NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 677: 642
***Inside the hotel, 12 individuals from the renowned MPRI company were killed or captured by a six-man squad.
Those residing in the hotel included not only MPRI staff but also heads of several other mercenary giants.
Watching the six-man squad, dressed in black combat gear, load the six captives into an armored vehicle and speed away, the operation was accomplished in just about 3 minutes...
Richie Barton, 62, head of the intelligence giant CACI, watched Aaron, smiling opposite him, and shook his head, saying, "Is this P·B's style?"
Aaron, sipping his coffee with a grin, replied, "No, this is Africa's wild style. I particularly admire one aspect of Hu Lang: he never hesitates when he acts.
See, heeding my advice does have its benefits. As a return, could you provide the information I need?"
Richie Barton nodded slightly and said, "Wait for my message when I get back; I'll send you what you need.
Now that things are clear, I need to secure the security contract from Steven; otherwise, my year-end bonus is in jeopardy."
As he spoke, Richie Barton patted his head and said, "Aaron, you say you understand Hu Lang, so do you know why the Reed family is investigating him?"
Aaron was startled for a moment and shook his head, saying, "The Reed family? The third largest landowners in America?
Do those lumberjacks really want to pick trouble with Hu Lang?"
Richie Barton shook his head and said, "I don't know, all I know is that the Reed family is investigating P·B and Hu Lang. I'm about to collaborate with P·B, so I am uncertain whether to sell them the intelligence I hold."
Aaron chuckled dismissively and said, "Why not sell? If you don't, others will.
P·B's background is clear, and Hu Lang would prefer to broadcast everything he does to the media. Any person who reads the newspaper can catch up on P·B's details; what's there to worry about?"
After hearing this, Richie Barton shook his head and said, "The members of the Reed family are scoundrels, and I'm worried they might cause chaos, offending Hu Lang and implicating me in the process.
I'm about to retire; I don't want any troubles."
Richie Barton looked at Aaron and said, "Aaron, you're the finest spy I've trained at the CIA.
I'm retiring soon, and a partner position at CACI will be vacant. Are you interested in joining CACI?"
Aaron was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "You know, I can't get away for now, without those people's protection I wouldn't survive long.
But I will certainly think about it once my debts are settled!"
As he spoke, Aaron took a sip of his coffee, then looked at Richie Barton and said, "Sir, here's a piece of advice for you, cooperate with P·B with a genuine mindset.
From my understanding of Hu Lang, he's always very generous with his collaborators!"
Richie Barton listened, looking at Aaron with interest, and smiled, saying, "You seem to know a lot about Hu Lang..."
Aaron naturally nodded and said, "Of course, I've clashed and collaborated with him in Africa, and the massacre of Boko Haram in Niger was a joint effort of ours.
You also made a lot of money then, so you should know the inside story of Niger. Hu Lang's way of thinking is completely different from ours.
Putting someone else in charge of his plans might likely end up in financial loss, but he has the knack for turning decay into magic.
This time, both MPRI and Halliburton personnel are definitely in trouble. If I were you, I would use the most advanced technology and most favorable prices to secure a long-term contract.
The battle to reclaim Mosul is certainly not going to end quickly, and the longer it drags on, the more you stand to gain."
Richie Barton, smiling, looked at Aaron and said, "Do you have exclusive news?"
Aaron nodded, smiling, and said, "You must have heard, Iran has gotten involved; they have deployed militia in the north.
The Turkish have also positioned personnel along the Syrian border, and the Kurds in Iraq are extremely tensed...
They could have been the main force, but now it's likely they won't push too aggressively.
ISIS is secretly liaising with some nations, and before a dirty bomb is located, NATO dare not conduct widespread bombing, making it difficult for Iraq to completely take over the north.
You should have these pieces of intelligence; coming to this conclusion isn't difficult at all."
Upon hearing this, Richie Barton nodded and smilingly said, "Aaron, you're smart; I appreciate your advice, and here's another piece of advice for you...
Don't get too close to ISIS; they've made a big mistake this time, and NATO won't give them any chances."
Aaron responded with a shrug, saying, "I'm just an arms dealer; ISIS doesn't need me anymore now that someone from Azerbaijan is supplying them with arms.
You might want to inform those idiots at the CIA to look into it.
I still have a large stockpile of goods. The Kurds are no longer interested in those old weapons and ammunition; I need to find someone to sell them to."
Richie Barton listened, shook his head slightly, and stood up to pat Aaron on the shoulder, saying, "Aaron, you're a natural leader; you shouldn't be messing around in the arms trade where the risks and rewards are not proportional.
Consider my suggestion; CACI would suit you well!"
Aaron, smiling, watched Richie Barton leave. With his hands intertwined and resting his chin on them, he stared through the window at the distant smoke, murmuring, "CACI is too small, too small; I need a bigger stage..."
A moment later, Aaron snapped back to reality and picked up the satellite phone to make a call...
