King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Niger, Agadez Region.

Joe Ga piloted a blue Piper-42 from the direction of Chad into Niger. After crossing a vast expanse of desert, he landed at an airport surrounded by sand.

Following the control tower's guidance, he taxied down the runway for a while and gradually came to a stop next to a hangar.

Upon removing his sunglasses, he saw a middle-aged man in military attire, flanked by a group of heavily armed soldiers, standing in the shade of the hangar. Joe Ga turned to Nis, who was in the co-pilot's seat, and smiled, "Let's head out..."

As Nis took out a scarf, Joe Ga shook his head and said, "You don't have to wear it if you don't want to. This is just an MSL country, not Guantanamo, and certainly not ISIS territory."

Nis slightly shook his head and responded, "I too am MSL. I'm used to it. He's your important client; there's no need for unnecessary provocation."

Joe Ga shrugged indifferently, then turned back to glance at Ayu who had risen from his seat in the cabin but was still stooping, and laughed, "I'd bet no one would dare glare at us menacingly just because Ayu isn't wearing a scarf, eh? Would you say that's discrimination?"

Nis smiled without responding to Joe Ga's joke but instead straightened his combat uniform and checked his pistol.

Fully armed, more so than the SEALs, Dorian stood by the door. Seeing Joe Ga nod at him, he forcefully opened the door and then deployed the electric stairs.

As Dorian, Ayu, Karman, Antar, and Nis were the first to descend from the plane, the soldiers waiting in the hangar grew tense. Several tall black bodyguards protected Minister Leonel, placing their hands on their pistols.

The appearance of Dorian and his team was indeed frightening, frighteningly expensive...

Just their helmets equipped with night vision goggles and sound-gathering headsets cost more than all the possessions of any soldier present.

Joe Ga didn't wear such exaggerated gear; he had distributed his equipment among several people, so he only wore a simple desert camouflage and a pistol.

From a distance, he saw Leonel protected by a crowd in the center. Joe Ga smiled, pulled out an M9, and handed it to Nis beside him. He then waved to a lawyer, Jori Amon, who had been inconspicuous until then, and walked toward the crowd.

As he approached the perimeter of the encirclement, Joe Ga said with a smile, "Minister Leonel, please forgive my caution, as we have discussed over the phone."

Once Leonel confirmed Joe Ga's identity, he patted his bodyguards on the shoulder, moved forward with an outstretched hand, and grasping Joe Ga's firmly, said with a laugh, "I didn't expect we would have common enemies!"
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Hu Lang, Mary has told me a lot about you, and I think we have many areas for collaboration."

Joe Ga nodded and said, "Terrorist organizations like Boko Haram shouldn't exist. Those who enjoy abducting female students are enemies of all humanity.

Though they are not my primary enemy, I'd still be glad to help in my operations."

Joe Ga took out a slip of paper and stuffed it into Leonel's hand, whispering, "Swiss Bank unregistered account, I assure you this money is clean, and you can withdraw it whenever you want."

Looking at the string of numbers on the slip, Leonel signaled a man in a suit to come over, handed him the slip to verify the details, and then warmly greeted Joe Ga, saying, "I've prepared refreshments inside. The news you bring came quite suddenly, so I can only entertain you here.

We've intensified our operations recently and made significant progress.

However, Boko Haram attacked a nearby village yesterday, abducting 40 female students, and the men from the Foreign Legion are huddled in their camp, unwilling to help."

Mary mentioned the combat achievements of P·B Company to me, so I took the initiative to add a clause in the contract you asked me to prepare. I hope you don't mind."

While watching Joe Ga furrow his brow, Leonel laughed and said, "As a return for helping an ally, I can authorize an additional order of 15 million in arms.

The aid promised by France can't be expected until their meetings conclude, so I can still manage this much.

I hope you understand my difficulties. I'm under a lot of pressure lately. If we can't rescue those 40 students intact, our recent gains will be significantly undermined, which is why I added this clause to the military contract.

Actually, if possible, I wish P·B Company could stay here a bit longer rather than just taking on two anti-terrorist missions."

If you agree, we can still make adjustments to this contract. That nominal million can become ten million or even twenty million."

A Defense Minister speaking like this truly shows he's under immense pressure.

Moreover, Joe Ga estimated that if Minister Leonel couldn't quickly quell the domestic unrest, his days in office might be numbered.

Of course, the talk of increasing orders and hiring at high prices might also be his attempt to make a final profit."

Regrettably, the battle in Central Africa was still ongoing, and Joe Ga simply couldn't spare enough manpower to come here, or else it would have been worth earning the money.

