King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Joe Ga had no interest in Uncle Chen's daughter. He didn't even pick up on Uncle Chen's hint, instead directly wrapping his arm around the shoulder of this state-owned enterprise leader, pointing toward Nis and Kitten...

"This is my girlfriend, both of them are!!"

Uncle Chen was an experienced cadre, and when President Joe explicitly stated he already had girlfriends, he immediately dropped his elder's demeanor, and like a good buddy, he gave a thumbs up and said with a smile, "Joe, you are really something. Oh, I can't call you Xiao Qiao anymore, I should say President Qiao.

"If I ever run into a bit of trouble in Africa, you'll have to take care of me, President Qiao..."

Joe Ga, feeling helpless, clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Uncle Chen, stop making fun of me. You used to take good care of me and Uncle Qing."

While holding Uncle Chen's arm, Joe Ga whispered, "But calling me Xiao Qiao really isn't suitable. You know, in our line of work, being called by your real name is very taboo.

"How about, from now on, you all call me 'Hu Lang'..."

Uncle Chen smacked his lips, muttered 'Hu Lang' a couple of times, then nodded in agreement, about to speak when Director Li Weiguo suddenly said, "You are the SD's 'Hu Lang'? The resort in Ad-Damazin is your property?"

There was nothing that couldn't be said. Joe Ga nodded with a smile, "I used to work in SD trafficking arms. But who I sold them to, that, I cannot tell you.

"Director Li, you are big shots in this business. If I ever need anything in the future, I'm counting on your support."

Speaking thus, Joe Ga pointed to a smoking wreck of a pickup beyond the barbed wire and exclaimed in admiration, "Blue Arrow 7. Although it's not quite a Super Pressure Hellfire, it's enough for me.

"Director Li, let's talk after this is over. I dare not even dream of owning a Winged Dragon drone; even if I bought it, I'd have no one to operate it. But these anti-tank missiles should sell, right?"

AVIC needs no introduction. Li Weiguo looked at Joe Ga curiously and asked, "Who are you preparing to fight with these?"

Joe Ga spread his hands with a smile, "I now have six Super Albatrosses, 5 mounts that can carry 20 anti-tank missiles.

"Congo has just bought ten Little Gazelles from me. I've got them fitted with mounts—they can now carry 16 missiles each as soon as they roll out.

"If the Blue Arrows are reasonably priced and arrive quickly, I plan to use them to fight the warlords of Congo.

"The preparations are already in place; if it weren't for a slight issue in Liberia, I would actually already be in North Kivu Province of Congo."

Director Li sells high-end arms, but the ambitious scope of Joe's plans astounded him...

To an outsider, six Super Albatrosses might not seem significant, and ten Little Gazelles wouldn't even be worth mentioning.

But P·B is a private company, and it damn well sounds like Joe Ga is financing a war in Congo out of his own pocket.

An observer mission is the most an outsider might undertake, never this.

Now a genuine Chinese is telling him, "I'm about to help a nation wage war," and given the status of North Kivu Province in the global mineral industry, nothing more needed to be said.

No one does a losing deal; Director Li's proactive approach to waging war in North Kivu suggests what he stands to gain is clear.

Director Li Weiguo looked at Joe Ga admiringly and said, "I always hear Lu Jun talk about how amazing his big brother in Africa is, bragging to me every day about his armed Little Gazelles. Now I finally see the man himself.

"Indeed, as legendary as they say!!"

As Director Li watched the curious President Joe, he said with a laugh, "Lu Jun is my nephew. He recently got some shares in Dahe Mining, and it's completely gone to his head.

"I've visited them. The scale of what they're doing in Burundi is huge and mainly young people—it's very impressive!!"

Hearing this, Joe Ga laughed and gave Director Li another handshake, "Then we are really family.

"Back when I was struggling the most, Boss Lu gave me some advice that opened my eyes and led to my current situation. It's been a while since I've seen Boss Lu. Once this is over, I'll give him a call, and we should meet up."

Director Li, hearing this, waved his hand and said, "Let's get over this hurdle before we speak further!

"I must complete the task assigned by the organization!

"I'll be honest with you; I started with no confidence. But seeing you bring so many people, I suddenly felt reassured."

As Director Li Weiguo looked at Joe Ga nodding, he hesitated and then asked, "You just inquired about the price for Blue Sword-7; I assume you definitely have end-user certification.

"But that product is not from AVIC. If you want to buy a Winged Dragon, that I can finalize immediately. But for Blue Sword-7, I need to ask about it back at the office.

"The price for Blue Sword-7 exported to the Libyan National Army is $50,000 USD, $20,000 cheaper than Hellfire, and there's room for negotiation.

"Let me check when I get back, and I'll give you a firm answer!"

President Joe knew that Director Li Weiguo's 'checking back' wasn't just about asking for the price, but he didn't mind—it was a careful probe.

Blue Sword-7 is effective but not cheap; deploying one Super Albatross costs a million US Dollars. Such costs make the war unbearably expensive.

Given a choice, President Joe would rather slowly produce his own Super Pressure Hellfires or just deal under the table with the military base in Niger.

