King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Ronnie was extremely surprised that Boss Joe could borrow America's classified weapons with just one phone call.

After all, the 'Talus' armor was still in the experimental stage. The project had cost $200 million to develop and contained a wealth of cutting-edge technological data.

Joe Ga didn't care about any of that. Ever since getting involved in the Pentagon's projects, Boss Joe had realized that much of the so-called "classified" stuff in this world wasn't as outrageous as he had once imagined.

Setting aside epoch-making projects like the F-22, most other individual soldier weapon projects were essentially integration efforts. Take the widely hyped Future Warrior program as an example—if you break down the soldier's equipment by today's standards, there's nothing extraordinary about it.

The combat effectiveness of an individual soldier has its limits, so the U.S. worked on enhancing their combat capabilities in two ways. First, by using drugs to improve physical fitness. Second, and far more important, by employing digital systems.

Imagine soldiers going into battle equipped with wall-hacks and aim-bots, with a support team in the back providing route guidance and off-field rescue at any moment...

But unfortunately, this kind of thing is overly idealistic!

A full set of equipment for one soldier—not to mention $9 million; even $90,000—is an unbearable cost for most countries in the world.

Don't artillery, missiles, and tanks smell better?

Spending $9 million to arm a single soldier is an affront to modern warfare and financial prudence.

A project like that, still begging for additional funding after burning through $200 million, deserved to be axed.

But for Boss Joe, this was no problem. He still had the patience to gradually tinker with high-end tech like this on his own.

Having an elite special operations team under his command for a few extra years would always be far more cost-effective for him than pouring money into something like an air force furnace that devoured cash.

As they waited for the equipment to arrive, Thompson meticulously organized and consolidated the intelligence Aaron had provided.

Walking into the meeting room, Thompson saw everyone laughing and joking about something. Spreading his hands, he said, "Did I miss something?"

Joe Ga waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Nothing much, just borrowed a little something from someone.

So, what did you find?"

Thompson connected the tablet he was holding to the projector and displayed several photos. Pointing at a group of fully-armed Latin soldiers in the images, he said with a smile, "This is a Spanish mercenary group called 'Bloody Mary.'

They have a total of 30 members and are currently aboard a United State Army aircraft that just took off from Aqionghan. Their destination is Nevada."

He then clicked his tablet to bring up another set of photos and said, "This is a former Mexican Special Forces unit currently working for drug cartels.

They'll enter America from Juarez and drive to Nevada to rendezvous with 'Bloody Mary.'

Joe Ga burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this and said, "Looks like Rashiri is panicking, actually using military aircraft to transport foreign mercenaries into America. I can just make a phone call and have them detained immediately…"

Thompson shook his head slightly and said, "That's a good plan, but it would require leveraging our connections in the Pentagon.

The only downside is that this would confirm to them that we already know about their attack plans, which would jeopardize the informant who provided this intelligence.

My suggestion is to start with the Mexicans crossing through Juarez. I can use electronic methods to track them.

Let them have their rendezvous, and then the boss can decide whether to launch a preemptive strike or wait for their attack and counter it during defense."

Joe Ga slapped his forehead upon hearing this...

Indeed, a call to the 'Brotherhood' could easily provide an excuse to detain the so-called Spanish mercenary team.

And a call to the Juarez Border Control could tip them off and block that Mexican Special Forces unit.

But Rashiri's people weren't idiots; they'd definitely suspect that someone leaked their plans.

Aaron was practically Boss Joe's 'lucky charm'—Joe Ga had to protect this double agent like his own kin.

After thinking it through, Joe Ga sighed and said, "Fine, let them all into America. I have a feeling someone's already keeping an eye on me outside.

But I've got no way to deal with them right now…"

Thompson nodded and said, "There are FBI agents outside the farm. These guys don't even know what's going on themselves.

I suspect someone within the FBI has tipped Rashiri off. The agents outside doing routine reporting will expose our movements—and once we head to Oregon State, we won't be able to stay hidden.

However, we can take a private jet to California. Eric, who has contacts in various arms companies, can arrange a few clean vehicles to be ready for us there. We'll then drive from California to Oregon State.

This way, we can temporarily shake off the FBI's surveillance and force them to act on the road to Oregon State, which we have to pass through."

Speaking of this, Thompson turned to look at Ronnie and Jack from Team C and said, "I've booked your flights for tonight. You'll fly ahead and scout the route by car.

The road leading to Tom Reed's farm isn't very complicated. I need you to secure early vantage points and provide us with accurate enemy positions once they move in.

We don't have the backing of law enforcement this time, so we can only use safety concerns as a reason to notify the FBI of the weapons we're carrying, which will limit our firepower.

Their goal is to prevent our boss from supporting Loudmouth Don at the critical moment of the final leg.

If a high-stakes confrontation breaks out—even if we win—they'll seize it as an opportunity to detain the boss afterward.

