Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 207

Translator: Dreamscribe[Drugs now trending even among teenagers.]

[Serious drug crimes. What's the solution?]

[South Korea is no longer a drug-free nation.]

"Seems like I've been seeing articles like these a lot lately."

Drugs were a serious problem plaguing the entire world.

"As it happens, many industries have been racking their brains over this. The hotel industry especially."

"Why hotels?"

"VIPs throw drug-fueled parties at hotels. The hotels know about it and just sweep it under the rug. They even handle the cleanup. They charge extra for it, supposedly, but it must still make them uneasy."

"Can't they just report it?"

"If they did, those VIPs would never set foot in that hotel again."

South Korea was once called a drug-free nation.

But things were different now.

The situation had grown so severe that drugs were even trending among teenagers.

"It's heartbreaking. Getting hooked on drugs at such a promising age."

"Yes. It truly is tragic. Which is exactly why eradication is so important."

Teenagers were the age group that would shoulder the nation's future.

It pained me to know that students like them were already going down the wrong path.

"China, the largest manufacturer of drugs, has been somewhat reined in due to its civil war causing internal chaos, but those organizations have scattered to other countries and are causing social problems everywhere. They've undoubtedly made their way into our country as well. And apparently, it's Vietnamese organizations that are most active here."

"Isn't the government cracking down on them?"

"The government is actively working to round up these organizations. It is a serious problem, after all. But no matter how many hundreds or thousands of times they catch them, it just repeats endlessly. Unless they cut it off at the source."

Addiction to alcohol and cigarettes was a problem in its own right, but drugs were on a completely different level.

One wrong taste and you could never quit.

If it got bad enough, it would become a national crisis.

Even the United States had reached a point where there were so many addicts that they didn't know where to begin.

"When you say the source, you mean something like the cartels?"

"Yes. Unless the organizations manufacturing the drugs are taken down, it's just a meaningless cycle."

It was a genuinely difficult problem.

No matter how many they caught, as long as the source remained, we were just wasting manpower.

But it wasn't as though we could deploy troops to eliminate that source, either.

In Mexico's case, the cartels had already expanded their power to the point of seizing control of the government itself.

"There's not much we can do, is there?"

"No. We can either expand treatment centers for drug addicts or provide aid through donations. The Kwangwoon Foundation is already handling some of that work."

"...?"

It was right then.

Out of nowhere, my Intuition grazed the back of my mind.

"That support program. Could you bring me the documents on it?"

"Hm? Oh, yes sir."

Before long, the relevant documents were in my hands.

"There are more programs than I expected?"

"Yes. Everything from investing in treatment support centers, to educational programs warning teenagers about the dangers, to blocking related content on social media. We're providing a wide range of support. But the costs involved aren't particularly large. The Foundation's main focus right now is on China, North Korea, and Africa."

I scanned through the documents, but nothing stirred my Intuition.

Then I absently turned to the next page.

"...!"

One item on the list immediately caught my eye.

"Kwangwoon Insurance?"

"Ah. I've seen that entry before myself. It was an insurance company the Foundation had been planning to establish."

"Why would the Foundation start an insurance company?"

"It's an insurance company for vulnerable populations. In other words... it would collect minimal premiums and then provide coverage for major medical treatments. But proceeding with it would cost an astronomical amount, so headquarters rejected the project entirely."

That wasn't wrong.

In simple terms, the idea was to collect minimal fees and cover all the hospital bills ourselves. It might not seem like much at first, but the costs would pile up over time, and eventually they could grow beyond what anyone could handle.

"But considering how much we're earning now, wouldn't it be manageable?"

"Looking at Kwangwoon's revenue... it would be feasible for the time being, yes. But headquarters determined the expenditure was excessive. No matter how viable the project might be, they judged it was the government's responsibility, not ours."

That was true.

It was the government's job to step up and help the vulnerable, not ours.

Even so, there was no company that made as much money as we did.

For the sake of social responsibility alone, it was worth extending a helping hand.

'And given how my Intuition is burning like this...'

