"His main source of income comes from the support of various forces..." Seeing my somewhat bewildered expression, Comrade Ren sighed and said in a low voice, "Country G does have a seat in the UN General Assembly, and a legitimate vote. Although it came to power through a coup, it gained UN recognition through compromises with the US and the EU. Over the years, various small African countries have been the targets of courtship by major powers! Think about it, even a powerful country like the US, or a country as populous as China, only gets one vote at the UN. And these tiny, ant-like countries also get one vote! ...By the way, besides various international aid, he also controls a diamond mine and a gold mine, producing about 44 million US dollars annually, which he uses for military expenses."
At this point, he seemed to smile: "The GDP of the country he rules in a year may not even be comparable to the wealth of a single family in the United States. Even you, in a few years, you will be much richer than this country."
"If he has any inclination... it's that he seems to have a particular wariness towards the United States. In recent years, the United States has been very active in Europe. The annual operating budget allocated to the Langley Building (CIA) is a considerable amount. Many coups in small African countries are related to the United States. Of course, although they don't directly send troops, they can support puppets and even spend money to organize mercenaries. By the way, Africa is the world's largest golden area for mercenaries! The world's most famous mercenary organizations are all here! There's a lot of murky stuff behind mercenaries. Basically, all the major mercenary groups active in Africa are supported by major powers, and their actions are all driven by strong political motives."
I whistled and said casually, "Africa... such a large continent, with vast land and abundant resources, yet the local forces here are weak. Of course, it will attract the covetous eyes of outsiders."
Comrade Ren smiled, then snapped off the projector and turned on the room lights.
I took a sip of water: "What about my task?"
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Twenty-Seven: Breaking the Barrier
"Tonight I will take you to Country G, and tomorrow you will meet this General Kunta. Your identity is that of a wealthy Chinese-Canadian. Your information is basically genuine and based on your actual situation. You own a trading company in Vancouver, a film company in Hollywood, and a stake in a casino in Las Vegas. As for your other businesses in the entertainment and catering industries, we have compiled detailed statistics."
Ostensibly, you're going to buy something precious... diamonds. The diamond mines he owns produce only enough to be sold at low prices to European diamond smugglers. Because this is Africa, his diamonds can't fetch high prices; they're only used to exchange for resources like weapons. Your public identity is to purchase diamonds, perhaps even shares in the diamond mine, and then he'll agree to let you establish a company in country G. This company can own a portion of the diamond mine's shares, and the annual profits will be distributed according to a certain ratio…”
"Wait a minute!" I shook my head. "Has Kunta gone mad? Why would he sell shares in the diamond mine? Of course, he'd hold onto something like that tightly!"
Comrade Ren smiled and slowly said, “It’s different. The shares he nominally transferred to you are actually still his own, understand?... What I’m saying is, the original diamond mine belonged to Country G. Although he is the head of state, the president, and the commander of the army, he can’t swallow all the diamond mine’s revenue for himself! Otherwise, the army would mutinied. However, most of these warlords in Africa are very cunning. They all understand that they might step down one day! So everyone has a lot of secret assets overseas, so that when they step down, they can go into exile and live the rest of their lives as a rich man.”
“I understand.” I sighed and smiled bitterly. “So, I went to him, spent a huge sum of money, and pretended to buy a portion of the diamond mine, but actually, I still had to secretly return the annual profits to Kunta, right? In other words… I was actually helping him launder money! Right?”
"That's right, it's money laundering."
I still had some doubts: "Logically speaking, warlords would entrust money laundering to their trusted confidants, right? There's no reason for them to ask an outsider like me."
"He did originally have his own financial advisor to help him launder money. That advisor had been with him for several years, and General Kunta's overseas private wealth had always been managed by that financial advisor," Comrade Ren said calmly. "However, a few months ago he discovered that the financial advisor was actually a CIA spy, and then he directly eliminated the spy. As a result, his overseas assets were lost, at least a hundred million US dollars. This outcome enraged General Kunta, and now he doesn't trust the Americans at all. If it weren't for this, he might not have been willing to cooperate with us."
