Chapter 157: Chapter 156: The Loyal Old Bull

Chef Water Buffalo was somewhat displeased with the old men constantly pestering the boss, which interfered with his chance to be praised.The physically extraordinary Chef finally served a special fresh soup and loudy said, "This is prepared especially for the boss. None of you touch it, especially the old men. I'm afraid it'd be too much for you."

Saying that, Water Buffalo stood a bit awkwardly behind Joe Ga and Nis, smiling courteously at Nis before looking at Joe Ga and saying, "Boss, this place won't do. We can't keep up with the vegetable supply. We can buy beef, but it's certainly not cheap, and our kitchen lacks too many things."

Joe Ga sighed after tasting the soup that had a strange flavor, then said to Water Buffalo, "I know it's tough, but we didn't come here to enjoy ourselves.

We should just overcome the difficulties. I think with your skills, you can definitely keep everyone fed."

Water Buffalo rubbed his hands together and said with a grin, "Feeding them is certainly no problem, but if the vegetables can't keep up, nutrition will be an issue.

Boss, why don't you get some vegetable seeds from back home? We have plenty of open land here. This place might be poor, but the soil here is rich black earth. If we plant vegetables, just scattering some seeds would do.

I first managed pig farming in the army. We can't bring over the domestic pigs, but we could farm some local ones alongside some Africa Water Buffalos."

"I deal with your mess because my salary is a hundred thousand a year, and I always consider your circumstances. Right?"

Joe Ga was taken aback, but then his mood finally improved.

At crucial times, you can still rely on your own countrymen!

He stood up, patted Water Buffalo on the shoulder, and said sincerely, "How about this, I'll give you an extra ten thousand for your budget. Hire more people, and I don't care how you manage it. I'm not asking for much, just that we grow enough vegetables to be self-sufficient."

Upon hearing this, Water Buffalo grinned proudly and said, "You don't even need that much. Paying the locals just ten to twenty bucks a month to include their meals would make them overjoyed.

I'll give you a list later, figure out a way to get some supplies from back home."

Saying this, Water Buffalo disdainfully glanced at the three money-burning old men and said with a smirk, "Being frugal is a fine tradition. In a poor place, you have to follow the local customs.

I'm thinking even Seville isn't rich, so why do they look so high and mighty when they go abroad to work?

Boss, rest assured, as long as we have what we need, there'll be no second words from me. We'll be self-sufficient, well-fed, and we'll take those drug traffickers down hard!"

Water Buffalo's 'feud' with the lavish old men had probably not started yesterday.

He was indeed someone who had mixed at the grassroots, skilled at playing up to others.

Joe Ga could tell that Water Buffalo's words were more joking than serious, and he was also an old army hand, knowing well the advantages of having air force support.

But Water Buffalo was loyal and hated to see his own people embarrassed.

In Water Buffalo's eyes, it was just money. Squeeze a bit here and there, waste less in a fight, and wouldn't dealing with a few traffickers avoid a big showdown?

Water Buffalo's thinking was a bit naive, but handling this matter was really Joe Ga's responsibility. For a chef, handling it to this extent was already commendable.

With his mood improved, Joe Ga enjoyed a hearty dinner and then took a stroll around the base while the sun was still up.

The entire base was divided into five parts: soldiers' dormitories, training ground, hangar, arsenal, and fuel depot.

Because the base covered a vast area, building walls was impractical, so they had established a perimeter with barbed wire and razor wire.

The old Zhu who handled construction was really meticulous; the hardening of the road surface was done exceptionally well. At least the places here that had been cemented would not grow grass for three to five years after it rained.

Apart from the soldiers' dormitories, both the hangar and the arsenal were built from concrete. They might look rugged from the outside, but they were very effective.

At this stage, there were still too few people here, so it appeared somewhat deserted.

Nis was walking with Joe Ga around the base, silent for most of the journey until after Joe Ga was satisfied, she quietly said, "If you're running short of funds, you can use that five million of mine first.

I'm a shareholder of the company too, and it's only right to invest."

Joe Ga paused, then looked at Nis amusedly and said, "Keep your money. I've still got tens of millions in my account, it's not lacking your five million.

Save it, just in case I fall one day, you'll be able to help me out."

Joe Ga's polite remark made Nis blush slightly, nodding her head, then she fell silent again after glancing at Joe Ga.

Seeing that Nis had become reticent again, Joe Ga shook his head, laughing, "Later on, come to my room. We'll have a meeting to discuss."

"Staying cooped up here isn't going to solve anything; logistics and training soldiers aren't our strong suits."

"Cobra reminded me earlier. We could let the air force do some reconnaissance first, then drop the mercenaries into the jungle to verify the intelligence."