More than anything, my Intuition kept sending signals about this project called Kwangwoon Insurance.

It was practically setting the entire document ablaze in bright yellow.

"Please forward this to headquarters. Tell them to review it seriously. What needs to be revised, and how they'd like to proceed."

The documents were too extensive to read through completely, but given how intensely my Intuition was flaring, this was surely a project that would benefit the world.

* * *

"...What came down from headquarters?"

"They want us to take control of the cartels."

"What are you talking about, all of a sudden?"

"To be precise, the order is to take control of organizations involved in drug manufacturing."

Sentinel had its hands full with China and North Korea, pouring all its attention in that direction.

But this new directive from headquarters made Anthony furrow his brow.

"We're already stretched thin with every last person deployed to China and North Korea, and now they want us to allocate people to this too?"

"Yes. Those are the orders."

Irritation flared through him, but Anthony quickly cooled his head.

"They're not just telling us to take control, though, are they?"

"The goal is apparently to sever all distribution networks feeding into South Korea."

"The distribution networks?"

South Korea may no longer have been a drug-free nation, but it wasn't exactly a major market either. And yet they were being told to cut off every channel flowing into it.

"So they want to make Korea drug-free again?"

"Yes. But taking over prominent drug organizations one by one, just to cut off the Korean distribution network..."

"It is overkill."

If they'd truly only meant to block the distribution routes, taking out a handful of organizations would have sufficed.

"But this isn't just about Korea, is it? They want to control distribution networks worldwide."

"Could they be trying to make money off it?"

"No. There's no reason to take that kind of risk for profit. From Kwangwoon's perspective, an organization that wants to conquer and control the world, drugs are something they absolutely want to eliminate."

Even China had cracked down on its drug problem with an iron fist, working to prevent it from spreading through society.

"But China also weaponized it. They deliberately let massive quantities flow into the United States to cause social problems."

"And Korea too."

"Right. It's no exaggeration to say every country in Asia suffered exactly as China intended. But now, that very China has collapsed."

Taking control of organizations inside China had been difficult.

They operated under government oversight, functioning as organized units.

But the government that was supposed to control them had disappeared.

And those organizations had long since been swept up in the civil war and dismantled.

The survivors had scattered in every direction.

"They probably see this as the perfect opportunity. To seize these distribution networks."

"And if they do seize them, they'll destroy all the drugs?"

"In countries they want to control, they'll crack down relentlessly. Drugs are a fatal variable for those in power who want control. Once people get addicted, they become impossible to govern."

But what about places where the goal wasn't control, but suppression and chaos?

"Then they'd funnel all distribution into that country. Let society spiral out of control and destroy itself."

For the sake of total control, Kwangwoon now intended to dominate even the distribution networks.

"Do we have a fix on the cartel leaders here?"

"They're persons of interest, so we've had them under constant surveillance. Sentinel has a presence across the globe, so operational orders can be issued at any time."

"But having reinforcements would be even better."

"Yes. If the U.S. DEA provided support."

The DEA was an agency under the United States federal government, famous for crossing borders without hesitation whenever drug crimes posed a serious threat to the country.

"And the timing couldn't be more convenient. China has collapsed, and Aiden, who's cooperative with Kwangwoon, is about to win the presidency."

"Too perfect to call a coincidence. No, it has to have been planned from the start."

A joint operation between the DEA and Sentinel.

For any organization caught in their crosshairs, it would be nothing short of hell.

"But... what's this? An insurance company? Kwangwoon is starting an insurance company?"

"Ah, yes. Apparently it's the establishment of an insurance company to provide relief for vulnerable populations. They plan to set up shop in Korea and the U.S. first, then gradually expand."

If something felt off about it, that was probably because it was Kwangwoon.

There was no way Kwangwoon would start an insurance company purely to help the disadvantaged.

"Or maybe it's just a PR stunt to win public favor?"

"Well... it's not really our concern."

And yet, something about it kept nagging at him.

* * *

"Congratulations on your reelection, Mr. President."

