King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

The convoy transporting arms consisted of 40 trucks, each carrying four soldiers.

Joe Ga and his team, with 100 soldiers, initiated a wide-ranging flanking maneuver, establishing five loose encirclement points along the route.

At each point, ten soldiers had a simple mission: to follow Antar's commands and use machine guns to stop the terrorists as soon as she spotted them.

Antar would decide whether to call for artillery support based on the situation!

The first wave of airstrikes had already severely crippled the terrorists' mobility, and the following artillery barrage caused heavy casualties among the terrorists, who had rarely experienced such an onslaught.

These individuals had some military training, and after the first barrage, they knew to lie down when they heard the whistling of shells, just like in the movies.

However, while lying down, they realized something was amiss.

The shells were not hitting the ground but were exploding at about 20 meters in the air, sending shrapnel flying in all directions. Unless lady luck was right beside you, no one within the blast radius would survive.

The airburst shells, fitted with proximity fuses, had little effect on sturdy shelters and buildings but were absolutely devastating against groups in open areas.

With the help of Antar's drone visuals, Joe Ga personally witnessed an artillery shell fall right above a group of about 30 people.

There was none of the spectacular fire from the movies, just a flash of fire followed by a large cloud of gray-black smoke in the air.

Once the smoke cleared, there were no survivors on the ground; the group of 30 lay riddled with holes, with a dozen in the center crushed into fragments by the blast and shrapnel.

It was indeed brutal!

Fifty rounds of artillery fire, 300 shells dropped; virtually no one was missed, considering the enemy totaled just six to seven hundred people.

The terrorist's main force was utterly decimated, with the few dozen lucky scattered soldiers fleeing under the fading sun, quickly running into the encirclements and being systematically eliminated.

At the artillery position at the airport, the Black Colonel's eyes were red as if he was high, trembling with excitement as he watched the screens.

When he saw 'Cannon' announce the end of the shelling, the Colonel grabbed his arm and shouted, "Why, the town, there are terrorists in the town, the last hit was good, bomb them, bomb them..."

'Cannon' tapped his radio headset and spread his hands to the Colonel, "The boss ordered to stop shelling, I think his wallet can't handle it anymore.

You really don't consider buying them? You're using national defense funds, unlike our boss."

For the first time, the Colonel witnessed the correct use of the howitzers and excitedly said, "We'll take them, we'll take them, give it two more rounds; look, there are a few fleeing soldiers..."

'Cannon' glanced at the screen, saw a few unlucky terrorists frantically running in the desert, and shook his head, "They are about to run into the encirclement your soldiers have set up, don't waste shells, our boss would go mad.

But if you can convince your boss to pay up, then I won't interfere with how you use them."

The Colonel quickly calculated the previous quote by 'Cannon'...

A howitzer for one million each, totaling six million, shells at five thousand each, 300 left, only totaling seven and a half million US dollars.

The recent 300 shells had eliminated at least 500 terrorists, while his side suffered not a single casualty.

Such an achievement was unprecedented in Niger's war history!

In the past, they spent 10 million on arms that lasted a long time, but even after burning through that money, they couldn't kill so many terrorists and would end up sacrificing a lot of soldiers in tug-of-war battles, causing even more civilian casualties.

Compared to spending big money on RPGs, machine guns, and bullets, the Colonel felt that buying artillery was truly worth it!

Seeing 'Cannon' possibly gesturing to the artillerymen to pack up one or two howitzers, the Colonel, panic-stricken, loudly shouted, "We'll take them, we'll take them all, I'm calling our minister right now, don't move, all taken..."

......

Joe Ga was riding in the Polaris SUV, enduring the bumps while listening to the 'bad news' from Sanderson.

His mood only slightly improved after 'Cannon' sent him a message.

Six howitzers and 300 outdated stock of airburst shells were sold for a total of seven and a half million US dollars, which essentially offset the war funds P·B had invested in Niger this time.

However, thinking of the situation in the town, his mood deteriorated again...Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The town housed not only local civilians but also students kidnapped by terrorists and a filming crew from America.

Now, not only had the United State Army stationed in Niger got involved, but the Foreign Legion had too.

Soon after the large-scale shelling began, two French Rafale Fighter jets took off, forcing 'Cobra' and 'Archerfish' to land at the airport and wait for further orders.

Leonel had hinted several times that Joe Ga could bomb the town, then feigned ignorance for over an hour. Still, he eventually couldn't withstand the pressure from the two superpowers.

Through official communication, Leonel notified Joe Ga not to shell the town and to make every effort to rescue the hostages inside.