“Okay… let me see…” I counted on my fingers: “I’ll go to General Kunta, and then use the twenty million US dollars I brought to buy a portion of the diamond mine’s shares. After buying it, I’ll secretly return it to General Kunta. Hmm… how should I put it? State-owned assets become private assets, right? So… am I just going to throw twenty million US dollars at him for nothing?”
"No...you..." Comrade Ren smiled, and before he could say anything, I waved my hand and said, "Wait a minute."
I took out a cigarette: "Is that okay?"
Seeing him nod, I lit a cigarette: "Comrade Ren, we've known each other for so long, and I still don't know your name."
“Ren Lei.” He smiled, glancing at the cigarette in my hand. “War God? Hmm, Wu Gang gave it to you, didn’t he?” He licked his lips. “It’s been a long time since I’ve smoked this kind of cigarette.”
"Want one?" I tossed him a cigarette. He lit it, took a deep drag, and smiled at me. "I know, Mr. Chen Yang, I'm very grateful to have a friend like you who's willing to serve the country. People like us, with my status, doing this work overseas, are doing it all for the sake of our motherland."
I said seriously, "I respect that very much."
"Thank you," Ren Lei said slowly. "However, we also understand that while serving the country is my duty, it's impossible for a patriotic businessman like Mr. Chen to give up his wealth for nothing..."
He then briefly outlined a collaborative allocation plan.
In other words, I used 20 million to buy shares in the diamond mine. Although I had to secretly return a portion to General Kunta, I could keep a portion for myself!
"According to my estimate, 20 million US dollars could buy about 40% ownership of that diamond mine. And this diamond mine produces about 14 million diamonds every year... Please note that this 14 million value is the value in Africa! It is the price of rough diamonds! If these 14 million diamonds were taken to Europe for processing, cutting, etc., and finally made into finished products for sale, the price could be at least seven times higher."
I whistled!
"Seventy percent of the diamonds circulating in the world come from Africa, and they are all smuggled from various small African countries. But these diamonds are worthless in the hands of warlords, and only become valuable after they are transferred to the hands of merchants! It's a simple principle: those diamond merchants have been exploiting these warlords. But the warlords have no choice, because diamonds cannot be used as weapons or food. They can only sell diamonds at low prices and then use the money from selling diamonds to exchange for weapons and other supplies."
I did some mental calculations: "Let me do the math... I spent twenty million US dollars to buy forty percent of the shares, which will get me six million US dollars worth of rough diamonds every year... Of course, that six million is a lie! Because I'm not a warlord, I won't be exploited by those diamond smugglers... Damn, I'm the biggest smuggler in Canada myself! That means, in the hands of a warlord, these diamonds are only worth six million US dollars a year! But in my hands, they're worth at least seven times more, forty million!! Hmm, that's forty million a year!"
I thought for a moment: "So, how much should I return to that trapped general?"
Ren Lei laughed: "Chen Yang, I'm not a businessman or a businessman. These are the initial conditions. As for the rest, you'll need to negotiate with Kunta yourself... But I suggest you don't be too greedy. Know when to stop and make enough profit. Kunta has a very bad temper. If you offer too much, you might provoke him."
I thought for a moment and said, "Well, he lost one hundred million US dollars in overseas assets before, which means that during his three years in power, he accumulated one hundred million US dollars in overseas wealth. An average of thirty million US dollars per year? No, not that much. Because his assets overseas were managed by his private advisors. Based on the normal ratio of asset appreciation to investment, a large portion of that one hundred million US dollars is the profit accumulated over those three years. So, he could have embezzled about twenty million US dollars from the diamond mines each year." I laughed, "So, all I need to do is guarantee him twenty million US dollars per year, right?"
Well, I can collect 40 million every year, of which 20 million goes to Kunta, and I can keep half... This business is still very profitable!
