King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Joe had been waiting, waiting for the enemy to make a move...

However, on the eighth day in Kinshasa, Joe still hadn't received the news he was expecting. Instead, someone from the United Nations Human Rights Office approached him, demanding that he release the WHO personnel trapped in the Kinshasa hotel.

Everyone knows that this so-called "Human Rights Office" is nothing more than toilet paper. Certain big players will use it when they need to, and when they don't, it can do little more than play trivial roles.

Joe refused to entertain these people...

Soon, they resorted to indirectly reaching out to Joe's circle—Princess Amina, Princess Charlene, the Swedish Royal Family, Jemma Alexander, and a long list of others received calls from "big shots."

These individuals subtly suggested that Joe's friends urge him not to escalate the situation further.

This was the first time Joe truly witnessed the game behind an international incident...

When those who were once confident in their advantage suddenly realized the problem wasn't as easily resolved as they'd assumed, they began calculating costs.

If they found that the cost exceeded their expectations, they would shift to diplomacy, hoping to resolve it through political means.

Political means, in essence, simply entail networking to find the right people, much like doing things domestically by pulling strings.

Friends contact friends, relationships seek other relationships, eventually reaching those who might hold the solution, offering conditions and favors for compromises and exchanges.

If a consensus is finally reached, they'll dress the entire incident with a veneer of legal justification...

These maneuvers put significant pressure on Joe...

Certain concerns in the Syrian Secure Zone experienced delays...

The super refueling station project on Crete came to a standstill due to internal resistance within Greece...

A Member of Parliament from England's House of Commons questioned Jia Liang's business model, claiming this approach harmed other companies.

The big-time embezzlers in Iraq and Haftar in Libya were hinted at keeping their distance from P.B...

Joe suspected that those behind the Marburg virus release weren't tied to G.I.D. Corporation but likely connected to major corporations in England...

Joe already envisioned the kind of pressure he'd face if England got pulled into the situation, but the sheer suddenness and magnitude of that pressure caught him off guard.

A political machine, in order to avoid falling into a passive position, unleashed everything it had apart from direct actions, attempting to suppress the situation and halt the scandal's spread...

Unfortunately, these people underestimated Joe's determination this time!

He planned to officially enter Congo. Following his usual strategy, he needed to select a formidable opponent. Overcoming that opponent would establish P.B.'s authority.

"Slaying chickens to warn monkeys is meaningless; Joe prefers slaying monkeys to warn chickens!"

Eliminate the strong monkeys, and the swarm of chickens will behave obediently!

Such external pressure had absolutely no effect on Joe. Figures like Iraq's corrupt officials and Haftar in Libya held greater local interests...

Once P.B.'s influence wanes, they'd be the first to suffer!

The English misstepped. They thought pressuring those associated with P.B. would force Joe into compromise.

In reality, their actions only turned themselves into objects of disdain, and inadvertently brought Joe's inner circle even closer together.

Steven, the Secretary of State for America, was the first to speak out, condemning the "poisoning incident" and announcing that the CDC's specialized aircraft had already taken off.

The plane would carry ample medical equipment and supplies to rescue the trapped American Ambassador, James, in a mansion.

Following the rescue, the CDC's aircraft would conduct detailed testing on the Marburg virus outbreak in Congo and launch tracing efforts.

Contrasting America's high-profile approach, China's first batch of medical supplies had already arrived in Kinshasa aboard cargo planes, accompanied by a military medical team.

They would await Jia Liang's trade shipment in Kinshasa, then be escorted by P.B. personnel to the dock-town named "New Birth" by Qiao Liang.

France, out of "ally obligations," reluctantly assigned a dozen volunteers to travel via commercial flights to Kinshasa. The French Ambassador briefly hosted them, posed for group photos, and left them to Joe.

Compared to England's frantic moves, the behavior of other top-tier nations conveyed a strong signal to the outside world—there was no way to separate this incident from England.

At first, European media were hesitant to report on the matter. But with the scandal's escalation and the online campaign initiated by Joe, they began taking Congo's "virus leakage accident" seriously...

In his mansion, Joe held his tablet, reading the front-page headline from The Times, which discussed Congo. The title was peculiar and intriguing.

"Who is responsible for Congo's virus leakage accident?"

Joe waved his tablet around and grinned at Congo's Prime Minister, Minam, who had been tailing Joe closely for nine days at the mansion. Joe said with a smile, "Listen to this word—'virus leakage accident,' 'accident'!"

