Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Big Business

Your journey continues with M V L'Professor' had never imagined that Joe Ga, with just one trip out, would actually bring back a defense minister. Although it was the defense minister of Central Africa, this person was indeed a 'big shot,' capable of bickering with others at the United Nations—a 'big shot' indeed. However, Central Africa was under an arms embargo due to sanctions, and the 'Professor' knew that doing business with such a person would require going through a middleman like Joe Ga for it to be feasible. Otherwise, even if they came to an agreement, Yuginebert Company might not be able to deliver the goods. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This 'Professor' took the initiative to greet Mary Aenola and then invited his wife and daughter to meet the Central African Minister of Defense. Following that, he pulled his assistant, the blindly acting Andre, to start quoting legal statutes from Europa and Africa to prepare to assist Joe Ga in concluding this important negotiation. Joe Ga himself was not nervous at all now; he beckoned his own people to come and take a look at the 'big shot,' then instructed the butler that they could start the meal. The buffet at the villa was intended for a reception of about 50 people, with a standard arrangement mainly featuring seafood. Mary Aenola only brought six bodyguards, and even when adding Joe Ga's group and the rotating 63rd Brigade soldiers, it still seemed a bit quiet. However, Joe Ga and Mary Aenola's focus was not on the food; after casually eating a few bites, Mary Aenola, holding a glass of champagne, walked over to the newly arranged exhibition hall with Joe Ga by her side. This amiable, slightly plump middle-aged woman put down her champagne and skillfully picked up a high-quality imitation FN-SCAR modular rifle, checked the chamber by pulling the charging handle, and then said to Joe Ga with a smile, "This is a fine rifle, pity our army can't afford it." Joe Ga heard this and shook his head with a smile, "There aren't many countries that can fully equip their army with these rifles." Joe Ga's words were somewhat comforting by changing the subject because if it was for genuine FN-SCARs, most countries couldn't afford them, but it might not be the case for high-quality imitations. Yet, military hardware does have national boundaries, those superpowers, even if their domestically produced rifles are somewhat inferior, will undoubtedly prioritize their own products, such as England's L85 series rifles. The English stubbornly upgraded the L85 series to the L85A3 despite the military's curses. Looking at the towering bodyguard who always followed Mary Aenola and never left her side, his eyes glued to the rifles on the table. Noticing the historically significant pistol and holster on the man's waist, Joe Ga thought for a moment, picked up an EZ9 pistol still smelling of gun oil, handed it to him along with a new holster and two empty magazines, and said with a smile, "Consider it a gift. Protecting Minister Aenola requires reliable weapons, and your Makarov is a good gun, but it seems a bit old." Mary Aenola, seeing her bodyguard's slightly embarrassed expression, waved her hand with a smile and said, "Since Mr. Hu Lang has offered, then you should accept it." With that, Mary Aenola looked at Joe Ga and said with a smile, "I trust Mr. Hu Lang will not be stingy and will replace the handguns for my other bodyguards with better ones; they certainly need them." As the Minister of Defense of Central Africa, Mary Aenola did appear very approachable, but this also indirectly reflected the weakness of Central Africa. Her bodyguards' equipment couldn't possibly be so poor—they definitely had automatic rifles. It was just that in Tunisia, they could not carry them around. Mary Aenola's security could be considered lax, but Joe Ga did not see a trace of worry on her. Either she had no enemies, or her enemies were so backwater that they couldn't manage an assassination outside of their homeland. Thinking this, Joe Ga's confidence became even stronger; Central Africa in such a situation would certainly not need advanced weaponry. To Joe Ga, handguns like the EZ9 were only passable, and in the face of Mary Aenola's joking request, Joe Ga laughed and said generously, "Then one for each person; these are carefully selected samples, the quality is absolutely guaranteed." After saying this, Joe Ga beckoned to his rotating Karman and Dorian, instructing, "Take five handguns and exchange them for our friends." Perhaps Joe Ga's generosity touched Mary Aenola; she perused the light weapons exhibit, nodding and saying, "All very practical weapons, but we might need more." Joe Ga caught a hint of something. He gestured for Mary Aenola to sit down on a couch, took a sip of the juice handed over by Nis, then looked at Ainola and asked, "I'm all ears, what exactly are you looking for?" Aenola looked at Nis, who stood behind Joe Ga with a notebook and pen, and after a few seconds of silence, said, "We need a large quantity of squad weapons and ammunition, automatic rifles, machine guns, heavy machine guns, mortars, RPGs… Besides these, we also need armored vehicles, tanks, artillery." As soon as Joe Ga heard this, he looked towards the far end of the exhibition hall where the 'Professor' was nodding earnestly, and through lip-reading, telling him, 'we have them', 'we have them'… Joe Ga did not allow his head to be turned like the 'Professor.' These items were not high-end; the previous ones were easy to discuss, but armored