Using such a device carries an air of opulence—the philosophy being to lavish on the costliest option as a show of strength.

As for the Winged Dragon drone, that's purely wishful thinking—without satellite support, its effectiveness is significantly reduced and too conspicuous.

Moreover, when Boss Joe really wanted to hit someone in Africa, he used 500 kilogram bombs and cluster bombs, those heavy-duty weapons.

In the end, the power of drones just isn't big enough!

These gadgets are all about precision strikes, requiring strong intelligence, logistics, and technical support to unleash their fullest potential.

Where would Boss Joe find the time for that?

The intelligence officers of P·B are versatile...

Joe Ga, looking at the very attentive Li Weiguo, nodded with a smile and said, "Then I'll trouble Uncle Li. If it really is a bargain, then I still want to get some.

Actually, I want the Blue Sword not just for Congo. I'm planning to take on a big contract in Iraq, and I need to speak with Uncle Chen."

Li Weiguo, upon hearing 'Iraq', his eyes lit up instantly. He said helplessly, "Can we focus on what's directly in front of us first?"

Hu Lang, when are we leaving?

The workers can't wait any longer…"

While saying this, Li Weiguo looked at the P·B's LMV armored column that rivaled Hummer convoys. He hesitated, then said, "We only have one bus and two sedans here, but we've lost contact with the workers.

We only have their last known location. I repeatedly instructed them not to move; I wonder how they are doing now…"

Should we be making more preparations?"

Joe Ga knew Li Weiguo was talking about the vehicle issue. He checked out the area enclosed by barbed wire; the roads were well-paved but not enough for a plane to land.

Originally, his idea was to have the plane evacuate Uncle Qing and Old Chen first. Well, now that's no longer a concern.

The vehicle issue can be figured out on the move; the first priority is to find the people.

Looking at Li Weiguo's slightly anxious face, Joe Ga nodded and said, "Then let's organize the workers to get on the bus. I will have someone distribute radios to you, remember, you must follow my command.

Right now, the National Army and terrorist groups are at war everywhere, and there are looters taking advantage of the chaos; we absolutely can't get separated or fall behind.

Don't worry about the vehicles, we'll figure something out on the way!"

After finishing, Joe Ga found the helpless-looking Uncle Qing. Seeing the crisscrossing wrinkles on his elder's face, Joe Ga said with a smile, "Uncle Qing, you can't be blamed for this. In times of war, how could such a big state enterprise not settle their bills with you?

If you really want to make money, just return to China. Xiao Liang also has projects, about to set up a few factories and such. It doesn't matter who builds them; I feel more at ease with you overseeing them."

Old Chen, glancing at Uncle Qing's uncomfortable expression, laughed and said, "Old Joe, we all came to Africa to make a living. Surely it's not as good as in China.

I can tell now, your nephew has limitless prospects. Just follow his arrangements.

If you're worried about qualifications, I can get a friend from China Construction to sort it out for you; this is doable!"

Seeing Uncle Qing relax, Joe Ga shook his head slightly in resignation.

Despite his own impressive appearance, in Uncle Qing's eyes, he still wasn't as effective as the senior leader, Old Chen.

Pushing Uncle Qing, he had him get into an LMV with Old Chen and Li Weiguo. Just as Joe Ga was about to direct the convoy to move, three mercenaries with faces covered in gunpowder sought him out.

A rough-looking middle-aged man, standing next to the imposing Ayu, called out to Joe Ga, "sir, what do you need us to do?"

It was only then that Joe Ga remembered the three times Tian Peng's men in the convoy. He walked over, frowning, and asked, "What's your name? Weren't there five of you?"

The middle-aged mercenary, gripping his tactical vest, said, "I am the Assault Soldier 'Trigger', these two are the gunner 'Madman', and Assault Soldier 'Hammerstrike'.

We're a tactical squad temporarily formed by Triple Tian Peng. The other two guys are special agents from the State Department; they are not with us."

As 'Trigger' saw the realization on Joe Ga's face, he said, "sir, I don't know what happened, but my mission is to ensure the ambassador's security. We can help, but could you please replenish our ammunition?"

After thinking, Joe Ga said, "No problem. See that truck? I'll have them make sure you get enough ammunition, but I need you to adjust your radio frequency and follow my commands.

Is that okay?"

The elite of Triple Tian Peng were all tough veterans; they certainly knew how to maximize their chances of survival.

'Trigger' nodded vigorously, "Give us an armored vehicle. We all have experience deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan; we can provide support."

After hearing this, Joe Ga hesitated for a moment. He really needed this kind of immediate combat power; any little bit would help, so he finally nodded, "Okay, but the gunner has to be one of our men, alright?"

'Trigger' turned and exchanged glances with his two companions, then looked at Joe Ga and nodded firmly, "sir, you won't regret this decision!"

Boss Joe liked this kind of confidence. These guys could storm an embassy to rescue an ambassador; they definitely knew how to fight.

So, with almost subconscious interest, Boss Joe asked, "How much do you guys earn a year?"