Dictator From Outer Space

Chapter 12: Hidden Movement

The demonstration of the new battery had been going on for eight hours.

Two vehicles that had left Pangyo were already filming at Gwangalli Beach in Busan and heading back.

There was no need to charge them at any point.

The whole drive was broadcasted live, so there was no room for manipulation.

The live streaming channel, which had only about 100,000 viewers at the beginning, had soared to over 500,000 viewers.

Various online communities were buzzing with discussions about the demonstration.

― They’ve already driven more than 700 kilometers. When are they going to charge?

― They’re driving non-stop without charging.

― That’s nothing. Japanese electric cars can do that easily.

― But some passengers said the battery still has a lot of power left. They said it’s over 70% full.

― Come on, that’s not logical. How can it be three times more efficient? Did they kidnap some aliens or something?

― Kidnapping aliens is America’s specialty.

― These days, the aliens that America kidnaps are liberal arts students!

― Anyway, isn’t this thing supposed to last until tomorrow morning? We can just keep watching.

At first, there wasn’t much interest when it was announced.

But as the demonstration proceeded transparently, the public opinion began to change.

However, there were still some people who were negative from the start.

Shin Ha-yoon and Yu Sung-jun, who were having a conversation at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong, were among them.

“That thing will never be mass-produced.”

“Didn’t you hear this morning? They said it’s totally possible to mass-produce it.”

“That’s just wishful thinking. I checked with Japan, and mass-production is impossible. Do you know why?”

“…”

Yu Sung-jun was pleased with her posture, slightly leaning forward and listening attentively.

“Come on, tell me quickly.”

‘You’re definitely going to sleep with me.’

He tried to hide his wicked smile and spoke.

“The new battery is made of black metal. Have you heard of it?”

“A black and hard material?”

“That’s how ordinary people see it. But research institutes have a lot of data on it. Like Panasonic Research Institute.”

“So what are you getting at?”

“Take a guess.”

Yu Sung-jun licked his lips and whispered in her ear.

“To use that black metal as a battery material, there’s one condition. You need someone with special abilities.”

“What kind of abilities?”

He showed her a video on his smartphone.

The video showed a man touching the black metal and making it change shape and crumble.

Shin Ha-yoon’s eyes widened.

“What is this? It’s not some kind of metal Lego.”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? Panasonic tested it on thousands of people and found only one person who could manipulate that piece. Based on the experiments, they concluded that it could be used to make an incredible battery. Silla Energy is not the first one to find it.”

“…So we can use this person to make the battery.”

“But they said mass production is impossible, right? This person can’t control the black metal consistently. You know that standardization of the battery pack for electric cars is essential, right?”

“I know that.”

Yu Sung-jun lightly clicked his tongue.

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“That Yu Ji-ha bastard must have thought he hit the jackpot when he heard about this from the research institute. The researchers probably tried to dissuade him, but he went ahead and made the announcement. He clearly wanted to boost the stock price and make a profit.”

“He’s not that dumb…”

“Huh? Are you defending him now?”

She shook her head quickly.

After meeting him in person, she realized he was nothing like the old Yu Ji-ha.

His calm eyes and attitude made him seem like a different person.

Now Yu Sung-jun felt like he had completely won as he lit a cigarette in the cafe.

“Phew… He hasn’t changed at all. The prosecution won’t let this go easily. He’ll probably end up in jail.”

“… “

“Heh heh, he went through a lot of trouble to develop the battery for the demonstration car. But what’s the point? Mass production is impossible. He was just showing off something that had already been proven by places like Panasonic.”

As he blew out a long stream of smoke, a smug smile appeared on his face.

Shin Ha-yoon stared at the screen, her brow furrowed.

…

Time passed, and the next day came.

The two demonstration cars successfully completed the initial plan and returned to the research institute after driving around Pangyo. It was 9:30 a.m.

“Let’s give a big round of applause to those who worked hard and came back.”

As the two vehicles entered, people clapped warmly.

Everything had been tested and verified publicly, so there was no chance for manipulation.

The two Windrunners achieved a range of 2,000km without any problem.

