The Imperial Hunter

“I stopped by to check the condition of the goods while I was in Daegu. How have you been?”

“I’m just living day by day, as always. Would you like to see the underground warehouse?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take you there.”

I followed Mr. Park into a large assembly building with one side wide open. Suyeon and Kyung-tae followed behind. Mr. Park instructed some of his men to close the main entrance while activating a hoist crane installed on the ceiling. To go underground, we had to remove the stone slabs blocking the entrance.

The motor noise of the crane was drowned out by the sound of concrete scraping as the slab was lifted, revealing a path leading underground. It was a ramp large enough for a 10-ton truck to enter comfortably.

The blast door to the armory was opened by turning a dial-like mechanism. Mr. Park dialed an eight-digit number on the metal handle-like dial. A metallic click sounded from inside the door. When he turned the handle and pushed, the thick door slowly slid open.

Power-independent lighting automatically illuminated the space. I entered the armory. Inside the blast door, there were helicopter engines and components covered with a waterproof tarp. They were items for which the delivery date had already been confirmed. Besides that, there were rows of shelves and wooden crates scattered sparsely in the room, separated by walls stacked with sandbags. Boxes of various sizes had labels indicating the contents, quantity, weight, and production year.

The contents were visible to me. Even without opening them, I could see. There was plenty of space, and the goods were in excellent condition thanks to precise temperature and humidity control. There was also thorough preparation for electrostatic discharge. There was enough empty space to bring in a lot of inventory if necessary.

Mr. Park asked, 

“How is it?”

I looked at Mr. Park and replied, 

“Not bad.”

“That’s good to hear. It’s my job to manage this place.”

Inside Mr. Park’s calm words, there was not a hint of tension. Although it was a business facility that wasn’t visited very often relative to its importance, but this was enough even though it was a random inspection. 

To be honest, I came to see people rather than the goods. I had often seen people change over time, even those who were desperate and urgent when they incurred debt. Furthermore, debts of life were mostly a personal matter. So, from time to time, it was important to feel that the relationship was being maintained by meeting face to face.

“This will do for now; I’ll check on the kids working here.”

The old man nodded at my words.

There were twenty-two organization members stationed at the Hyangsan Environment, including Mr. Park. Among them, I could only see the faces of ten. Even though it was a small undercover business, it operated stably enough to make a profit every year. It would have been odd if they were all waiting, to be honest.

I scattered around and greeted each of the ten members who were resting or focused on their work. They were somewhat tense due to my presence, but they seemed pleased that I remembered them. In reality, it was the information Suyeon had prepared as my secretary.

For subordinates, my visit should not resemble an inspection by a military leader. Such an attitude wouldn’t help with loyalty.

After completing the inspection of the facility and preparing to get in the car, Mr. Park called Suyeon.

“Hey. Lately, Kyung-tae hasn’t been causing trouble and is serving the Chairman properly, has he?”

Before Suyeon could reply, Kyung-tae grumbled.

“Ah, Mr. Park, really. Where can you find someone as good as me?”

“Don’t be so arrogant. Weren’t you the one who downed drinks recklessly in front of the Chairman during the promotion ceremony?”

“Ugh! That was three years ago, three years! And that time, I bet that I could drink a barrel of soju, that’s why I drank it from a wooden box. I haven’t done that since then. Because of that embarrassing history, I barely drink a third of a third of the usual amount nowadays.”

“Is that true?”

Suyeon nodded to the old man, who was still a bit skeptical.

“Yes, it’s true.”

“Alright, you’ve become a man.”

At Suyeon’s words, the old man immediately understood and shrugged.

“…I feel unjustly accused.”

Mr. Park bid me farewell.

“Take care in this cold weather.”

I looked at him and nodded in acknowledgment. As the car started to move, Mr. Park followed me a few steps before stopping. His reflection in the side mirror revealed a sense of regret. He had been a loyal subordinate who might, in case of need, voluntarily reverse all the charges.

The meeting place with Lieutenant Walker was a high-end pension on the outskirts of Daegu to the southeast. It was operated by a tourism development company under the organization’s umbrella and was reconstructed by Japanese craftsmen from the ruins of a high-end estate district from the Japanese colonial period. Surprisingly, U.S. soldiers liked this kind of place. They didn’t like sitting on the floor.

I arrived first, parked my car, and was flipping through the pages of a book when Lieutenant Walker entered ten minutes ahead of the scheduled time. Outside the closing door, I saw Kyung-tae setting up a spectrum analyzer for eavesdropping. Lieutenant Walker, with a stiff smile, took a seat across from me.

“It’s been three years since we met in person, Chief. Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just arrived.”

Even though I had cracked this book several times, I had only managed to read about thirty pages while waiting. I placed a bookmark and handed the book to Suyeon, who was sitting behind me. The cover caught the Lieutenant’s attention, and he showed a somewhat deliberate curiosity.

“What’s the title? I’m not familiar with Korean yet.”

“Chimpanzee Politics.”

“Chimpanzee Politics?… Well, Politics can be somewhat animalistic. They even call politicians ‘chimpanzees’ at times.”

“No, it’s different. It’s not a metaphor; it’s literally about power struggles among chimpanzees.”

“I see.”

The lieutenant, who had been puzzled, chuckled.

“Power struggles? Among chimpanzees? Hahaha! That’s quite amusing! To describe primitive dominance fights among animals with such grandiose terms!”

Ignorant, indeed. I suppressed myself and added.

