King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

The morning sun's radiance awakened Nova City, and yesterday's excitement had not subsided.

Wallace, somewhat weary, returned to the hotel he was staying at. As soon as he entered the hotel lobby, he heard some people setting odds, with a dozen representatives from diamond companies all over chuckling as they offered a betting pool on when Setaka would invade Bangui.

Wallace, curious, went over to take a look and then was surprised to find that these folks from Europe and America didn't think highly of the Central African Government forces and P·B at all.

As a seasoned frontline journalist, Wallace knew there must be something amiss, so he curiously stepped forward, took out $100, and bought the option for a P·B victory, then he jokingly inquired further…

The group of diamond company people were there for fun. Seeing Wallace place his bet, one middle-aged man laughed and said, "Haven't you noticed? The armored cars patrolling Nova City are French goods.

Moreover, anti-aircraft missiles have appeared on the rooftops of Setaka's strongholds in the city; P·B's 'Super Albatross' and helicopters won't be coming here anymore.

There are nearly two thousand men outside the city, most of whom are mercenaries hired by Shah's Prince Nayif with money. As long as they launch dispersed attacks, Central Africa is done for.

That Hu Lang can't possibly use missiles to chase down those armed pickup trucks. If he really does that, even if he wins, he will end up bankrupt in the end.

With both French and Shah Prince support, Setaka will have the upper hand, even if P·B is powerful, they can't withstand the pressure from both sides."

Having heard this, Wallace suddenly understood why these people were not optimistic about P·B.

They were judging Hu Lang's actions with a businessman's mindset.

What they didn't know was that Hu Lang was approaching this battle with an 'at all costs' attitude.

In their minds, P·B was still just a mercenary company, and a losing business would lead the company to slack off.

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Even though Joe Ga emphasized repeatedly in the media that P·B's core interest was to maintain stability in Central Africa, promote local economic development, and create a favorable investment environment…

Yet, not a single one of the businessmen who scrambled through Central Africa believed him.

The intervention of France and the appearance of anti-aircraft missiles convinced them that Setaka, who had succeeded once before, would win again this time.

Last time, Setaka took control of Central African Capital Bangui with only 500 men, but this time he had more than two thousand men, most of whom were battle-hardened mercenaries.

In their minds, there was no reason for Setaka to lose!

Once Wallace grasped the thinking logic of these people, he chuckled, shaking his head, and scrounged up all the cash he had on him, totaling $800, and put it all on the option for P·B's victory.

Looking at a group of slightly surprised European and American peers, Wallace laughed and said, "I bet P·B will win, and they'll win decisively."

Saying that, Wallace looked at the group with their odd expressions, laughed, and added, "I'm firmly in the Princess's camp. I believe P·B will definitely overcome the enemy and ensure Princess Amina's safety.

I bet Setaka's forces won't last three days..."

The diamond company people exchanged glances, then burst out laughing. These self-proclaimed mature and visionary guys thought Wallace's naivety was indeed unsuitable for Central Africa.

"Buddy, we'll use the money you paid to buy you a few drinks," one said. "The rules of the game in Africa are not what you imagine.

The media's praise for P·B doesn't add much to their fighting strength.

If some rich guy came out and said he would support P·B, then I would think they have a chance, but all I see is a bunch of women going nuts in the media as if they were high.

Buddy, it's business, business is just business…"

Wallace didn't dare to argue with these guys; he chuckled, shook his head, and muttered softly as he walked to his room, "Hu Lang has always been doing losing business, but he's always been the winner, and he's winning more and more…

Business, heh, since when has money become all there is to business?"

Wallace sent the photos from his camera to his editor when he got back to his room, then after pondering for a while, he wrote a report…

"The jubilant democracy and freedom, and the lonely, struggling P·B!!!"

.........

Wallace's report was quickly published on the New York Post's website, and then the flourishing online media began to repost it in large numbers.

This front-line journalist with a military background held high prestige and credibility in the American media.

In his report, he mocked the petty nature of the media and those celebrities who exploit every opportunity for traffic and exposure.

It was only then that people realized that when danger truly arrived, those who had vowed to stand with Princess Amina had taken no action whatsoever…

Just like Wallace said, P·B was struggling alone, and apart from verbal support, they seemed to have received no substantive assistance.

Then, an unexpected situation arose…

Massive protests erupted on the streets of Paris, with a horde of crazed topless women blocking the entrance to Elysee Palace…

Then, a chain reaction occurred worldwide. Everyone who could make a statement in the media was condemning France for its inaction.

The President of France woke up to find himself the target of everyone's verbal and written attacks, which depressed him so much that he wanted to push his wife down the stairs.

Damn it all!

.........

The buzz on the outside did not affect Joe Ga; he once again took to the skies in the 'Super Albatross'…

.........

