Chapter 130: Dojin Frontier

“Let’s acquire a company before we develop ultra-high-strength concrete.”

“A company?”

Seong-hwan looked puzzled.

“What company are you suddenly trying to acquire?”

“Hwareung Industries!”

Park Cheol-jin asked, looking surprised.

“Isn’t that a defense contractor? One that mainly produces military supplies……”

I nodded and continued the explanation.

“Hwareung Industries is a company that has been producing bulletproof composite materials, high-strength special steel, and ultra-light protective materials since the late 90s. They mainly supply to military vehicles, aircraft, and command post protective panels.”

Seong-hwan, who was listening, asked,

“So, it’s a company with decent technology, then.”

“The technology is decent. The problem is……”

I continued calmly.

“The original founder and representative died, and when his son took over, he mismanaged the company terribly.”

“……”

Park Cheol-jin sighed and asked,

“Second-generation management is a problem everywhere. Why did it happen?”

“The son who inherited the company wasn’t from a defense background, nor was he from a finance background. He ended up running the company he inherited haphazardly, and after the 2008 global financial crisis, orders plummeted, leaving the company drowning in debt. Then, they recklessly tried to enter the overseas bulletproof materials market and went completely bankrupt.”

I showed the prepared data.

  • Revenue: 120 billion won → 68 billion won

  • Debt ratio: 410%

  • Cash assets: depleted

  • Main bank pressure: severe level

Seong-hwan, who saw the data, exclaimed,

“At this rate, it seems like it’s practically a bank-managed company?”

“Right. If they can’t resolve the debt by the end of this year, there’s a very high chance they’ll go into court-led management.”

Park Cheol-jin muttered,

“It’s practically a failed company……”

“That’s why it’s an opportunity.”

I said firmly.

“What’s ruined Hwareung Industries is management, not technology. The core technologies like high-strength composite materials, ultra-high-pressure extrusion technology, and high-temperature, high-pressure concrete pre-pressing technology are still intact.”

I flipped the screen again.

[Summary of Hwareung Industries’ Patents]

  • Bulletproof composite material panel manufacturing

  • High-temperature, high-pressure concrete additive technology

  • Ultra-high-strength heat-resistant bonding technology

  • …….

“These technologies, especially those related to high-temperature, high-pressure concrete, will be a great help in developing ultra-high-strength special concrete.”

Park Cheol-jin’s eyes lit up.

“So…… you’re saying we should acquire Hwareung Industries and use their technology to produce ultra-high-strength concrete ourselves.”

“Exactly.”

I slowly tapped the table with my finger and said,

“By acquiring Hwareung Industries, we’ll develop ultra-high-strength special concrete, and in the future……”

I paused for a moment, then quickly added,

“We’ll also enter the defense industry.”

Seong-hwan’s eyes widened, and he asked,

“The defense industry? Are you saying we’ll make weapons or something?”

“Right. But making weapons right away would be difficult, so we’ll start with the military supplies Hwareung Industries used to make.”

In fact, ever since I realized Midas’s abilities, I’ve been thinking along these lines.

My abilities can be used in all industries,

But I think they’d be even more helpful in the defense industry……

“Anyway, the NCC contract is the priority, so let’s push forward with acquiring Hwareung Industries right away.”

I immediately called Oh Seong-hak, the management director of Dojin Tech, and Hong Chung-ki, the senior executive, to explain the situation and instructed them to proceed with the acquisition of Hwareung Industries.

And a few days later.

The two brought me the organized data.

“I’ll report on the investigation results of Hwareung Industries.”

Oh Seong-hak spoke first.

“As you said, the current management state of Hwareung Industries is very serious. Three consecutive years of losses, completely depleted cash flow, outdated equipment, and workforce attrition……”

The prepared data was displayed on the screen.

  • Net profit over the past 3 years: consecutive losses (minus 8.6 billion → minus 20.3 billion)

  • Total debt: approximately 145 billion

  • Current ratio: 47%

  • Mortgage status: 2 out of 3 factories are under sale negotiations

This was information I already knew to some extent.

“How about the technology side?”

This time, Hong Chung-ki stepped forward.

“The technology aspect…… was quite interesting. The production facilities are outdated, but the design team and materials research lab were surprisingly competitive.”

He pressed the remote to move the data to the next page.

On the screen, under the title ‘List of Core Technologies Held by Hwareung Industries,’ dozens of technologies and patent names were organized.

[Summary of Core Technologies Held by Hwareung Industries]

  • High-temperature, high-pressure concrete pre-pressing

  • Micro-composite fiber mix design

  • High-strength bulletproof composite materials (carbon-based and ceramic-based)

  • Multi-layer shielding structure nano-silica dispersion

  • Heat and impact-resistant materials for military protective panels

Hong Chung-ki continued the explanation.

“Among these, the ones related to the development of ultra-high-strength concrete are mainly three. First, high-temperature, high-pressure concrete pre-pressing technology. Second, micro-fiber composite mix design. Lastly, nano-silica dispersion technology.”

Park Cheol-jin nodded.

“All three are key elements in ensuring the strength, durability, and uniformity of concrete.”

“Correct. Especially the high-temperature pre-pressing technology, theoretically, can achieve a compressive strength of 150MPa or more. Of course……”

Hong Chung-ki cautiously continued.

