Chapter 137: Chapter 137 New Customers

A farce did not spoil Joe Ga's good mood.No matter how big a fuss Redstone Company made, even trying to take over Zakari's clients, it had nothing to do with him. No matter how impressive Aaron Dupont tried to sound, it couldn't cover up his hollow bravado. If one truly had the strength, why the need to step on weaker competitors to rise? If you're really that tough, why not go after FN, or Benelli? What does it prove to pick on those in a completely different league? Thinking of taking over the underground arms channel so easily? No sooner had Zakari died than you popped up wanting to pluck the fruits, and it was clear you wanted to move the trading center to South Africa, but what about those brothers who had long mixed with Zakari and were more familiar with the market? Even if they submitted, would the arms tycoons in South Africa tolerate you? Of course, Joe Ga thought that people like Aaron must not have made such moves without preparation, surely planning well before launching the attack. But still, as the saying goes, there are two sides to every story, and once Aaron had created a large market, the ideal clients Joe Ga had in mind would also increase accordingly. Arms dealers who played both sides never ended well, because the guys who fed themselves with guns were usually quick-tempered, and if you dared do such a thing, they were willing to bite back. Now, Joe Ga really did hope that someone like Aaron would stir things up a bit. And look, just as Redstone Company opened its doors, Joe Ga saw new clients at Yuginebert Company's booth. A big-shot black guy, surrounded by a crowd of bodyguards, was circling around a 1:3 scale model of a Lazaar 3 armored vehicle. 'Professor' could not get a word in at all, and several smiling staff members who tried to approach were stopped by the bodyguards; clearly, they were waiting for someone they considered to be their equal. Nis and Antar stood at a corner in their uniforms, holding a tray filled with coffee. Sёarᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Karman watched those arrogant bodyguards with a cold eye, and although he said nothing, those bodyguards would conscientiously give him a wide berth every time they passed by. Anna, holding a stack of flyers, enthusiastically distributed one to every passerby. As Joe Ga approached, the girl took the initiative to come to his side, whispering, "That guy claims to be the Minister of Security from Burundi, with such an arrogant tone it's terrifying, and he doesn't even pay attention when my dad talks to him..." Looking at Anna, who stood 1.8 meters tall but was sneakily looking downwards, Joe Ga said laughingly, "You need to straighten your back. You're your dad's mainstay, and you have to stand by him." As he spoke, Joe Ga patted Anna on the shoulder and walked into the booth with a smile. Seeing Karman step forward to greet Joe Ga, then silently followed behind him. The bodyguards flanking the Minister of Security opened a path at his hand signal. As Joe Ga watched the minister raise his right hand, he thought he was being greeted, but to his surprise, a black guy in a suit behind him stuck a cigar between his fingers and then pulled out a lighter to help him light it. "Are you the Hu Lang that Mary talked about?" The black minister took a hefty drag from his cigar, exhaling the dense smoke onto a model's body. Joe Ga found this guy's pretentious demeanor both laughable and exasperating. It seemed crass, but he definitely had presence. Not waiting for the 'big shot' to talk nonsense, Joe Ga pointed to an inner reception room and said with a smile, "I guess that must be me, if you have something to talk about, let's go inside." Turning his head, Joe Ga glanced back at Karman and said, "Dragon Gecko, take the minister's staff to get some food and drinks, or they'll think we're impolite." Karman seemed to have a built-in buff that intimidated those tough-looking black guys; just by stepping forward, the minister's bodyguards became visibly nervous, as if targeted by a venomous predator. Seeing his bodyguards instinctively reach for their waists, the black minister shook his head and patted their arms, saying, "Don't draw your guns. He's the 'Ant Eater' who caused your father nightmares for a lifetime. If you draw, you will die. Take the people with him, I'll have a talk with this Hu Lang." Joe Ga, curious, looked at Karman and asked, "You know them?" Karman shook his head and said, "Not personally..." At that moment, Joe Ga began to realize that Karman's story was far from something that could be encapsulated in a few words. Mary Aenola had recognized him. Whether the black minister knew it from Mary Aenola or recognized him on his own, Karman's image in his mind was definitely ferocious. Discover hidden stories at M-V-L Perhaps not so much fear, but the reputation was hard for them to ignore. Nodding to 'Professor,' who looked quite uncomfortable, Joe Ga passed by 'Walnut' and said, "Buddy, you're a soldier, 'Professor' is your boss, you need to help him make a scene. Can't do it softly? Won't you come hard? You are the powerful ones!" 'Walnut,' upon hearing this, nodded earnestly and said, "That's what I've been waiting to hear. It's 'Professor' who doesn't let us mess around, that's why we let that guy's bodyguard be so arrogant here." Joe Ga didn't care if 'Walnut' was telling the truth or not. 