Chapter 184: < Protect – Episode 183 – Shotgun [2] >

The reporters covering the Nigerian war sent out breaking news on that same day.

Reporters of CNN, BBC, Roiter, Madrid CH1, Fox News and other international news media have been kidnapped!

A joint statement has been made requesting that they return the reporters safely!

The humiliation of the US military! The annihilation of the troops proves how unprepared they were for war!

The evil Boko Haram! Rumors that he might rape the female reporters before decapitating them!

Ahn Soo Ho later found out that the entire Marine Corps weren’t annihilated. It was Nigeria’s military that was annihilated. If that was the case, why was it reported that the US Marine Corps was annihilated?

“Boko Haram exaggerate for propaganda, but what’s funny is that the US military didn’t strongly dispute it.”

“Why not?”

“It wasn’t the whole platoon that was annihilated, but a squad.”

What Kosino found out was that the Nigerian war wasn’t going the way the US military expected. The Pentagon looked down on Boko Haram’s abilities. Since America’s Ministry of National Defense and the White House thought the US military was the most powerful, they didn’t consider the possibility of losing. The most capable commanders always put aside a plan B no matter what.

“The US military isn’t stupid. If they achieved their objective, they have no reason to linger around in Nigeria.”

“That’s true. The US military isn’t stupid. However, civil control is completely in America’s hands.”

The commanders of the US military continued to maximize its efficiency. Their system was different from that of the Chinese Communist Party, but the US military also had a top advisory board. There were many at that. The organizations were so outstanding that they were also called the key think tanks of the US military.

“The military research institute, Samuel Beecher stressed that this war must be ended within 6 months.”

War wasn’t determined in an instant.

There were countless organizations and research institutes related to America’s national defense policy, and they provided so many reports that a single person couldn’t read all of it in their lifetime. Not all policy organizations or institutes welcomed war. In the case of the Afghanistan war, most of the organizations opposed to it because they predicted that they would use more money in sunk cost than what they would make.

And their predictions were correct.

People thought that the US military’s Iraq-Afghanistan war was over, but that wasn’t true. America poured an astronomical amount of funds and materials to the Middle East. It was difficult to take back a national policy that was already set, and the businesses that made an agreement with the nation didn’t want to give up something that made them money.

That was where lobbyists came in.

This was also why the Middle East was called the black hole. It was right for all military action to cease once the objective of the war was achieved, but to capitalists who saw war as profitable, it was just business. On top of that, political logic went above common sense.

Then what was the biggest side effect of a private company controlling a military? It was right for a violent organization to be strictly monitored. It was right to put a leash on them so that they wouldn’t act as they please, but there were times when private companies needed to exert more control over their military.

“The US military gave the reporters a strict warning. They told them that the border was dangerous and that they should stay at their post, but the problem was their passion as reporters…”

“You never know what reporters will do next.”

“Well, the media industry does have a way of inciting fierce competition between one another.”

Once they started living in the world of journalism where their careers depended on inside scoops and urgent reports, they quickly forgot about their own safety. As a result, they got into one accident after another.

“The reporters convinced the Nigerian army into leaving their post behind the US military’s back. It’s possible that…”

“Money was involved.”

“Probably.”

Reporters of journalism ignoring the processes and resorting to bribery? That was pretty ironic, but that was the reality. Not all reporters had the same belief of intensity and justice.

“What about the early countermeasure team?”

“A squad of the US Marine Corps was dispatched, but…”

“Was that how the squad was lost?”

“Yes, Sir. They were ambushed.”

“Hm.”

Ahn Soo Ho stroked his chin.

“Boko Haram’s strategy was bold. Kidnapping the reporters and then ambushing the US military… I smell something fishy. What do you think?”

“Do you think there’s a spy, Soo Ho?”

“I don’t know about the US military, but can we trust Nigeria’s security?”

“That’s true.”

Nigeria was once a British commonwealth nation. They were no longer a part of us, but considering how their main language was still English, their influence must have been quite strong. When America decided to invade Nigeria without the UN’s permission, the first to oppose was England.

America and England

England and America

Yesterday, they were friendly like two siblings, but today, they were growling at each other like monkeys. They were so tight when there was a terrorist attack in both New York and London, but when America insisted on making the terrorist take responsibility, England strongly opposed.

“It was the Yankees that instigated the New York terrorist attack in the first place, and the ones who used the rage of the Yankees were the Limeys and French.”

The terrorist attacks in New York and London were a tragic result of internal conflicts between the British and the French. To be more exact, Africa was just a victim that got used in the process. And when the Yankees, Limeys, and the French should have taken responsibility, they raged instead. In Ahn Soo Ho’s eyes, the Nigerian war was like a black comedy.

