Darkstone Code-Chapter 1002: Say and Do

"Mr. Lynch, your conditions are rather harsh..."

Someone expressed a different opinion, "We can’t predict the duration and intensity of each war. It’s possible that we’re just experimenting with something, yet we have to bear the costs of hundreds of thousands or even millions in military expenses."

"The board won’t support us doing this, and shareholders will have their objections."

The Military Industrial Group consists of publicly listed companies, and the internal relationships within the company are also very complex. There are too many things to consider, no one can ensure that there won’t be objections to the cooperation.

Moreover, the costs are too high.

"If we only bear the equipment costs..." he glanced at Lynch, "perhaps I can persuade the board." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He meant that Lynch would have to deal with ammunition and such, which are the real major expenses.

Lynch shook his head, and others were also weighing the pros and cons of this situation.

Lynch gave them time to think, he didn’t refuse to do so, he respected everyone.

"Additionally, considering the logistics supply issues, Darkstone Security will purchase a batch of new military equipment."

"We are terribly troubled by different calibers, standards, and interfaces of military equipment; I believe the Federation Military is as well, so we will repurchase a batch—approximately twenty thousand units of equipment."

He slightly emphasized, "The full set!"

This statement drew people’s attention. Twenty thousand sets of military equipment, the full set, including one or two rifles, a pistol, some other military gear, and a vast amount of consumables, with ongoing consumption.

Darkstone Security is different from the military units; although units also conduct live ammunition exercises, none would let all soldiers fire a thousand rounds each in such exercises.

Darkstone Security might—just one or two conflicts—and tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of bullets could be fired.

Moreover, the uniform standards proposed by Lynch also intrigued everyone; this is a strong adhesive force.

Currently, neither the Federation nor global military industrial groups have fully realized the standardization of military equipment. In other words, the weapon interfaces and standards of various countries are entirely different.

Even within one country, different manufacturers offer distinct standards, and equipment designed for one standard cannot be replaced by another manufacturer’s equipment.

This can be seen as a competitive strategy, which is also why the Federation Military hasn’t fully completed equipment replacement—they need to use up remaining ammunition and such consumables first to finish all replacements.

Simply calculating, it’s tens of millions to potentially hundreds of millions worth of business.

At this moment, someone asked, "Mr. Lynch, do you accept any weapon experimentation?"

Lynch paused slightly, realizing what he wanted to express, "We do not accept experiments with anti-human weapons, but you can hire our soldiers to protect your experimental personnel, which is a separate matter."

Actually, everyone has some ideas, purely to obtain usage data and reports on new weapons, they would have to spend a considerable amount of money.

Maybe not as much as Lynch’s, but the reports will not be as numerous, as detailed, or as valuable.

"I need to discuss with the board before making a decision."

Someone gave a response that could almost be taken as a confirmation—discussions with the board usually yield positive results, he’s already convinced, and he will convince others.

"Of course, that’s your right, but I need to remind you of one thing. We will have large-scale military operations in Mariluo soon."

"Our preliminary plan will add reinforcements to Mariluo to ensure the number of soldiers within Mariluo remains between four thousand to five thousand."

"The Ministry of Defense will also dispatch observers to monitor and summarize each of our battles, including the status of the weapons and equipment used."

"You should understand, once some things are decided, they won’t be easily changed."

"We can’t let soldiers go to the battlefield with weapons they’ve just been introduced to; you should understand what I mean."

Everyone nodded, soldiers receiving new weapons and becoming proficient requires a process, three to five days, or a week, which means companies that reach a cooperative agreement with Lynch first, their weapons can immediately be included in this plan.

Weapons with real combat value and reference, still have considerable allure for these people.

Not to mention, the Ministry of Defense will dispatch military observers—those are the true tycoons of arms sales!

Every year, billions worth of arms sales are orders dispatched by the Ministry of Defense; if they set their sights on someone’s weapons, they can feast in one go!

"Mr. Lynch, you’ve just mentioned any weapon is acceptable?"

"As long as they’re not anti-human, don’t violate basic human morals and ethics, they’re acceptable."

...

After coming out of the side hall, Penny ran over eagerly, linking her arm with Lynch’s, her face slightly flushed with excitement and thrill.

"How many people did you invite?", she asked in a low voice.

Just now, she saw many figures that she could only see on television. People like Mr. Wardrick and Mr. Pato, whom she had seen before.

