Chapter 182: A Charitable Arms Dealer
Chapter 182: A Charitable Arms Dealer
Ever since Blacklight Biotechnology came to Namibia, Walvis Bay had been in a constant bustle without stopping to rest for a single day.
On this morning, before the early daylight had penetrated the vast mist, a ship’s horn could be heard blaring.
Most of the residents of Walvis Bay turned over in their sleep and continued their slumber.
They were used to this by now.
At this time, a row of heavy trucks was parked quietly in front of the dock. These trucks were specialized. They could bear extremely high loads and transport dozens of tons of goods at a time.
Many of Namibia’s custom officers could not hide their envy as they looked at these massive steel beasts.
Just one of these heavy trucks would be enough to feed an entire village. This company had hundreds of these trucks.
In the office of the Walvis Bay Customs Bureau, the bureau chief, who was supposedly the highest-ranking person there, now stood up and poured a cup of tea each for the people sitting across the desk.
Sitting across the desk were two old men and one young man. One of the old men had white hair and a white beard. He was dressed in a military uniform and had a solemn presence. The other old man wore a calm expression that made him seem level headed.
The young person was a Chinese man with an ordinary face.
“By the sound of it, the freighter should be arriving soon.”
Chen Chen picked up the teacup, nodded to the bureau chief in thanks, then said to the two old men beside him, “Will you two wait here or will you go with me?”
“Let’s go together.”
The old man in the military uniform stood up immediately and said eagerly, “I really want to see them as soon as possible.”
“It just so happens that I feel the same.”
The other white-haired old man stood up too.
The one in military uniform was Namibia’s Minister of Defense, Quintina, while the other man was the Minister of Investment and Energy, Zurama. They were like Chen Chen’s friends from a different age group.
Since Chen Chen built the Eco Science City, the two had colluded closely with him. Chen Chen had accomplished many of his plans and goals thanks to them and they had also made enough money off Chen Chen that would last them until their next life.
Presently, due to their frequent visits to the Eco Science City for recuperation, the two ministers both seemed energized. Zurama stood up briskly and said to the bureau chief of the Walvis Bay Customs Bureau, “Chief Ram, are you coming with us?”
“I’d be honored.”
The customs chief nodded quickly. Following that, the four of them went to the dock together.
On the dock, a gigantic freighter was slowly approaching.
From this distance, they could see the dozens of red and yellow containers on the freighter. It appeared as if there were not many containers, but those with an experienced eye could tell at once that the waterline of this freighter was very deep.
The group moved to the dock. Minister Zurama put on his glasses and squinted, then grinned. “It looks like you’ve brought plenty of good stuff this time.”
“All thanks to both of your assistance in the Parliament.”
Chen Chen smiled softly as he watched the huge freighter slowly stopping by the dock. After that, two large cranes turned around and began to unload the cargo onto the dock.
The customs department opened these containers one by one for inspection, in accordance with standard regulations.
However, as the containers were opened one after another, the workers who opened them wore a look of surprise.
These containers contained armored vehicles painted in dark camouflage.
These tanks were about 7 meters long and more than 3 meters wide. They were like giant metal beasts with sharp fangs. The 30mm machine-gun cannon and 12.5mm machine gun featured were as terrifying as vicious claws.
Boomerang K-17 Infantry Fighting Vehicle!
As he stared at the steel behemoth in the container, the chief of the Customs Bureau inhaled sharply and felt his legs tremble. He squeezed out a timid smile at the two ministers. “Is this the special cargo the both of you were talking about?”
“Be rest assured, these imported vehicles are approved by the Parliament.”
Minister Quintina smiled. As he spoke, he took out a document from his pocket and handed it to the chief of the Customs Bureau. It was the military’s procurement document.
“Don’t worry, these vehicles are only here for a while. Eventually, they’ll be used as support abroad.”
Chen Chen patted the bureau chief’s shoulder reassuringly. “They are all civilian vehicles to be used for disaster relief and international humanitarian aid missions, and have nothing to do with military operations.”
“I see...”
Chief Ram wiped away the cool sweat on his forehead and nodded rapidly.
After the yellow containers were inventoried, the batch of red containers was also opened up. Suddenly, a huge steel beast, as large as a bus, appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Although the propeller and weapon accessories had been removed from this behemoth, its length still reached a terrifying seventeen meters. Its width was two meters and its height was close to five meters!
Anyone who saw this would exclaim in disbelief.
It was the Mi-28N Attack Helicopter, the latest generation of gunship helicopters in the North Sea Continent. It was used to attack enemy armored forces and any active forces. The price was about 12 million USD each.
As a military enthusiast, Chief Ram’s heart seized when he saw the thing inside the container. All of the data on this steel behemoth instinctively appeared in his mind and his initially steady heart started to throb irregularly again.
“Don’t be anxious, Chief Ram.”
Chen Chen saw that the man’s eyes had turned blank and immediately explained, “As I said earlier, as an African philanthropist, surely it’s reasonable for me to use a helicopter to provide international humanitarian assistance, right?”
Following that, everyone waited on the dock until all the cargo was unloaded. After they counted, there were thirty-three Boomerang K-17 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and seven Mi-28N Attack Helicopters.
After repacking all the tanks and attack helicopters and loading them onto the heavy trucks, Chen Chen said to the eager old man, “Minister Quintina, the goods on ten of these vehicles here are yours now.”
“I thank you for your generosity on behalf of the Namibian military, but please remember your promise. If you don’t want to become an enemy of Namibia, you’d better never use these machines on our territory.”
Minister Quintina gave Chen Chen a long deep look and reminded him.
“Be rest assured, I’m just a businessman. I’m only interested in money.” Chen Chen nodded, then turned and got into his car.
The Jeep Wrangler slowly drove into the distance, with thirty heavy-duty Steyr trucks trailing behind like one giant snake.
As he watched them leave, Minister Quintina dropped his smile. He looked at the ten containers left for Namibia with a trace of sorrow. “I can’t believe that the most cutting-edge tanks and aircraft, which our army has always dreamed of, are actually a gift from a private company...”
“There’s no need for that, Minister Quintina.”
Zurama shook his head. “It’s not that we don’t love this country, but it’s far too young. We have to watch it grow up bit by bit. I believe that day isn’t too far away...”
“I hope so.”
The old man in the military suit nodded and sighed silently as he looked up at the sky.