Episode 180
Marrying Wang Jin-hee didn’t immediately change my life drastically.
I was based in Shenzhen and Korea, while she worked at Haixin Group’s headquarters in Beijing, so we spent most of our time apart.
Even if I wanted to make a move, it would take time for her to gain influence within Haixin Group.
However, the connections I made at the wedding, thanks to Chairman Wang, were proving invaluable.
“Ahahaha, I understand. I’ll leave it to you then. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime!”
I hung up the phone and said to Li Yang, “I’ve contacted him, so it should be taken care of.”
I had called Wang Yang, the Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, whom I had met at the wedding. He was a higher-ranking official than the Shenzhen mayor, whom I usually had to deal with.
“Yes, sir,” Li Yang replied.
I chuckled. “It’s funny that people are still targeting my business, even after all the publicity about my marriage to Haixin Group’s daughter.”
I had contacted Secretary Wang because another politician’s son was trying to muscle in on my department store, just like before.
This time, however, he was being more cautious, proposing a partnership instead of making demands.
“I think he was just testing the waters, seeing if there was an opening.”
I smirked. “We have to shut down any such attempts immediately. He’ll be terrified if Secretary Wang gets involved. No matter what he tries, just cut him off. We have to be ruthless to deter others.”
I stretched. “Connections are everything in China. Goodbye to the days when I had to grovel for guanxi.”
Of course, such a favor from a high-ranking official like Secretary Wang required a hefty reward, but it was also a way to strengthen our relationship.
“With clean money… hmm, it wasn’t a difficult request for someone of his stature, so 5 million yuan should be enough, right? About 500 million won in Korean currency.”
“That should be appropriate, sir. It’s not too burdensome for the recipient.”
“Yes, we have to consider his position. 5 million yuan is a suitable amount. Prepare it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Anything else?”
“About the Baek In-hwi squad’s headquarters…”
My eyes gleamed. “Did you find a good location?”
The Baek In-hwi squad had over 1,200 members now. They were organized into cells and scattered across China, but managing them was becoming increasingly difficult. We needed a central base of operations.
A place that was both secure and discreet, like a secret base.
“I’ve found a few candidates, but none of them are perfect…”
“Then keep looking. It has to be perfect. Understand?”
“That’s why I’m asking… how about an island?”
My eyes widened. “An island?”
“Yes, China is vast, it’s not difficult to find a secluded location. But it’s also densely populated. Even a hidden base in the mountains wouldn’t be completely secure. How about acquiring a deserted island and developing it? It would be private property, so access would be restricted. And since there are many couples within the Baek In-hwi squad, we can disguise it as a village.”
The Baek In-hwi squad wasn’t comprised solely of men.
Due to China’s preference for sons, there were actually more daughters who were denied legal status. I had mainly recruited men for their physical strength, but there were also couples and even married couples among the heihaizi, and I had also recruited women with exceptional skills or beauty.
“An island… an island… That’s not bad. Why didn’t I think of that?” I had been focusing on inland locations, but an island had all the advantages of a secret base.
Easy access by boat, and complete control over who entered and left.
“We can build a village on the surface and a secret facility underground, accessible from each house. It’ll just look like an ordinary peaceful village. That’s good.”
I smiled. “Find a suitable deserted island and buy it using a fake identity. Our men can handle the construction.”
Construction was the most common job for heihaizi with no legal status.
They might not have professional skills or experience, but they could handle the manual labor, which was a significant advantage.
“We’ll need someone to design and supervise the construction. We can buy the equipment… find someone who can handle the blueprints and manage the project.”
Li Yang said with a concerned expression, “Secrecy is paramount for a secret base. Outsourcing the design and construction is risky… It’s better if we handle it ourselves, even if it’s not perfect. We’ll do our best.”
I shook my head. “No, we have to do it properly. We need the latest equipment and technology to minimize future maintenance. Water purification systems, power generators… you can’t handle it on your own. We’ll find the experts, blindfold them, bring them to the island, have them do the work, and then blindfold them again and send them back. It’s a deserted island, no one will ever know.”
“Yes, sir.”
“A secret base… I’m still a child at heart, aren’t I?” I felt a strange sense of excitement, the thrill of having a secret hideout, a place known only to me.
“And we can build a high-security vault for our funds… hmm, we’ll need a larger island then. Blindfold the fourth and fifth generation recruits and bring them in too.”
I had initially planned to use only the first and second generation recruits, who knew my identity, but we needed more manpower to speed up the construction.
“Blindfold the fourth and fifth generations too?”
“Of course. Why do you think I organized them into cells? It wouldn’t be a cell structure if they knew the location of the headquarters.”
“Yes, sir.”