"England has conceded. It's our turn to act!"

Minam, an experienced politician, understood at once...

England's acknowledgment of an "accident" indirectly admitted some involvement. The most likely subsequent scenario would see scapegoats emerging to take the blame.

If Congo accepted partial compensation and reluctantly accepted responsibility for the incident, England could minimize societal impacts.

Such an outcome was certainly not acceptable to Minam or President Kabila behind him...

Kabila had already deployed troops to surround the English Embassy. Now a special envoy from England had arrived in Kinshasa with a large delegation, pestering him repeatedly.

Conceding at this stage would inevitably lead to endless repercussions down the line—it was critical to nail this matter down indisputably, forcing England to acknowledge Congo as the victim!

Looking at Joe's mocking smile, Minam said gravely, "It couldn't possibly be an accident. This was a deliberate and targeted poisoning..."

Seeing Minam's firm stance, Joe grinned and stood up, saying, "Of course it wasn't an accident..."

Then Joe turned toward Dorian and waved, saying, "Elephant, prepare the vehicles and equipment. We're paying a visit to those enthusiastic WHO members.

I want to know how they managed to arrive in Kinshasa faster than the virus!"

Minam immediately got up and said, "Hu Lang, can you confirm they're involved?"

Joe smiled and nodded, saying, "A CIA agent found an email in one of their members' inbox, complete with a pre-written speech. You tell me if they're involved?"

Joe then looked at Minam and said seriously, "Buddy, England is making implicit concessions, but we can't let our guard down.

Have Congo's Supreme Court prepare itself. When your judges bring the gavel down, it'll be time for the African Union's Human Rights and Ethnic Rights Court to step in..."

"I'll handle the reprisals; your job is to push for the African Union's court to launch anti-humanity investigations."

"These investigations lead to bloodshed wherever they go. If they're unwilling to act themselves, I'll do their dirty work for them!"

Minam nodded solemnly, saying, "I'll take care of the court matters. I'll ensure our judges convict everyone on the detainee list.

Once the African Union's Human Rights and Ethnic Rights Court gets involved, we'll blow the matter wide open.

The international community may try to overlook us, but they won't be able to stop us from taking revenge."

Minam's notion of "revenge" was mere bravado, but he knew Joe would undoubtedly follow through.

By this point, Congo's Prime Minister was completely convinced. He had stuck close to Joe to monitor developments...

Yet, once Joe moved into the mansion, he had spent his days simply making phone calls and relaxing by the pool—and still, managed to corner the British.

They'd been waiting for signs of the British softening their stance, which would allow them to use the virus incident to unite the African Union under their banner.

Africa had long been victimized, and such matters carried inherent political righteousness.

As soon as the British softened their stance even slightly, the African Union's solidarity would fall into place.

Most people don't understand the extent of British influence in Africa. John Bull's sway here is indeed less than France's, but what many fail to realize is that Africa hosts 18 Commonwealth member states.

Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Lesotho, Eswatini.

These 18 nations, as Commonwealth members, are heavily politically dependent on Britain. On critical matters, they are often compelled to heed British directives.

Moreover, to their credit, most of these nations have developed reasonably well over the years. Many of them boast thriving tourism sectors.

As a former colonial overlord, Britain, in several aspects, has done better than bloodsucking France.

This is why Joe hadn't immediately approached the WHO personnel; doing so would have eliminated all room for maneuverability.

Evidence from the WHO members, once revealed, would pour mud all over the British.

Joe intended to cause a major stir, but he couldn't expand the scope of the conflict indefinitely or give genuine wrongdoers the chance to embroil the entire British government in opposition against him.

Such provocations resemble hot-headed youngsters using "patriotism" as an excuse to beat Island Nation car owners with weapons—similar in nature.

These individuals were simply bitter about North Kivu Province's promising progress and sought to interfere through underhanded means.

They didn't represent all of Britain, but their political clout had dragged certain British government departments into the mix, and with personnel trapped inside the embassy, Britain couldn't extricate itself from the matter.

Joe couldn't allow these people to gloss over their actions with claims such as "patriotism" or "working for the nation's benefit."

Thus, Joe waited patiently, expecting Britain to carve out an escape route for itself—only then could he secure support from other factions within Britain.

Only then could he garner support and assistance from these 18 African nations!

Only then could he use ruthless measures to take down all those involved!

An "anti-humanity crime" charge was enough to nail the perpetrators on the pillar of disgrace, while any subsequent retaliation would appear entirely justified!