Mavi glanced at the South Korean admiral standing before him, along with a group of naval officers. Almost all of them were at least a head shorter than him, so when they looked at Mavi, they had to tilt their heads upward…
Before coming to Ukraine, diplomat Park Min-ho and Admiral Oh Sung-joon, along with their delegation, had received a "reminder" from the European Union. They were specifically warned about Mavi, the man behind the Black Sea Shipyard. His nationality was Russian, and he held a 50% stake in the shipyard. They were advised to be extremely cautious when dealing with him, as he might create obstacles…
Because of this "special attention" from the EU, the atmosphere between the South Korean and Russian representatives was tense from the very start. Even before a single word was exchanged, both sides were already locked in a hostile stare-off. It was unlike any of Mavi's previous diplomatic encounters.
"Heh, so you must be Mr. Mavi from Russia? I've heard a lot about you," Oh Sung-joon forced a smile and extended his right hand. His facial features were distinctly Korean—single eyelids, a flat nose, high cheekbones, and an M-shaped upper lip.
"Hello, Admiral Oh Sung-joon," Mavi responded indifferently, not even bothering to smile at this unexpected meddler.
In his past life, South Korea had insisted on deploying the THAAD missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula despite strong opposition, provoking both China and Russia. Eventually, under immense pressure, South Korea was forced to remove all THAAD equipment from its bases.
However, this incident had deeply highlighted the stubbornness of the South Koreans and their susceptibility to manipulation by major powers—a typical small-country mindset.
If they dared to pull the same stunt in this timeline, Mavi was certain that economic pressure alone wouldn't be the only response. He would make sure they suffered in ways they couldn't even imagine!
(THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is a missile defense system designed to counter large-scale ballistic missile attacks. If successfully deployed, it could lock onto most of Russia's territory, intercepting Russian missiles as soon as they were launched. This would effectively cripple half of Russia's strategic military power and pose a significant threat to national security.)
"Mr. Mavi, would you be willing to show us the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at your Black Sea Shipyard?" Admiral Oh Sung-joon got straight to the point.
The South Korean military was willing to spend a fortune on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier not just for prestige, but also because their shipbuilding industry wasn't far behind those of global superpowers.
They planned to buy an aircraft carrier, study it extensively, and use that knowledge to develop their own in the future. Their ultimate goal was to become the number one power in Asia.
"Sure, follow me," Mavi replied without hesitation. He had no intention of letting the South Koreans interfere with Russia's naval orders. He then led the delegation to inspect the Ulyanovsk-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The massive aircraft carrier was still under construction, resting on the dry dock's keel. Even though only 30% of it was completed, its immense 324-meter hull and 85,000-ton full-load displacement were already awe-inspiring!
Admiral Oh Sung-joon and the South Korean military officers gazed at the colossal vessel with a mixture of greed, ambition, and dreams of great power status.
Mavi, standing beside them, wasted no time in dousing their enthusiasm with cold water.
"Admiral Oh Sung-joon, this is the Ulyanovsk-class aircraft carrier. But I'm afraid the $5.2 billion your government is offering won't be enough to secure this nuclear-powered warship."
As soon as Mavi finished speaking, Oh Sung-joon snapped out of his daze and narrowed his eyes.
"Mr. Mavi, what do you mean by that? As far as I know, the Ukrainian government is very interested in our offer. Can your Russian government even afford this price?" he asked sharply, his tone openly confrontational.
Oh Sung-joon knew Mavi represented Russian interests, so he saw no reason to be polite.
"It's just a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Why wouldn't we be able to afford it?" Mavi replied confidently. "Admiral Oh, do you have any idea how much oil we have in the Caucasus region? We could buy 600 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers if we wanted to. So we'll offer $5.5 billion for this Ulyanovsk-class carrier."
Mavi refused to back down. Against South Koreans, he had to assert dominance.
His words immediately made Oh Sung-joon and diplomat Park Min-ho exchange uncertain glances. Based on their intelligence, Russia couldn't possibly afford this much in cash.
"Let's be realistic, Mr. Mavi," Park Min-ho interjected. "As far as I know, Russia's economy is in decline. Your government simply cannot afford to spend this much on an aircraft carrier! Even if you tried paying with oil, $5.5 billion worth of crude is still out of reach!"
This was exactly why South Korea had the confidence to challenge Russia for the aircraft carrier. It wasn't a military conflict, so Russia had no excuse to use force. South Korea had no reason to be afraid.
Russia wasn't completely broke, but a country has many financial obligations. Buying an aircraft carrier is one thing—maintaining it is another. If the government allocated too much to military spending, it could trigger a financial crisis and budget deficit, affecting millions of citizens.
"Oh? Is that so?" Mavi smirked. "Since you brought up the economy, let's not even talk about Russia's domestic wealth. Let's talk about our companies in the United States. Some of them are about to go public. Once they do, raising $100 billion won't be a problem.
"So if you South Koreans can't afford to offer a higher price, then you should go home."
Everything Mavi said was true. His Blizzard Entertainment and Marvel Studios were about to be listed on NASDAQ. Given their current market trends, raising hundreds of billions of dollars would be effortless.
Once the IPO was completed, he could simply sell the aircraft carrier to the Russian government, making a massive profit. And since he owned 50% of the Black Sea Shipyard, half of that profit would flow right back into his pocket…
This business maneuver was simply brilliant.
Technically, Mavi was one of the shipyard's owners, but here he was, competing against a customer for the very warship he was supposed to be selling.
He was literally giving the South Koreans a stroke.
A high-stakes military deal had somehow turned into a petty playground argument, thanks to Mavi's antics. The South Koreans were livid—they had never encountered someone like him before.
At first glance, Mavi's actions seemed reckless. However, from a business and strategic perspective, they were completely logical.
(This is just like when a certain U.S. president—let's call him "TXX"—tossed a piece of candy at German Chancellor Merkel during a G7 summit and sarcastically said, "Here! Now you can't say I never gave you anything!")
That incident proved that international negotiations are all about interests. As long as your position is clear, you can handle them however you like.
After hearing Mavi's statement, diplomat Park Min-ho and Admiral Oh Sung-joon were so furious that they were left speechless!
(End of Chapter)