Chapter 139 Armed with a Gun, Foolish and Rich
Having sealed two "big deals," Joe Ga spent the following days running back and forth between the exhibition and the villa.
The team weapons from Yuginebert Company weren't competitive, as to individual users, those well-crafted guns with complete accessories and appealing designs were more attractive.
However, the armored vehicles and rocket artillery systems from Yuginebert Company were genuinely cost-effective products.
Unfortunately, the countries that could actually afford them were still too few, and Yuginebert Company's political influence was almost nil, which led to the relatively stronger nations in Africa not considering their products.
These countries weren't just buying arms, they were also buying political leanings and even a certain level of protection.
But their refusal to buy didn't hinder Joe Ga from warmly inviting them.
Because their so-called "not buying" simply meant not buying major items. Small gadgets were still negotiable, and with enough kickbacks, just marketing military uniforms and various equipment accessories could bring in a profit.
Military uniforms, multi-functional backpacks, belts, pouches, tactical vests, helmets—as long as the volume was high, an apparently cheap array of items could be profitable.
And these were by no means illegal. No one could fault you regardless of the channel used.
Joe Ga pushed these deals to the people under the 'Professor's' command. After all, he couldn't have these hardworking employees return empty-handed.
Out of the 2.8 million US dollar military uniforms procurement deal, after deducting the kickbacks, they made just over three hundred thousand in profit, and these guys were as happy as if it were New Year.
Joe Ga knew they would get a commission or bonus when they went back, and he didn't mind. After all, he had built his own network of contacts.
The Deputy Minister of Defense of Kenya, the Minister of Development of Uganda, the Minister of Defense of Central Africa, the Minister of Natural Resources Development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Minister of Security of Burundi.
These individuals turned Joe Ga's rented villa into a place for meetings in the last few days. Then, riding on their coattails, Joe Ga met a series of individuals.
In their eyes, Joe Ga was a rich but naive arms investor. Central Africa's Mary Ainola set a good precedent for them and labeled Joe Ga as 'easy to deal with.'
The Deputy Minister of Defense from Kenya, after receiving a pair of beautifully designed M1911s, swiftly issued a license for Joe Ga's yet non-existent defense company.
This was not just a verbal promise—someone had actually flown from Kenya to Tunisia with legal documents and handled all the legal procedures. They had even taken care of the location for him.
Although the unfortunate location was near the Uganda border, and the road traffic there was a mess, it was indeed free and just waiting for Joe Ga to break ground for construction. They also hoped he would help build a 15-kilometer road so that the remote villages along the way could benefit too, after all, your base would need a road for deliveries, right?
'Having guns in hand and being foolish with money'—once this persona was established, it led to the current state of affairs.
Any genuine financial expert would think Joe Ga a fool.
Eric, brought in hastily, thought exactly that!
Even after Joe Ga shared his plans with him, he failed to gain Eric's approval.
This scion of a major Swedish family had simply calculated the investment return for Joe Ga and sneered at his high-risk investment ideas.
In his view, taking on such an enterprise in a place with an unstable regime was gambling with luck. Rather than wasting time, he thought it wiser to pour money into the international financial market, which was the real place to make big money.
Eric had a sharp tongue, but he meant well. However, Joe Ga had a clearer perception of money.
As someone coming from a genuinely poor second-generation background, once the money he had was enough for living, he yearned for things that were tangible.
Land, minerals, natural resources, social status...
While most things in the world can be bought with money, the feeling of inner satisfaction can't.
Many people assume that 'emptiness' cried by rich second-generation heirs who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths is just pretentious, but the fact is, once they stop finding joy in spending money, 'satisfaction' becomes a luxury. Then, some of the more rebellious ones end up in all sorts of bizarre situations. Drug use is just the mild beginning...
Take Eric Copper, for instance. He finds inner satisfaction by helping those female snipers change their lives.
By common standards, he would be considered a control freak!
But in reality, the sense of detachment from his family's aura and self-fulfillment from his 'enterprise' made him even more driven and satisfied.
Naturally, Joe Ga had not reached the point where he treated money like it was disposable, but his pursuits were gradually changing.
For him, it was about finalizing the contracts in Central Africa and getting a deposit before starting to recruit people for battle. No matter how challenging or dangerous, he would press on.
Never had Joe Ga been as motivated as he was now!
For Eric, handling the contract was easy. Joe Ga's defense company in Kenya clearly didn't meet the 'end-user standards' of the European Union, but since Kenya wasn't under an arms embargo and Seville hadn't joined the EU, there were loopholes to exploit.
Central Africa used funds approved by the African Union. When Joe Ga detailed future investment plans in the contract, Mary Ainola decisively paid out two hundred million all at once.
Besides the money to be transferred to Yuginebert Company, Eric moved the rest through various channels into valuable bonds and stocks. After a few rounds, it was deposited in a Zurich bank, into Joe Ga's personal account.
Although Joe Ga hadn't consulted any other more professional people, in his eyes, Eric was genuinely a financial genius.
Because he didn't even need to use the "Global Hunting Group" account to launder and transfer the money.