“…Isn’t it interesting? You might find it even more interesting when you realize how intelligent animals can be.”

“Haha. Well, sometimes, people wonder how someone can be so human in their thinking, so maybe chimpanzees are smarter than some of those so-called ‘humans.’ I’ll read it when I have time.”

Whether that time would come before he died, who knew.

Anyway, thanks to the lieutenant’s ignorance, the atmosphere had softened. He had apparently understood that I wouldn’t press further on the subject.

“As prearranged in our contact, this time, I intend to place more orders than usual.”

The lieutenant asked.

“What exactly are you thinking in terms of ‘how much’?”

I answered with a short interval.

“Unlimited.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. I mean I’m willing to purchase all the weapons you can procure without limits. I’ll prioritize the types with greater power and caliber.”

The lieutenant blinked his eyes, and he put down the chopsticks he had been using, which he stubbornly clung to even though there were forks available.

“‘Items,’ not ‘weapons’… Are you planning on starting a war somewhere?”

He correctly grasped that I meant to exclude items for tax exemption or general supplies.

“War? Not at all.”

First, I needed to ease this guy’s tension.

“Until now, our business has been too small compared to the demand in the global market. And I’ve proven for a long time that I’m a reliable trading partner. It’s time for both of us to expand our horizons for mutual benefit.”

The first time I expanded my horizons was when I introduced weapons into our trading items. Back then, these guys acted like scared kittens. Walker ran his fingers through his beard, letting out a long breath.

“Are you saying that all our previous transactions were preparation for today?”

“For the sake of convenience, let’s say they were.”

“Hmm.”

“In 2012 and 2017, we underwent comprehensive audits, but we got through them without a hitch. As you’ve experienced, it’s because my company’s operations are impeccable. The quantities you provide us with are like salt scattered into the sea of the global market. So, is there any reason to be scared now?”

“I’m not scared.”

Walker furrowed his brows, feeling his pride being challenged.

The years 2012 and 2017 were significant in our industry.

Firstly, the junk dealer who was caught in 2012 for smuggling out $100,000 worth of thermal observation devices (TOD) and selling it for a mere $500 was a complete idiot. However, this camera got caught up in the wind of it being listed as an item on a U.S. auction site.

In 2017, it was even more outrageous. A scrap dealer arrested at that time lined up around a hundred military tactical vehicles and trailers next to a vinyl house and posted sales ads on the internet.

Interestingly, he managed to avoid getting caught for three years despite doing such a foolish thing. The police usually didn’t care about these things. When the police finally showed up at the vacant lot next to the vinyl house, the military containers that had been in the trailers were empty.

Why were they all scrap dealers? It was because the Gimcheon Excess Property Processing Office, operated by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), was at the center of all this smuggling. We usually picked up the items from there like anyone else. If you brought a discarded vehicle or container all the way here, the items you ordered were inside.

Walker warned me as if giving advice.

“Chief, you’re underestimating the CIDC.”

CIDC stands for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Walker’s warning sounded quite serious to me.

“I’m not underestimating them, Lieutenant. But I think they have more pressing concerns.”

“More pressing concerns?”

“What usually makes them take things seriously is a threat to national security. For instance, let’s say we trade a million rounds of rifle ammunition right now. How much does that truly threaten U.S. security? Would the CIDC or the CIA perceive it as a significant security threat?”

Walker couldn’t easily answer my question. Rifle ammunition wasn’t an item with a large margin considering the effort involved, but it was useful as an indicator reflecting the overall scale of arms trading.

Knowledge is power. As a knowledgeable arms dealer, I calmly continued my persuasion, well-versed in market dynamics.

“Explaining America to Americans may seem quite funny, but… Well, I’m more of an expert in the distribution field, so please listen to me.”

“What?”

“A million rounds… is just slightly more than what Texas gun dealers sell in a week. That’s the official sales volume.”

No matter how scary the IRS might be, some people evade taxes. In fact, the United States was the world’s largest tax evasion market. Therefore, the official sales volume of firearm dealers was inevitably less than the total trade volume.

“In your country, there are over 400 million firearms, and among them, about 390 million are owned by citizens. That’s counting only officially registered firearms. When fellow enthusiasts gather for an event, they often use well over a million rounds of ammunition per day.”

Where wouldn’t it reach the millions? The largest shooting festival in the western United States consumes an average of around 3.5 million rounds every year. Plus, there were people who brought tanks and armored vehicles.

“Your citizens purchase nearly 10 to 12 billion rounds of ammunition each year. Purely individual purchases, excluding organizations, are around 8 billion rounds. Did you know these facts?”

“…A bit.”

“You probably had a general idea, but not the specifics.”

Seeing the American’s somewhat puzzled expressions about their own country was somewhat amusing.

“Now, if we look at the global scale… In that Afghanistan you’re familiar with, every time households that can afford it hold a wedding, they fire tens of thousands of rounds in celebration.”

The tradition in that part of town had caused headaches for the U.S. military. From a distance, wedding guests often look like an armed militant group.

“As you know, terrorists use even more ammunition than that, targeting people like you.”

“Hmm…”

“From China, Russia, Eastern Europe… and occasionally from North and South America, there’s no way even the parties involved in the deals would know how many weapons flow into the Middle East as if they were essential goods. It’s such a vast market, with so many actors involved.”

In Korea, even the loss of a single gun or a single bullet could create a massive uproar, but from the perspective of U.S. intelligence agencies, a million rounds of ammunition flowing into other countries was not such a critical issue.