King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer-Chapter 407 - 393: Offering Benefits

Joe Ga didn’t have a particularly good understanding of Eric’s work and wasn’t sure how to comfort him about his so-called "being trapped."

The situation indeed sucked, having a bucket of cold water dumped on one’s head just when they thought their prospects were limitless—it was definitely a bitingly sour experience.

There wasn’t much Joe Ga could do to help with this matter because by the look on Eric’s face, he could tell that Eric had already roughly guessed who wanted to trap him.

It definitely wasn’t someone on his side—if he had been betrayed, he would be acting far more desperate by now.

It had to be someone from the rival camp.

Joe Ga didn’t want to guess the specifics because the matter was a big hassle.

It wasn’t a case of touching it and dying, but in this matter, once a stand was wrongly taken between America and France, it would stink for a long time.

If what Eric referred to as "being trapped" held true, then it implied that America was at fault in this matter.

Once the inside story got exposed, naturally, the CIA’s lead man in Africa would have to take the fall.

Eric was also damn unlucky—the only good news being that he knew of his potential situation in advance and could make a series of contingency plans, so...

Experience tales at novelbuddy

"I may need to move my workstation to Benghazi in Liberia to figure out what exactly is going on.

Hu Lang, I need reliable security assurance!"

Without even waiting for Joe Ga to respond, Eric continued, "I can’t increase the already set security budget, but I will find a way to increase the budget for the Africa military base.

Hu Lang, I need help. In return, I can try to transfer the logistics contract for the Mali military base to P·B as well."

If increasing the logistics budget was icing on the cake, then the logistics contract for the Mali military base was the actual reward.

This was the largest scope that Eric himself could influence.

From here, it was clear how anxious Eric was—while not knowing if his guess was correct, going to Africa alone under these circumstances, he had to secure a trustworthy ally, and there was no one more suitable than P·B.

To fully secure Joe Ga’s cooperation, Eric remained silent for a long time after mentioning the "reward," then added, "If you are deliberately targeted by the French, I can offer a bit of political help.

At the very least, I can ensure that if the French intend to use force in Central Africa, you’ll get advance notice."

That kind of good intention couldn’t be refused—Central Africa was Joe Ga’s stronghold, and there could be no mishaps there.

France, looking to reestablish its status, was unlikely to act directly; ideally, they would support an opposition armed force or intervene during a coup in Central Africa.

Whether France currently had the capability to support a strong anti-government force was in question, so the latter possibility was more likely.

Joe Ga even guessed that the French might already know some information, such as the movements of ’God’s Armament’ and the Setaka Diamond Warlord, and they wanted to take the opportunity to make some moves.

If it were only this, Joe Ga felt completely capable of not giving them the chance.

But just to be safe, after thinking it over, Joe Ga looked at Eric and asked, "P·B now has a few Super Albatrosses. Would it be a violation of any defense contractor restrictions if I had two field air defense battalions?"

Upon hearing this, Eric said in surprise, "What do you want air defense missiles for?"

Joe Ga sighed and replied, "If everyone played by the rules, I obviously wouldn’t need air defense missiles, but I’m well aware that French influence in Central Africa will wane as the steel industry develops.

I’m worried that one day the French might lose it!

My base is out there, and if the French decide an ’accidental bombing’ isn’t a big deal, then all my hard work will be ruined."

Eric had deep ties within the arms industry, and after pondering for a long time, he finally shook his head and said, "There is no explicit restriction on defense companies regarding this issue—as long as the countries surrounding Central Africa don’t object, you having air defense missiles is not a big problem.

But if America sells medium-range air defense missiles to you, it would be provoking our allies.

I do have a way to sell you some air defense missiles without going through Congress, but you understand the risks involved.

The air defense missiles needed for two field air defense battalions—that amount of money is not worth the risk for anyone."

As Eric looked at the slightly disappointed Joe Ga, he smiled and said, "America’s cheapest medium-range air defense missile, the MIM-23 ’Hawk,’ would cost at least close to ten million US dollars for the whole system and the missiles. Instead of worrying about this, you’d be better off trying to get some ’Beech’ from your partners.

Serbia has signed a contract to purchase air defense missiles from China and is expected to complete reequipping within a year or two; they’ll need to find an outlet for their old ’Beech’ missiles.

Of course, if you don’t like the ’Beech,’ then I can help you get two sets of the ’Avenger Air Defense System.’

This vehicle-mounted short-range air defense missile system has a similar range to the Stinger, but it has very effective defense against drones, low-altitude fixed-wing aircraft, and missiles, and most importantly, it operates fully automatically.

The air force base near Washington is equipped with the ’Avenger’ as the mainstay of near-air defense.

Don’t let its origins in the 1980s fool you; after multiple upgrades and improvements by the army, the firepower of the ’Avenger’ has been continuously enhanced.