According to this guy, before officially operating and being able to rescue the ladies, Joe Ga couldn't mess around with the company's accounts.
Deals of a few tens to hundreds of millions were fine, but nine-figure deals were not, because the large amount of money easily attracted attention, and the "Global Hunting Group" wasn't fully prepared yet.
Compared to Mary Aenola, who seemed very generous because she got a great deal, Batista from Burundi was much more cautious. He paid 50% of the deposit and wouldn't pay the balance until the armored vehicles and squad weapons were in place, but the transfer procedures for the two mining properties could be done in advance.
After all, everything was within their country, and if Joe Ga defaulted, the contract could be voided by people's will.
Eric didn't have time to help Joe Ga with these trivial matters, so he chose to find a headhunting firm and secured a local lawyer from Africa for Joe Ga's "P·B (Powerful Strike) International Military Contracting Company."
Jori Amon, a 35-year-old man from Mali, a law student who had studied in England, had been a civil rights lawyer in Africa for five years and had quite a reputation in West Africa. He had good private relations with many politicians.
Joe Ga didn't know how good this Jori Amon was, but Eric said he was great.
Specifics about his character didn't matter, because more unscrupulous lawyers were easier to use, and for a man like Joe Ga who made his living with a gun, lawyers were the least of his fears. They loved money first and feared death second; it was easy to get a grip on them.
Anyway, Joe Ga had only met the guy once and already sent him to Central Africa and Burundi to deal with the mine transfer.
The guy seemed a bit overexcited and apparently very satisfied with the job.
Exactly why Joe Ga didn't know, and he didn't ask Eric since he found him hard to talk to, so he just let things take their course.
As long as he controlled the money, he could control the people.
The defense company's account had only $50,000 in funds, and if he was willing to risk his life for it, Joe Ga didn't care.
The 15 days passed quickly, and in a whirlwind of action, Joe Ga clarified the path he wanted to take.
In the end, he gave the 'Professor' a shotgun order, insisting repeatedly that he deliver a batch of armored vehicles first and foremost, then send them all to the airport, prepared to charter a flight home.
The samples he brought, including the models, were all packed up by Joe Ga and sent out; the agents from Cameroon, Zambia, and Tanzania were the beneficiaries.
Their bodyguards, armed with heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, were stopped on the streets and even made the local news in Tunisia, giving the Yuginebert Company some buzz there.
In the VIP lounge of Tunisia Airport...
As the plane was about to leave, Anna, who had already walked to the boarding gate, suddenly turned around, rushed towards Joe Ga, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard on the cheek. She then sneered at Antar, who always put obstacles in her way, and with a light hum, before Joe Ga could react, she bounced away like a graceful doe to catch up with the group ahead.
Joe Ga stood with his arms up, looking around at the people. He shrugged and said with a smile, "I'm lucky I didn't put my hand on her ass; otherwise, I'd be in jail right now."
Dorian was about to tease his boss with a chuckle, but Nis nodded and said, "Anna is only 17, indeed inappropriate, plus she's too thin, not your type."
Antar, unable to hold back a chuckle at the awkward expression on Nis's face, then looked at Joe Ga and said, "Boss, the villa has been cancelled, where do we go next?"
Upon hearing this, Joe Ga magically produced several boat tickets and said with a smile, "We're going to Sardinia, to do some underwater training while interviewing mercenaries.
'Professor' and his team need to prepare the first batch of goods. It will probably take a month to get to Africa.
That means we now have a month to get ready. When the first batch of armored vehicles arrives at the port, that's when we start the big business!"
While speaking, Joe Ga looked at Eric, who was bored playing with his phone, and asked, "Your information has been out for a while now. Is 'Albatross' reliable or not?"
Eric rolled his eyes, annoyed, and said, "You can doubt my character or even my sexual orientation, but not my credit.
When we get to Sardinia, you'll understand how strong the manpower I've screened for you is."
Joe Ga, a bit worried, said, "Don't go overboard. I just need mercenaries familiar with the jungle, not SEALs or SAS. The really tough guys definitely demand higher salaries, and we don't need to go that far..."
Eric looked at Joe Ga as if he were an idiot and said, "Do you think SEALs are that expensive?
A SEALs E9-level master chief sergeant makes just $60,000 a year. A regular T1 combat unit, after taxes, doesn't even make $30,000 a year. Without tax exemptions for overseas allowances and mission bonuses, they'd struggle to get a mortgage for a house."
Joe Ga, in disbelief, said, "That cheap?"
Eric shook his head in disdain and said, "Even if it's cheap, you can't employ them. Most of these guys end up in big security companies after retiring, usually in a consultancy position.
Because of their military connections, they can access information unreachable to outsiders.
The people I've screened for you, there are about 63 candidates I've prepared. Remember to be picky and eliminate some no matter what.
I sent you an email with a salary schedule; don't go throwing around salaries randomly, otherwise people will start thinking 'Albatross' has gone stupid."
With that, Eric glanced at Karman, only to be intimidated by the old man's cold gaze and stumbled a few steps back, stammering, "I mean, there are many bad people out there, don't get conned."
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