Now it was time to reveal what the new battery was made of and how it would be supplied.

“Now, I will reveal everything. As you all know, this is Black Metal. It’s the material used in the new battery.”

A cube-shaped metal object was placed on the table in front of the demonstration stage.

The audience’s attention was drawn to the metal object, but there was a sudden commotion among the reporters.

“Panasonic Research Institute in Japan just issued a statement!”

“Didn’t they say mass production of this new battery is impossible?”

“What? What’s going on?”

“Quick, check the statement!”

Everyone hurriedly used translation devices to read the statement.

Yu Ji-ha calmly showed the whole statement on the monitor.

“It seems that Panasonic thinks it is impossible to mass-produce this battery.”

At that moment, someone raised their hand.

“I am Fukuda from Nikkei. I have a question about this matter.”

It seemed that a famous Japanese economic journalist who could speak Korean had been sent.

“Please ask.”

After getting permission, he stood up, holding the microphone given to him by an employee.

“Is it true that the new battery you announced over the past two days is made of Black Metal?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Then you must also know that mass production is impossible.”

As soon as the journalist said this, the crowd whispered among themselves.

“What? Mass production is not possible?”

“Then why did they do this demonstration?”

Fukuda, gaining confidence from the whispers, started explaining loudly.

“To make a battery using Black Metal, there is one requirement: it must be broken down according to a certain standard. This is a common finding not only from Panasonic but also from other leading research institutes around the world. This metal does not behave as expected… In other words, it is impossible.”

He delivered his explanation smoothly, as if he had prepared it beforehand, and the faces of the Koreans turned pale.

In Japan, they already knew about it.

They were waiting for Silla Energy’s demonstration.

If this was true, then the demonstration was just a hoax and a fraud.

Why did they make such a big announcement when mass production was impossible from the start?

However, Yu Ji-ha remained calm.

After listening carefully to Fukuda’s statement, he asked slowly, “Did you ever consider the possibility that I can break down Black Metal?”

“Panasonic Research Institute has already done tests. Only one person was able to break down Black Metal in the end. Even that person couldn’t keep a consistent size for the pieces, and their ability to control it was also poor.”

His words implied that he assumed Yu Ji-ha would be no different.

“Can you come forward for a moment?”

Did he want to hit him out of anger?

As people wondered whether to stop him, Yu Ji-ha attached a device to the journalist’s arm.

“As a Japanese, you must have a favorite anime. Just think of any and try touching the device.”

“It’s wrong to assume that I like anime just because I’m Japanese. That kind of thing is for otaku…”

When Fukuda, the journalist, touched the cube, something amazing happened.

The Black Metal cube started to change shape with metallic sounds, forming a recognizable figure.

It turned into a iconic Japanese robot, Gundam.

Yu Ji-ha smiled gently, keeping his composure.

“So, you like this robot?”

The journalist’s mouth opened wide, as his taste was unexpectedly exposed.

“As you can see, this device can not only change the shape of Black Metal but also break it down. Like this.”

With a slight gesture, the Black Metal split into small spheres.

But it didn’t stop there; it further broke down into solid electrolytes, ideal for batteries.

“This is absurd…”

From the perspective of Fukuda, the journalist, this was unbelievable.

He had covered Panasonic extensively, writing a special report on the all-solid-state battery.

He had visited not only the research institute but also the processes that were top-secret.

The researchers at Panasonic all struggled with Black Metal.

“With our technology, we can’t process this metal. It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“Black Metal is the metal of the gods. It’s like we’re not worthy of it yet.”

There was only one person among tens of thousands who could handle Black Metal.

Even that person couldn’t use their abilities reliably, making it impossible for mass production.

But the abilities, or rather the technology, shown by the CEO in front of him were clearly ready for completion.

Fukuda, the journalist, reached out with shaking hands towards a piece of Black Metal.

“With just this device, can you mass-produce it?”

“It’s more than possible. In fact, we have already developed specific plans for mass production. That’s what we’re going to announce next.”

The journalist’s shoulders sagged at the confident voice.

