King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

'Spur's words suddenly made Joe Ga feel a bit strange. He nudged Eric, who had been silent all along, and curiously asked, "Why are these guys fixating on the airport?"

Eric let out a sigh of relief as the armored car completely left the airport and then said with a bit of helplessness, "Because now a white person from Europe and America is worth $200,000.

Those madmen from the jihadist organizations are setting high prices for beheading people to intimidate the whole world for the sake of the gangs!"

Joe Ga listened and said with furrowed brows, "Has it gotten this serious? In the past, things were still somewhat covert, but now they're openly buying people to behead? Wasn't Benghazi the birthplace of the Arab Spring? Shouldn't it be more democratic? How could extremism become so severe?" Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Eric shook his head and said, "Poverty and regional control are breeding grounds for extremism. The National Army's control over Benghazi has always been insufficient. Can you imagine there being a bunch of warlords and gangs within the National Army?

They fight their own people even more fiercely. In present-day Benghazi, the city center is the most dangerous place because those bastards might start shooting at government buildings to vent their frustration over not getting supplies."

As he spoke, Eric looked at Joe Ga, whose expression was grave, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Don't worry, even if the National Army government is rotten, they still know what matters more.

At this stage, no one will bother the foreign companies that are resuming work because the locals also need jobs."

Eric spoke lightly, but Joe Ga noticed the heaviness in his eyes and asked with a frown, "So you mean the National Army government still has some deterrent power at the moment, but what if someone wants to stir up chaos in Benghazi?"

Eric replied with a bitter smile, "That would be a disaster!

Your buddy noticed right away that there were three groups eyeing us. The group at the terminal building are National Army people, and the ones lurking by the hangar belong to a group called the 117 Revolutionary Brigade.

They were originally Libyan Air Force ground staff but later they declared the occupation of a nearby air force base in Benghazi and stole a large quantity of arms, becoming warlords.

After the coup ended, the leader of the 117 Revolutionary Brigade was roped into joining the National Army.

However, after so many years, the 117 Revolutionary Brigade hasn't received many benefits, so they have started to get restless."

After listening, Joe Ga cautiously said, "The MiG-23s parked at the airport belong to the 117 Revolutionary Brigade?"

Eric knew what Joe Ga was thinking and said with a smile, "The National Army invited the Russians over, and they also have support from France. They spent a great deal in repairing a few fighter jets to fight against the Syrian National Army, but they were lost very quickly.

Currently, all the operational fighter jets in Benghazi are under the control of the National Army. This is the key discontent for the Revolutionary Brigade, as they feel they provided the fighter jets but got nothing in return.

If it weren't for constant support from France and Russia to the National Army, the 117 Revolutionary Brigade would have probably already started fighting the government army."

As he said this, Eric looked at Joe Ga wearing an odd expression and suddenly laughed, saying, "You're one of the few military company CEOs I've seen who can afford an air force. Are you interested in those fighter jets?"

Joe Ga was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile, saying, "Don't tell me that the 117 Revolutionary Brigade also has fighter jets for sale!"

Eric nodded and said, "Of course, there are eight jets of various models.

That fool is desperate to sell off what he has, but he doesn't understand that without strong backing, no one can handle those things."

For a moment, Joe Ga was indeed tempted, but Eric's following words brought him back to reality. While jet fighters might be good, they are not P·B's cup of tea.

Thinking about the situation Eric had just described, Joe Ga shook his head, chuckling, "What the hell kind of place is Libya? I always thought that the government recognized by the United Nations would be the one controlling Benghazi."

Eric shook his head and said, "According to CIA statistics, there are currently over 1,700 armed factions within Libya.

The United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord has always been confined to the Tripoli area, with support from England, France, Russia, among others, for Haftar's National Army which was formed to fight al-Qaeda.

You surely wouldn't believe it, but just eight months ago, Benghazi was under the control of al-Qaeda.

Now the National Army has tentatively taken over Benghazi and the northeast direction of Fati, planning to continue pushing east.

I predict that the National Army will expedite their progress, and then they will inevitably start a war with the tribal militias of the Government of National Accord in Tripoli.

This place is now a muddy mess, but our ambassador has somehow gotten himself mixed up in it."

Joe Ga, frowning in disbelief, said, "Is the Government of National Accord that bad? Otherwise, why would the Chinese negotiate with the National Army, and why would the American ambassador come here as well?"

Eric scoffed and said, "Without the nod from major powers, the United Nations' support is only lip service.

The people from the Government of National Accord are now operating from Tunisia; even their office building is rented. The actual control of Tripoli is in the hands of the Sectarian Militias – that is, the soldiers of those Chieftains.