Aiden had been praying several times a day.

Please, let this cup pass from me, he'd begged.

But it seemed he'd been praying to the wrong person.

"Yeah... thanks. All of you."

Mouthing words he didn't mean, Aiden returned to the White House, to the presidential office he was so sick of.

A familiar face was waiting for him there.

"Congratulat..."

"John. Shut it."

"..."

Aiden sank into his chair with a gloomy expression and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Sometimes I think about it."

"Sir?"

"Did I not practice the game enough? If I'd reached a certain level of skill, would Kwangwoon have listened when I said no to a second term?"

"Wh-what do you..."

"Hah. Right. You're not one of our Guild Members. I have no rights in that group, none whatsoever."

"...?"

John tilted his head, clearly baffled by what he was hearing.

"Anyway. What brings you here? You didn't come just to congratulate me. It's about Kwangwoon, isn't it?"

"...I'm sorry."

"Let's hear it. If they got me reelected, they obviously have things they need done."

John carefully handed Aiden a document.

"It's a file Kwangwoon sent to me."

"...Eradication of drug organizations?"

"Yes. They'd like the DEA and Sentinel to conduct a joint operation to wipe out drug organizations. The goal is to sever the distribution networks and make both the U.S. and Korea drug-free."

It was a somewhat frightening proposal.

The DEA operated regardless of borders.

And now a joint operation with Sentinel.

This was Kwangwoon using drug organizations as a pretext to leverage American military power to topple whatever they wanted to topple.

"They're already making my heart race from the very first item."

"But it would benefit the United States as well. The country is overflowing with citizens suffering from substance abuse."

In other words, the justification was sound.

On top of that, there was nothing objectionable about it.

This was, at the end of the day, about bringing criminals to justice.

"Kwangwoon says they'll even cover the costs, so it doesn't seem like a bad deal."

"That's how it looks to you. What this really means is they're paying a fee to use an American agency like a mercenary force."

"..."

But Aiden had no intention of refusing.

The justification of making America drug-free was compelling enough, and more than anything, he had no desire to resist Kwangwoon.

"But this next one..."

The next document, however, was the problem.

"An insurance company?"

"Yes. While it is technically an insurance company, it's a charitable initiative for vulnerable populations. Kwangwoon would help ordinary people who can't afford the crushing cost of medical care."

The current Aiden administration had embraced Obamacare and was working to expand it further.

But the limitations were still glaringly apparent.

"The insurance cartel won't just sit by and watch this happen."

The insurance cartel.

They were adamantly opposed to Obamacare and had been working tirelessly behind the scenes to prevent hospitals from accepting it.

As a result, there were countless cases where people enrolled in the program still couldn't get coverage, and plenty of medications and treatments that simply weren't included.

"But apparently, enrolling in this would eliminate all of those problems. Only for vulnerable populations, of course. That's why Kwangwoon wants to partner with the U.S. government to expand the charitable initiative."

"You really think this is just charity?"

"I'm sorry...?"

Aiden shook his head.

Because Kwangwoon was now openly revealing its true intentions.

"Right now, Kwangwoon Insurance says it's helping the vulnerable. But what happens when this system gradually expands, kills off the other insurance companies, and establishes a monopoly? Everyone who wants medical treatment will have no choice but to fall under Kwangwoon's control."

And he knew what they ultimately wanted.

"That's when they'll start forcing Bio AI Chips into people. Every single person enrolled in Kwangwoon Care."

"!?"

John, who had genuinely believed this time that Kwangwoon Care was a charitable endeavor, looked utterly stunned.

"You act as Kwangwoon's errand boy and you didn't even know this much? You've got a long way to go."

"..."

"But it won't be easy. Other places aside, the insurance cartel is a truly ruthless bunch."

In the United States, the insurance cartel wielded power rivaling that of the financial cartel.

The amount of money they poured into politics every year alone was staggering.

And Kwangwoon was trying to put a leash on that insurance cartel.

To do that, they'd need some kind of catalyst, but...

"What are they planning to pull this time?"