Chapter 33: Terms of the Deal

Joga was relieved to see that neither Kaman nor Niss showed any signs of dissatisfaction or resistance. This not only indicated that they were clear-headed but also that they were not excessively greedy.

Joga was vague about the costs involved in handling the arms, mainly because he hadn't fully figured them out himself. The safest method would be to dismantle everything here with the universal toolbox and then remake it. However, that would be too time-consuming; the universal toolbox was meant for more valuable tasks.

Instead, Joga wanted another approach—sealing off the secret base. When needed, he could choose to dismantle the items or transport them after repairing the Mi-8 helicopter. He planned to seal the valley entrance, learn to fly a helicopter, and use a method akin to ants transporting their load to discreetly move out the items. There were still many problems to solve, but that's how business was—problems arose, and solutions followed!

In fact, Joga had a better option: notify the UN and return home. However, with just a few hundred thousand dollars to his name, buying a house would be difficult, and with the ongoing case of killing a UN official, he would live in constant fear if he went back. Such a life was unacceptable.

With things having come this far, there was no point in hesitating—one had to proceed carefully!

Having confirmed the commitment of his two employees, Joga took a deep breath, powered up his phone, and dialed the number of the previous contact, Boss Huang.

"Hello, Boss Huang, this is Wolf."

"Thank heavens you called! I've been trying to reach you. I'm out of options. Can you help me?"

Hearing the urgency in Boss Huang's voice, Joga understood that he hadn't found another solution. "Boss Huang, 500 AK-74s and 100,000 rounds of ammunition. I can have them ready and delivered to Darfur within three days, but I have some conditions…"

Boss Huang responded excitedly, "No problem. I'll agree to any terms. Is it a money issue? Don't worry, I know the market rate. I can offer you triple the price—$2 million, all in cash."

Joga sighed inwardly and said, "Boss Huang, I'm satisfied with the price, but there's one thing you need to know. I can deliver the goods, but I won't be going with the delivery. Do you understand?"

Joga hesitated for a moment and added, "You should have heard of that warlord named 'Kindeweike.' He's not only a terrorist but also a madman."

Joga's words were veiled, but the meaning was clear: even if you deliver the goods to them, there's a high chance they won't let you go, and you might end up caught as well.

Boss Huang was silent for a long time before saying, "I have only one son, and a few other friends' children were also kidnapped. If I don't do something, I'll never find peace in my life. Thank you, Wolf! I accept your terms. You deliver the goods, and I'll handle the transaction. Whether it succeeds or fails will not concern you."

Joga glanced at Niss beside him and said, "I'm sorry I can't be of much help with the hostage rescue, but I can try to deal with Kindeweike…"

Before Joga could finish, Boss Huang exclaimed eagerly, "$1 million! I'll add $1 million. This is all the cash I can raise in a short time, all paid upfront. Wolf, I know you're a sharpshooter. If you're willing to help me, I can raise another $1 million for you after the job is done."

Joga understood that Boss Huang didn't believe much in the 'hostage-for-arms' exchange and wanted him as a backup. However, Joga was aware of the difficulties in hostage rescue; it often relied more on luck than skill because bullets don't discriminate.

Selling weapons is a straightforward transaction, but rescuing hostages is not. If the hostages were to die despite payment, it would be embarrassing, even somewhat fraudulent, as Joga's goal was solely to kill.

It was impossible for Joga to participate in the delivery. Offering to kill Kindeweike was a goal he had in mind anyway; he might appear during the transaction. He also wanted to provide some psychological comfort to his old client without intending to charge him.

Since Boss Huang had offered, Joga hesitated and said, "How about this: your people handle the delivery, and I'll provide cover from the perimeter. I can't guarantee anything except that Kindeweike will definitely die if he shows up. I won't take any money; consider it as a gesture of friendship. I'll do my best."

"If things don't work out, at least Kindeweike will go down with me and my son. Wolf, I'll pay you the money. Just do your best."

Joga thought for a long time and shook his head. "Without a mutually satisfactory outcome, I can't accept the money. Boss Huang, with this money, you'd be better off finding a few skilled and fearless experts to accompany you. There are still opportunities."

With that, Joga hung up the phone, then called Kaman and Niss, saying, "Let's get the supplies and make some preparations. Kindeweike might show up at the delivery site, so we'll see if we can eliminate him and fulfill Niss's wish. If possible, we might even locate Kindeweike's base and take them all out."

Niss looked at Joga with a strange expression and asked, "Just the three of us?"

Joga nodded and said, "Didn't you forget? You said that once I saw the arms in the arsenal, I'd find that defeating Kindeweike isn't that hard."

Niss was taken aback and then waved her hand. "I was talking about armed helicopters, but you said you don't…"

Joga grinned and said, "I don't know how to fly a helicopter, but using rocket pods doesn't necessarily require one."

Niss, who had participated in the Liberian war, had seen many unusual weapons. Seeing Joga's confident demeanor, she curiously asked, "Are you thinking of mounting rocket pods on a pickup truck?"

Joga nodded with a smile. "In the ammo depot next to the hangar, I saw many Russian-made B-8 rocket pods—20 rounds of 80mm explosive rockets. That should be enough to give those terrorists a hard time. If not, we can mount two, and after using them, clean up quickly. Rocket pods are essentially just bigger versions of fireworks; even young kids in our country can handle them."