Joe Ga, of course, didn't follow Leonel's orders; he wouldn't shell the town, because airburst shells were ineffective against enemies hiding inside houses—it was a waste of money.

Bombing was even less likely; P·B's reputation was excellent precisely because they were doing things around Central Africa that even the local government forces hadn't managed.

If bombing led to collateral damage, and the two superpowers clamped down on the incident, P·B's operations here in West Africa would face severe limitations.

Worse, there was some damn film crew in the town...

The media in Europe and America had a particular condition similar to the police—once any journalist or media worker died unnaturally, they would rally and attack the suspects.

No matter the outcome, this group of media had indeed implemented the principle, "If I remain silent today, no one will speak up for me tomorrow should I face trouble."

This group of media journalists were extremely troublesome, and Joe Ga felt powerless against them!

Without knowing the news beforehand, killing them would just result in an apology with a simple "I am very sorry."

But knowing and still bombing would sever P·B's future development path.

Military contracting companies were seen as war dogs in the eyes of most media, so when they attacked, they didn't have psychological barriers.

This was the challenge Joe Ga chose to face; however, in this world, nothing was perfect. If you wanted to gain something, it was inevitable to lose something else.

To gain legal support, Joe Ga himself couldn't actively break it.

Compared to arms dealers like Aaron, Joe Ga earned a bit less, was slightly less free, but in terms of influence, safety, and most importantly, having the full confidence to act righteously, Joe Ga was more than just a few levels above.

With gain, there comes loss; if you want to maintain the status quo, you must act according to the rules of the game.

By the time Joe Ga arrived at the outskirts of the town, it had already turned completely dark.

The previous lone round of shelling not only created a bloodbath in the central open area of the town but also severed the town's power supply.

Joe Ga, observing through the drone's camera, noted that the town wasn't very large, but upon getting closer, realized it was an Arab-style town.

The buildings within the town were all solid masonry structures, and many houses had cars parked in their yards, indicating the town's relative wealth.

The main thoroughfare inside the town was a four-lane road running east to west. The northern side seemed to be where the relatively affluent lived; their houses were generally well-built, and the roads inside were neatly planned.

It wasn't so good on the south side, where a multitude of cluttered houses squeezed together, various makeshift extensions encroaching on the roads, making the road conditions in the south as confusing as a maze.

And the terrorists were hiding right in there!

Antar's drone had a thermal mode, and by tracking the movements of people inside the town, Joe Ga quickly grasped part of the situation.

Unfortunately, Antar couldn't locate the position of the students taken as hostages, as the small drone's thermal system struggled with targets hidden inside buildings.

The terrorist-controlled town wasn't as people imagined, where terrorists killed everyone or took them prisoner.

The so-called 'control' meant the terrorists held the town's passages, demanding things from the residents at will while trying to recruit more of their kind.

The townspeople's lives were basically at a standstill, only able to cower at home, trembling in fear and praying for better luck.

Escaping was difficult; without understanding the terrorists' disposition, those who tried to flee with their families risked severe consequences upon being caught.

Boko Haram hadn't controlled the area for long, giving Joe Ga a window of opportunity not only to try to rescue the student hostages but also to locate a team of white mercenaries hiding inside.

They must be related to the Glorious Society; Joe Ga needed to ask them some questions.

Before that, however, Joe Ga needed to deal with the United State Army's Rangers and the Foreign Legion, whose whereabouts were unknown.

Just as Joe Ga signaled Antar to retract the drone, she suddenly pointed north and said, "Boss, someone is approaching, it looks like Sanderson's team..."

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Joe Ga motioned for everyone to get off and be on their guard, he himself set up his SVD on the Polaris' engine, and then holding the communicator, said, "Calling 'Vanguard,' where are you?"

Soon, Sanderson replied, "Boss, we're approaching from the north, a team of Rangers with us, please don't mistake us."

Upon hearing this, Joe Ga grumpily said, "How did you find us?"

Before Joe Ga could continue, Team E's 'Iceman' spoke in a cold tone over the radio, "Boss, there are United State Army and French uninhabited aerial vehicles above us. I just had a near miss with a sniper from the Foreign Legion; almost opened fire. 'Bullhorn' tried to capture him but failed; there's a French special force team nearby."

Joe Ga, rubbing his nose bridge with a headache, then said, "Since everyone's exposed, there's no point in hiding. Team E, converge on me too, damn, what a mess."

Perhaps feeling slightly guilty, Sanderson reassuringly said, "Boss, working in Africa, crossing paths with the United State Army and French forces is just a matter of time... This opportunity isn't bad; at least the advantage is on our side."