The Imperial Hunter

Ricardo quickly dismissed the concern I had raised.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Why not?”

“Because we have a deal with the navy. Contra Almirante Martínez, who currently controls that area, will cooperate with you. The ammunition boxes will have humanitarian aid labels and will be transported to the airport. So, you need to pay attention to the packaging.”

Contra Almirante Martínez. I didn’t know much about the Mexican military’s rank structure, but I could tell he was quite high up, given that the word “Almirante (Admiral)” was involved. However, if he held such a high position and was corrupt enough to accept bribes, he would probably have already received bribes from the Sinaloa side…

This could potentially turn into a repeat of the Myanmar incident. The five who were left behind in the jungle were still a painful memory. They were lives that should have been put to better use. I added some weight to my suspicion and asked. 

“How much can we trust this Admiral Martínez?”

“It’s not about trusting him; it’s about trusting an old comrade he owes a favor to. You could say it’s a friend’s guarantee. This friend is also in that area, so don’t worry too much.”

“And who is this friend?”

“Diego. José Diego Svaralska.”

Ricardo’s response was filled with confidence, and I could sense a touch of pride when he mentioned the name. I understood that they had prepared diligently, whether out of eagerness or urgency. All this preparation was a precaution for receiving goods from across the Pacific. If the contract with the arms dealer from Northeast Asia wasn’t finalized, all this preparation would be meaningless.

Despite that, I couldn’t completely shake off my unease. No matter how much effort went into the preparation, it would all be in vain if the results were disappointing. Was this truly the rare “friendship guarantee,” or was it a scam masquerading as a guarantee? In such situations, it was wise to consider the worst-case scenario. I should accept the deal but also prepare separate security measures…

“Alright.”

Ricardo clapped his hands.

“I’d like to hear your response soon.”

The eyes of an inexperienced negotiator were fixed on me. Through those eyes, I glimpsed tension, excitement, and anxiety. Would I try to haggle on the price? Did I schedule the delivery too urgently? If this negotiation failed, what should I do next? If it fell through, could I find a new trade route within the given time frame? It was impatient. This was why negotiations with tight schedules were disadvantageous. Even when Suyeon was dealing with the Chinese, she took several weeks to reach a resolution.

“One condition.”

I held up my index finger.

“If we agree to only one condition, your brother won’t run into shortages of weapons and ammunition.”

Ricardo took a deep breath and asked, his voice trembling.

“What’s that condition?”

“Advance payment. We need to receive half of the blueprints as an advance payment.”

“Wait…”

“And your technicians and our technicians need a chance to communicate with interpreters present. Before handing over the goods, we need to confirm the fact that you possess the blueprints and that these blueprints meet the level of quality I require.”

Up to this point, I had spoken, and then I glanced sideways.

“Have you not even considered an advance payment?”

The supply officer, who had been acting like a malfunctioning robot, struggled to maintain his composure.

“You can verify the payment when the exchange takes place.”

“Verify the truth on-site?”

Nonsense. I couldn’t help but sneer at the absurdity of it.

“Ricardo, what I need to receive are the blueprints of the submarine. I’m not talking about some ordinary semi-submersible, but the blueprints of a top-notch, state-of-the-art submarine with all sorts of advanced technology. How long do you think it will take for a technical verification of those blueprints?”

Therefore, I needed enough time to be able to turn the ship around mid-voyage. I firmly stated,

“Exactly half of the entire blueprint. Until that is in my hands, the shipment won’t leave the home port.”

“Half is too much!”

“Then there’s no deal.”

“You!”

Ricardo’s voice had become louder, but it was my hand that slammed the table. Creating a momentary silence, I leaned forward and spoke in a low tone,

“Remember that I promised not to exploit your position from the beginning.”

“…”

“I showed goodwill by accepting the quantities and deadlines you mentioned without any deductions, and now it’s your turn to reciprocate. Isn’t it common sense that if one thing goes, one thing should come back?”

Ricardo closed his mouth with an uncomfortable expression. He probably wanted to argue, but there was no point since I had logically cornered him from start to finish. The deal was going smoothly, and I had already offered very favorable conditions. I had made my decision and, like him, I couldn’t afford to ruin this negotiation.

However, the reason he couldn’t shake his vague uneasiness was simple.

‘He can’t quite grasp it. Even if he gives half of the blueprints as an advance payment, is that acceptable?’

It was natural to feel anxious when you had little or no technical knowledge. Or perhaps it was because he didn’t know if it was within his authority.

“What’s your answer?”

I urged him to respond with a chin gesture. In response, Ricardo, his face tense, his mustache twitched, and took on a defensive stance.

“Give me a moment. We need to discuss this among ourselves.”

“Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

As I leaned back, Ricardo stood up from his seat. The moment he turned away, his tired expression became evident. The military supply officers left Miguel and Araceli in the reception room and went upstairs with three of them, but it wasn’t for their internal discussions. Ricardo’s room had a fairly sophisticated radio setup connected to a desktop computer, and Raúl and Jorge were just screens.

“Suyeon.”

“Yes.”

“Bring me a notepad and a pen.”