'Professor' really wasn't suited for such a scene; people like him would easily be at a disadvantage against those swaggering black guys, and even those following him could end up aggrieved. The scholarly temperament was just not applicable here. If an arms dealer can't stand tall, the business won't work, because people will look down on you. Leading the so-called Minister of Security for Burundi into the reception room, Joe Ga gestured for Nis to serve the now stone-cold coffee and then said with a smile, "Don't waste it. This is the expensive Blue Mountain coffee we bought, though I can't tell good from bad myself." The black minister glanced at the coffee in front of him, realizing Joe Ga was telling him that he had missed his chance and now this was all that was left. This imposing black brother stared at Joe Ga's eyes with an extremely fierce gaze for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled wide and said, "I'm Baptista Baza, the current Minister of Security for Burundi. I like people like you because you have guts." Joe Ga didn't want to beat around the bush with this guy because Burundi was just too terrible, even compared with Central Africa, it was extraordinarily bad. The country was small and poor, and even though it was smaller than a province, it had dozens of messy political parties. It's not just England, the Belgian People, and the French who are the world's shit-stirrers—many countries in Central Africa have been stirred into a mess by them. The infamous genocide in Rwanda and the conflict and division in Congo were disasters created by Belgium and France. A lot of people think the Americans are bastards, but in fact, the American approach in many places is just learning from these core Europa countries. You can oppose me, but you can't become powerful. If you don't fragment on your own, I'll help you fragment. The more fragmented you are, the easier it is for me to intervene, maintain balance, and keep influence. Excluding the police force, the entire military of Burundi only has 28,000 people, which includes the army, the navy—referred to here as 'lake forces'—and the air force. After further division into communications, engineers, logistics, probably only a few thousand can actually fight with guns. These few thousand people also have to cover the capital region and the so-called five major divisions. This unlucky place has had a perennial trade deficit of around 600 to 700 million US Dollars, surviving only on the rice donated by various big brothers. Joe Ga couldn't fathom why this guy was so arrogant. Even if Central Africa was bad, at least it had territory and enough resources. Looking at Baptista Baza, Joe Ga nodded and said, "Our line of work indeed requires courage, and you don't need to doubt that. Can you tell me what you need? Most products from the Yuginebert Company are good quality and reasonably priced." Baptista nodded slightly and said, "I've heard about you from Mary, and she said you're a capable and credible person. There's an election happening in Burundi, and our president has instructed me to organize a new team to enter the capital for enhanced security. I've received a significant budget, but I need someone I can trust to turn this money into weapons that can reassure people. Mary has boasted to me about her soon-to-be-acquired armored vehicles, and I want them too, and even more, in fact." Joe Ga, upon hearing this, shook his head with a wry smile and said, "As far as I'm aware, Burundi is under an arms embargo. Rwanda's precedent is not far in the past; if the weapons I provide lead to ethnic conflict, I'll face significant pressure. I need an irresistible reason!" Baptista looked at Joe Ga, puzzled, and said, "Weapons dealers are concerned about politics?" Joe Ga didn't even know what politics to speak of in such a broken place as Burundi. Their elections were like child's play; the opposition would declare electoral fraud and start a war if they felt unhappy or disadvantaged. Of course, such unserious behavior is quite common in Africa, just particularly severe in Burundi. Naturally, Joe Ga didn't care about their local politics, but the business he held in his hands was crucial. If this country, with ethnic structures similar to Rwanda, ran into problems, it would definitely affect his major deals. Loss-making actions were not acceptable; they not only showed shortsightedness but also, to speak hypocritically, were against heaven and harmony. Of course, it all depended on whether the money was right. An irresistible reason was essentially an irresistible price! Baptista wasn't a fool; he sensed what Joe Ga was getting at, and so he shook his head and said, "I am a Wattu, I always stay neutral between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. So our president trusts me, and so does the opposition. This year Burundi was elected to the World Human Rights Council; we want to establish a completely new image to promote the future development of Burundi. Ensuring the smooth progress of the elections is the most important thing at the moment." As he spoke, Baptista fixed his gaze on Joe Ga and said, "I need help, and I always give enough reward to those who've helped me. 20 million US Dollars, I want ten armored vehicles, and enough arms to equip 200 men. And it must be delivered within a month!" Joe Ga, looking at Baptista as if he'd seen a ghost, smirked and said, "You must be joking, ten armored vehicles alone cost 22 million US Dollars. Are you expecting us to arm your troops for free?" After listening, Baptista shook his head and said, "I know about the deal between you and Mary. You're Chinese, and you must be interested in gold and copper mines…" As he spoke, Baptista gestured for a black man behind him to come over, took a document from him, placed it on the table, pushed it towards Joe Ga, and said, "This is the payment." Joe Ga pinched the bridge of his nose painfully, constantly reminding himself not to be greedy, but in the end, he still picked up the document to look it over, and finally dialed Lululemon's boss's number. He needed some professional guidance! The cost for armored vehicles was only 9 million, and they could be shipped along with the goods delivered to Central Africa. The light weapons were stockpiled by Colonel Ka, meaning virtually no cost, just needing to give Karman and Nis a cut. This deal was doable, even less risky than the one in Central Africa—after all, taking over these two mines didn't require fighting drug traffickers. Although this gold mine was previously tapped by the Belgians and now had a small reserve, it covered a large area. The sentiment of the Chinese towards the land is often hard for others to understand. Not to mention the copper mine, an indisputably strategic resource that is easy to sell, akin to gold and a universally hard currency. However, Joe Ga still had to be cautious until the experts confirmed it.