Now he could only try to help and see if after finishing his own affairs, he could attempt to rescue those kidnapped students.

"Perhaps this will ease some of the pressure on Minister Leonel. Of course, doing business is more convenient with acquaintances, and that $15 million follow-up order does smell quite tempting. It would certainly be best not to let it slip away."

As the two conversed, their entourages naturally let down their guard and stood together, fully securing the hangar doors.

Joe Ga followed Leonel deep inside the hangar where two long tables draped in red velvet were set up, with an assortment of teas, coffee, cocoa, and a mixed alcoholic beverage on display.

On another table, there were two contracts, with an elderly black man with graying temples sitting in the center.

Leonel gestured toward the beverages for Joe Ga, who declined for the moment. He then pointed to the elderly man and said, "This is the African Union liaison officer from Niger. Once we've completed the signing, he will take this contract and fly to the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa to file it."

Leonel shook his head with a smile and said, "Hu Lang, I don't know why you have such requirements, but I like your attitude. People who voluntary constrain themselves are definitely trustworthy."

Joe Ga took the initiative to go forward and shake hands with the old man, learning that his name was Musa Saidi, and to his surprise, a member of the Pan-African Parliament, part of the AU's legislative and supervisory bodies.

Joe Ga exchanged business cards with a smile, then gestured to his attorney, who had been as invisible as a ghost, Jori Amon, to come forward…

"Could you please check the contract for any issues? If there are none, you will be accompanying Mr. Saidi on his flight to Ethiopia later."

Jori Amon nodded seriously, walked up to Saidi, shook his hand, and introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Jori Amon, currently the attorney for P.B. in Africa. I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Saidi."

Saidi sized up Jori Amon, and suddenly smiled, saying, "I've seen you before. You used to be a troublesome civil rights lawyer; you helped Mali's Yousuf win the presidential election."

Jori Amon squeezed a smile and said, "Strictly speaking, it was actually a coup, and you probably know what happened afterward…

Sir, Africa's process of democratization is not as smooth as outsiders might imagine. The African Union still has much work to do in this regard.

The best approach is to invite people like my boss more often. What he has done in Central Africa is unprecedented in Africa's history.

The region is changing, and if the African Union can provide sufficient support, this process can indeed be expedited."

Saidi seemed to appreciate Jori Amon very much, laughing and patting him on the shoulder, saying, "Of course, I've heard some things. If you encounter obstacles in Addis Ababa, I am more than willing to help."

Saidi glanced at Joe Ga, laughed, and said, "I am willing to provide a guaranty for your loan scheme. Of course, my individual power is quite limited, and you might need to persuade enough people on your own.

Jori is an excellent lobbyist, and I will introduce him to some people."

Saidi spoke quite diplomatically, leaving Joe Ga unable to determine whether he was hinting at wanting some incentive.

This was when being the boss paid off. Joe Ga patted Jori Amon on the shoulder, laughing and saying, "Then we'll do as Mr. Saidi suggests. No matter the outcome, Mr. Saidi must be taken good care of."

Passing all the issues on to Jori Amon, who was more familiar with Africa, Joe Ga appeared to pull a magic trick while the contracts were being reviewed, producing two gold Eagle Badges, weighing about an ounce each, as gifts for Leonel and Saidi.

Seeing their smiling faces, Joe Ga said to Leonel, "The cargo plane will arrive at 2 PM. How are preparations on your side?"

Leonel nodded and said, "Today, there will only be one flight to Ethiopia. I've arranged for the airport to be locked down.

Everything will go according to your plan, and I hope we can clear out Boko Haram's main strength in Niger and stabilize our country."

Joe Ga wasn't optimistic about Leonel's hope for "stabilization," but as a businessman, he couldn't dampen his client's spirits.

Seeing the slightly grave expression on Leonel's face, Joe Ga said, "There are many reasons why terrorists are hard to eliminate, but the most critical is that their movements are hard to track.

In my opinion, there are clearly external forces supporting them. You should allow them to find a foothold, wait until they gather their forces, and then eliminate them all at once.

I'm not sure if this will completely destroy them, but it is certainly better than a protracted tug-of-war in towns.

Every day this war continues is a harm to innocent civilians!

They've suffered enough. They shouldn't have to endure collateral damage from the government forces."

Leonel's eyes brightened as he listened; he indeed needed a comprehensive strategic plan, no matter if it wasn't perfect.

He wanted to maintain his current position and couldn't continue commanding his troops haphazardly like a headless fly.

Looking at Jori Amon, who was smiling, Leonel excitedly said, "This is a good strategy. Will P·B be willing to help at the right time?"