In fact, he and some other employees at Panasonic had a somewhat arrogant attitude towards Silla Energy’s announcement.

—They thought Korea couldn’t succeed where Japan failed.

—They couldn’t stand the idea of using the metal of the gods for stock manipulation.

They all shared this sentiment without saying it out loud and delayed the press release.

Their plan was to ruin the demonstration by delivering a crushing blow, and Fukuda, the journalist, was their frontman.

But it backfired.

At least, Silla Energy had succeeded in developing a device that could handle Black Metal perfectly.

Unable to bear the stares that were directed at him, Fukuda, the journalist, left the scene.

And Yu Ji-ha continued to explain his vision in a calm voice.

“There is one thing we want to convey through this demonstration. Silla Energy is ready to mass-produce Black Metal batteries. However, the supply of Black Metal is not yet fully secured. Here are the known sources of Black Metal.”

A world map appeared on a large monitor, with dots of light shining.

One of the journalists raised his hand and asked, “Are those dots of light the sources of Black Metal?”

“Yes, that’s right. We only listed the ones that were reported by the media. As you can see, they are located in the waters of various countries, but most of them are in polluted or even underwater areas.”

The UN had firmly declared that the deep sea and its resources were the common heritage of humanity.

Unless a specific country claimed it, it would be virtually impossible.

Yu Ji-ha pointed to the dot of light in the East Sea.

“Fortunately, there is also a source of Black Metal in Korea. We have secured exclusive mining rights for three years.”

“Oh…”

“As expected, you’re fast.”

Sighs of relief erupted among the people.

Now, while not as valuable as gold, Black Metal would create a market price that would surpass most other materials.

However, processing that metal was another issue.

“I have a question. You said you secured the mining rights in the East Sea. Are you ready to start?”

“The infrastructure is ready. However, we need long-term cooperation from various countries.”

While saying that, he showed a screen.

It was a mining line consisting of a concentrator with a black metal breaker and a complex processing plant.

“Let me introduce you to the black metal mining line. Please note that it doesn’t have to look exactly like this.”

Equipment and ships for mining black metal appeared.

The journalists who attended the demonstration immediately started writing articles on the spot without even having time to ask questions.

Because of that, he had to keep his composure and lead the demonstration by asking himself questions.

“This complex processing plant has all the functions needed for black metal mining. It covers all the processes from concentration to extraction, dehydration, and drying. In other words, with just this ship, we can mine black metal effectively.”

“The key is obviously the breaker attached to the concentrator. Until now, it was believed that black metal mining was impossible without the original light, but that will change from now on.”

“Excuse me.”

This time it was CNN reporter David.

He tried to speak in broken Korean, but Yu Ji-ha spoke English first.

“English is fine.”

“Great… I have a question. From your presentation, we can infer that a black metal ecosystem will be established in the future. What will be Silla Energy’s role in that ecosystem?”

“We don’t seek huge profits. We sell the plants and ships and earn a small commission from refining black metal. That’s all.”

“Can you do contract manufacturing?”

“No, we can only process it in Korea.”

“So, all black metal has to come to Korea first?”

“That’s right.”

People finally realized how amazing Yu Ji-ha’s plan was.

Since the ability to process black metal was in Korea, factories had to be built there.

“The United States will not like a company monopolizing a specific technology.”

“We will negotiate well with the United States on that.”

David, the reporter, looked stunned for a moment, then sat down excitedly.

Yu Ji-ha’s presentation continued for a while.

From black metal exploration to mining line construction and factory establishment, huge plans were revealed one by one.

Any one of them was enough to shake up the entire secondary battery market and cause a big stir.

People began to wonder about one thing.

‘Despite the impressive technology and plans, does Silla Energy have the capacity to achieve them?’

The Silla Energy they knew was a small company with only about 100 employees, whose stock price had recently risen slightly.

Moreover, there were doubts that even the Silla Group had the capacity to sell globally.

‘They will probably have to form a consortium with other groups.’

The journalists, who made their own conclusions, subtly inserted the names of the groups that had paid them generously into their articles.

This is what they call shaping public opinion.

…