The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 428 - 428: The Reliable Tree Planting Sand Control

[Chapter 428: The Reliable Tree Planting Sand Control]

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital.

A business jet landed at Bole International Airport. The cabin door opened, and the stairs were extended. Edward was the first to step off the plane.

At the parking area of the tarmac, six vehicles were waiting: four old Land Rover Defenders and two Toyota pickups.

Hawke stepped off the plane and immediately spotted Bosque approaching.

"Boss," Bosque wore a local-style blue printed denim jacket and introduced the burly man beside him, "This is Andrei. He recently visited Moscow."

Hawke understood right away and said, "The job was done beautifully."

Andrei grinned widely, "This kind of work is easy."

Erica followed off the plane. The two sides had once ambushed Buddy Ackerman together; they knew each other well.

Edward, along with Raul and others, went to retrieve the luggage.

...

Hawke and Erica followed Bosque into a Land Rover Defender, and the convoy left the airport, heading to the Sheraton Hotel.

Pierce Madden, chairman of the Osment Charitable Foundation, had arrived in Addis Ababa five days earlier to set things up and had reserved the top two floors of the Sheraton Hotel.

Apart from Edward, Raul and three other bodyguards arrived on the same flight.

Bosque brought a 20-person team responsible for perimeter security.

They entered the hotel, went straight to the top floor, and into the presidential suite.

Erica called for people to drag several bags filled with weapons into one of the rooms.

...

Hawke sat on the sofa and asked, "Tell me the specifics."

Pierce began, "I just contacted the United Nations' Africa offices. The aircraft carrying personnel from the Environmental Program and the World Food Program has to stop halfway in Dakar due to political reasons. They won't arrive until this afternoon."

Hawke said, "Remind me to invite them for dinner tonight."

Pierce noted it, then said, "This reforestation project in Africa is part of a flagship global restoration program between the UN and the African Union. The conference isn't held here; the African Union placed it on the front lines of desert expansion in Damakin."

Hawke had no idea about this city and asked, "Where's Damakin?"

"Northwest of the capital, near the Sudan-South Sudan border," Pierce opened a map and marked Damakin in red. "It's in Africa's grassland zone, but in recent years, because of ongoing armed conflicts among Sudanese factions, this area has suffered large-scale vegetation damage due to poverty and food shortages, leading to desertification trends."

Hawke examined the map closely. It was a promotional map printed by the UN Environmental Program, showing a green area south of the Sahara Desert, covering the yellow southern routes.

Erica peered over and pointed out a hard truth: "No one in the U.S. can pull off a project like this. With the UN's organization and African people's execution, it's impossible."

Pierce said, "No one in the world can complete such a project."

Hawke said, "Whether it gets done isn't the point. We need this project."

His income was about to skyrocket, and even 5% from charitable donations was a huge sum enough to sustain Hurricane Security Company.

The so-called tree-planting plan was also mostly for appearances.

Hawke asked, "How are preparations going?"

"We've signed contracts with two local companies and purchased a batch of tree and crop seeds," Pierce said bluntly. "Heads from the Environmental Program and the Food Program will travel together to Damakin. It's our first collaboration, so we have to look good."

He added, "The foundation has put in a third of the announced amount."

Hawke, a man who cared about appearances, said, "Good."

Pierce then looked at Bosque. He had seen the 20 fierce mercenaries before.

Without needing explanation, these were the armed forces Hawke Osment kept overseas.

Pierce's imagination ran wild with images of trucks, IEDs, house fires, and burials alive.

He knew this high salary paid not just for skill but to keep his lips sealed.

If money didn't keep them quiet, bullets surely would.

Hawke asked Bosque, "Did you bring all the equipment?"

"Brought part of it," Bosque, doing well financially lately, smiled. "After arriving here, we bought more. Soviet-made equipment is popular here -- some of it is actually very good, no worse than NATO's."

Erica, skilled with firearms, said, "Hollywood movies have unfairly stigmatized Soviet weapons."

Bosque agreed, "That's true. Western propaganda controls the media; the 'inferior Soviet/Russian weapons' stereotype has been ingrained for decades. Hollywood and various gun games almost always assign Soviet/Russian weapons to the villains."

He also noted, "Another issue is that many Soviet and Russian weapons come from small workshops, so production quality varies."

In the war-torn zone of Ukraine, NATO weapons got destroyed by Russian weapons and missiles alike.

Early in the Russia-Ukraine war, the T series were mocked for failures against drone attacks while Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks fared no better.

It seemed the operational system mattered more.

Hawke asked Bosque, "How's security around Damakin?"

Bosque had visited recently and done an assessment: "The Ethiopian government stationed a rapid response unit on the city's outskirts for conference security. Overall, safety isn't a big concern. But I suggest all our guards go to Damakin."

He explained in detail: "African armies' fighting capacity is mediocre outside of a few units. Ethiopia's political situation is stable, but tribal conflicts are frequent. To African blacks, there's no real nation, only tribes. Many African countries are, strictly speaking, coalitions of tribes."

Hawke said, "Bring all the weapons. If trouble pops up, don't count on those troops."

Pierce added, "Damakin is close to the Sudan border. Sudan's situation is chaotic. Last year, North and South Sudan made peace with UN peacekeepers deployed but with little effect. South Sudan's independence seems imminent."

Hawke said, "We're not going to Sudan."

Bosque understood and added, "From Damakin to the south, it is the grassland area of ​​the national park where Roosevelt lions are active. Hundreds of lions, thousands of hyenas, cheetahs, and leopards live there, as well as elephants, giraffes, zebras, and antelopes."

Hawke looked at Pierce and asked, "How many legal hunting permits did you get?"

Pierce brought out the official hunting licenses and lists. Instead of handing them to Hawke, he subtly gave them to Erica.

He said, "I bought half of the quota for next year: 3 male lions, 6 females, 12 hyenas, 2 leopards, and some herbivores."

Bosque was aware: "Ethiopia struggles to maintain national parks due to lack of funds. This method helps support operations."

Erica quickly reviewed the papers and passed them to Hawke, who said, "It's enough. You can enjoy the hunt too."

After discussions, everyone gradually dispersed.

...

Hawke and Erica had been on a long flight and needed rest.

Erica suddenly remembered something and said, "I don't see any cheetahs listed."

Hawke shrugged, "Maybe fewer cheetahs or no permits left."

Erica asked, "You can tell a cheetah from a leopard, right?"

She laughed, "Don't accidentally shoot the wrong one -- we're law-abiding hunters."

"Easy to tell," Hawke gestured. "If you encounter a leopard and can't tell if it's a cheetah or a leopard, do this."

He reached out and touched Erica's nose. "If it's soft, wet, and the animal makes a sound like a kitten, it's a cheetah."

Erica asked, "What about the leopard?"

Hawke looked serious: "If your hand's gone, it's a leopard."

Erica burst into laughter.

...

They slept and, shortly after waking in the afternoon, Pierce came over. Jason Bernard from the UN Environmental Program and Flick Hunt from the World Food Program had arrived with their teams and checked into the Sheraton.

In the evening, Hawke invited the two and their wives to dinner.

But someone unexpected showed up.

Hawke looked at the increasingly corpulent Leonardo and said, "Leo, what a surprise! Didn't expect to see you here."

Leonardo shook Hawke's hand: "I've always been committed to environmental work as a goodwill ambassador for the Environmental Program."

Hawke recalled Leonardo's usual green warrior image: biking publicly, arriving in electric cars, and criticizing people eating too much meat.

But he always used private jets for events or filming.

Work and life were two different things.

Early the next morning, everyone left Addis Ababa and headed for Damakin.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.