Scott Davis was the main lead

A.K.A Dakoma-Jacob Smith supporting lead

Then would the American president be a minor role while Ransel Straussmorrow was the filming director? Come to think of it, the only key person involved who was still alive was Barbara Huxley. The ones standing in between wealth and power thrived for thousands of years while others died and got hurt. As a result, they didn’t feel threatened by small crises and suspicions. They didn’t see the public as pigs, but as soon as they got in the way of their profits, they started acting like one.

“Any way to get Choi Ye Won out?”

“Just her?”

“Yeah.”

The first one to respond was Logan.

“Wouldn’t one call do the trick, Soo Ho? Boko Haram wouldn’t turn down your request.”

“That’s the problem. If the US finds out, that’ll get tiresome.”

If Ahn Soo Ho hadn’t retired, he would have received countless calls from the Pentagon. The Sao Paolo rescue operation was to save the American president’s niece, and Sharlotte Davis was an important client who knew his secret number, so he couldn’t turn them down.

“They’re denying it, but the amount of monitoring around me has probably intensified.”

“Yeah, it’s probably hard to completely get rid of NSA.”

Following the Snowden incident, America put everything into creating a monitoring system that would watch the world. No matter how much the American president resisted and the assembly threatened them, they had no intention of slowing down. When it came to national security, half of it involved dirty things.

Kosino carefully asked.

“Are you getting involved in this… in order to win over the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff? Or are you trying to win points from the military authorities?”

“No, not that.”

Ahn Soo Ho’s reformation road map was simple.

He planned on attacking the rich, information, military, and diplomats in that order, but once President Lee Joong Hyun started to look into information, he had to change the order. However, that didn’t mean he had some grand scheme. Just relieving some personnel congestion allowed the corruption to revolve. Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t hoping for Korea to become the cleanest country in the world.

‘If you want heaven, go to church.’

People had to make their own change.

“Did I tell you the president promised me the position of Minister of National Defense?”

“Yes, Sir. You told me to find someone qualified.”

“Did you find someone?”

Kosino shook her head.

“Were my standards that strict?”

“Since they prefer someone from the military to take that position, it’s pretty difficult. On top of that, if we look for a civilian, it’s nearly impossible. Do you know what’s even more ridiculous? Despite the anxiety regarding the North and South, military research is going at baby steps. They surprisingly don’t have an interest in the military. Is it the Koreans that are weird? Or am I the weird one?”

“Our country is pretty weird.”

“Why is there no interest in national defense when war could break out at any moment?”

The reason why Korea’s military lacked proper control of civilians was because it had always been someone from the military in the position of Minister of National Defense. They preferred someone from the military for their military expertise, but regardless of how well they knew the military, there was no guarantee that they would defend the nation properly. It was actually because they were from military backgrounds that corruption existed.

Not even the most woke commanders could escape from the standardized countermeasures that they were trained to use. So the belief that military problems had to be resolved within the military was a dangerous belief. The military had to be monitored by people other than the military. If not, accidents were going to be concealed and mistakes were going to be covered up.

Without proper responsibility taking place, the incidents and accidents within the military were going to be forever repeated. Whether they were intelligent or dumb, people turned into a part of a big machine as soon as they entered the military. In the Korean military where they put stress on the importance of standards, groundbreaking strategies were not needed.

“No interest, huh…? There are many complicated reasons, but first of all, our country doesn’t have a culture of respecting the military. Why would they have an interest in something they don’t respect? They just scorn them.”

“Because of the coup d’etat?”

“That’s one reason. But the biggest reason might be the failed armed struggle against Japan. It’s true that our independence was given rather than stolen.”

If the Japanese empire hadn’t struck Pearl Harbor and irritated America, the Korean peninsula still could have their rule to this day. However, it wasn’t right to look down on the armed struggle against Japan.

‘What would have happened if it wasn’t thrown into the whirlpool of ideologies?’

Korea might have been the biggest victim of the Cold War.

“Our country’s probably the only nation that gets annihilated with our opponents right in front of us.”

“I’ve heard many times that North Korea and South Korea are one. Many believe that we’ll be reunited one day.”

“That was back in the day. No one cares about that anymore. They’re busy arguing how unification would bring them any profits.”

In about 30 years, there would be no more talk about reunification.

Ahn Soo Ho made his decision.

“Kosi, get more information about the Comradery Association.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Logan, strengthen our defense against the leaders.”

“Yes, Sir.”

By leaders, he was referring to the ones who demonstrated the most violence within the triad. As soon as the two left, Ahn Soo Ho took out his phone. The Blue House called, so he ran out without being able to greet Jang Seol Hyun.