At this point, the enemy won't hesitate to use any means necessary. Even police stations and the National Guard along the way may be compromised.

We can't give them any opening to interfere!

Our goal is to quietly eliminate them!"

It was rare to see Thompson so cautious. Joe Ga furrowed his brow and said, "You seem pretty concerned…

What's so special about these two groups?"

Thompson pointed to the photos on the screen and said, "Boss, these former Mexican Special Forces soldiers are serious threats.

Based on incomplete statistics, during the Mexican drug war, they carried out nearly 200 missions for the cartels, resulting in over 600 deaths.

This includes Mexican police, SWAT teams, and military personnel…

They've received professional training as Special Forces. We can't afford to be careless."

Thompson then tapped his tablet, bringing up photos of the 'Bloody Mary' team, and said, "'Bloody Mary.' Their captain, 'Cactus,' is originally from the Spanish Foreign Legion and is Algerian.

All 30 members under his command hail from the Spanish Foreign Legion. During active service, they carried out numerous missions and are familiar with NATO's operational protocols.

Sir, 'Bloody Mary' might not qualify as a special forces team, but the Spanish Foreign Legion's standards are higher than most people think.

Currently employed as mercenaries, they've fought in multiple engagements in Aqionghan, completing all their assignments…

Reports indicate that the 'Bloody Mary' team is under four civilian casualty investigations in Kabul.

This group is extremely ruthless and unrestrained!

Considering our past activities within America, we should expect the enemy to have heavy weaponry."

Joe Ga frowned as he studied a bearded man on the projector screen and asked, "Is the Spanish Foreign Legion that good?"

Thompson nodded and said, "Spain doesn't have much to boast about in the military field, but their Foreign Legion does have a decent combat record.

How should I put it? The selection criteria for the Spanish Foreign Legion are higher than those for the French Foreign Legion, and their training is far more rigorous.

While they may not match the tactical and technical prowess of Tier 1 forces from major powers, their fewer combat restrictions can make their fighting capabilities seem unusually high under certain conditions.

You've recruited a veteran from the Spanish Foreign Legion into your special operations team in Liberia.

He's currently deployed in Iraq alongside 'Trigger,' 'Hammerstrike,' and 'Madman,' and—they'll be among the last to withdraw from the region.

I just called to consult him, and he told me that 'Cactus' team has been involved in numerous internal Spanish operations. They're pretty formidable."

Joe Ga immediately understood—this so-called 'Bloody Mary' team was likely a squad the Spanish government used for dirty work.

With experience in dirty jobs, they naturally built a wide network of connections. Given their connections, it was only normal for them to also take on NATO coalition assignments in Aqionghan.

It's really only Europe that would employ foreign mercenaries like this. Think of the famous French Foreign Legion or England's Gurkha mercenary units.

Essentially, this practice relies on outside manpower to fill domestic military gaps. After all, no one feels too bad about losing mercenaries.

And mercenaries have a common problem: relatively poor discipline.

In today's 'civilized' era, poor discipline can, at times, contribute to higher combat effectiveness.

In Aqionghan, the Americans had to shout warnings before pulling the trigger. Mercenaries, who didn't care about such rules, thrived in that environment.

'Bloody Mary' even managed to cause enough trouble in Aqionghan to get investigated—imagine what kind of team they are.

A professional group with boldness, ruthless methods, and connections to Rashiri's people for weapons support...

That's definitely bad news for Joe Ga and his team!

After thinking for a moment, Joe Ga said, "The time is too tight for us to plan meticulously. Is it possible to pre-set the battlefield?"

Thompson nodded slightly and said, "If we confirm the enemy's ambush site, we could set up a battlefield near their location in advance.

At the first sign of attack, we could retreat to the pre-planned battlefield to gain the upper hand.

Theoretically, it's doable, but we'll need Ronnie's team's reconnaissance to make it work."

Instead of looking at Ronnie, Joe Ga turned to the most trusted Team C leader...

The leader, 'Poison Wolf,' had been studying maps on a tablet since receiving the departure notice.

Sensing his boss's gaze, 'Poison Wolf' nodded slightly and said, "Once the enemy's position is confirmed, we can set up the battlefield in advance.

Tom Reed's farm is on a plateau. Aside from a small town nearby, the road to the west is mostly forested.

If I were the enemy, I'd ambush the convoy as soon as it left the town and entered the forest road.

The road spans 15 kilometers and has several spots ideal for setting up an ambush.

Moreover, retreating into the forest would be easy. A few rubber boats could allow them to escape to another direction quickly."

Joe Ga took the tablet that 'Poison Wolf' slid toward him, glanced at it, and smacked his lips, saying, "Tom Reed must have a screw loose to live in such an isolated, godforsaken place. If anything happens, not even the gods could save him in time…"