Two days later, a corpse washed ashore on the Korean coast. Though its head was crushed beyond recognition, forensic tests confirmed the identity: Zhou Xingzhe, the fugitive Narcotics Squad Captain from Geumcheon Police Station.
Authorities concluded he died on the night of his escape, suspecting his accomplice or the human trafficker helping him flee might have been responsible.
At a press conference, Prosecutor Kim Joon-ho presented a series of evidence linking Zhou Xingzhe to the murder of Jeong Geung-seok, the North Division Narcotics Unit chief.
The six charred bodies found in the abandoned factory were also connected to Zhou. Weapons and vehicles at the scene indicated the victims were Taiwanese drug traffickers.
The Korean media erupted into a frenzy. Wild theories and supposed "insider reports" flooded the news. Rumor had it that directors and screenwriters were already drafting scripts, eager to bring the story of this "demon cop" to the big screen.
Meanwhile, Jack boarded his flight back to New York.
"If you ever get kicked out of the police force, or if you just get tired of it, give me a call."
Before boarding, Jack waved a mock phone gesture at Ma Seok-do, who responded by playfully shaking his fist.
The guy was definitely unconventional. The night before, during drinks, he had actually brought in a few K-pop idols to liven things up.
Unfortunately, Jack wasn't familiar with the Korean entertainment scene. With so many girl groups and their members looking so similar, all he could do was get a small taste of what the chaebols enjoyed regularly.
In first class, Jack thanked the overly attentive flight attendant, asked for a Coke, and opened his laptop to get back to work.
His short series adaptation of Chuck, based on the American TV show from his past life, had been a hit. The first season was already streaming, with Reid's girlfriend, Lyla, playing the lead role of Sarah Walker, the sexy secret agent.
The "average guy meets dream girl" story had struck a chord with audiences. This time, with more funding, they even included special effects. The short series was now practically a full-fledged TV show, only keeping the episodes to a tight 15 minutes each.
This success meant Jack had to keep up the pace with writing. His memory of the original series was fading, so he had to make up the plot as he went.
Fortunately, his life was anything but boring. Plus, old CIA hand Joe Mason had provided him with enough spy stories to make the espionage plotlines feel authentic. The only challenge was crafting those over-the-top scenes that audiences loved.
The Wolf brothers were already in Manila. A direct sea journey from Korea would have taken over a month, and Chris, a busy man, couldn't afford that kind of downtime.
They'd cash in on their adventure's spoils in Manila before flying back to Los Angeles.
Compared to their last modest haul from Sonora Cartel's Fausto Alarcón, this time, the Wolf brothers had struck gold.
The combined loot from the Ichijo Group's Korean branch, Inada, and Zhou Xingzhe amounted to over 20 million dollars. Adding in the 21.5 million from the Taiwanese gangsters brought the total to nearly 50 million.
Jack didn't know the exact process Chris would use to launder the money, but ultimately, the funds would funnel into the newly established Shangrila streaming company through a Cayman Islands shell corporation.
In Jack's previous life, Netflix had been a rising star, but here it was still a physical media rental service, worth less than 50 million dollars.
Netflix was focused on expanding its disc-by-mail model and had even started a new service renting USB drives. While they had dipped into streaming, their software was clunky, and the venture was still in its infancy.
Meanwhile, the world was still grappling with the wild west of internet piracy. P2P sharing platforms like eD2k were keeping copyright holders busy with takedown battles.
Amidst this chaotic landscape, Jack's Shangrila emerged as a dark horse, riding the short video wave.
For once, Jack's knack for names proved useful. He borrowed the concept of Shangri-La, the utopian paradise from James Hilton's Lost Horizon, for the company's name.
Their short video app was dubbed Shambhala, another name for Shangri-La, shortened to SBL.
With the 50 million from the Wolf brothers' heist and the 50 million seed investment from the Anderson family, Shangrila had a robust cash flow.
Compared to the 60 million that had resurrected Netflix into a streaming giant in his past life, Shambhala was off to a strong start.
However, Chris and Jack, along with the conservative Anderson family investors, had no plans to go public.
They aimed to avoid the pitfalls of public ownership, preferring to remain a privately held company, much like other successful private enterprises:
IKEALEGOMars, Inc. (maker of Dove chocolates) Bloomberg L.P., the data giant
Staying private would mean fewer financial headaches, but also required a steady flow of cash.
Building data centers, hiring thousands of software engineers—these were small expenses. The real cost lay in acquiring content licenses and developing new intellectual properties.
Developing IPs wasn't something Jack could handle alone, even if he burned out his keyboard. Fortunately, his connections with other writers, including the well-known Castle, provided a much-needed creative pipeline.
The future looked bright, but the road to achieving their vision remained long and challenging.
For now, with their funding secured, the company could accelerate its growth. But as Shangrila gained momentum, another issue loomed: Zoe's political career.
The Andersons were an established California political family, but they weren't all-powerful. Their influence in Washington D.C. had limits.
Zoe's grandfather, old man Anderson, had allies and protégés. With the extended family's support, Zoe was a rising star.
However, a rising star needed time to solidify her position.
Senate seats only opened up every six years, and the two seats' terms were staggered. The nearest election was still two years away.
Unless one of California's current senators had an unexpected accident, Zoe would have to wait two years to enter Congress.
Jack and Chris couldn't do much about that—unless they were ready to take out a sitting senator.
Leaning back in his seat, Jack let out a long breath.
Politics, business, money laundering—his life had become a maze of ambitions.
But if he had learned anything, it was this:
Every problem had a solution.
You just had to find the right leverage.
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