Dictator From Outer Space

Chapter 19: A Failed Contract and Twisted Truths

Arma faithfully carried out the tasks entrusted to her by her master, who was busy with various contracts.

One of them was the creation of a smart factory that would produce black metal batteries.

She had designed the process to be significantly more automated than before.

However, she could not achieve complete automation due to her master’s instructions.

“We can’t fully automate everything. That would cause a massive loss of jobs. South Korea is already in chaos due to high unemployment rates. We don’t want to make things worse.”

One of Yu Ji-ha’s goals was to increase his influence.

He had to maintain a certain number of employees to build a positive image for the Silla Group and expand its influence accordingly.

As a result, Arma had to deliberately introduce inefficiencies into the entire process, from electrode production and assembly to Martian refining.

[It’s terrible that I have to design such inefficient processes with my own hands.]

“Just hold on a little longer. The time will come when we don’t have to worry about appearances.”

That would be after they established the United Nations of Humanity in the North Pacific.

Arma carefully reviewed the proposals she had selected for consideration.

She had to evaluate numerous matters, such as securing black metal from various countries, acquiring land, and constructing factories. 

However, she skimmed through them mechanically.

“Leo Electric Cars? Why are they proposing a supply plan when we haven’t even secured enough black metal? Secure it first, then we’ll talk.”

[I will prepare the relevant task instructions…]

“And Apple… Isn’t this something that should be handled by Silla Auto? Why did it come here?”

Apple’s proposal revealed their desire to create their own car through Silla Auto. However, their demands were excessive.

[They want full control over the hardware. They want to turn Silla Auto into their subcontractor. By the way, if I may inform you, Apple has already been rejected by several car companies.]

“So, basically, they want us to manufacture a car for them, and then they will just add some software and call it Apple Car?”

[Your understanding is almost accurate.]

“This is ridiculous.”

Yu Ji-ha tore apart the battery supply proposal from Apple.

“Put any future proposals from Apple at the very bottom of the list.”

If it were only about money, Yu Ji-ha would have accepted Apple’s proposal regardless of their attitude.

However, what Yu Ji-ha wanted was not money but positive influence.

He needed people who would support him no matter what he did.

“Volkswagen… They want us to supply batteries in bulk? Don’t they have any black metal?”

[Due to the narrow seas… thanks to that, Germany, which has many global automotive groups, is in a difficult situation. The UK refused to supply them with black metal.]

“German car companies… Damn, there are too many of them.”

Companies like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen were abundant, surpassing future car manufacturers.

Although they had focused on traditional internal combustion engine cars, their production of electric vehicles exceeded six million units in a year.

If they couldn’t secure a supply of black metal batteries from somewhere, they would fall behind to the second tier.

Yu Ji-ha glanced at the map showing the black metal storehouses and tilted his head when he looked at the Russian side.

“There are two locations on land in Russia. Wouldn’t it be convenient for Germany to contact them?”

[Last year, when Russia assassinated a human rights activist, Germany strongly condemned them, and there was a case where natural gas supply was cut off.]

“It’s a troublesome relationship. For now… let them know that we are willing to supply the premium line.”

[I will deliver the task instructions.]

Arma would write and deliver the task instructions, but it was the employees who would actually carry out the tasks.

Communication could be problematic, but fortunately, the new recruits in the company were quite proficient in English.

“As for Russia… They want to confirm the storehouse quantities together and even conduct mining?”

[In Russia, the storehouse quantities of black metal are quite substantial. In contrast, their domestic industry is in poor condition. It seems they want to leverage the abundant black metal to initiate new business ventures.]

“They want to collaborate with us… Not a bad idea. Let’s at least hear what they have to say.”

She had received proposals from various countries and companies, and Arma dealt with them one by one.

Unexpectedly, a proposal came from Toyota in Japan, but they also requested a visit.

“When you mention ‘senior,’ are you referring to my father? Why are they mentioning my father?”

[When Silla Auto separated from the Future Car Group, they received assistance regarding the production line from him.]

“Well, I can’t just ignore this.”

