Chapter 181
Chapter 181
Fist > Pen (2)
Vincent, the director of the radio station, had simply ignored the letter that had flown in from an anonymous informant.
Tips like this always dragged dangerous matters along with them. Wealth and fame were important, but I was already satisfied with my position and the balance stacked in my bank account.
Satisfaction made a man worry about his safety, and it made the glimmer of opportunity look like the flash of danger.
Even now, the radio business was thriving. There was no need to indulge in useless greed.
“There’s no need to go out of my way to…?!”
Wondering what I should have for dinner after work, I opened the door to the director’s office and was grabbed by a hand that shot out and pulled me in.
With a click, the director’s office door shut, and the latch fell into place.
“Hello, Director Vincent.”
I stared wide-eyed at the man covering my mouth. It was Kairus, but there was no way for me to know that.
He was just a man wearing a plain white mask with no decoration whatsoever.
“I can’t keep your mouth covered forever, so I’ll let go, but if you scream, that won’t be fun.”
A blade rested against my throat. The warning was more than clear. When he removed his hand, a faint, crawling breath escaped me.
“Why didn’t you report it?”
Only then did I realize that this unidentified man was the one who had sent me the anonymous tip.
What excuse should I give? I rolled my eyes, trying to think of something.
“I didn’t think it was such a difficult question to answer.”
The blade dug slightly into my throat.
“I-I’m sorry….”
I couldn’t scream. All I could do was apologize, praying that the blade biting into my neck would stop before it went any deeper.
“Sorry? That’s not an answer. I asked why you didn’t do it, you son of a bitch.”
The hand on my shoulder slowly tightened.
“I-it was going well, and I didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.”
With no time left to think, honest words slipped out of my mouth. I didn’t want to get tangled up in this or that. I just wanted to keep running the radio business as it was.
“I know your name, and I know where you live.”
Killing me would be easy. Something that could be done at any time. That was how I understood his words.
“Report it today. And launch a detailed investigation.”
“But… well. There hasn’t been any significant coverage from the place where the accident actually happened.”
That was precisely why I hadn’t found it suspicious enough to order coverage or dispatch reporters.
There was something strange about this train accident. I wasn’t the only one obsessed with exclusives. Newspapers and radio stations would jump at it.
“It’s being controlled.”
Vincent swallowed at Kairus’s words.
“Opium poppy was found on the train, and it was produced at a drug cultivation site near this city. And there’s a high chance that the current presidential candidate, Jericho Juan, is involved.”
That was why the specific details about the train derailment were being controlled.
“So what you’re asking of me is.”
“Raise suspicions through a report, then start digging. If there’s even the slightest connection to Jericho Juan, immediately follow up with additional coverage.”
Listening to Kairus, I let out a low groan.
“Are you, perhaps, connected to the ruling party?”
“No. I’m someone who wants Jericho Juan to fall.”
Kairus answered simply. It wasn’t a lie. I did want Jericho Juan to fall. And it was also true that I had nothing to do with the ruling party.
“…”
Of course, I didn’t believe him. There was no way a lunatic would ram his head into a heavyweight presidential candidate over some personal grudge.
“This is your last warning. There are plenty of radio stations in the world.”
If I disappointed him again, he clearly intended to find another target without hesitation.
“Are you certain drugs were found on that train?”
“Yes. If you properly look into it, you’ll be able to confirm it without much difficulty.”
“And that he’s connected to Jericho Juan?”
“That’s for you to investigate from now on. Since when did the press begin reporting only after being completely certain?”
If there was suspicion, it was enough to investigate and determine the truth.
“I handed you a story people would be interested in. You should think of me more like a benefactor.”
I wasn’t muddle-headed enough to think of someone who shoved a knife to my throat and threatened me as a benefactor.
“That’s all I have to say. The advantage of radio is that anyone can listen anytime as long as they have a radio.”
If the outcome didn’t please him, Kairus slowly scanned the room before continuing.
“I’ll burn every asset and property you’ve accumulated, dress you up as a woman, and put you on display in Elmont City Plaza. Then I’ll hire a few young boys to testify that you’re someone who lusts after young men.”
It wouldn’t be difficult. The wealth gap in the Aylan Republic was enormous. If I handed the kids about five thousand drem, they would all say exactly what he wanted.
As the director of a radio station, I knew that fact very well.
Everything I had built up—my wealth and reputation—would vanish. The warning was vivid and unmistakable.
“Now do what you need to do. Give up any belief that the police will protect your safety. Even if they protect you, they won’t be able to protect your assets and reputation as well.”
If the police protected him, it would become difficult even for Kairus to touch him. But as he said, he could still make sure he didn’t quite die.
“…I understand clearly.”
That concluded the meeting with Vincent. After that as well, I visited those who did not obediently move according to my intentions, offering heartfelt advice and a loving lash.
At last, my sincerity reached them, and the press of Elmont City began moving to uncover the truth behind the train derailment that had occurred far away.
In the end, a situation arose where Jericho Juan responded to a summons from the Prosecutor’s Office.
“What is all this commotion about?”
Jericho Juan had pomade in his hair and wore a neat suit. At a glance, he was a man who exuded the refined aura of a distinguished gentleman.