Alhan, a 45-year-old Chadian veteran, became a mercenary at the age of 28 and had been to Mali and Liberia.

He brought back large sums of wealth from those places and raised an even larger force back in his hometown.

As he was preparing to head to Libya to continue looking for fortune, he received a commission and then rushed to Central Africa with his 40 men.

Wrapped in a headscarf and wearing a uniform, Alhan set off around 10 in the morning.

The troop consisting of over two thousand people appeared chaotic when they set off. Alhan wasn't in a hurry; he experiencedly signaled his subordinates to check all the weapons one by one. After inspecting the fuel and drinking water himself, Alhan finally commanded everyone to board the vehicles and follow the main force southward…

The road system in Central Africa was very poor. The main force needed to travel about 40 kilometers to the south before they could disperse and attack cities along the way. Capturing those cities would not only ensure the safety of the rear but, most importantly, allow plundering of sufficient wealth.

In the group of mercenaries, Alhan's 40-person team was not particularly outstanding, but he cleverly chose a rural route for himself…

With 12 armed pickup trucks and 4 lightly loaded trucks, he decided to visit the rural tribes of Central Africa once he left the northern territories…

All along the way, Alhan's subordinates sang songs; these Chad warriors had never fought in such a wealthy battle.

80% new weapons, bullets produced in Europe, unlimited RPGs, and every team was allocated costly 'Stinger' and 'Javelin' missiles.

Such treatment was unheard of even for mercenaries in Africa, let alone the current Libyan government forces.

Alhan had already decided that he would absolutely not use those two 'Stingers' and two 'Javelins' because if he brought them back to Libya afterward, he could exchange them for a lot of money from jihad organizations.

The 'Stinger,' capable of shooting down planes, was a dream weapon for any jihad organization!

However, as the convoy proceeded, Alhan suddenly felt something was amiss…

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, just a feeling of discomfort.@@novelbin@@

The battle-hardened veteran highly trusted his own feelings. He stood up from the open-top jeep's co-driver's seat, waving his hand signaling those behind him to pull over with him.

To avoid blocking the vehicles behind them, they directly drove off the average-conditioned highway and onto the grassland.

The grassland was not flat, and those unfamiliar with it could easily get stuck driving here.

But Alhan found that after entering the grassland, the uneasiness in his heart faded significantly.

Moreover, to his surprise, many others made the same choice as him.

Alhan's team trekked through the grasslands for three hours and, after two incidents of vehicles getting stuck, they finally joined another road.

At that point, they were nearly 55 kilometers away from Nova City…

Alhan didn't know why, but when the vehicles hit the road, his discomfort returned.

His subordinates didn't know what the boss was doing, and a few had already begun to grow impatient.

"Boss, what exactly are we waiting for?"

A rough-looking Big Beard shouted, "Boss, if we fall behind, we won't catch the first wave of loot..."

Alhan held his chest, hesitated for a moment, but in the end shook his head and said, "Let's slow down a bit, do not rush. Money isn't going anywhere, but life is most important...

I just have a feeling something's wrong, but I can't pinpoint what it is…"

Alhan led his team to travel another dozen kilometers, and just as they made it around the bend over a hill and entered an open area full of sand and gravel...

"Whoo~"

"Whoo~"

"Whoo~"

"Whoo~"

Alhan saw 4 rugged-looking Milos armored vehicles stopped on the gravel field. The moment their convoy came around the corner, the guided missile pods on those armored vehicles launched 4 'Needle' anti-tank missiles.

The naked eye couldn't capture the trajectory of the missiles, but Alhan felt the heat of the missiles flying over his head…

"Boom… Boom… Boom… Boom…"

Four consecutive explosions went off behind Alhan, and the four trucks exploded, blocking their way back…

Looking at the four Milos armored vehicles about 2 kilometers away from him now beginning to slowly move, Alhan stood up and waved his arms, shouting loudly, "Do not stop, keep moving, keep moving...

Gunners, machine gunners...

Get the 'Javelin' missiles ready, quickly…"

At this point, Alhan realized where the problem lay…

They had traveled so far south and unexpectedly encountered no resistance on the road...

No planes, no helicopters, not even two scout soldiers...

Most thought that the Central Africans were scared and that the so-called P·B was just so-so...

But it was only upon encounter that they realized: the enemy had been lying in wait for them all along!

The armed pickups were quite maneuverable, and Alhan led the charge forward, intending to outflank those advanced armored vehicles and find a way out...

But as they were sprinting forward, a dense whistling noise came from the sky...

Alhan, who had spent years rolling around battlefields, heard those terrifying whistles, and he instinctively looked up, yelling frantically...

"Speed up, mortars~"

"Boom..."

"Boom..."

"Boom..."

"Boom..."