However, the army is currently applying for a budget to upgrade the mid-range air defense system, and then a portion of the ’Avengers’ will become stockpile that might never see daylight again."

"As a Defense Department contractor, you are indeed qualified to purchase and use ’Avenger’ systems, since after all, they are defensive weapons,"

Joe Ga was perplexed by what Eric said. He took out his phone, did a quick search, and then realized that the so-called ’Avenger’ was actually a vehicle-mounted version of ’Stinger’.

A Humvee could carry 8 of them, and because of their high mobility and capability to launch on the move, they had become a key component of frontline regional air defense systems favored by major power brokers.

Although this piece of equipment has been around since the 1980s, it still hasn’t been phased out to this day.

Joe Ga could even do without the launching vehicle, needing only the launcher and radar, and then he could ’replicate’ a sufficient number for placement around the base himself.

The most advanced feature of this gadget is actually the full automatic targeting system, which can automatically identify, lock on, and launch. This thing could be a lifesaver in critical situations.

It’s basically ineffective against jet fighters, but it can intercept low-flying objects and even missiles.

Joe Ga didn’t have high demands; just a few more sets combined would suffice to create an African version of ’Iron Dome’.

As for ’Beech’?

Joe Ga wasn’t sure whether the ’Professor’’s current clout at Yuginebert Company was sufficient?

He really wanted these medium-range air defense missiles, and that was his first reaction after learning that France had ill intentions towards him.

Joe Ga wasn’t the least bit afraid of ground troops since the transportation situation around Central Africa didn’t allow for the deployment of heavy armored forces, and he truly wasn’t scared of anyone when it came down to fighting with soldiers.

But when going up against a major power without air superiority, he could only resort to guerrilla warfare.

The idea of Joe Ga giving up the base he had managed to establish with so much effort was out of the question.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

However, blatantly deploying ’Beech’ could lead to unnecessary suspicions, so even if he could get them from Yuginebert Company, they would need to be delivered discreetly and then secretly deployed.

The most annoying part was that Joe Ga still needed to hire some missile soldiers.

At that moment, Joe Ga deeply felt how true it was that confronting great powers seriously burned through money.

Currently, only one of the five bullies was a bit displeased with him, and he was already anxious. It wasn’t until he wanted to arm himself that he realized how costly it was!

It was good that P·B had only one important base, and a couple of six-missile ’Beech’ sets would be enough.

If it were a slightly lesser country, with more places to protect, just buying air defense missiles could cause the country’s economy to collapse.

Joe Ga shook hands with Eric, who was ready with enough chips to play the game, and said seriously, "Get me two sets of ’Avenger’; I don’t need the vehicles, just the missiles and the systems. It’d be great if the price isn’t too steep, I’ve just bought 4 Super Albatrosses, and there isn’t much left in the Sinaloa Money Vault."

Eric nodded and replied, "I’ll handle this. I’ll find a way to have an Air Force base near Washington ’report’ two sets of ’Avengers’ as needing repair, then get the maintenance factory to sell them to you at a low price.

Still, there are some costs involved. Hmm, I remember the purchase price for an Avenger, along with 8 Stinger missiles, is supposed to be 2.4 million US dollars.

Flawed second-hand goods, of course, have to be cheaper; two sets for 800,000 should about do it..."

Joe Ga knew that it would be quite troublesome for Eric, given his identity, to handle this matter.

After thinking it over, he said, "Let’s make it 1 million. Going empty-handed to negotiate this sort of thing requires owing big favors. Since it’s exploiting loopholes and not illegal, 200,000 should be enough to secure a discount."

In actuality, what Eric was hoping for was to firmly secure a favor from Joe Ga. When he heard that Joe Ga had added an extra 200,000, he felt both gratified that Joe Ga was a decent person, and a bit disappointed because that level of favor wasn’t quite enough.

What Eric really wanted was connections with the Department of Justice behind Joe Ga!

If he couldn’t make it through the ordeal in the end, he would choose to go down fighting.

Should things escalate, having someone in the Department of Justice to help could make all the difference in his fate.

That’s the power of the network Joe Ga had woven; even though he might not be able to influence the Department of Justice, having them backing him transformed his value completely.

And a clever person like Eric had long understood the worth of someone like Joe Ga!

As an important advisor to a person who could intervene in America’s military budget, Eric had other cards to play.

But those cards came with risks. It would be foolish to put them on the table before clarifying the situation.

Thinking about his next move, Eric stood up and said, "I have to rush back to Washington. If there’s anything else you need my help with, just call me directly.

Hu Lang, I believe we will have much collaboration in the future!"

Joe Ga nodded decisively and said, "If you run into any trouble in Africa, feel free to call me. I may not be able to solve the problem, but I will do everything I can to save your life.

If you ever find yourself in trouble, remember to run to Central Africa!!

As long as you’re alive, there’s a chance for a comeback!!"