"What else is there?"
As Zhuang Rui spoke, his gaze fell on three boxes, each over a meter long, placed in the corner of the room. He knew that the smaller wooden boxes contained standard-sized ammunition, but these three boxes were much larger and seemed out of place in the room.
Peng Fei walked to a box, unlocked the outer latch, lifted the lid, and waved to Zhuang Rui like he was showing off a treasure, saying, "Brother Zhuang...look!"
"This...this is a missile?"
Zhuang Rui glanced over and his eyelids twitched incessantly. Inside the box was a shell about twenty centimeters thick and one meter long.
The front of this projectile looks a bit like the rocket that Zhuang Rui played with when he was a child, but the back has four metal forks, making it look like a miniature version of a satellite launch rocket. Of course, it looks more like the missiles that Zhuang Rui saw in movies, only much smaller.
"Peng Fei, you're incredibly daring! How can you even get this thing on a ship? What if it explodes?"
To be honest, even standing next to these shells, Zhuang Rui was a little scared. Moreover, his room was right next to this armory. If anything went wrong, he would probably have to experience what it's like to ride a rocket.
Moreover, with cannons and missiles, if it attracts the attention of certain individuals, it's hard to explain. Although the ship belongs to Panama, I am Chinese.
"Brother Zhuang, this isn't a cannonball, it's an anti-ship torpedo, the latest Russian APR-2E series miniature torpedo. Don't worry, this torpedo uses wire guidance and active/passive acoustic homing control. As long as it's not launched, even if you smash it with a hammer, it won't explode..."
Li Zhen could tell that Zhuang Rui was genuinely angry, so he quickly explained that for him and Peng Fei, playing with a torpedo was no big deal. If possible, they would even like to have the entire military helicopter on board.
After Xiu Luo's explanation, Zhuang Rui finally understood that these were the incredibly powerful torpedoes from World War II. However, these torpedoes were much more advanced than those of that time, and were controlled by the launch pad through wires to transmit commands and guide them to the target.
After launch, the torpedo transmits its status, position, target's bearing, and distance back to the launch pad via a wire. The launch pad then issues remote control commands based on the torpedo's returned information to manipulate the torpedo to attack the target, demonstrating good anti-jamming capabilities.
Peng Fei glanced at Zhuang Rui's expression, which had softened somewhat, and quickly whispered, "Brother Zhuang, I've put the torpedo launcher in the lower compartment. Someone's watching it; it won't be discovered..."
In fact, Peng Fei knew that things like cannons and torpedoes were far beyond the scope of weapons that ordinary merchant ships could be equipped with, but when he was inspecting goods in Russia, he saw these things and was immediately tempted.
Peng Fei had contacted Xiu Luo once and learned that with Xiu Luo's skills, he could operate these torpedoes. On a whim, he bought them. The Russian arms dealer also said that these torpedoes were in high demand and that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Peng Fei believed this, because there are only a handful of countries in the world that can produce torpedoes, including the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and China. Among them, the United States has always been at the forefront of torpedo development in the world.
Russia's torpedo technology is no less advanced than that of the United States, and may even be superior. Therefore, countries other than the US and Russia are eager to acquire torpedoes from these two countries. If Peng Fei hadn't acted early, they might have been bought by some foreign arms dealer.
"Well, I've already bought it, and they don't usually offer returns, right..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand weakly. Peng Fei was already a daring guy, and now it seems that this guy called Shura is not so well-behaved either. Who knows what kind of chemical reaction will occur when the two of them get together.
Looking at the room full of weapons, Zhuang Rui wondered whether his voyage was to salvage underwater treasures or to fight pirates.
In short, judging from the current situation, if they really encounter pirates, it will definitely not end well.
"By the way, light weapons can be issued to the ship's security personnel, but these two cannons and torpedo launchers must be kept under strict control and not seen by any non-security personnel..."
