Chapter 125 The Disheveled 'Professor
Chapter 125 The Disheveled 'Professor
Joe Ga never imagined that the 'Professor' would actually entrust the funding for his operations to someone who was blind.
His total business funds amounted to only 50,000 US dollars and 40,000 euros, and now he was nearly out of money.
Joe Ga also didn't expect that Tunisia would be so expensive. To book a hotel with 80 rooms for one day would cost a staggering 40,000 US dollars.
The remaining money the 'Professor' had for meals was not nearly enough to cover the hotel costs until the end of the exhibition; it was a ludicrous thought.
However, Joe Ga came with a purpose this time. To truly experience the operations of the arms trade, he had no choice but to leave on his own and, with Dorian accompanying him, rent a seaside villa in the famous Blue and White Town.
Renting a large villa with a 2-hectare yard and a swimming pool for fifteen days cost 150,000 US dollars. This extravagant expenditure was painful for Joe Ga, who had never been one to spend money lavishly.
But the villa came with a butler, servants, and a chef, not to mention transportation and three meals a day. Moreover, for an extra 5,000 US dollars, one could organize a buffet for 50 people on site.
After securing the villa, Joe Ga hurried back to the hotel to discuss future plans with the 'Professor'.
But as he entered the hotel, Joe Ga sensed that something was off.
It was already 3 p.m. when he returned, not a typical meal time, yet a group of Sevillian soldiers were sitting in the lobby, drinking.
They were quiet but drank hard, which made everyone in the hotel keep their distance.
The half-blind Andre was anxiously standing next to a lieutenant, speaking incessantly but without getting any response.
Joe Ga, who did not speak Sevillian, glanced at these shabbily dressed soldiers as he passed by. Hesitating, he waved to Andre, only to awkwardly realize that he had not been seen.
Dorian, acting as a personal bodyguard for the boss, cleverly invited Andre over, and he gave a complicated look at the soldiers before finally nodding and greeting the lieutenant.
"What are they?" asked Joe Ga.
He waved his hand in front of Andre's face and asked, "Why do they look so angry?"
Andre was very aggrieved, stuttering and barely able to articulate clearly...
Dorian, who could no longer stand by and watch, shook his head and said, "Boss, these guys are Yuginebert Company's security guards, transporters, and weapons demonstrators.
These guys have been sleeping on the floor in the exhibition warehouse lately and eating poorly.
I met another lieutenant last night who asked the 'Professor' to arrange an air-conditioned room for them to rest, but the 'Professor' refused.
I thought that was a bit too much!"
Upon hearing this, Joe Ga incredulously stated, "Really? That doesn't sound like something the Professor would do."
Andre shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, no, it's because our budget for the exhibition has overrun. We didn't expect the cost of renovation materials to suddenly spike, which is why we're over budget.
Actually, if it weren't for accommodating you, the teacher and I should be sleeping on the warehouse floor too."
Joe Ga gazed at Andre as if looking at a deity and said, "Don't you have contracts signed in advance for exhibitions?
You can't just increase the price for booth decoration on a whim. Would those with drills dare to antagonize those selling guns?"
Andre lowered his head and said, "The contract was handled by the head office. There were some unreasonable terms, but at the time neither the teacher nor I realized it."
Joe Ga immediately knew that the 'Professor' had been set up by his own colleagues. The people at Yuginebert Company didn't want the 'Professor' to succeed and didn't think he would, so they set up obstacles hoping he would give up.
Unfortunately, they didn't understand the 'Professor'. Back then, if they had been willing to offer the 'Professor' a salary of 50,000, even just 40,000 US dollars, just enough to cover his daughter's coaching expenses, he wouldn't have cared if they hung him up in some corner office.
Now, the 'Professor' would overcome all difficulties to make the business work.
Joe Ga was sure that if it wasn't for him, the 'Professor's' defense exhibition would certainly end in failure.
Perhaps their security personnel would mutiny, and these rough men, losing their temper, might beat up the 'Professor', who would truly have nowhere to seek justice.
Expecting soldiers to stay in a warehouse and eagerly showcase your products is impossible; doing the bare minimum would already be professional.
Thinking about the unfortunate circumstances of these men, Joe Ga shook his head sympathetically, approached the soldiers, and offered, "Each person gets 100 bucks a day. I'll hire you as the villa's security, with food and lodging included. Do you have decent suits?"
The lieutenant, initially with a cold expression, hesitated. He examined Joe Ga and then, with halting English, said, "We have two teams who need to take turns guarding the warehouse, and we are soldiers; we do not take commands from others."
Joe Ga knew at once that this guy was tempted. He snatched the liquor from the lieutenant's hand and pointed to the restaurant on the side of the lobby, saying, "Take your men in there and sit down; I'll treat you to a meal. Then, I'll convince the 'Professor' to arrange for you to take shifts at our business location.
