World Domination through Planet Development - Chapter 51



Only Noblemtl

Episode 51. The world’s gaze begins to take notice

Ahmed sighed.

Ahmed Masoudi. He was leading the National Resistance Front, an anti-Taliban resistance group in Afghanistan.

He has now escaped Afghanistan and arrived in Saudi Arabia. From here on out, it is a truly safe area.

There is no other reason why Ahmed, as the leader of the resistance group, left Afghanistan and came here, taking risks.

It’s because of a certain rumor.

The death of the King and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and the subsequent rise to power of Khadim bin Mukhtar.

Although it was just a rumor, the world was already starting to believe that it was a coup. And the group that was drawing attention as Khadim’s close associates was an unidentified private military company.

A military group that took over the impregnable Saudi royal family in just one night.

Because of the debate over whether or not that impossible operation was possible, there are still experts who insist that it was not a coup.

And that’s where Ahmed was heading.

The purpose was to provide them with military assistance. It would be more accurate to call it a request rather than assistance, but Ahmed’s conscience was too poor to call it a request.

Moreover, at a time when the perception is that it is the bodyguard of the current Saudi royal family, the only hope, although the possibility of this being possible is slim, is the title of a private military company.

At a time when the former Crown Prince Mohammed’s personal bodyguard was also operated as an internal secret agency, it was quite surprising that it took on such an open corporate form.

Private military company. The mercenary industry is quite popular in this land. That’s why Ahmed came to Saudi Arabia to find that possibility.

Rumor has it that they are occupying the palace.

It was natural that they would be centered around the current power holder, Kadim. The bigger issue was who they would have to go to if they went to the palace.

Should I go directly to the real power, Kadim, or should I look for someone from a private military company?

The former seems to be correct, but it is not easy to know if it is possible without even making a promise. Moreover, he is only the head of a force that is not even recognized as a government.

Arriving in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed unpacked his luggage in a small room with his entourage.

It was too late to visit today.

The next morning.

After having a meal at a restaurant near the inn, Ahmed took a local taxi with his entourage and headed to the palace.

“Commander-in-Chief, we have arrived.”

A loyal soldier and attendant woke Ahmed up from a brief nap.

After paying the knight, they slowly walked towards the main gate. Just when they were wondering if they would be able to enter or exit, a soldier walked out from in front of them.

Ahmed spoke first.

“Hello. We are from Afghanistan.”

“… … .”

There is no response from the soldier.

“I am Ahmed Masoudi, the leader of the National Resistance Front. May I meet with you?”

“…Follow me.”

They arrived at a terrace, thinking that things would work out surprisingly well. It was a somewhat closed off place with few people around, so it seemed like the perfect place to have a conversation.

“…Why here?”

Ahmed asked, because it seemed like an odd place to meet the King of Saudi Arabia.

“If you have anything to say, tell me.”

“…What is that?”

“What you say is within my authority to discuss. So tell me.”

No. Wasn’t he just a soldier? If you think about it, it’s not something that can be easily judged by appearance.

“Is that true?”

“exactly.”

Ahmed hesitated.

“Even so, this is a bit….”

“Then I will pretend it never happened. You will never see His Majesty anyway.”

When Ahmed expressed his discomfort, the soldier firmly drew the line.

“Ah… no, wait. That’s not it. Are you affiliated with a private military company…?”

“That’s right.”

“ah!”

If so, the story might be fast.

“Let me get straight to the point. We need military support. Do you have the authority to do that?”

“To be clear, my authority is sufficient, so do not worry. Your Majesty’s approval is also required.”

“Oh!”

It seemed clear that he was a soldier of the Saudi royal family, and it seemed unlikely that he would lie.

“Then is support possible?”

“Having authority and being able to are two entirely different things.”

A soldier who suddenly draws a line. But it was true.

“It’s clear that we can’t promise enough right now. But if Afghanistan normalizes and diplomatic relations with the United States are re-established….”

A soldier who had been listening interrupted Ahmed.

“Even if we give you back your power, the promises you make are highly unlikely to come true.”

“…Why do you think so?”

“Have you already forgotten? The country that helped you in the past was the United States.”

The saying was that if the United States, the world’s most powerful country, couldn’t do it, then no one could.

“It’s different now. The corrupt officials who were gnawing at the country are no longer here. Even if they come in the future, I will block them so they won’t dare set foot there.”

“Not just that. I don’t represent the Saudi Arabian military. I’m just a private military organization. I don’t think we have a chance.”

It was a question Ahmed had fully expected.

“Afghanistan is not yet a centrally governed country. The Taliban seems to have taken control of the country, but many warlords still maintain a neutral position in each region. If we show momentum, there is a good chance that they will join us.”

“What do you plan to do after driving out the Taliban?”

What kind of question is that all of a sudden?

“What do you mean? Of course I should compensate you.”

“What I mean is, what are we going to do about those warlords?”

“Well… shouldn’t they be treated appropriately according to their achievements?”

“Then our share will be reduced.”

Is that what you meant?

“That… that’s different. The warlords are just following the trend, but if you help us, aren’t you truly the founding fathers? The warlords are probably fully aware of that.”

“In fact, even if you remove all that from Afghanistan, there’s not much left, right?”

Ugh… You’re poking me where it hurts.

“As I said, if the country returns to normal, there will be a way to receive aid from the United States again….”

“Hmm… how many troops are there on the Taliban side?”

Ahmed thought quickly and answered the question that seemed to show interest.