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui carefully gave the two men a few instructions. The crew members on this ship had been in Macau for quite some time, and many of them had married and had children, resulting in complex social relationships. Zhuang Rui didn't want any gossip to spread or attract the attention of certain departments.
"Don't worry, Brother Zhuang, I've arranged everything. There will be guards in the areas that are being renovated, and the crew will absolutely not be allowed to enter..."
Li Zhen patted his chest, explaining that Peng Fei's purchase of the torpedo was partly due to his instigation. He had only ever operated torpedo boats in the military; this was the first time he had ever installed torpedoes on a large ship.
"Alright, Li Zhen, go and make the arrangements. Hurry up and put these cannons and torpedoes in place; I feel uncomfortable having them here..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. After seeing these two concrete and intimidating weapons, the latest American and Russian guns seemed like toys to him.
"Okay, Brother Zhuang, don't worry, this thing won't be a waste of money..."
Li Zhen smiled, turned around and went out to call people to get busy. The elevator on the fifth floor went directly to the bottom of the cabin, so there was no fear of being seen by the crew.
Zhuang Rui felt a little uneasy looking at the two things, so he simply pulled Peng Fei and took the elevator back to the deck.
Back on deck, Zhuang Rui's mind was still filled with those weapons and firearms. He vaguely remembered a few rocket launchers and couldn't help but ask Peng Fei, "By the way, I only gave you a little over ten million US dollars. How did you manage to get so many big guns? Weapons are so cheap?"
"Brother Zhuang, over ten million US dollars is no small sum. If it weren't for the torpedoes and those two cannons, it probably wouldn't even have cost two million US dollars..."
Upon hearing this, Peng Fei curled his lip. The weapons he used in the past were all provided by the state, and Peng Fei didn't know their prices. But this trip broadened his horizons and gave him an understanding of the current arms market.
The global arms smuggling trade has expanded dramatically, soaring from $18.5 billion in 1992 to around $100 billion today. Peng Fei's $10 million deal was really not something the other party was interested in.
Light weapons, even the most advanced submachine guns from the US and Russia, cost only two hundred dollars each. Older AK47s are twenty times cheaper, costing only ten dollars each.
According to the parties involved in this transaction, as long as there is money, they can sell anything from small items like grenades, guns and their parts, to large items like airplanes, tanks, missiles, and even nuclear warheads.
Chapter 930 More Promising Than Scamming
There are two main types of buyers for arms dealers: governments, anti-government armed groups or guerrilla organizations in war-torn regions, and international terrorists.
For the first type of buyer, arms dealers are often responsive to their requests, selling weapons to both government forces and anti-government armed groups, because the longer the war between the two sides lasts, the greater the profits for arms dealers.
Arms dealers have no scruples when it comes to the latter type of buyer, which has made them a "booster" for global terrorist activities. These arms dealers don't care how many lives they will lose because of what they sell. The types of weapons they sell range from small firearms to heavy firearms, from land and sea weapons to air weapons, from ordinary weapons to high-tech weapons, and from hard-kill equipment to soft-kill equipment.
In order to acquire formidable nuclear and biological weapons, a few countries and regions have gone to great lengths to purchase various raw materials and weapon components from secret arms dealers.
The Russian military recently admitted that it had lost more than a dozen nuclear warheads. Observers believe these warheads may have entered the logistics of clandestine transactions, and it cannot be ruled out that some have been acquired by individual countries or organizations.
For a long period in history, major arms exporting countries adhered to the principle of "only selling outdated and obsolete weapons to their own countries." As a result, the world arms market consisted mainly of second- and third-rate weapons and equipment. Even in the 1960s and 1970s, some heavy weapons from World War II that had long been obsolete could still find buyers.
Things are different now. The main combat weapons of developed countries' militaries, including the most advanced fighter jets, warships, tanks, and air defense missiles, can all be purchased through open arms transactions.
In order to earn more hard currency and quickly rebuild their military, some arms-exporting countries have even sold some of their main battle weapons, which have not yet been officially equipped by their armies, to eager buyers.
