MTL NOVEL Chapter 547: 528
Inside the command center of P·B, Joe Ga watched through the surveillance lenses as the entire process unfolded in the hospital ward.
Jack Heinz was a man of honor and loyalty, and Joe Ga could not deny that, even though they were enemies.
If 'Smoker' and 'Syringe' had been subjected to abuse, they likely wouldn't have been as effective as now.
'Wearing down' is indeed a terrifying weapon. If all prisons in the world followed the P·B model, what kind of criminal couldn't be reformed?
The psychological erosion on 'Smoker' and 'Syringe' rapidly disintegrated the hatred and desire for revenge in Jack Heinz's heart. Now, he only wanted to save his two buddies — even moving them to a different prison would be better.
Giving Thompson a thumbs-up in approval, Joe Ga smiled and said, "I'll leave this guy to you. Dig out Heinz's 'Accountant' for me.
I don't really expect this guy to actually take out Harlotte. Just make him stir up some trouble for Harlotte; as long as he doesn't let him settle down, that'll do."
Upon hearing this, Thompson chuckled, nodded, and said, "'Medic Officer Bird' secretly entered America with Eric. Don't forget, we can leverage some FBI and CIA resources. Jack's actions will be continuously monitored."
Adding to that, Thompson smiled and shook his head, "I'll handle the 'Accountant' issue!
Boss, the situation in North-Kivu Province has been mostly figured out.
The people from the Walker Mining Company have been pinpointed, and the conditions of the two cooperating warlords are clear.
20 Milos Armored Vehicles and two 'Nora' self-propelled Fire Cannons, along with 20 units of 120mm mortars. The B and D squads, plus 200 soldiers, have also been transported into position.
The war around Sangha Town is over, and an unmanned airship is currently flying towards North-Kivu Province.
Boss, unmanned airships are great, you should push your brother; we need more unmanned airships.
The performance of those Blue Sword 7 missiles in Liberia was outstanding. I even think we could equip the unmanned airships with air-to-ground missiles. This way, we could bypass a lot of things at times."
Upon hearing this, Joe Ga shook his head and said, "I'll pass the suggestion to my brother, but it's probably not doable for the time being.
I think it's good to have the Super Albatross stay busy.
The prototype from the Belgrade Group will be delivered soon for testing. If it's suitable, I'll promote the Super Albatross to Haftar.
That guy just called me yesterday, saying he really likes the Super Albatross."
As he spoke, Joe Ga looked out over the bustling command center and said with a smile, "In the future, we'll have an even more abundant and cost-effective aerial force. Honestly, in Africa, the operational cost of propeller-driven fighter aircraft is even lower than that of drones.
If I were you, I'd assign someone from Tony's team to Libya. There's a bunch of CIA rookies over there. Bringing more people like that here would benefit us even more.
Shit, Libya is really burning through money right now. Think of a way to let me collect some interest first; that would be good."
Thompson was amused by Boss Joe's demeanor; just 15 minutes ago, he heard the lady boss on the phone asking Joe to allocate another 12 cluster missiles for her to bomb the Al-Qaeda members.
However, Joe stubbornly refused this time and instead offered up 100 Super Pressure Hellfire missiles.
Even at market rates, that's 7 million dollars.
Boss Joe's investment in Libya, excluding the contributions from various countries, amounted to more than 80 million US dollars spent on personnel and weaponry.
The stakes in Tubruq are indeed high, but such a level of investment is not something most people can sustain.
Thompson understood the boss's pain and said with a smile, "Then we'll set out tomorrow, taking down the warlord Nwankwo in the south of North Kivu Province first.
Recently, the 500 Congolese soldiers we trained blocked the southern transportation routes in North Kivu, and Nwankwo's warehouse contains lithium ore worth over 8 million US dollars.
After defeating Nwankwo, we can send a message to the northern warlord Komi, encouraging him to surrender voluntarily. If we can 'persuade' Komi to lead negotiations with the higher-tier warlords, we will finally be able to secure a firm foothold in North Kivu Province…"
Hearing this, Joe Ga nodded and said, "I need to offer amnesty to those warlords on behalf of the Congo Government, so I need detailed intelligence support.
Before I get on the plane tomorrow, you need to give me a list. I need to know who's worth investing in and who would be better off dead.
I really don't have the heart to develop North Kivu like in Sangha Town; I need a huge and stable cash flow. Otherwise, at the rate my dear Devil Bird burns through money, I'll have a heart attack before my investments in Tubruq turn profitable."
Joe's 'woeful' expression made Thompson laugh out loud. He replied with a chuckle, "If you really can't take it anymore, Boss, you should just accept Al-Qaeda's offer of peace instead of incessantly bombing them.
Even taking a shit could lead to being bombed; for those terrorists, the pressure must be immense.