“It is estimated to be around 170,000 troops, but this is a large number. Given the lack of budget and supplies, it is difficult to expect that many people to be fully armed. There are also likely to be quite a few people who are actually working.”

“Our company has less than 10,000 troops, so do you think we have a chance of winning?”

“You don’t know until you try.”

Ahmed answered with a determined look in his eyes.

“I will help you.”

“What?”

“I said I would help you.”

“I… Really?”

I’ve been trying to persuade you, but I never thought you’d get an answer this quickly.

“But there is a condition.”

“What is that?”

“We operate not only private military companies, but also companies similar to defense industry companies.”

A company similar to a defense industry company…? If it’s a defense industry company, then it’s a defense industry company. What are similar companies?

“Because we are still an unknown company, it wasn’t easy to accumulate experience data on our products.”

“Are you saying that you would like to introduce it to our military?”

“exactly.”

“But in the end, it all comes down to money….”

“Ah. Don’t worry. I’ll just calculate the price based on the original labor cost.”

“personnel expenses…?”

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Are you asking me to calculate the labor cost for introducing military equipment?

“We will understand that as we discuss the details.”

Ahmed later heard the full explanation about the introduction of Android and came to understand the above.

The problematic price can also be calculated as the labor cost of the replaced manpower, so it is not a big burden.

However, it was based on the premise that it would be limited to specific units and introduced sequentially.

It was not a matter of evaluating the reliability of the product or anything like that, but rather a measure purely to minimize skill-related issues and power gaps.

These were not demands for the military to adopt androids across the board, so if it meant retaking Afghanistan from the Taliban, they could afford it.

* * *

CIA Office Meeting.

Key figures from the CIA were in attendance.

The large screen they were looking at had Kadim’s face enlarged.

“Khadim bin Mukhtar Al Saud, hereinafter referred to as Khadim. He is the real power behind the current Saudi royal family and the nephew of the late King Salim.”

An agent standing in front of a screen was conducting a briefing.

“According to the investigation, King Salim and Crown Prince Mohammed did not undergo autopsies and, of course, the cause of death was thoroughly covered up. It seems that the public only knew that there had been an accident.”

At the same time, the photos of Salim and Crown Prince Mohammed were connected to Khadim with a red line.

Beep.

Several photos were uploaded to the screen, showing parts of the CCTV footage that were cut out and unclear, along with the sound. The date and time of the photos were also written on them.

The photo showed heavily armed police officers and the building where Khadim was staying.

“The person in that house was Kadim. And according to the results of our military satellite footage taken at that time, a company of soldiers surrounded that place. The purpose was to capture Kadim.”

Military satellite images were contrasted and compared on screen.

Beep beep.

When I pressed the button, a huge square border began to appear on the military satellite image. This was the human identification function. A square border was displayed over every person in the image.

The video rewinds and flashes back to several points in time.

“As you can see, the only people who entered this house during the day were Kadeem and an unidentified male.”

“Why only one day? Isn’t the maximum retention period for video footage one month?”

The director of the information bureau asked after listening to the explanation.

“Ah… That’s because we significantly reduced the deadline for certain satellite images during our last budget cut. Because the data is so high-resolution, the capacity is…”

“Ha… Okay, then continue.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The briefing resumed again.

“At the time, there were two people believed to be in the house, including Kadim. Since they were not exposed at all in the footage, it is estimated that there were at most five people. They overpowered the special suppression unit company that surrounded them and escaped the encirclement.”

“What, are you some kind of superhero?”

The director who was watching muttered to himself in a small voice.

Beep.

The screen changed again and hundreds of pictures were uploaded. Some were blurry, some were clear. It was clear that the number of people was not accurately identified.

“This is the organizational chart of a private military company known as Khadim’s personal guard. The number of people identified is approximately 9,000. The information regarding the private military company was confirmed to have leaked directly from Khadim, but since we cannot confirm any information in the database we currently have access to, we believe that it has not yet taken the form of a company.”

“The beginning is a private organization, that’s what I’m saying.”

The director added.

“Yes. I can’t guess why they would want to form a private military company, but judging by the fact that they are leaking such news on their own, I can guess that there must be a special purpose.”

“So what is the purpose?”

“That’s still….”

The agent briefing the director’s continued questions began to sweat profusely.

“Keep going.”

“Yes, next person.”

Beep.

The picture flipped over again with the click of a button. It was the man in the fedora who had saved Kadim. In this picture, he was wearing a plain suit.

“Unknown name. Unknown age. Unknown nationality. This person is known as Alpha. He is believed to be one of Khadim bin Mukhtar Al-Saudi’s closest associates, even to the outside world. He is believed to be the leader of the organization, and he is believed to have been present at the scene when Khadim was arrested.”

Beep.

After that, the explanation of the characters escorting Khadim continued, centered around a character named Alpha.

“… That’s all.”

However, the agent’s expression after the briefing was not good. To be honest, it was as if he had not learned anything.

“You went on and on about how you don’t know anything.”

As expected, the director’s reprimand continued.

“Can you report this to the DNI? Are you all trying to make a fool of me? You don’t know the name? Go ask them! Is this the output of the world’s best intelligence agency? Damn it!”

Things haven’t been going so well for Unification these days.

From previously unidentified military groups originating in North Korea to Saudi Arabia.

It was a blow to the pride of an intelligence agency not to know of the existence of such a force, let alone its size.

In the case of North Korea, it could have been covered up by cooperating closely with the current regime, but this time it was a no-brainer.

The director was soon troubled by how to resolve the White House briefing.