vehicles, tanks, artillery— even if he had them, how would he transport them in? Central Africa, as the name suggests, is in the middle of Africa. Besides air transport, other delivery paths would pass through other countries. This arduous road of delivery was very troublesome, and Joe Ga did not have a completely reliable delivery channel—at least not yet. As long as there are plenty of light weapons, the 'Professor' has the authority to employ a trade exception, sending an An-12 back and forth a few times which could close the deal. But armored vehicles, tanks, artillery would be too much trouble. The armored vehicles might still be manageable, but Joe Ga really didn't think Central Africa could afford to maintain tanks and artillery. According to Joe Ga's understanding, the market price for a 155mm howitzer should be around 4,000 US Dollars. How many rounds can a country with a GDP per capita of only a few hundred dollars, like Central Africa, fire? Joe Ga wasn't looking for a one-time deal; his industry channels were too narrow. A Minister of Defense was already the highest-ranking official he could come into contact with. It didn't matter whether she was a layperson or not; the most important thing now was to get his clients excited, and then he would be able to expand his influence in Africa and attract more customers. Looking at the expectant look in Mary Aenola's eyes, Joe Ga nodded and said, "I have everything you mentioned, and if you demand even higher quality, I have advanced high-mobility wheeled self-propelled howitzers and a large number of vehicle-mounted rocket launchers. Even at the higher end, I have 400mm Guided Rocket Systems." As he spoke, Joe Ga looked at Mary Aenola's surprised expression and said with a smile, "Miss Aenola, since you were referred by a friend, let me tell you the truth. Doing business with the Central African Government involves risks, and I need a high enough price to mitigate those risks. First, I need to know what budget you can provide; then we can discuss what you can get. As long as the money is right, I can definitely meet your needs. However, I personally suggest you give up on tanks and artillery because their operating costs are too high, and just one 300-dollar old RPG can render them useless. If you do want Central Africa to have armored troops, I would recommend this 'Lazar 3' multi-purpose armored vehicle. It weighs 28 tons, with an 8x8 wheel configuration, can carry 12 people, and has an automatic weapons turret that includes heavy machine guns and anti-tank missiles, 2.2 million US Dollars a piece, I can deliver it to your door, but first, you need to tell me which neighboring country you have a good relationship with to avoid taking a roundabout route." When Joe Ga quoted a price of 2.2 million, the 'Professor' at the other end was stunned, because he knew all too well that the ordinary price for the Lazar 3 from the factory was only 950,000 US Dollars. Now Joe Ga had doubled the price plus a detour, and the Minister of Defense seemed to think it quite cheap, which left the 'Professor' somewhat puzzled. Not only was the 'Professor' puzzled, but the interest Mary Aenola showed made Joe Ga also a bit confused. Joe Ga, of course, believed that the Central African Government could come up with tens or even hundreds of millions for armaments if it tightened its belt, but that amount would be just a drop in the bucket for the entire army. What can you do with 40 armored vehicles purchased for one billion? For the same one billion, you could buy 100,000 rifles, which in Africa would mean an army of 100,000 soldiers. Joe Ga's quote contained an element of deterrence, meant to make Mary Aenola think twice and consider more practical light weaponry. To his surprise, Mary Aenola was quite interested. Being able to become a Minister of Defense meant she knew how to do the math! For a country whose national defense depended on 'big brother' support, Mary Aenola's current behavior seemed a bit too reckless with money. Perhaps sensing Joe Ga's thoughts, Mary Aenola's face revealed a kindly smile; she glanced around. Seeing this, Joe Ga turned to Nis and said, "You all get out, make sure no one comes near here." After everyone had left, leaving only Joe Ga and Aenola sitting face to face, did the amiable-looking black lady finally say, "I actually have many choices; it doesn't have to be you. But you don't seem too greedy..." Joe Ga frowned slightly, spreading his hands as he spoke, "Should I consider that an honor, then?" Aenola gestured dismissively and said, "You should understand the situation in Central Africa. Most of our military's weapons are sponsored by Russia, and even the safety of our Capital City relies on the assistance of the Russian Defense Company. We want to develop our defense industry, but we are being choked. The anti-government militants stationed near the Central Africa-Congo border continuously ravage our towns, capturing our children to train them into Boys Scouts, making them return to fight against their own people. Not only do we suffer greatly, but our neighbor Congo is also constantly bleeding. We need enough weapons to arm our military, to let them guard our towns." Joe Ga nodded understandingly and said, "I can understand your feelings, but I still suggest you consider spending your money where it is most appropriate because a few dozen armored vehicles won't solve your problem." Mary Aenola listened and, looking into Joe Ga's eyes, said, "Armored vehicles won't solve the problem, but a person capable of selling armored vehicles can solve it. Actually, this purchase is not what you imagine…"