This time, even the party whip of the Progressive Party was here. Even though Penny wasn’t sensitive to politics, she knew what kind of figure the party whip of the Progressive Party was nowadays.

This might be the politician second only to the leader of the Progressive Party, the chairman of the Progress Party Committee, and the President.

Moreover, in the "outside world," the position of the ruling party’s party whip might be further elevated beyond his actual status - sometimes people wouldn’t even count the leader of the Progressive Party among them.

In other words, in terms of political power and status, the party whip can be considered the Federation’s third most important figure.

Such an important figure attending Lynch’s birthday party, Penny could already imagine the newspapers tomorrow would praise this birthday party.

And she, very luckily, participated, even as half a hostess. She glanced at Lynch, feeling delighted at heart.

Strolling towards the party lawn, Lynch responded casually, "I invited a few people casually; the others wanted to come on their own. Many people wanted to come, but I don’t necessarily want to meet everyone."

As he spoke, he detached Penny’s arm and, with a smile, walked towards the party whip, "Mr. Douglas, I’m delighted you could come. I thought you might have something very important this week, and I only sent an invitation with one in ten thousand hopes."

Daunlas, the party whip of the Progressive Party, was sixty-two years old, looking not too old and seemingly younger than his actual age, likely able to serve until sixty.

The Federation doesn’t have rigid age requirements for work. As long as they meet the provisions of the charter and have sufficient energy, physical strength, and mental capacity, they can continue working even up to a hundred years old.

Eight years later, the party whip would still be seventy, perhaps able to continue for a few more years.

Lynch’s attitude made Douglas laugh. He proactively extended his hand to shake Lynch’s, "Indeed, very busy. You know we just recently won a victory. But after receiving your invitation, I managed to make some time."

"Happy birthday, Lynch..."

Saying so, he took out a small palm-sized box from his pocket, "I prepared a gift for you. I’m unsure if you’d like it."

Lynch pretended to like it very much, holding it in his hand, "May I?"

"Of course!"

He quickly opened the inconspicuous small box. Inside was a party emblem, the emblem of the Progressive Party.

"A bicentennial custom edition, only twenty-four in the entire Federation." Perhaps fearing Lynch didn’t know the value of this badge, Douglas provided a simple introduction.

Lynch raised his eyebrows slightly, "I love it so much. I’ve always felt something was missing from my chest, and it seems I’ve found it."

He motioned to Penny, handing over the pin, "Put it on for me; I can’t wait to place it on my chest."

Penny hurriedly helped Lynch put it on. She didn’t understand its special significance, but given how seriously Lynch treated it, it must be an important gift.

Anyone would be happy to see their gift valued, and so was Douglas, "I’m glad you like it. I was worried you might not."

"How could I not?", Lynch shook his head and said, "I’m also a member of the Progressive Party."

As the two chatted affably, a gentleman beside Douglas reminded him, and he said with a bit of apology, "Sorry, my time is limited. Maybe we can sit down and chat properly next time?"

He indicated he was leaving, and Lynch took the initiative to escort him to the door, watching as he got into the car and left.

Once Mr. Douglas had completely disappeared from view, Lynch took the chest badge down and casually placed it in his pocket.

Meanwhile, people like Mr. Wardrick began walking over from a bit further away.

They didn’t like Douglas, just as Douglas didn’t like them.

The party whip’s responsibilities are unique. His job involves rocking the boat, supervising, and generally being in roles that offend people. Especially as his party begins to rule, his power sees unprecedented elevation.

Even the President, if unsatisfied, can face trouble from him.

Capitalists don’t like to be too close to the ruling party’s party whip, knowing he constantly picks on people, troubles people, restricts or controls government officials’ work lives, and so on. They first need to ensure they’re trouble-free themselves.

Simply put, no one fears a corrupt party whip; only a rigid, hard-to-approach, strictly law-abiding whip frightens people - even if it’s just an act!

His coming here is, in fact, related to Lynch’s identity as a member of the Progressive Party. He joined the Progressive Party when he was in Sabin City, and his immense social influence means the party naturally values him.

If someone else approached, it might spoil the atmosphere. If he laughed, tomorrow’s newspapers would report on a knowing smile between the party whip and some capitalist.

He needs to appear serious, so it’s best not to interact with those capitalists, at least not in public view.