King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Watching a group of intimidating black guys, after Lao Niu had left, eyeing the one in charge of dishing out food with murderous gazes, Joe Ga slightly shook his head and said to Karman beside him, "Indeed, they're all troublemakers. You'll need to calm them down a bit."

After hearing this, Karman walked over and stared at a notably 'active' Cthulhu man for a few seconds, and after the guy wilted like a quail, Karman nodded at the others, then joined Joe Ga at the dining table specifically prepared by Lao Niu, saying, "They're just not used to it. A wild beast that wants to join the pack either has to show its belly or make the others afraid."

Joe Ga greeted the soldiers along the way and, guided by Lao Niu, sat down at a dining table made of raw wood, looked around, and noticed Dorian and Antar coming in from outside.

Joe Ga beckoned to Dorian and Antar, inviting them to come over and eat, then turned to Karman and said, "What's the story with those guys? The old soldiers from Seville are okay, but those mercenaries are all tough nuts to crack. Let's not start trouble we can't finish."

Karman nodded slightly to show he understood, then said in a low voice, "Remember Sentulu from Rwanda I told you about?"

"I remember. During the big TS in Rwanda, he managed to kidnap a large group of doctors with only 200 people, saving tens of thousands. How could I forget him?"

Karman nodded and continued, "After Sentulu died, his people dispersed.

Some were incorporated into a special task force by the African Union, and now Rwanda is the biggest troop-contributing country to the AU peacekeeping forces, thanks to their efforts.

But not all of them. A small portion went into the jungle to become jungle mercenaries. Without Sentulu, they lost their purpose, not even knowing for whom they should fight.

I was one of them. We've been to Sierra Leone, Congo, Mali, Gambia, and Central Africa. Gradually, almost everyone who was with me died off, and I got uncomfortable with the newcomers, so I left.

Here are the leftovers, just eleven men.

They might not be qualified soldiers, but they are true jungle warfare experts."

Joe Ga felt indescribable upon hearing this. It was astonishing for Africa to spawn an ideologically driven team.

This team had been influenced by one man, broadly finding some meaning and value in life, but after his death, they quickly lost their direction.

A large part of them succumbed to reality, yet they became a useful force. The others, however, were completely lost.

Unable to find their direction, they could only become mercenaries, seeking employers they deemed 'just' to fight for on their own terms.

Karman was one of the latter, influenced by Sentulu, believing he should have some ideal. But all the war had brought him was poverty and confusion.

Seeing a puzzled expression on Karman's seasoned face, Joe Ga shook his head and said, "Stop thinking about it. Some things, some people, we just can't fathom, because some greatness is innate!"

With that, Joe Ga patted old Karman on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Since you brought those people, you're responsible for them.

I won't ask about their salaries. Just give me a number when the time comes, and I'll arrange it."

After listening, Karman was silent for a while before saying, "They don't need money. They need recognition, a sense of honor.

That's what they've always sought after, but many of them will never understand what they're fighting for until their dying day."

Joe Ga felt as if touched by Karman's words. Looking at those ruffian-like guys again, his perception had changed.

He couldn't exactly pinpoint this feeling, but suddenly, those beast-like men seemed much more palatable to him.

After pondering for a few seconds, Joe Ga shook his head and said, "They certainly can't go without salaries. If they don't take salaries, those old soldiers from Seville will have a hard time.

Twenty thousand then, twenty thousand a year. Have them assist the old soldiers from Seville. Soon the Central African national defense forces will send people for training, and we need to recruit as well.

Let them be instructors. Jungle warfare is ineffective with theory alone; we need such professionals to convincingly share their experiences.

Our time is tight. I'm spending money like water every month; I can't afford any delays.

In three months, once the recruits have completed basic training, we'll take the initiative and go to war."

Joe Ga's voice was loud, and the mercenaries nearby who were eating looked at each other. Then, it was unclear who first banged on the dining table...

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

With rhythmic thumping, Diamond's 'Chainsaw' with his big beard suddenly stood up and shouted the company's name...

"Strong Strike~"

"Hoo~"

The neat chorus of responses heated up the atmosphere in the cafeteria. The young black helpers brought in by Lao Niu watched with wide eyes, their excitement turning their eyes red, though they didn't quite know what they should do.

When the queueing Seville veterans were reminded that it was time to get to work, they sprang into action, heavily ladling a full spoonful of beef into the bowls of everyone in line, as if by doing so they were fighting shoulder to shoulder with the mercenaries.

The passion of the old soldiers had been almost worn away by life; they were not as excited as the mercenaries, but under this atmosphere, they gradually straightened their backs as they walked, their military presence slowly thickening, seemingly eager to regain their former state.