"Damn it, these people will sell anything..."
Zhuang Rui was stunned by what Peng Fei said. Selling even some of the main combat weapons of the military would be an unimaginable disaster if it happened in China.
"What's so strange about that? Our country has been selling weapons to Russia since the beginning of the century, worth at least tens of billions of dollars. It's just that this is state-level smuggling..."
Peng Fei curled his lip. The reason he knew this information was because they had carried out the relevant handover missions themselves. Peng Fei was able to obtain these weapons in just one week thanks to the convenience provided by certain departments.
Peng Fei wasn't a brainless person, so of course he wouldn't have made such a big show of buying these heavy weapons. His actions had been tacitly approved at certain levels, otherwise he would have just been causing trouble for Zhuang Rui.
"Damn, those drug dealers who risk their lives are like street vendors compared to these arms dealers..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head and swore, saying that the most fundamental reason for the global arms trade is still profit.
Arms smuggling is the most profitable business in the world, even several times more profitable than drug smuggling. Some arms smugglers are worth billions of dollars, and some have an annual income that is roughly equivalent to the GDP of a medium-sized country.
The enormous profits have driven arms dealers to relentlessly pursue their schemes, with one group falling and another rising up. Some countries and groups, for their own benefit, have openly or covertly condoned and supported certain arms dealers. Many of these dealers have received the leniency and protection of certain major powers, ultimately allowing them to remain at large for extended periods.
In addition, arms dealers are replacing cash-and-goods trade with barter trade. For example, some African countries exchange diamonds for weapons to avoid money laundering and directly convert them into "legal income." As a result, the already difficult-to-detect arms smuggling has become even more shrouded in mystery.
"Brother Zhuang, take a look at this..."
As Peng Fei got into the conversation, he took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Zhuang Rui.
"What's this?"
Zhuang Rui took it and saw that it was full of English writing, but after reading the contents carefully, he was immediately shocked.
"Holy crap, an American M1 series tank, priced at $3 million per unit, plus 20 rounds of ammunition?"
Zhuang Rui's eyes widened immediately when he saw the first line of text.
Peng Fei chuckled and said, "Brother Zhuang, keep reading, there's lots of good stuff coming up..."
Zhuang Rui then looked down and saw that the Russian T-72 tank of the same class was only $1.8 million per unit, which was almost half the price of the American one. Zhuang Rui then realized that the arms dealer had deliberately made a comparison on this price list.
Peng Fei suddenly leaned close to Zhuang Rui, pointed to a price list below, and said, "Brother Zhuang, what do you think about us buying an air-to-air missile system? It doesn't seem too expensive, only a little over ten million US dollars..."
"Get out of my way! We're going out to sea to find treasure, not to fight a war..."
When Zhuang Rui saw the price, he was immediately speechless. It was actually the price of the Russian C-300 air defense missile system, and it was only $12 million per set.
Many people may not be familiar with the Russian C-300 air defense missile system, but its performance is higher than that of the famous American Patriot air defense missile system, and its price is only half that of the Patriot.
Zhuang Rui realized that with his wealth, if he wanted to equip it, he could probably convert this merchant ship into a destroyer. It seems that as long as you have money, there is nothing that cannot be done in the arms smuggling world.
"Alright, go keep an eye on things in the hold, don't let the crew find out about these weapons..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand weakly. He'd gotten a ship for free, but the weapons alone had cost hundreds of millions. He wondered if the value of the underwater treasures would even cover his expenses.
Not far from the Strait of Malacca lies a deserted island, long and narrow, with a depth of four or five hundred meters. It naturally forms a very secluded harbor, completely invisible from the open ocean. Hidden within is a port with a very deep draft.
At this moment, a huge oil tanker, more than 200 meters long, was moored in the port. Seven or eight people were standing at the bow of the tanker. Not far from their feet, there were several pools of bright red blood on the deck, indicating that something unpleasant had happened on the deck.