“It’s me. Yeah. Sorry. I can’t make it to dinner. Yeah. The reports? No. I have nothing to do with it. I’m sure the diplomats will take care of it. Yeah.”

Jang Seol Hyun thought Ahn Soo Ho had something to do with the breaking news, but he pretended otherwise.

“I’ll go home as soon as I can. Yeah. Sorry.”

Ahn Soo Ho was astonished. Did she have superpowers, too? He put his phone away and moved quietly, and by that, that meant he moved on his own without any accompaniment. Ahn Soo Ho broke into Lee Yong Hee’s hotel.

“Gasp!”

Lee Yong Hee was on his way out of the shower when he gasped. It was amazing that he didn’t actually scream.

“We meet again.”

“Haha, don’t do this, Soo Ho. My heart’s weak.”

“Do you guys hate exercise when you eat all that greasy food? That’s why you all look like pigs. Seeing how the head of state has a triple chin… If you want to live long, you should exercise.”

Lee Yong Hee disregarded his insulting remarks. That was because Ahn Soo Ho called him a pig before.

“Is the proposal still valid?”

“What proposal?”

“The one about agreeing to whatever I say.”

“Oh. Of course.”

“Then I have a request.”

Lee Yong Hee stood up straight in response. Ahn Soo Ho’s requests also required deep consideration. In North Korea’s political world, his guarantee was just like a pardon that spared his life. No dictator would have been able to hold back anger if he didn’t keep a promise made with Ahn Soo Ho.

“How many soldiers do you have that can be dispatched to North Africa right away?”

“By Africa… are you talking about the reporters?”

“Yeah.”

“We could probably prepare 100 in a day or 300 in four days.”

“Then dispatch as many as you can. I’ll make sure to pay you for it.”

“No, just…”

“Quiet!”

Lee Yong Hee was going to refuse his money when Ahn Soo Ho cut him off.

“Didn’t I tell you what I hate the most?”

“Hm, fooling around with lives?”

“If you know that, why are you being like that?”

“Sorry.”

In response to Lee Yong Hee’s apology, Ahn Soo Ho just waved his hand.

“There won’t be too much danger. They just have to deliver a message to Boko Haram for me.”

“A messenger? Wouldn’t calling be a lot faster?”

“There would be too many ears listening if I called.”

“Oh.”

Lee Yong Hee understood.

North Korea also had a headache regarding America’s monitoring system. Yankees had been known for ripping off even allies for quite some time. If North Korea hadn’t been so closed off, they would have been ripped off as well. What was ironic was that the only place America couldn’t penetrate with their monitoring system was North Korea. Lee Yong Hee received the note that Ahn Soo Ho handed him and put it in his pouch.

Ahn Soo Ho leaned back comfortably on the couch.

“Now finish what you were talking about.”

The talk that they couldn’t finish because of America, China, Russia, and Japan.

“The chairman’s comrades want to normalize Gaeseong Industrial Complex.”

“How’s that hard when this side is willing to give you anything? Just exchange it for closing down nuclear weapon development.”

“Don’t you know that that’s impossible, Soo Ho?”

North Korea was never going to stop developing nuclear weapons. That was the only weapon that North Korea could use on the negotiation table.

“So you want help during the negotiation?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“They want to leave Gaeseong Industrial Complex with a partner they can trust.”

Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t so slow that he didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t do manufacturing businesses.”

“Oh! You’ve misunderstood me, Soo Ho. By partner, I’m not saying you have to create a factory.”

Ahn Soo Ho stopped his laughter in response.

“We want to lease you all of Gaeseong Industrial Complex.”

He was speechless.

If people found out that he was apart of this conversation, people were going to call him a commie for sure. Pig Kim wanted to give him land. All of Gaeseong Industrial Complex, at that. His intention was obvious.

“He wants to use me as bullet bait? Is Pig Kim crazy?”

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. It’s not like you’d lose anything. The main agent of this deal would be you.”

“That’s what I hate the most.”

As Lee Yong Hee said, no harm would go to his wealth. However, that was why he felt even more insulted.

“And the party officers agree to this?”

“It wasn’t just the chairman who was shocked by the mass killing. They all think seriously about this.”

“So they want to get on my good side?”

“Pretty much.”

Was he supposed to find this funny or consider it a serious matter? It appeared that even North Korea was minding someone. He didn’t know Kim Taek Sun’s death would be that effective.

“Will there be no interference at all?”

“Of course.”

“You’re not going to physically isolate us or anything, right?”

“No one wants to die.”

Ahn Soo Ho stroked his chin. That was what he did every time he went deep into thought. His thoughts concluded sooner than he intended.

“Deal!”

< Protect – Episode 183 – Shotgun [2] > The end.

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