The atmosphere in the dining hall was good; when Old Bull, under the watchful eyes of everyone and amidst the cursing of a bunch of mercenaries, brought Joe Ga and his fellows their specially prepared food, the three oldest guys in the place voluntarily came over.

Helicopter pilot 'Fat Goose', ground crew and pilot 'Wrench', and air combat ace 'Cobra'.

The three old guys' eyes were fixed on the 'greasy intestines' in Old Bull's hands, and they voluntarily sat next to Joe Ga.

'Fat Goose' swallowed and said, "We don't have to wait three months for a fight. With aerial reconnaissance and mercenaries' confirmation, we could figure out the approximate location of the drug traffickers' camps in two months.

The moment you want to, we can strike at any time!

The jungle is not very friendly to the air force, but we are more than capable of dealing with drug traffickers."

As 'Fat Goose' spoke, his eyes never left the 'greasy intestines'. He picked up a fork, skewered a piece of intestine, and stuffed it into his mouth, muttering as he chewed, "God bless 'Iron Shovel' for cleaning it properly, last time some idiot got a mouthful of pig crap... "

Joe Ga was just about to say 'don't be shy' when he was grossed out by the old guy. Then, when he looked at the fried intestines, glistening with oil and enticingly fatty, he suddenly lost his appetite.

Seeing that Joe Ga and his fellows weren't touching their chopsticks, 'Fat Goose' laughed heartily and scraped the intestines towards himself, saying, "I'll taste a few bites for you guys first. 'Iron Shovel' is a bastard, remember to call me next time you guys have a special meal... "

"Because you're not afraid of eating shit!"

The oldest 'Cobra' joked with a laugh, then turned to Joe Ga and said, "I've been counting the ammunition stockpile recently, and we have too little.

We only have 1200 rockets, 600 anti-tank missiles, 16 cluster bombs, and 80 thermobaric bombs.

If you really want to fight a prolonged battle, you'll need to find a way to replenish your ammo.

Anti-tank missiles are a bit expensive, thermobaric bombs are ineffective in the jungle, but 80mm rockets are cheap, and the Seville air force has a ton of 20-year-old stockpiles.

You also need bombs, you can't afford guided ones, so prepare more 500 kg bombs, you can have your friends check with the Seville air force.

I don't know what you're planning to get out of fighting a bunch of drug traffickers, but I like the atmosphere here. Since we're going to fight, let's be fully prepared. When our people need help, we shouldn't let them down."

Listening to 'Cobra', Joe Ga felt a headache coming on. He knew warfare was expensive but hadn't realized it was this costly.

Now he had a decent supply of small arms, but in comparison, the air force's weapons were a bit lacking.

Joe Ga took note of 'Cobra's expensive requests and decided to call first to inquire about the prices. If they truly were a steal, getting a few hundred or a thousand bombs wasn't out of the question. Anti-tank missiles, though, were truly beyond his means.

He would make do for now; after all, it was just a bunch of drug traffickers from Africa, certainly not like those Eastern European militias that could fight even better than regular armies.

Compared to 'Fat Goose' and 'Cobra', the one who got along best with Joe Ga was actually 'Wrench'. With a smile, the old guy took a swig from a liquor flask, then looked at Joe Ga and said, "I need help, preferably people with a background in mechanical maintenance.

Since the Central African military has taken such a big advantage from you, let them send us 40 pickup trucks, and we'll get all those dismantled weapon stations operational."

As a fellow mechanic, Joe Ga nodded seriously and said, "We definitely shouldn't help them train soldiers for nothing. We could get dozens of pickup trucks out of them.

But recruiting new mechanics won't be easy. If someone has the skills, they'd stay home and repair cars instead of coming here."

With that, Joe Ga looked at 'Wrench', who was slightly dissatisfied, and said with a smile, "First, pick a few veterans to help out. When we start recruiting, I'll have them help with the screening.

The guys from Africa might have a lower level of education, but some of them are pretty handy. We don't need to worship credentials, right? I graduated in veterinary science, but I'm pretty good at fixing cars, and I can tinker with planes as well."

'Wrench' listened and shook his head, saying, "Logistics, logistics, war is all about logistics!

I can't maintain so many planes by myself; we must have a team to ensure all the helicopters are combat-ready."

As he spoke, 'Wrench' seemed to remember something, chuckled, and said, "I forgot you're a one-man show; do your best to find people. I'll make sure there's always one helicopter and one Big Beak Bird safe to operate.

I'll install machine guns on them and modify the ammo boxes so they can carry a bit more machine gun ammunition each time, which might save you some money."

Looking at the group of old heads from the money-burning team in front of him, Joe Ga fell silent for a moment, then let out a lament, saying, "Let's eat first, talking about spending money gives me a headache right now.

Let's fight first. If we drive off the drug traffickers, everything else will be easier to discuss..."