There are security services at the exhibition itself; nobody's interested in your stuff. Leave two people there to watch it; everyone else, put on suits and go to the luxurious villa in Blue and White Town for duty.
You need to ensure the security there, be ready to throw out anyone the Professor and I don't like, and also help me finish off all those pretentious buffets and drinks."
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"No problem, right?"
Without waiting for the expression-complicated lieutenant to respond, Joe Ga took out his phone and called the 'Professor,' briefly explaining the situation to him.
Soon, the 'Professor' came down from upstairs, accompanied by his wife and daughter.
Possibly alerted by the noise, Karman, Nis, and Antar also came down together.
Joe Ga greeted Valentina with a smile and a hug, then squeezed his eyes at the grimacing Anna and said, "Get ready, you'll be moving today. I've rented a large villa at Blue and White Town by the seaside, and you will live there with the 'Professor.'
Remember to dress nicely; we can't afford to let our 'Professor' lose face."
As he spoke, Joe Ga pulled the 'Professor' over to the lieutenant, and said in a serious tone, "You'll come with us, so the 'Professor' is now your boss.
You are doing what is expected of you, and if you have complaints, you should try to communicate them properly, rather than opting for a passive resistance.
If you have any requests now, speak up. As long as it's not too much, I'll agree on behalf of the 'Professor.'"
The lieutenant looked at the 'Professor,' whose expression conveyed discomfort, then after a moment's hesitation, stood up straight with his men and saluted. He then said, "The earlier proposal was fine; we will do our duty."
Joe Ga, sizing up the imposing squad now standing up, nodded and said, "Just doing your duty isn't enough. If you're taking my money, you must work for me.
$100 a day isn't cheap, but that's to keep you looking sharp, which isn't too much to ask, right?"
With that, Joe Ga glanced at the 'Professor' beside him, pushed aside two soldiers, and the two sat down on the couch in the lobby. He then asked, "How many light weapons did your company bring this time?"
"I'll have to check the detailed inventory; there should be quite a few, as I believe there's a market for light weapons here."
Joe Ga watched as the 'Professor' began to flip through a paper notebook, but he put his hand on the 'Professor's' hand and said, "No need to look. Just tell me the total value of the light weapons you've brought."
"Together, that's $54,300, including..."
Joe Ga waved his hand and said, "I'll take them all. Have the goods delivered to the seaside villa and set up a small showroom there. And while you're at it, get these soldiers new gear.
You're from a defense exposition company, and armed security to protect valuable items shouldn't be an issue, right?"
"It shouldn't be a problem..."
Joe Ga clapped his hands and said, "Then let's do it. Don't just stand there; you surely have more than just Andre as a staff member. We'll free up the hotel rooms for them and give each a few hundred dollars to enjoy going out on the streets."
The 'Professor' was overwhelmed by the flurry of orders, as he was the kind of person who needed to understand the reasoning behind everything—a bit obsessive-compulsive. After pondering for a while and lowering his head, he finally looked up at Joe Ga and said, "But I don't have much of my budget left."
Joe Ga sighed, motioned to Karman to come over, took six stacks of cash from him, counted out $54,300, and handed it to the 'Professor,' saying, "Now you have money. Spend it.
Write a detailed report to your superiors when you get back. I guarantee no one will trouble you for this money because you've been had anyway.
Once you make a few more deals and expand into new markets, the credit will be all yours."
Your adventure continues at M V L
As the 'Professor' once again began to ponder, Joe Ga's phone rang.
Seeing it was an unknown number, Joe Ga answered with a grave voice, "This is Hu Lang."
A distinctly feminine voice came through, "Hello Hu Lang, let me introduce myself. My name is Chris Jansen. Eric Copper told me you hold some sway in Africa.
Right now, one of my clients needs a shipment of arms. Do you have any good leads?"
Joe Ga paused, then realized this person must be one of Eric's broker friends.
Glancing at the 'Professor,' still deep in thought, Joe Ga weighed his options and said, "What are you looking for? Or rather, what does your client want?"
The voice of Chris Jansen on the other end chuckled and said, "I'm glad you seem confident. If you really have the capability, then you're about to get rich. Italy's arms smuggling business has halted, and you're in the perfect position to fill that void.
My client is currently in Tunisia. If you have the time, you can go talk to him.
It's a big deal, but no matter the final transaction amount, I'm taking 10%.
Eric says your money laundering channels aren't set up yet, so if you need my help with transferring funds, I'll charge an additional 5%.
This is a friendly rate for a top-notch gunsmith. I like that WA2000."
Joe Ga hung up the phone, looked at the 'Professor,' now seeming to have grasped something, laughed, and said, "Stop thinking; we've got business!
Do everything as I just said, and don't you dare miss a step when the time comes."
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