“Given the circumstances, we had no choice, Assemblyman.”
Although he had appeared in response to the summons, he was not some common petty criminal but a heavyweight being mentioned as a presidential candidate.
The prosecutor in charge spoke to Jericho Juan with both hands clasped and a respectful posture.
“If you’ve found something, I’d like to hear it. And bring me a meal as well.”
It was impossible to tell who was being interrogated, as Jericho Juan issued instructions to the prosecutor as if it were only natural.
A short while later, as he ate, Jericho Juan began listening to the prosecutor’s report.
“So, there was a drug cultivation site near Elmont City?”
“Yes. It’s a place that handles large quantities of opium.”
The opium poppy found on the overturned freight train also appeared to have been produced at that facility.
“Evidence?”
“The composition. Among the goods distributed in the Aylan Republic, there’s no other place that extracts it this cleanly.”
“Good grief,” Jericho Juan muttered as he finished his meal and placed a cigarette between his lips. The prosecutor immediately took out a match and lit it for him.
“You people should stop thinking only about pocketing money. If something starts growing too big, you should prune it quickly.”
With the crackling sound of the cigarette burning, smoke began to fill the room.
“The original owner we’ve identified is such a big figure that—”
“You mean that criminal bitch? I heard she died.”
It was a case made more serious because she had died. Jericho Juan spoke with an incredulous expression.
“Isn’t that even better? She’s dead anyway, and it’s a business that has nothing to do with me. Reveal it and close the case.”
“Well….”
They had raided the location, but any connection to Tapas Aiola, who was already dead, had completely disappeared.
“What nonsense is that? You’re the Prosecutor’s Office. If you just track the flow of funds, you should be able to figure it out.”
“We tracked how the money that facility earned was circulated… but it vanished.”
Listening, Jericho Juan let out a hollow laugh and flicked the ash from his cigarette.
“What kind of bullshit is that.”
“It’s true. We can’t find it. As if it suddenly disappeared from the world….”
The reason was simple. All the funds that facility had earned had already been laundered through a secret account I had received from Simid.
No matter how capable the Aylan Republic Prosecutor’s Office was, it was impossible for them to track an account created with the full power of the Imperial Treasury Chief.
“Then what about the money that went out? Even if the money it earned just vanished somewhere, what about the money it spent?”
“The charge you’re currently facing, Assemblyman, is difficult to prove based on expenditures alone.”
The profits earned through the drug operation passed through several rounds of laundering before ending up in someone’s wallet.
Therefore, if it could be proven that the wallet receiving the money did not belong to Jericho Juan, it would be easy to deny any connection to him.
But what about expenditures?
That money did not leave someone’s personal wallet. It went out under the name of the facility itself. The proper method was to make expenditures using company funds, then launder the company’s profits into one’s personal wallet.
Thus, with only the record of expenditures, it was impossible to prove there was no connection to Jericho Juan.
“The profits from before flowed to that dead criminal bastard… but we truly don’t know where the profits from the past few months went.”
And if someone claimed that money had flowed into Jericho Juan’s wallet, he would have nothing to say.
“Why should I have to prove my own innocence? What happened to the presumption of innocence?”
At his words, the prosecutor swallowed.
“We’re fine. Even if you end up standing in court, the charges likely won’t be proven. The problem lies elsewhere.”
Presumption of innocence was a principle of the courtroom. Citizens didn’t care about such things.
“If the verdict comes quickly, that’s one thing, but….”
No matter how much they hurried, it would be impossible for a trial result to come out before the election ended.
If he waited for that, he might prove his innocence, but he would lose the election. Then it would all be meaningless.
“It’s difficult for us to act aggressively as well….”
“I know.”
It was the Prosecutor’s Office. By default, they had to watch the President’s mood. Now the term was nearing its end, and Jericho Juan was a strong presidential candidate, which was why he was receiving this level of consideration.
“Call in a lawyer now.”
He said lawyer, but in truth it was essentially a liaison. The prosecutor nodded and stood up. Shortly after, the lawyer entered.
“Find out who the bastard is.”
“As for responding to the media….”
“There’s no point right now. If anything, they’ll just get more excited and run wild.”
A connection between presidential candidate Jericho Juan and a massive drug operation. If a reporter properly turned even one article on this matter into a headline, it would be enough to secure their rise.
Reporters thirsty for advancement had all gone mad. So mad that if Jericho Juan applied pressure, they looked ready to turn even that into an article.
“If we find him, we can counterattack.”
He abruptly declared a war on drugs, and at the same time tied Jericho Juan to a major drug enterprise. From Jericho Juan’s perspective, there was no choice but to assume the one orchestrating this was someone connected to the President.
“Find the one who pulled this shit first. If we succeed, the moment we do, this crisis will turn into an opportunity.”
Once they found and captured him, that would be the end of it. Whether they grilled him or crushed him, they would cook him to Jericho Juan’s taste and use him instead as a blade to strike back at the President.
Well, the problem was that Kairus, who had just handed Jericho Juan a nasty blow, had absolutely no connection whatsoever to the current President of the Aylan Republic.