"Brother, this shipment of oil should fetch at least a hundred million US dollars, right? And this oil tanker should be worth several hundred million, right? The other party is only willing to offer eighty million, isn't that a bit too much?"
If Zhuang Rui were here, he would definitely recognize that the person who just spoke was the Thousand Gates Fire General he had seen before.
This guy looks completely different from how he was dressed in a suit a few months ago. He's wearing a tight vest, his muscles are bulging, and a golden bullet chain is slung diagonally across his shoulder, giving him a bit of the Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger look.
"A 200,000-ton oil tanker carrying over 1 million barrels of crude oil would be worth at least 150 million US dollars at market prices. However, Fifth Brother, someone died this time, so the cargo owner can't come to redeem the goods. We can only sell it to someone else at a low price..."
The speaker was Liu Minghui. Brother Hui's appearance was quite different from a few months ago. He was wearing an American navy camouflage uniform and a pair of large sunglasses. His originally fair and chubby skin was now tanned dark by the sea sun, but he was in very good spirits.
Since leaving Macau, they have spent a full twenty million US dollars to buy a frigate that had been decommissioned by the Russian military from the black market.
However, due to Liu Minghui's financial constraints, the missiles, depth charges, and anti-submarine torpedoes on this frigate were all removed by the other side. Apart from a few heavy machine guns, the 100mm naval gun at the bow was just for show, with not a single shell fired.
This is why frigates are relatively inexpensive to build. If it were a destroyer or a torpedo boat, $20 million would probably only be enough to buy a set of electronic equipment for the ship.
However, in Malacca, having such a frigate is enough to allow the newly formed pirate group led by Liu Minghui to thrive.
In just two short months, Liu Minghui had already robbed three merchant ships that traded between Malacca and the Strait of Malacca. The one in front of him was an oil tanker belonging to the Nepalese shipping company "Flatari D'Amato Company", which he had hijacked just half a month ago.
However, a small accident occurred during the hijacking of the oil tanker. When warning the tanker to stop and board, Hui-ge lost his composure and shot and killed two crew members, which changed the course of the hijacking.
Pirates typically hijack ships, especially expensive oil tankers like these that are difficult to sell, with the ultimate goal of getting the ship owners to pay a ransom.
However, the death of a person made things difficult, so Hui contacted a large buyer in Malaysia through his old connections, intending to sell the boat and its fuel to him. However, the price was extremely low, only half the cost of the fuel, which meant the boat was essentially given away for free.
"Eighty million it is, boss. This is still the most promising business. Including this one deal, we've made almost a billion RMB in just over two months. It's fucking awesome..."
Huo Jiang is very used to this life of risking his life. He used to work hard for decades, living in constant fear, and only made a fortune of four or five hundred million. He never expected that in just over two months at sea, he would have already made more money than he had in half a lifetime.
"The ancients were right..."
Suddenly, Hui Ge uttered a seemingly unrelated, literary remark. He was thinking of his ancestors' exploits at sea, realizing that what his father and grandfather had said was true. This line of work was far more promising than swindling.
Chapter 931 News
The third brother, who had been observing with binoculars, quickly walked to Hui's side and whispered, "Boss, a boat is coming..."
"Get the brothers ready, everyone open your eyes wide, and take the safety off your guns, don't get double-crossed..."
After drifting at sea for several months, Hui Ge, who originally considered himself a refined man with several foreign university degrees, had become a rough fellow. He realized that being too civilized when talking to these people who lived on the edge of life and death was simply not enough to intimidate them.
Although the other party in this transaction was an old acquaintance of Brother Hui, a well-known shipping tycoon in Malaysia, Brother Hui did not dare to take it lightly. After all, the rule of the sea is that big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp.
In this desolate place, if the other side is strong enough, even if they wipe out all of them, the world will not be disturbed, and no one will miss them.