I recorded the frequency of the radio that Ricardo was using on the notepad that Suyeon handed me. Miguel and Araceli seemed a bit concerned about the Korean language used, but that was all.

‘These guys even have satellites, it seems.’

For personal-operated radio equipment, no matter how strong the output was, the effective communication range didn’t exceed 30 to 40 kilometers. In other words, communication with Mexico, which was about 400 kilometers away, was impossible.

However, there were two ways to make it possible: one was to use moonbounce technology, and the other was to use satellites. Moonbounce technology was only possible when the moon was in the right position, so the radio waves headed for Mexico had to use satellites. The former high-ranking members of the Mexican cartel probably wouldn’t borrow amateur radio satellites (AMSAT) or commercial satellites, so ultimately, those satellites would be considered cartel property.

It was not a big deal. Even my organization’s front companies owned 41 satellites. These were not the grandiose satellites that came to mind when people think of artificial satellites; they were small, ranging from 1 kg to 6 kg, called CubeSats. The cost of launching them was only about 100 million won per kilogram. With good timing, it could be done for even half that price. NASA even declared that they would reduce this cost to $1,000 this year, although that plan went south due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anyway, what amazed me was that the cartel guys had come up with the idea of launching satellites. It was not difficult, but it required a significant shift in thinking and the acquisition of technical expertise. Artificial satellites were a field completely different from the cartel’s traditional businesses and organizational techniques.

The supply officer, who had been struggling with the codebook in front of the radio and computer, finally came downstairs, taking more than 20 minutes even after copying everything in the codebook.  I was already aware of the results as I watched the monitor screen. The supply officer received a single file through an email account.

Although it was a boring wait for me, objectively speaking, Ricardo’s brothers had made a very prompt decision. I didn’t know how high their ranks were, but they didn’t seem to be stupid leaders.

Ricardo, who was sitting on the couch, placed a USB memory stick on the table.

“We accept the conditions.”

“A wise decision. Suyeon.”

My secretary, who had come closer again, plugged the cable into the tablet for work and connected the USB. The PDF file stored in it was originally a DWG extension, which was a conversion of the blueprints. I quickly glanced through the drawings, one by one. They would have to be properly verified at headquarters to be certain, but from a weapons expert’s perspective, the probability of them being fake seemed slim.

After checking the last page, I looked up from the tablet.

“Will there be an opportunity for the technicians to exchange opinions?”

“We will inform you separately through the chieftain. We will also provide the contact method later. So, let’s start with the shipment first. It must arrive by the end of the month.”

“Let’s do that.”

“It’s best not to disappoint us.”

“Don’t be surprised if the goods arrive too quickly. Be prepared to receive them in advance.”

“…I’ll try to have faith in that confidence.”

Now, stop pretending to be strong. I gave a reassuring nod to put my counterpart at ease. This negotiation had been quite satisfactory. They might tamper with the remaining half of the blueprints when I receive them in person, but having already verified half would dramatically reduce the time required to confirm whether any tampering had occurred. Their technical experts would likely want to discuss this as well, making it burdensome to engage in any deception.

Thinking that the business here was done, Ricardo brought up a peculiar topic.

“By the way, do you have any Tau-Runners in your organization?”

“Tau-Runners?”

“That’s what they call people with unusually strong abilities these days. Here, we refer to them as Tau-Runners or Tau-Masters. I’m not sure what you call them in your country. It can’t be ‘Bendecido.'”

I didn’t ask because I didn’t understand the question. It was just out of context.

In this region, which was the southern United States, a few people had recently gained special physical abilities known as “Thaumaturgy.” This term originally meant magic. They resurrected a dead word and gave it a new meaning.

The Greek letter “Tau (Τ)” was used as an initial letter for “Thaumaturgy” and symbolized “Thaumaturgy.” Now, it had become a symbol of the origin of mysterious power. Tau-Runners and Tau-Masters were those who used the “Tau.” These people were considered top-priority recruitment targets for all sorts of organizations, including militias, cartels, private military companies, sports teams, and more.

In the same context, “Bendecido” likely referred to “Blessed” and was probably a term used in Mexico.

“Why are you asking about this?”

I questioned, and Ricardo continued with his strange talk.

“We’re just considering that it might be a good idea to send Tau-Runners when we launch the ship.”

“Do you want mercenaries?”

“No, it’s just that we want to be prepared for any eventuality. It’s also a recommendation for your side. It’s about having minimal self-defense capabilities.”

It was getting even stranger. I furrowed my brow.

“Eventuality? Didn’t you say earlier that the Naval Port Security would be guarding the site?”

The Mexican Navy’s Naval Port Security, known as “UNAPROP,” was no ordinary security unit. It was a specialized unit for maritime and port security operations, one of the warning groups to remember as a potential risk factor for maritime smuggling. Ricardo’s friend was a Lieutenant Colonel. A special unit’s Lieutenant Colonel led his subordinates to ensure safety at the deal site. Why would there be any kind of eventuality with them there, barring one exception: if they were to betray us.

“It’s just…” 

Ricardo hesitated and finally let out a sigh along with the information.

“Recently, there have been rumors of madmen in the Guadalajara area wearing armor and using swords to slice up ‘Sicarios’ from ‘Sinaloa’.”

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