"While we haven't officially started fighting, let's take a turn in the jungle to get familiar with it, so we won't be caught off guard if something comes up."

As Joe Ga said this, he glanced at Nis, who seemed only capable of nodding, then shook his head and said, "I saw some new equipment in Tunisia, and I've brought it over. You guys might want to check if it's any good." Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Nis, seemingly indifferent to 'external objects,' just listened quietly and nodded, then took the initiative to radio Antar and Karman.

When the team members assembled in Joe Ga's room, Joe Ga realized that Ayu, who had stayed in Ad-Damazin, had also come.

Three months had passed very quickly, and before they knew it, the tourist season in Ad-Damazin was over.

And Ayu, a woman who voluntarily shouldered heavy burdens, naturally contacted Nis, wanting to join the boss's 'big money' team.

Seeing Ayu deliberately fully armed, standing in the living room like a walking fortress of war, Joe Ga glanced at Nis and, after getting a firm response, gestured for Ayu to find a place to sit down.

The moment Ayu let out a sigh and sat down on a wooden sofa, it collapsed with a "crash."

Hearing the dull thud of Ayu hitting the ground, Joe Ga grimaced and, looking at her as if she were a ghost, asked, "How much stuff did you bring?"

Sitting amidst the 'ruins,' Ayu set down her ammo box, then stood up, stepped forward with it, and squeezed a smile on her grotesque face, saying, "Nis said you needed a proficient machine gunner, so I brought two thousand rounds. Everything else is what the Elephant advised I would need for entering the jungle—grenades, RPGs, directional mines…"

Joe Ga looked at how casually Ayu handled the machine gun PKM and said with a laugh, "You can carry it, but can the barrel of this gun hold up?"

As he spoke, Joe Ga glared in mock annoyance at Dorian, who was clearly joking about Ayu, and said irritably, "Try carrying all this stuff yourself!"

Dorian, looking innocent, spread his hands and said, "Boss, Ayu just asked me what kind of machine gunner you needed, and I told her the truth.

I didn't ask her to carry all this. I just mentioned that grenades and mines are pretty useful in the jungle."

Ayu stepped forward and said, "Boss, I can carry it. I can carry even heavier things."

As she said this, Ayu swung the PKM with one hand and earnestly added, "I know how to use a machine gun now; ask Nis if you don't believe me. I'm quite good at it.

Nis said you needed a jungle machine gunner, boss, please give me a chance. I really can!"

Joe Ga looked at Ayu's ferociously menacing appearance, grimaced and after a moment's hesitation, replied, "Then try it tomorrow. Don't bring that ammo box; there are no aliens in the jungle to fight. You take care of the radio.

A machine gun, four two-hundred-round ammo belts, one radio, a pistol, five grenades, plus the likes of a water bottle and sleeping bag, you figure it out."

Karman, who had been silent all this while, looked at the overly concerned Joe Ga and shook his head, saying, "The Cthulhu Tribe is a rainforest tribe, and Ayu knows a lot more about the jungle than you do.

Aside from the machine gun and radio, let her choose the rest herself."

As he spoke, Karman glared at Dorian, who always liked to show off special forces knowledge, and said sternly, "You haven't fought in the jungles of Central Africa and Congo. You are the one who needs looking after."

Karman's word carried the most weight for Joe Ga. Ayu was his recommendation, and he had always expressed concern that Joe Ga was leaving Ayu out. In the old man's eyes, Ayu was ten times better than Dorian as a bodyguard.

This old man may be the one who most hopes Joe Ga can thrive in this line of business. With him so strongly recommending Ayu, Joe Ga had no more excuses to reject her.

Without dwelling on the matter with Ayu any further, Joe Ga went back to his room, dragged out several suitcases to the living room, and opened them to reveal the new equipment.

It wasn't anything magical, just a few sets of the latest jungle camouflage uniforms, some squad communication gear, a few finely made FAST tactical helmets, and dozens of micro-light night vision devices.

This gear wasn't just for Karman and his team; the squad communicators and micro-light night vision devices were for the mercenaries.

Those guys have full Ranger gear, and Joe Ga didn't want to waste money on them.

He wasn't sure what was so great about the latest jungle digital camo suits; he had just seen them in Tunisia and, after chatting with the defense company reps, got dazzled by various technical data.

At the time, he indeed felt that the four-color camouflage fabric had better breathability and reasonable pocket placement, plus a few spots to attach friend-or-foe identification signals—it looked pretty practical. So, Joe Ga spent a few thousand to take all their samples.

Whether they're actually useful or not still needs to be seen, but just from the price, they are certainly a lot more high-end than the so-called Ranger gear.

But the clothing wasn't the main attraction. What Joe Ga was most pleased with were the FAST tactical helmets and the communication set with a pickup system.