He left, and I started writing something on a piece of paper, a slightly excited expression on my face. “It has to be sturdy enough to be used as a bunker in case of emergency. Stockpile food and supplies. Water purification, self-sustaining agriculture…”
There were countless deserted islands along the Chinese coast.
Some had been abandoned due to depopulation, others because they were uninhabitable.
After a long search, we finally found a suitable island.
It was called Mujindo, a four-hour boat ride from Shandong Province. It was isolated, with no other islands nearby, and large enough to accommodate hundreds, even a thousand people, after development.
I bought the island using the fake identity of Li Hansung, a Chinese businessman, acquired a used 5,000-ton bulk carrier, named it Mujinhahm, and started transporting materials and equipment, preparing for the development.
And one day, a blindfolded man boarded the Mujinhahm. “Are you… sure this is okay?”
He was Yong Gi-un, a renowned architect, once a celebrated figure in China, now a disgraced alcoholic, drowning in debt after a failed business venture.
He had been approached by a man while drinking, who offered him 20 million yuan in cash to design and supervise the construction of a building on a remote island, the location and ownership of which were kept secret. He had signed the contract without hesitation, drunk and desperate, and he regretted it the next day.
He had been dragged out of his house, blindfolded, and bundled into a car. He had tried to resist, but he was weak and intoxicated, no match for his abductors. He had initially feared for his life, but they reassured him, reminding him of the contract and promising to return him safely after the construction was completed.
But he was still terrified. Would they really let him go after he had seen their secret base?
He spent 15 hours in the car, blindfolded, then transferred to a rubber boat, and finally boarded the Mujinhahm.
He hadn’t been allowed to remove his blindfold. “Please… tell me… will I really be able to go home?” They remained silent, and only after they had brought him to a small, windowless room deep inside the ship did they speak. “You can remove your blindfold now.”
He ripped off the blindfold, looked around, and his face fell. Four burly men were blocking the door.
“Wh-where am I?”
“You’re on our ship.”
“I-I figured that out when I got on the rubber boat. What are you going to do with me? Where are we going?”
One of the men said with an impassive expression, “That would be a breach of contract. All you have to do is design and supervise the construction according to our specifications.”
“B-but you can’t just kidnap me like this! Even if there’s a contract!”
“Did you think you would receive 20 million yuan for nothing?”
The man took out a blueprint and handed it to him. “Here are the blueprints. Familiarize yourself with them and prepare a construction plan. It’ll take about 15 days to reach our destination.”
“F-fifteen days? Are we going overseas?”
“As we’ve said before, we won’t answer any questions. Take the blueprints.”
He reluctantly took the blueprints, scanned them briefly, and his jaw dropped. “W-what is this? You call this a building?”
“…”
He stared at the blueprints, muttering, “This is more like…”
5-meter thick concrete walls, countless rooms that could accommodate hundreds of people, communication facilities, water purification systems, even a self-sustaining agricultural system… it was designed to be a completely self-sufficient fortress. “Th-this is a military base…”
He started sweating profusely. If this was a Chinese government project, they would have their own experts. Why would they hire a washed-up architect like him, pay him a fortune, and maintain such strict secrecy? ‘If it’s not the government, then who? Another country? But they would use their own experts too. Is it some kind of secret organization? Or a triad?’ All the possibilities were terrifying.
“What should I call you?” he asked the man who had given him the blueprints.
“Call me Black Tiger.”
His eyes widened. ‘That’s a codename!’
Convinced that he was dealing with a secret organization, he forced a smile. “You seem to have chosen the wrong person. I’ve designed many buildings, but this kind of facility… Hehehe, you should find someone else.”
Black Tiger opened the contract. “It says here that the penalty for breach of contract is ten times the payment. Do you have 200 million yuan? If so, you’re free to go.”
‘Damn that alcohol!’ He regretted his drunken decision, but it was too late. He had no money, the ship was already sailing, and he had no idea where he was. He couldn’t jump into the ocean and swim back to shore. And he couldn’t even take on one of those men guarding the door, let alone all of them.
“I understand your concerns, but you have nothing to worry about. We’ll return you safely, as long as you build the facility to our satisfaction.”
He suppressed the urge to retort, “How can I trust you?” He might be thrown overboard if he said that.
“Get some rest. We’ll be outside. Ring this bell if you need anything.”
They left, and he muttered, staring at the blueprints with a hollow expression,
“I’m dead. It’s that damn alcohol.”
It was clearly a secret base, a remote and isolated location. And once it was completed and he was no longer needed, he would be eliminated. He was certain of it, just like the workers who built the Terracotta Army had been buried alive to protect the secret.
He glanced at the blueprints and muttered, “I’m a dead man.”