"Hey, dear, how are you doing in New York?"
"........."
"Don't be upset, witness protection is like this, and in no more than six months, there won't be anyone hovering around you."
"........."
"I miss you too, once I'm done with the business in Iraq, I'll come to see you in New York.
Do me a favor, find someone to check out the Reed family. I want to know why they are investigating Hu Lang.
In a couple of days, I'll meet him, and bringing some bad news will cheer me up, haha..."
".........."
After hearing his wife's words on the phone, Aaron said gloomily, "Shit, what kind of luck does that guy have?
A trip to Austria, and he just happens to find the Reed family's daughter who has been missing for two years!
That senator from the Reed family, that redneck, is a tough bastard, shit, what the hell kind of luck is this?
Darling, comfort me quickly, I really hate Hu Lang's smug look..."
..........
As the world outside was in turmoil, Joe Ga lent his empty armored vehicle to the mercenaries of Tian Peng, triple their number, to earn that extra $500 under the Jazz Squad's lead, while he himself entered the mansion...
Under the weird glances of the Iraqi Special Forces, Joe Ga laughed and embraced an embarrassed Steven, saying, "Buddy, don't be like that, I promise I won't provoke you anymore.
You actually did quite well, just probably didn't expect Armored Group and MPRI to get involved as well."
Upon hearing this, Steven's face changed, and he said incredulously, "MPRI, Armored Group, how could they join hands with Halliburton?
Are you sure of your information? If it's true, we need to be careful!"
Joe Ga glanced at his watch, then took out his phone, tapped a few times, pulled up some photos, and handed them to Steven, saying, "War zones have their own rules; it's them who should be careful, not you...
Buddy, dealing with mercenary companies isn't your forte, why not focus your energy where it fits?"
Steven smiled both touched and embarrassedly, and said helplessly, "We're friends, I want to save you some time, those big shots are not easy to deal with!"
Listening, Joe Ga patted Steven's arm, then looking at the similarly embarrassed Eric beside him, said, "Call all the companies interested in participating, give them thirty minutes to send someone to join the siege.
We are not paying this time, anyone who doesn't come will be kicked out of the game!"
As he spoke, Joe Ga looked at Steven's strange expression, saying, "Buddy, you have $800 million to spend!
You think they're tough because as a contractor you see them as one entity...
In reality, they're not; as soon as one loosens up, the others will follow suit.
From what I've seen lately, Iraq's efforts to capture Mosul are going to be very tough, and this war is going to be prolonged.
But in no more than a month, my oil fields will start production, and the Iraqi Government will have significant funds.
If the Mosul war faces setbacks, not only will NATO reinvest, but the Iraqis will also increase their hiring funds.
Your job is to call your friends in Congress, press down on the Iraqis' heads, and get the money under your control.
The energy companies are just waiting for you to sell the oilfield rights, then they can lie back and collect the money...
Now you're the boss, anyone who talks back, you kick them out of the game!"
After speaking, Joe Ga pointed to the corpses and captives on his phone, and said earnestly, "These are the evidence of MPRI and Halliburton colluding with Armored Group to attack the American ambassador. I'll set up a prison at the base to lock up the survivors.
If any of these three don't bow their heads, you initiate an investigation, then incite the people from the Energy Group to flip them over.
Buddy, these are all listed companies, they may not compromise with us, but if we can connect enough people and money, we can make them painfully regret."
Joe Ga's sinister tone made Eric on the side wipe a cold sweat...
This was clearly a plan to flay and debone the three groups, and there really was a possibility of success.
As long as Steven publicizes his ordeal and brings in media involvement, the negative news will severely damage the tycoons' stock prices.
Military contracting firms have high fixed expenditures, generally tight cash flows; once their stock prices plummet in the financial market, a broken capital chain will force them to give in, or risk hostile takeovers and being broken up for sale.
Even for tycoons, such bone-breaking blows would necessitate peace for a few years.
Once the mercenary companies run out of money, where will they find mercenaries willing to sell their lives?
This kind of thing, the 'Pirate Fund' alone definitely can't manage, but once those energy magnates enter the fray, the situation would be different.
This is where boss Joe shines, he always subconsciously expands his perspective when faced with issues, looking for more people to unite, squeezing from the outside in.
Others thought it was one-on-one, but boss Joe started with 'everyone shoulder to shoulder, we share the benefits together', who can withstand that?
Now not only was Eric sweating coldly, but also the chief of security from Tian Peng beside him.
It was Steven who started the war, and Tian Peng's men were the ones who acted, but in the end, everything was the other side's fault.
And it seemed like Hu Lang wasn't satisfied with just wiping out the other side's forces; he was even prepared to go to America to 'hunt them down'...
Such a vindictive and formidable person, the head of security decided he was too much to handle.
He stealthily took out his phone to send messages to friends he knew...
"Stop holding back, just send people over, $800 million isn't a small amount, we all can enjoy a piece of it for a while."