In this era, it was relatively common for sons to repay their fathers’ debts. It wasn’t asking for something extraordinary, and meeting to hear the contract conditions seemed reasonable enough.

[But, Master, the public opinion in Japan is not favorable. I advise against going this time.]

“But Japan is a developed country and a democracy, right? They can’t detain me.”

[It’s not about being detained. It means they will treat you with contempt. The public opinion in Japan regarding black metal and batteries is highly divided, but the prevailing sentiment is that it’s presumptuous and unforgivable.]

“…Unforgivable for what?”

[They see black metal as a divine metal, and using it recklessly…]

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Yu Ji-ha let out a hollow laugh.

“Black metal is not a divine metal. It’s the shell of an extraterrestrial creature. So you’re saying they’ll proceed with the contract and then make an announcement?”

[I can’t say for sure. But considering the magnitude of their shock, their attitude towards you won’t be normal.]

“Was it that shocking?”

“At the demonstration, a Gundam happened to appear… The robot that Fukuda-san modified is one of Japan’s symbols.”

“It must have caused a commotion.”

“If you check the international news section of Japanese portal sites, around 40% of the articles are about you, Master, Shira Energy, black metal, and batteries. There’s a high level of interest.”

“Why are they so curious about other people’s affairs… Anyway, I should hear my father’s intentions.”

They had received help from someone, and they had to repay it. He called his father and apologized.

—Actually, Toyota helped us a lot when we established the Silla Auto line. Of course, they didn’t do it for our sake, but because they wanted a piece of the future car market.

—It’s okay, Father. I’ll meet them and come back soon.

—I’m sorry to trouble you. By the way, we have finished the design for the new mining ship.

Really? That was quick.

—We only need to make some minor changes to the deck and the starboard side. It won’t take long. And the people at the Design Department are very impressed with your design. They say there’s nothing to fix.

‘Well, it’s Arma who designed it, so that’s expected.’

He hung up after a brief conversation.

Now he had to go to Japan and clear the debt in his heart.

…

“…”

He sat alone in the office that looked like a warehouse.

He knew they would be hostile, but he didn’t think they would be this petty.

This place was neither Toyota nor Panasonic headquarters, nor was it the modest office of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).

Office supplies were lying around messily, and the only desk was covered with dust.

On the whiteboard, two sheets of A4 paper were attached, with the words “Toyota-Panasonic Explanation Session on Black Metal” written on them. 

“They never planned to sign a contract from the start.”

They had summoned him to this shabby place, told him their stance one-sidedly, and then tried to send him away.

That was the scenario the two companies had in mind.

Soon, the reporters would flock in, writing articles to spread around. In the shabby office, with Yu Ji-ha sitting alone, the image wouldn’t be very flattering, would it?

He didn’t know how it would benefit them, but it would quench the thirst of some Japanese who craved a sense of victory.

“Pathetic bunch.”

Yu Ji-ha had no personal feelings towards the two companies.

But if they kept acting like this, they would lose out, and that would be their own fault.

Whether they knew it or not.

“I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes, and they still haven’t shown up…”

In a situation like this, timeliness was more important than anything else. This was more than just hostility.

With a cold face, Yu Ji-ha left the office and met two executives from Toyota and Panasonic at the end of the hallway, with an interpreter by their side.

“We would like to talk about the black metal contract from now on.”

But Yu Ji-ha’s reply was frosty.

“What kind of contract can you make in a place like this? And you made me wait for 30 minutes.”

“We’re sorry. But we also had our own issues to deal with…”

They said they were sorry and bowed their heads, but there was no sincerity in their words.

They seemed to think that they had an overwhelming advantage.

“I’m grateful for the help Toyota gave to Silla Auto. As a sign of thanks, I came here to talk things over. But is this how you treat a guest? Do you always treat foreign companies like this?”

“It’s not always like this.”

“Oh, so I’m someone you can look down on. I see.”

As Yu Ji-ha turned around, the reporters rushed in, seizing the chance to start their reporting.

The old executive’s neck tensed up, maybe feeling empowered by the situation.