"This is the first part of the mission, where you can make money, while Kunta has found a channel for laundering overseas assets. This is something that benefits both of you. The second part of the mission, however, requires you to be very careful."
Ren Lei's expression turned serious. He glanced at Wu Gang, who expressionlessly took out a document from a bag.
“This is a company… an airline, to be precise, an airline that’s about to be established. We’ll call it the East Africa United Shipping Company.” Ren Lei smiled and said, “How’s the name?”
"Go on," I said, shrugging.
"The company's registration information will show that it was jointly invested in by you and the government of Country G, and you are the Canadian investor. Okay, Wu Gang, you can talk about the next part."
“Okay!” Wu Gang stood up abruptly, then walked to the front with a standard military posture, stood under the slide screen, and began to speak slowly in a monotonous tone.
"Due to various historical reasons and factors, Western countries have consistently imposed technological barriers on us! Many advanced technologies that we need for both civilian and military development can only be developed by ourselves! And Western countries have imposed strict technological barriers on us. Many technologies that we need cannot be imported or introduced! And these have brought huge obstacles to our development! We lack talent, lack communication, and faced with barriers, we can only shut ourselves at home and work in isolation, which is detrimental to development. Such technological barriers existed from the founding of our country in the last century until the end of the last century. With the change of the world political landscape, the technological barriers have gradually loosened. Now we can obtain some of the technologies we need through some special channels."
At this point, Ren Lei smiled and said, "I'll say it again, Chen Yang, I'm not asking you to become James Bond and steal technology, but to import technology in a different way!"
Wu Gang took a breath and continued, "Country G is an African country. Because of its geographical environment, historical conditions, background, and so on, it is not within the scope of the Western countries' technological barriers. Therefore, the work this time is: under the name of the airline jointly established by Country G and Chen Yang, we will introduce six aviation-related technologies to a certain Western country. Then, we will purchase these six technologies from Country G. It's that simple."
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Twenty-Eight: Far From Civilization
After hearing this, I frowned and said, "So, this small African country, G, imports aviation technology from the West and then sells it to us, right?" I shook my head: "Isn't that too obvious?"
Ren Lei remained expressionless, but his eyes held a smile: "Chen, many things in politics are not so simple... Do you know which country is leading the so-called technological barriers imposed by Western countries?"
"The United States." I do know that.
"Then I can tell you that the Americans are very clear about our roundabout way of purchasing technology! Because it was the Americans who sold these six technologies to Country G."
I was stunned.
"Let me put it this way... Chen Yang." Ren Lei took another drag of his cigarette, remaining calm as he slowly asked me, "First, let me ask you, you just saw the information about Country G. It's a country with a land area only the size of one of our provinces, a backward little African nation, a country with a population of a few million, whose GDP is even less than the wealth of a middle-class American family... And those six aviation technologies, while not top-tier, are precisely the high-end technologies we need right now." He spread his hands, gesturing, "One is a poor, impoverished little African nation plagued by coups, the other is high-end aviation technology. What use would such technology be to a small African nation? Do you expect Country G to build its own airplanes? Their army is still using firearms discarded by other countries! They don't even have their own car factories, let alone build airplanes! Even an idiot knows that these six technologies are useless to Country G itself. The only reason they want these six technologies is to sell them to other countries."
At this point, he glanced at me and said, "You understand this principle, and so do I. Americans aren't idiots; do you think they don't understand? Besides, the CIA has considerable influence in Africa, and they certainly know about our operations. But it's a secret that everyone knows; they tacitly approve of it."