With Tubruq completely shut down, the number of refugees will only increase, and the consumption in the refugee camps will rise as well.
Actually, letting Wagner's people launch a strong attack isn't a bad idea either.
The militants' will to fight has been nearly broken by such precise and continuous bombardment."
Joe Ga spread his hands and replied, "I'm not preventing them from fleeing; I just refuse to negotiate with them.
Those bastards still harbor illusions and want to drag their feet in our conquest of Tubruq."
"I don't know what they were thinking, what made them believe that I spent tens of millions to bomb them, just to negotiate with them?" Joe Ga said, pulling out his vibrating phone and glanced at it, then decisively hung up the call...
............
Far away in a city on the border between Iraq and Syria...
Aaron, holding a satellite phone, showed it to several ISIS leaders wearing headscarves. With a smile, he said, "You're going to be disappointed this time, clearly P·B doesn't accept negotiations."
As he spoke, Aaron looked at the ISIS leaders, whose expressions varied. He smiled and said, "Actually, if it were me, I wouldn't negotiate with al-Qaeda under these circumstances. You're better off caring more about yourselves than about your comrades in al-Qaeda.
NATO has passed a plan to assist the Iraqi government, and the operation to recapture Mosul will begin within three months.
At that time, Kurdish forces in eastern Syria will also launch an offensive. How confident are you in holding onto the land you currently have?"
A middle-aged ISIS leader with a white headscarf glared with his chilly eyes and spoke in a deep voice, "As long as you can provide us with enough weapons supplies, our 4,000 fighters will turn Mosul into hell. They will fear our name on hearing it.
The Iraqi government forces are no match for us!"
Aaron shook his head noncommittally and said, "You're a bit too optimistic!
According to the intelligence I've received, the regular NATO forces will only provide air support this time, but they have arranged for mercenaries to be involved.
Plus the regular army and militia inside Iraq, a total of 40,000 to 50,000 people will participate in the battle to retake Mosul."
Hearing this, the middle-aged leader chuckled coldly and said, "The government forces are no match for us because they don't even have the capacity to feed those soldiers.
Our soldiers can endure more hardship, our soldiers are more fanatical, our soldiers are not afraid to die...
Mosul will turn into a meat grinder, and I'm sure they won't be able to hold on long before falling apart."
Listening to him, Aaron smirked mockingly and said, "What if I told you P·B has taken over a part of the contract and is currently lobbying the Iraqi government to let them handle the logistics? What do you think of that?
Your al-Qaeda comrades are being ravaged by P·B, do you really think you can handle such an enemy?"
The middle-aged leader was momentarily stunned, then he spoke fiercely, "P·B has caused us a lot of trouble, but in Iraq, we are the ones who call the shots.
That madman doesn't care about civilian casualties at all, the one who attacked the base with missiles has led to the current situation.
This is impossible in Mosul; the NATO countries wouldn't agree to such actions."
Aaron looked at the middle-aged leader as if he were looking at an idiot, saying, "You're actually harboring such thoughts?
Don't you know that P·B bombed Tubruq with the tacit approval of America, England and France?
Don't forget, P·B are mercenaries, they can do many things that regular armies can't."
The middle-aged leader remained unmoved, and with a cold laugh, he said, "We have ways to keep everyone calm..."
Upon hearing this, Aaron leaned back in his wheelchair and said, "Do you think just having a few dirty bombs will threaten P·B?"
The middle-aged leader shook his head decisively and said, "We don't need to threaten P·B. A small company with less than a thousand people is insignificant in a real war.
In at most half a year's time, we will have weapons of immense power, and the whole world will take our demands seriously. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire
Before that time comes, as long as they know what we have, they must exercise restraint. If the situation in Iraq turns out like it did in Liberia, I'll make NATO regret it."
Aaron's eyes flickered for a moment, then he nodded with a smile, saying, "As far as I know, you've already transported two dirty bombs to Europe, and the rest of the material could indeed be very scary if it goes through a second enrichment.
Alright then, I've told you all I know, now it's time for you to pay me.
20 million US dollars, and you'll get the arms you want!"
The middle-aged leader looked coldly at always-smiling Aaron and said in a stern voice, "As soon as the goods are in our hands, you'll get what you want.
I know you're supplying arms to the Kurdish, and I don't like people like you. You better be careful!"
Aaron shrugged indifferently and said, "Hey, business is business!
The arms I'm giving you have been squeezed out of the Kurdish share. You should be grateful that someone like me exists in this world, otherwise you wouldn't stand a chance against the Kurdish onslaught.
Please, adjust your attitude and say 'thank you' to me. Otherwise, our deal is off..."
As he spoke, Aaron stared into the middle-aged leader's eyes and said with a smile, "Don't look at me with those eyes. Don't make me your enemy. You can't afford the consequences...
Now, you can say 'sorry'."