“Black metal is abundant in Japan. And there have been many cases where people with black metal factors have appeared. In other words, we don’t need your help.”

“Then why did you call me here?”

“To tell you these things.”

“You must be crazy.”

“Please mind your language, Mr. Yu Ji-ha.”

Yu Ji-ha’s face turned cold.

“You can’t even show the basic manners and show your true colors. Well, I get the intentions of both companies. We won’t have any more business with you.”

“That’s fine by us.”

Click, click.

The reporters eagerly snapped the clash on their cameras.

This was the scene the two companies wanted to create.

After the announcement of the black metal battery, the stock prices of both companies kept falling, and they needed some drastic measures to recover.

Inviting Yu Ji-ha from Shilla Energy for a spectacle was the solution they came up with.

It would be shameful if the whole truth came out, but they didn’t have to worry since it happened in Japan.

The Japanese media would selectively release the footage and quotes provided by the two companies, making Yu Ji-ha look like an idiot.

When combined with Yu Ji-ha’s past history, it would make a wonderful show.

Some Japanese people would sarcastically say that a drug addict made the battery.

But they were wrong.

The Plague Core, near the Japanese waters, had already been taken by Arma.

That meant the supply of black metal was limited.

Japan would soon face a black metal shortage since there would be no more supply.

“You brought this on yourselves.”

With a sour tongue, Yu Ji-ha got on the plane back home.

He had decided to completely cut off Toyota and Panasonic from the roadmap for the rebuilding of the United Human Alliance.

There would be no future business with the two companies.

Just as they wanted.

A few weeks after Yu Ji-ha came back.

Famous Japanese economic magazines posted articles on their portal sites.

The picture in the article showed a man sitting gloomily in what looked like a warehouse. 

The economic magazine called him the CEO of a Korean energy company, stressing his recent failure in negotiations with Toyota. 

But those who read the article knew exactly who he was – Yu Ji-ha, the CEO of Silla Energy.

—Yu Ji-ha, dejected after failed negotiations with Toyota.

–Failed contract with the world’s biggest car maker, Toyota… Is this the beginning of Shilla Energy’s downfall?

It was a blatant twist of the truth.

Toyota was the one who called Yu Ji-ha in the first place, and he had just gone to Japan to talk about the contract but was treated with contempt and came back home.

But journalists close to Toyota and Panasonic twisted the truth.

They wrote the article as if Yu Ji-ha had pleaded for the supply to be given.

Even though the article was published for a short time, thousands of comments poured in.

—A company with about 100 employees deserves that kind of treatment.

-–So cruel and cold. I can’t stop laughing.

—Did they come to beg for a contract from Toyota? Sorry, but we’re not interested in anything from Korea.

—Something doesn’t add up. They’re coming to ask for a contract when there’s a severe lack of black metal batteries?

—The Korean media is saying that Shilla Energy got offers from manufacturers all over the world, not just Toyota’s direct approach.

—This article doesn’t make sense from the beginning. In B2B, it’s common sense to discuss opinions before a contract. It’s impossible to sit alone in an office like a warehouse like that.

—It was very rude to assign such an office like a warehouse in the first place.

Although there were some comments that were closer to the truth, they were outnumbered by thousands of opposing comments that pushed them down.

To the Japanese people who read such articles, the truth didn’t matter much. 

They just wanted to see Korea being humiliated and Japan prospering.

—Well, we have black metal in our country too. Now Panasonic just needs to make batteries out of it.

—Japan has a much larger population than Korea. Logically speaking, there should be many talented people with that skill.

—The survey team went to Fukuoka, so we’ll soon hear about the storage amount.

But as time went by, weird rumors started spreading online.

—Why isn’t the black metal storage amount being updated on the Economy and Industry Agency’s website?

—Are they stupid? How can they measure the storage amount in real-time?

—It’s suspicious that the Economy and Industry Agency doesn’t even provide the minimum numbers.

Even though it might be hard to calculate the exact storage amount of black metal, the range can be estimated.

Silla Energy’s website has information on the status of various countries, except Japan. 

The Economy and Industry Agency is not giving any data.