"Technological barriers have existed for over half a century. Think about how much the world order has changed in that time: the Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War ended, the EU was formed… A technological barrier built in the old era is outdated, and the Americans themselves know that. But the problem is… this technological barrier exists against a specific historical backdrop, and removing it will take a very long time to gradually dismantle it. The Americans can't do this openly and aggressively. And frankly speaking, even if the Americans don't sell, we have other channels to obtain many technologies. The EU is already engaged in economic confrontation with the US, and some European countries are willing to cooperate with us. This is the situation. A technological barrier…" It's become like the ears of a deaf mortal, merely a decoration. Privately, we're using countless methods to import the technologies we need… and what we're doing now is just one of them. Moreover, the Americans have another cunning trait… the reason they haven't proposed removing technical barriers is to make money! Because of technical barriers, other countries can't openly transfer technology to us. And the Americans, as the leaders of these barriers, can use them as a shackle to blackmail us at any time. Furthermore, because of these technical barriers, while other countries in the agreement don't sell technology, the US, as the leader, secretly sells it themselves—that's how they make money!
I see. They set up a set of rules to prevent others from doing business, while secretly doing it themselves. How cunning!
“There are many, many reasons… Once anything gets involved with politics, it’s not so simple anymore.” Ren Lei said slowly, “These six technologies. The Americans know very well that we actually purchased them through the name of G country, and they have tacitly approved of it. As long as we keep things clean on the surface and do a good job of appearances, that’s enough. Who can’t do appearances? On the surface, we haven’t violated any technological barriers, so that’s fine. But in reality, everyone knows the truth.”
"Then what about me? What is the meaning of my existence?" I frowned.
“You’re a Canadian investor,” Ren Lei smiled slyly. “Whatever you do in Africa is none of our business… at least not in name. But you can’t be left out of this… because Country G can’t transfer technology to us in the name of the state. This will be clearly stated in the technology transfer agreement. The US sells technology to Country G, but Country G can’t sell it to us… at the national level, technology transfer is prohibited. But… civilian companies can! That is to say, we can’t directly purchase six technologies from Country G, but we can purchase them from the soon-to-be-established ‘East African United Airlines.’ This is just a pretext that everyone knows. Although everyone knows it, we still need to use this pretext because the Americans are tacitly approving it now. Who knows if they will use this as international news later, or accuse us at a meeting of countries that have agreements on technical barriers of technology, saying that we illegally obtained the technology… So it’s all about exploiting loopholes in the treaty. But at least we haven’t explicitly violated the relevant clauses. Even if the Americans make a fuss about it later, they won’t be able to find fault. So, your pretext is also necessary.”
************
The violent turbulence made the plane seem to shake so badly it was about to fall apart. This old Soviet "Cub" military transport plane was probably no longer in existence; the dilapidated state of the fuselage reminded me of the garbage cans in the alleyways of Vancouver, and the roar of the propellers was giving me a headache.
The leather seats on the plane were already tattered and worn, and the discolored foam underneath was exposed... Damn it, I could even feel the metal inside the plane rattling loudly when the turbulence was strong!
"If I land safely, I will never fly on this kind of plane in Africa again in my life!" I sighed as I sat in my seat.
Qiaoqiao, standing next to her, remained calm; she even listened to music on her MP4 player.
Besides the flight crew, there were two black men on the plane. They looked like tough guys, with the hilts of daggers sticking out of their trouser legs, and their eyes carrying a sinister and fierce look.
We took off from Cairo Airport in the evening, then transferred to a small country in East Africa. After waiting all night at the airport in the capital of that small country, we finally saw the "special plane" sent by General Kunta of G country to pick us up!
I couldn't tell if the two Black soldiers were protecting us or monitoring us, but I always felt their gazes were somewhat malicious, and they kept whispering something in their native language.
Moreover, their gazes were extremely unfriendly. Hammer, who was next to me, sensed this unfriendly gaze and couldn't help but glare back. The other party also raised their chin without backing down, their eyes full of provocation.
However, they remained seated and didn't move, behaving themselves.
I only learned later that this poor country of G not only didn't have its own air force, but also only had a pitiful few military aircraft. And the Soviet Flying Leviathan military transport plane we were on, a model from the 1950s or 60s, was already their presidential plane.