“……Hwareung Industries itself hasn’t achieved that figure yet, and in recent specimen tests, the highest figure was 58MPa, with an average of around 53MPa. The reproducibility is still low, and the process is unstable.”

With the highest figure being 58MPa, it would be a stretch to call it ultra-high-strength concrete.

‘Regular concrete is around 20-40MPa, and to be called ultra-high-strength special concrete, it needs at least 150MPa of compressive strength.’

I responded to Hong Chung-ki’s words.

“After hearing this, it seems clear what we need to do.”

I continued speaking to those looking at me, including Park Cheol-jin.

“Based on the technologies Hwareung Industries holds, let’s redesign the process and mix to create concrete that can be used in the NCC bid as quickly as possible.”

“Is that…… really possible?”

To Park Cheol-jin’s question, I answered with a smile.

“You saw it during the Qatar bid, didn’t you? Everyone said it would be impossible, but we created the fluid metal damper.”

Unable to shake off his worries, I told Park Cheol-jin to just trust me and to prepare well for the test bunker construction.

Oh Seong-hak cautiously raised his hand.

“What are your plans for the funding related to the acquisition of Hwareung Industries?”

As soon as money was mentioned, the room fell silent.

While Hwareung Industries isn’t a large company,

With debts exceeding 140 billion, it’s clear a massive amount of funds would be needed.

But I wasn’t too worried about this part.

“Let’s use the profits from the Qatar Financial District project.”

At my words, the meeting room stirred.

“Sir, wasn’t that fund set aside separately for new city land purchases and overseas expansion reserves?”

“In the current situation, I think it’s better to invest for the present rather than tying up money for the future.”

I stepped forward and pointed to the screen with the Hwareung Industries logo.

“Right now, Hwareung Industries may look like a failing company, but in reality, it’s a company with considerable accumulated technology. I think if we acquire this company, we can dominate not only the defense composite materials market but also the ultra-high-strength concrete market all at once.”

And since the profits from the Qatar project amounted to 1 trillion won,

Acquiring Hwareung Industries wouldn’t be a significant burden.

“Sir, does that mean you’ll acquire Hwareung Industries under Dojin Construction’s name, not Dojin Tech’s?”

To Park Cheol-jin’s words, I nodded.

“Right. I don’t plan to leave Dojin Construction as just a construction company.”

“……Then?”

Park Cheol-jin looked puzzled.

“I plan to merge Dojin Construction with Hwareung Industries and grow it into a combined defense contractor.”

While operating general construction projects,

We’ll design bunkers like this, build command centers, and on top of that, make tanks and unmanned combat vehicles……

‘Cough…… Of course, doing all that right away would be too much……’

“Anyway, I plan to expand our business beyond just protective concrete and into the entire defense industry.”

“So the ultra-high-strength concrete you’re developing is the starting point.”

To Seong-hwan’s words, I smiled and nodded.

“There’s no place where more blind money moves than the defense industry.”

This is something I’ve experienced countless times during my Ahsung days.

In defense, as long as you have the right connections with the Ministry of Defense,

It’s as easy as walking on solid ground.

“Then we’ll divide Dojin Construction’s business into general construction and defense sectors and operate them separately.”

“Let’s do that, and it would be good to grow the defense sector in stages.”

I went to the whiteboard and wrote down my thoughts.

[Strategic Defense Evolution]

Phase 1 – Secure special protective infrastructure technology (bunkers, shielding, EMP-resistant structures)

Phase 2 – Internalize composite defense materials (based on Hwareung Industries)

Phase 3 – Enter protective vehicle and unmanned system platforms

Phase 4 – Establish a comprehensive defense technology research lab (D-SHIELD Defense Lab)

Phase 5 – Register as a key partner for Ministry of Defense projects

Those attending the meeting gasped at what I wrote.

“You were really serious about entering the defense industry, weren’t you?”

“It doesn’t seem like something you just thought of overnight.”

“These are things I’ve deeply considered whenever I had time. So,

Everyone, think of a company name.”

“A company name?”

I nodded.

“The name Dojin Construction is too construction-focused. I’d like a name that gives off a defense contractor vibe.”

The others seemed to agree with me to some extent.

They started suggesting names.

“How about Dojin SecureTech? It sounds sophisticated and has a defense feel.”

“I like Dojin Nexus. It means the intersection of construction and defense.”

“What about Dojin Arena? It sounds strategic and futuristic.”

Seong-hwan also chimed in.

“How about Dojin InnoDefense? It sounds impressive.”

The room laughed at Seong-hwan’s suggestion.

As I crossed my arms and pondered each suggestion,

Park Cheol-jin quietly raised his hand.

“Sir.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Park Cheol-jin.

“I think…… ‘Dojin Frontier’ would be a good name.”

“Frontier?”

I tilted my head, and Park Cheol-jin calmly added an explanation.

“It means ‘pioneer,’ and it signifies that Dojin’s path isn’t just construction or defense but the exploration of a new domain spanning both industries.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

And soon, heads began to nod.

“Dojin Frontier……”

It rolled off the tongue nicely and had a sophisticated feel.

So, I didn’t think long.

“Alright. From now on, Dojin Construction will be renamed Dojin Frontier.”

This decision, made to earn the government’s blind money,

Would achieve feats no one, including myself at the time, could have imagined.