. Watch the group One God and Holy War. They’re probably already in Iraq expanding their influence.”
— One God and Holy War? That group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi? We’re already tracking them. But is it really serious enough for you to say something like that?
Jessica had no idea.
No one did yet—and understandably so.
That organization would later become so infamous that the U.S. and the Western world would put bounties on them, like they did with Bin Laden.
One God and Holy War would eventually become a group cursed by both Sunnis and Shias for its extreme brutality.
I spoke firmly.
“Jessica, do not underestimate them. If you treat them like some random violent gang, you’re going to pay a massive price later.”
— ...Fine. I’ll watch them carefully.
“They’re probably planning a terror attack on the UN special envoy. They’re preparing to hit the UN Iraq office. You’ll want to dig into that properly. Otherwise you’ll be seeing hell.”
— What? W-wait, what? How do you—
Jessica gasped in shock.
“I gave you information. Stopping it is your job.”
— ...Hold on. Hold on. Are you saying they’re planning to attack the UN Iraq office?
“You understood correctly. Yes.”
When I confirmed it again, silence fell across the line.
“Jessica, think about that later. I called today because I need intel on China.”
— China? Why China—ah! You’re in China now. I heard you’re attending Hu Jintao’s inauguration.
“Right. But there’s a little problem. I need help.”
— Charlie, even we don’t have a lot of intel on China yet.
Please. I let out a soft laugh.
“Don’t act coy. After the Soviet collapse, the U.S. has been preparing China as the next adversary. And the groundwork’s already underway.”
Jessica sucked in a breath.
America needed an enemy—politically and economically.
“Just hand over corruption files on Zhou Yongkang, and information about his relationship with Jiang Zemin.”
— Zhou Yongkang? The Minister of Public Security? Why him out of nowhere?
“He’s trying to stick his spoon into a company I invested in. I can’t stand anyone touching my bowl. So I’m going to teach him a lesson. You’ll hand the intel over, right?”
Silence.
Then Jessica finally spoke, sounding dumbfounded.
— For that reason? You’re going to scold China’s Minister of Public Security? Are you insane?
“Even if someone has the power to knock birds from the sky with one finger, if they touch what’s mine, we fight. That’s how you make sure no one dares to touch you again. So—will you send the intel, or should I look for another partner? It’s your choice, Jessica.”
At my icy tone, I heard her swallow dryly.
— ...No. I’ll prepare it. By when?
“Prepare it today and deliver it to Black Bear. Then it’ll land on my table tomorrow.”
— That’s too tight. It’ll take several days.
“Today. It must be in my hands by tomorrow.”
Jessica exhaled deeply, but she didn’t say it was impossible.
“Report it upstairs, do whatever you need. As long as it reaches my hands by tomorrow, that’s enough.”
— Is this something I can even report? Really?
My goal was the intel. I could accept a little blowback for that.
Her voice came back full of suspicion; I answered firmly.
“I said it doesn’t matter. I hate repeating myself. Just make sure it’s in my hands by tomorrow.”
— ...Then it’s possible.
“Good. When I receive that intel, I’ll give you another high-quality tip. So I’ll be expecting good work.”
I threw the bait, and Jessica bit beautifully.
— ...Fine. I’ll meet Black Bear today and pass it along.
“And follow up on what I said earlier. You don’t want regrets later.”
— Understood.
“Good. I’ll trust you. Talk again soon.”
I hung up and placed the warm phone on the table.
Manager Ma had ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) been waiting for the call to end.
“Contact Black Bear and tell them to forward anything that comes today through secured email.”
“Yes, Boss.”
I checked the time on my wristwatch and stood from my seat.
“How long did you say it takes to reach the place where Jiyoung is filming?”
“We first fly into Nanning City, then another two hours by car.”
“That’s far. Any hotels nearby?”
“There’s nowhere suitable for you except in Nanning. The filming location is extremely remote...”
I nodded as I listened to Manager Ma.
“Let’s go. We’ll arrive in the afternoon. And the Korean food and chefs?”
“They’ll join us in Nanning.”
“Good. I hope Jiyoung likes it.”
Thinking of Cheon Jiyoung’s shocked expression naturally brought a smile to my lips.
We arrived at Nanning Wusu Airport. Since we had flown in from a more developed city, we had to go through inspection procedures again to leave the airport.
“Hello, President.”
The head chef from Myeongdong Hotel, who had flown ahead, greeted me at the entrance.
“You came personally, Chef Kim Minwoo.”
“Miss Jiyoung loves my cooking, does she not? So I came myself.”
“Thank you. I’ll make sure the accompanying staff receive generous bonuses, so please take care of things today.”
“Haha, they’ll be thrilled.”
Kim Minwoo let out a hearty laugh.
He had worked as Myeongdong Hotel’s head chef since my grandfather’s time; he was the hotel’s history itself.
Even at an age when he should consider retirement, he still loved cooking enough to work in the kitchen personally.
“Then, we’ll head out first.” freeweɓnovel.cѳm
The bus carrying Kim Minwoo and the hotel staff departed ahead. I boarded the prepared car and began driving down the road.
After about an hour, the paved road disappeared.
Driving another hour down a rough dirt road, we finally arrived near the filming site.
“Wow. Not fit for anyone to live in, is it?”
“Indeed. Are you all right, Boss?”
The filming site was so dilapidated that calling it a rural area felt like an overstatement.
But something about the atmosphere felt off.