The Chinese want to recover their past investments and, of course, would negotiate with the most powerful players who also have the most chances of unifying Libya. They'd be sure to promise something to Haftar in exchange for access to a gas field."

"Our ambassador wants to facilitate negotiations between the two factions to jointly deal with the extremist forces within Libya, and, by the way, he'll be representing the oil companies of America in negotiations with Libya's oil enterprises."

Joe Ga gave a slight nod after listening. He wasn't too interested in the grand political scheme, but now he had a preliminary understanding of the situation in Benghazi.

It's been 8 months since the battle for Benghazi ended, but the National Army, supported by England, Russia, and France, clearly hadn't yet crushed the terrorists. No one knew how many terrorists were hiding in Benghazi now.

While the internal structure of the National Army wasn't exactly falling apart, there was an air of each commander acting independently. The various warlord leaders would only respond to Haftar in significant matters; otherwise, they largely stuck to their own territories.

Thinking of this, Joe Ga couldn't help but admire Old Chen's guts. He wasn't clear on the specifics of Chen's operations, but just the fact that he dared to plant his flag in Libya was pretty awesome.

At the same time, Joe Ga grew worried about Eric's situation; the circumstances in Benghazi were many times worse than he had imagined.

The French didn't have to do much, just contact a somewhat capable group, offer them some incentives, and they could create trouble while attacking the Americans.

And even worse, it was reasonable for the French to provide opportunities to the terrorists. The CIA had cooperated with ISIS and Boko Haram in the past—now it made sense for the French to reciprocate with terrorists!

Considering this, Joe Ga grew increasingly anxious. He turned to 'Spur', who was driving in front, and said, "Have you noticed anything unusual recently?"

'Spur' gave a wry smile, shook his head, and said, "There's nothing normal here!

In the past half month, we've been protecting CIA agents, trying to make contact with the high-level executives of the Benghazi oil company, and the actions of that ambassador have been very frequent.

As much as I am an American, I still think that guy is doing something foolish. Because every time agents get close to the executives of the oil company, there will be interference.

Without authorization to attack, we can only respond passively in combat, and we can't even figure out who the adversaries truly are.

The only good thing now is that it's clear they're targeting the oil company's executives. They haven't found the CIA's secret base yet, or else we would have already called for backup."

After hearing this, Joe Ga rubbed his temples and looked at Eric. "The first target will definitely be the ambassador, and then you.

The French are hedging their bets; they cannot watch two governments sit down for negotiations under the United States ambassador's mediation.

Controlling Libya means securing the Mediterranean. Maintaining the status quo of the two governments is most beneficial for Europe; they wouldn't just hand over such political advantage to America.

What's your plan?"

Eric glanced at 'Spur' and Karman then whispered after a moment of hesitation, "I've set up observation posts and cameras around the embassy residence. As long as I can get footage of the attackers, I can..."

Eric didn't finish his sentence, but Joe Ga understood his meaning well—that he was using the ambassador as bait. Once the identities of the attackers were confirmed, it would be easy to settle accounts afterwards with the resources of the CIA.

The most important thing is, once an incident occurs, he could leave Benghazi, this powder keg, and return home to report on his duty. With the evidence he held and fabricated, plus the CIA's resources, he could use his power to support the bigwigs behind him, striking at Harlotte and his backing forces.

Joe Ga shook his head, "Is your evacuation plan ready?"

Eric nodded, saying, "I have arranged boats at the port of Benghazi. The warlord who controls that place is my ally, and these armored vehicles were purchased from him."

Joe Ga wasn't very optimistic about Eric's plan and hesitated before speaking, "You need a second plan. If the French want to get you, they won't do it without investigating you.

As racially conspicuous as the LMV is on the road, I don't believe you when you say your base hasn't been discovered.

Harlotte is a bastard, but he is ruthless. Your CIA predecessor was his man, and you've got evidence of the predecessor colluding with terrorists. He can't possibly let you leave alive to go back.

You need to be more careful!!"

Eric nodded, "I appreciate your concern, but their first target is definitely the ambassador. My base is very strong, it will hold until the United States Army's drones come to support.

If it really comes down to it, I'll run south. Your people at the oilfield will be able to receive me, right?"

Joe Ga was almost amused by Eric. "You should fucking run the moment the ambassador is attacked..."

As he spoke, Joe Ga saw the troubled look on Eric's face and sighed, "You're worried that running too quickly will lead to an investigation back home, aren't you?"

Watching Eric's helpless expression, Joe Ga said to 'Spur', "This guy is an official addict; you can't just listen to everything he says.

It's not worth risking your life for a few million in a commission. If necessary, knock him out to keep him from dying."

Joe Ga's words let 'Spur' sigh with relief. He looked back at Eric, who hadn't made a sound, then gave his boss a thumbs up and said, "Got it, boss!!"