It seems that the president of this small African country, Mr. Kunta, isn't living a very good life, I thought to myself with a malicious smirk.
Around noon, the plane began to descend noticeably, and the fuselage shook more violently. I could even clearly feel the fuselage swaying from side to side. I looked out the window and saw the plane fly over a jungle before landing on an open area that could barely be called an "airport"!
This so-called airport has only a dilapidated runway, a tall tower, and a run-down warehouse below it; that's all.
I finally breathed a sigh of relief when the plane landed.
The violent shaking caused the airport runway to kick up large clouds of yellow dust, which is enough to show how "smooth" the runway is!
Two Black soldiers pushed the cabin door several times without success, so they kicked it twice before lowering the ladder to let us down.
I stepped down the ladder, vigorously fanned the dust in front of me, and looked around...
This airport was clearly built in a jungle. It was surrounded by jungle and mountains, and the air smelled of some kind of wild animal droppings. As soon as I stepped onto the ground, several Black soldiers who had been waiting nearby surrounded me. They carried automatic rifles, wore green uniforms, but all looked disheveled, their dark skin gleaming and oily from the sun.
A burly Black man wearing a beret at an angle walked up to me. He had a fierce look on his face, stared at me for a few moments, and then asked in French, "Mr. Chen?"
Qiaoqiao translated it for me, and I nodded.
“Come with us.” He showed no politeness whatsoever, simply waving his hand. Then, a large group of Black soldiers surrounded me and my men, half-protecting and half-monitoring them, as we walked to the edge of the airport. Several cars were parked there, all so dilapidated they looked like they'd been salvaged from an abandoned factory. A machine gun was mounted on the lead jeep, yellow ammunition belts lying lazily on its rack. Jojo, Hammer, and I sat in the first car, with the large Black man in the beret sitting next to us. I noticed a machete on his waist, its surface covered in red and black rust—clearly the result of years of blood and rust!
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Savage World
Along the way, I looked at both sides. The road through the jungle was fairly wide, though a bit bumpy. The black man wearing the beret finally seemed more relaxed. He studied me for a moment and asked me something.
“He asked you what you were looking at,” Qiao Qiao translated to me.
"Ask him, besides the trees, what else is interesting to see here?" I said casually.
After Qiao Qiao translated, the black man grinned and said in a rapid-fire voice, "He said that it wasn't safe at the airport just now, but he didn't have any hostility towards you. You are General Kunta's honored guest."
"Unsafe?" I frowned as well.
Then the big black guy told me that he seemed to be saying that some hostile mercenaries were causing trouble recently, and that two of them had already been killed.
The car drove for about half an hour before arriving at the campsite.
By the way, General Kunta didn't meet me in his country's capital. The meeting took place at the diamond mine he controls! Far removed from civilization, it's all jungle, wilderness, wild beasts… and danger!
Before us lay a landscape of low-rise buildings constructed from simple planks, resembling a small village. As our convoy entered, countless Black children ran and shouted. These thin, dark-skinned children, mostly dressed in tattered clothes, some even naked, stared at us with their bright, dark eyes. However, some slightly older children, appearing to be no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, wore ragged military uniforms, cigarettes dangling from their lips, and rifles slung over their shoulders…
Boy Scouts?
I sighed.
The village was mostly inhabited by women, the elderly, and children; there were hardly any able-bodied men. These women and children were all thin and pitiful; I felt as if I had stumbled upon a refugee camp…
As the car entered the village, the driver showed no intention of slowing down, speeding in almost at breakneck speed. Several times, the car nearly hit the children nearby, but the driver just laughed and kept honking the horn as he continued to accelerate.
"This is like a wild, untamed place." Qiao Qiao bit her lip, then suddenly her expression changed, and she screamed softly, "Ah!!"
Following her gaze, we finally passed through the village. Before us was the entrance to a camp, with Black soldiers holding guns guarding the gate, and a row of shelves beside the wooden fence!
That's a gallows!