King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

After hanging up the phone, Joe Ga made a few calls to other familiar contacts.

He then realized that purchasing warships was not as difficult as he thought; the real problem was the exorbitantly high prices of these ships...

A patrol vessel with a displacement of about 3,000 tons, no, this category should actually be called a frigate, and the construction of such large surface vessels generally costs over one hundred million US dollars.

Based on the profits from arms sales, to buy a somewhat presentable warship would cost at least about two hundred million dollars.

China's cheapest 056 export version actually costs 150 million dollars, and even a second-hand Maritime Police version that had served for many years would cost 80 million dollars, and that was the friendly price Qiao, the boss, had inquired.

Now you know why there are only a handful of countries in the world with reliable navies, right?

After asking around, Joe Ga realized that he had been browsing too much information on the internet and had set his sights too high, thinking that running a maritime security company wouldn't work without battleships.

As it turns out, any vessel associated with the word 'ship' starts off with nine digits, and we're talking US dollars here, depending on the weapons configuration you require.

If you outfit a vessel with weapons systems according to top specifications based on its size, the cost could increase five to tenfold.

The world of mercenaries has developed for many years now, there are still mercenary companies that use airplanes and cannons, but there absolutely are no mercenaries with warships, because with the scale of a mercenary company, they could neither afford to buy nor maintain oceangoing warships.

Eric was reliable. He didn't start off by pitching those well-known models but instead selected for Qiao, the boss, the most likely ship to win the bid, which also best met his needs.

The Hamilton-class patrol boat had more than enough tonnage; although it would need retrofitting after purchase for forty or fifty million dollars, in terms of cost-effectiveness, it was absolutely the best choice for Joe Ga.

It wasn't just about the money; there were also issues of symbolic significance.

America sold its 12 decommissioned Hamilton-class patrol boats all over the place. The major powers didn't want them, but why did those small Southeast Asian countries swarm to them?

It wasn't just because those small countries lacked the capability to build ships; it was also because there was some symbolic meaning involved, akin to paying protection money.

Joe Ga now wanted to start a maritime security company, and the missile-lacking Hamilton-class wouldn't touch the sensitive nerves of the Mediterranean coastal countries.

Futhermore, the Princess of Monaco managing to procure a Hamilton-class patrol ship was in itself a political bargaining chip.

The Monaco Royal Family had money, but could you ask them to buy a tank or a fighter jet?

The eye-watering prices of warships brought Qiao back to reality; he understood that he should not even consider 'ships' but should rather focus on 'boats'.

The Mediterranean was only so big; one Hamilton-class patrol ship, coupled with two patrol boats, would be sufficient.

Joe Ga was someone who once decided, never looked back. Having settled on a large ship, the remaining smaller boats seemed trivial to him.

The moment he hung up the phone, Joe Ga picked up Nis and spun her around, then with a smile said, "Let's go talk to Charlene and see if she's willing to open a P·B branch in her name."

Nis nodded slightly and said, "Then you go ahead. Everything here is finished. I'll take a helicopter back to Tubruq this afternoon. There's still a lot to be done there."

At that, Joe Ga touched Nis' face and said, "Then let's put Charlene's matter aside for now. We can discuss it with her when Gami is back. Let's go out for a walk.

I've heard there are many good restaurants in Monaco. Let's go out to eat, just the two of us."

Nis smiled and shook her head, replying, "I don't like those places. The hospital's restaurant is quite good.

I've received news that our disruption of the base organization's terrorist activities has made them angry.

Haftar called me, the base organization in Surt has mobilized a lot of people.

Now the city cleanup in Tubruq has been halted again, the terrorists we captured have been taken away by NATO personnel, the Americans have withdrawn, the French have sent their forces to Monaco, the English simply don't care, and Tubruq is understaffed; I need to go back."

Upon hearing this, Joe Ga ruefully rubbed his cheek, fully aware that he was indeed stretched too thin.

The P·B enterprise has spread too wide, there's a need for manpower everywhere, and every day there are lots of issues to deal with.

Those issues are not just trivial business or minor matters, but human lives!

As the boss of P·B, even a slight negligence could result in the loss of human lives.

Joe Ga might not dare to call himself a 'big shot' on a global scale, but in Africa, he is!!

He's tied to so many interests, and his enemies are crazed, any small oversight could be exploited leading to severe consequences.

Nis is actively sharing his responsibilities, partly because Liberia is her homeland, but more so because she loves Boss Joe, and she feels it's her duty to alleviate some of his stress and responsibility.

Nis is actually not good at this at all, but she's forcing herself to adapt.

After hugging the girl tightly, Joe Ga said helplessly, "Then let's not go out to eat, I'll have Elephant tie up a good chef and bring him over, and we'll just have a barbecue on the hospital's roof.

Damn it, can't I have my own life?"

Nis looked troubled as she spoke to Joe Ga, "I have a helicopter booked for 2 p.m."

Joe Ga, with his arm around Nis's shoulder, gestured grandly and said, "Then let them wait, that's their honor!"

As he spoke, Joe Ga grabbed the radio and after connecting said, "Elephant, no matter what, find me a chef and ingredients, I want to have a barbecue party on the rooftop."

Over the radio, Dorian cheered, exclaiming, "Boss, just wait, give me an hour, I'll get the best chef from Monaco, it has to be an Italian chef, because Italian chefs are the best.

FUCK, we should have celebrated earlier…"

Hearing this, Joe Ga switched to the public channel and announced loudly, "Guys, we're having a party this afternoon, on the hospital's rooftop, come help out. Whatever you want to eat or drink, just tell Elephant, and he'll get it ready for you."

There was silence on the channel for a moment, then it erupted into enthusiastic cheers...

"Ah ha, Boss, I love you…"

"Boss, can we invite the hospital nurses too? I think I'm about to find my second lease on life…"

............

............

Listening to the various nonsense on the channel, Joe Ga laughed heartily and said, "No problem, it's fine to invite anyone.

If you guys can sweet-talk the doctors and nurses to go to Central Africa, I'll even reimburse you the cost of the hotel room."

After saying that, Joe Ga cut off the communication, planted a firm kiss on Nis's face, and said, "Nis, no matter what happens, let's not forget to live life.

Our sense of achievement is very important, but happiness is more important. If we're too busy to even be happy, what are we aiming for?

As for Liberia, let it be, the sky isn't going to fall. I have two new special forces teams in Austria; I'll have them head to Liberia tomorrow.

Have Thompson go back too, then you take over recruitment...

Don't always get involved personally, we are big shots, we've paid our dues...

I'll call 'Gunfire,' he's a decent mercenary broker, and we'll have him send out messages to mercenaries all around the world...

P·B is hiring!"