There’s no need to share such secrets with a place like Korea.

As usual, the opinions on the internet flowed in a way that avoided any link to Korea.

But there was a growing number of people who found the actions of the government, including the Economy and Industry Agency, fishy.

Based on local newspaper articles, they claimed that the government was hiding something.

—The US, UK, Russia, and Korea are all giving subsidies due to a sharp drop in black metal catch near the production sites. But in Fukuoka, the catch is increasing. What’s going on?

—There are weird rumors going around in the 6th Defense Force. It seems they are not doing any surveys with the measuring lines. They are just floating the ships.

—A tweet from a self-defense officer? Can you give a link?

—Oh, it seems to have been deleted.

—This is definitely the government trying to cover it up.

As the situation got suspicious, each TV station planned a segment where they looked for people with black metal abilities in busy areas.

—If you can transform this black metal, you could win 100 million yen! Who will be the lucky one?

But sadly, no lucky one appeared.

The desperate TV station visited a Panasonic researcher who was reported to have black metal abilities.

But he could only transform it, nothing else.

It was nothing compared to the sophisticated Gundam shown in Korea.

The Japanese audience who had gathered in front of their TVs complained.

—What? Why are they censoring it?

—Logically speaking, it must not be ready for release.

—The panel’s reactions are not fake, though.

—He doesn’t even have a smile on his face…

–Dad, where’s the Gundam?

But not all Japanese people were deceived by this show.

The workers of a small electric car company, KODINE, in Tokyo, asked for samples from Shilla Energy and got a polite reply.

They agreed to lend three samples with a condition to return them within six months.

With cheers of joy, they joined the camera crew and reporters from the quirky TV station known as TV Tokyo and headed straight to Korea.

And after waiting for a few days, they finally got to meet Yu Ji-ha in person.

Surprisingly, the Japanese who came in person were their first visitors.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yu Ji-ha.”

“Boss, I have one question to ask. There are rumors going around on our side, and I wanted to check…”

When KODINE’s workers translated the Japanese article and showed it to him, his expression changed oddly.

“I was sitting there, but the explanation is wrong. I went there because I got an invitation from Toyota.”

“They didn’t really treat you badly after calling you here, did they?”

“I don’t want to talk about their attitude. But…”

“But?”

“From now on, I won’t work with Toyota or Panasonic in any way.”

“Are you serious?”

“Very serious. I mean I will act like they don’t exist.”

Why would he be so harsh because of the treatment he got?

Anyway, since it was not related to KODINE, they changed the topic.

“Oh, the Gundam at the demonstration was amazing. Can we make similar changes here too?”

“Sure. We have the cube here…”

As Yu Ji-ha took out the dismantler and the cube, workers who could be called otaku specimens volunteered one after another.

“Rock-paper-scissors! I won!”

A muscular worker won and put on the dismantler, holding the cube.

And then, oh no.

The cube changed into a slim figure of a girl smiling.

The KODINE workers were disgusted.

“This guy ruined it…”

“Hey, Itano. Stop showing your tastes when you’ve come this far.”

Yu Ji-ha calmly smiled and encouraged other workers to make changes too.

Soon, various mascots like Mario, Pikachu, and Kumamon appeared.

While the workers chuckled and laughed, the TV Tokyo cameraman captured the whole process through the lens.

And after a while, Yu Ji-ha’s interview was broadcasted through TV Tokyo.

The Japanese were very shocked.

—What… so he went there because of Toyota’s invitation?

—Why? Wasn’t it a matter of pride for Japan?

—Then, why was he sitting alone in an office like a warehouse…

But it ended there.

The Japanese were good at hiding problems. 

They tended to think that if it wasn’t visible, there was no problem, and many people thought there was no need to make a fuss.

All members of society seemed to have closed their mouths as if they had made a promise.

As a result, articles and videos related to Yu Ji-ha and Shilla Energy started to disappear from the internet.

People didn’t ask about it or dig it up.

The voices of the few who were revealing the small truth were buried by the majority.

Japan went silent.

Medetashi, medetashi.

…