Chapter 985 - 984: Double the Price
"I'm planning to get a batch of armaments," Slovsky said with a grin. "Do you think the old General could lend a hand?"
"What do you need this stuff for?" Slovsky asked with curiosity.
"To be honest, I'm just reselling them," Lin Chuan chuckled. "The situation in the Middle East is intense, so I've got to find a way to profit from the war."
"No way!" Slovsky shook his head, saying, "These are our country's standard firearms, and they are absolutely not allowed to be exported. But..."
"But what?" Lin Chuan immediately picked up on the hint.
"But, we've been friends for so many years, and not selling to you seems unreasonable." Slovsky looked at Lin Chuan with a smile, holding an authentic Cuban cigar that had already burned a third, the room filled with a faint cigar aroma.
"Of course," Lin Chuan smiled. "Besides, I never planned to return empty-handed this time; I intend to take a batch of things back from you."
"Certainly," Slovsky chuckled, and then said, "But, it won't be cheap. You need to be mentally prepared."
"Name your price," Lin Chuan said.
"A thousand sets of Soviet equipment, five million US dollars," Slovsky glanced at Lin Chuan. "What do you think?"
"Too expensive." Lin Chuan shook his head. "I'm planning to take ten thousand sets. I'll offer a maximum of thirty million US dollars."
"Are you crazy?" The old Slovsky couldn't help but curse, "Brat, even though we're close, this is equipping active military units. Ten thousand sets are enough to arm an entire army. What are you planning, a rebellion?"
"Of course not," Lin Chuan grinned. "I plan to sell the armaments. Heh, ten thousand sets should keep me selling for quite a while."
"It's too cheap, I'm not selling to you," Slovsky shook his head.
"Uh..." Lin Chuan was momentarily stunned. "Thirty million US dollars is enough to cover two months of expenses for your troops. With the severe reduction in Russian military spending now, you're already depleting your funds in advance. If you don't sell something to improve the soldiers' conditions, I'm afraid your troops will become demoralized."
"You kid, cut the nonsense," Slovsky glared at Lin Chuan. "Anything less than forty million US dollars, and I'm not making a move."
Forty million US dollars for ten thousand sets of Russian active-duty military equipment. That translates to four thousand US dollars per set, which is nearly twenty-eight thousand CNY. A set of Russian equipment includes a semi-automatic assault rifle, a bulletproof vest, and a Russian knife. The most valuable parts are the assault rifle and bulletproof vest. Russian rifles have high accuracy, and products from Russian factories are known for their quality. The bulletproof vest is a newly developed Russian fiber vest, light in weight and capable of withstanding close-range bullet shots.
The bulletproof vest alone can fetch several thousand US dollars on the black market. So, a complete set for four thousand US dollars is certainly worth it. However, naturally, Lin Chuan wanted to negotiate a lower price.
Lin Chuan's lips curled into an enigmatic smile.
"General, how about we each take a step back, and settle at three thousand five hundred US dollars?" Lin Chuan looked at him with a smile, and said, "After all, pricing is tricky, and some things are hard to speak of. Besides, I'm buying ten thousand sets at once, wouldn't you offer some discount? There's a Chinese saying, 'Look at the Buddha's face, not the monk's face'; let's say it's for Mr. Chen's sake, shall we?"
Slovsky hesitated for a moment, then finally waved his hand and said, "Thirty-eight million US dollars, final offer."
"Heh, General, I'm offering you what you love most!" Lin Chuan's lips curled into a cunning smile, "Three hundred kilograms of 'powder' smuggled from Mexico, valued at over ten million US dollars in the market. I'll give you a discount, and sell it to you for five million US dollars. I'll pay the remaining thirty million US dollars in cash. How's that?"
"Really?" Slovsky asked eagerly.
"Of course it's true," Lin Chuan replied with a big laugh.
"Good, it's a deal then," Slovsky laughed heartily.
Three hundred kilograms of 'powder', this kind of 'powder' on the market can be mixed with a large amount of flour. Three hundred kilograms of pure powder can make six hundred kilograms of 'powder'. At the market price, ten million US dollars should not be a big problem. Besides, with General Slovsky's ability, he could easily sell this 'powder', earning quite a profit. It's no wonder Slovsky agreed to Lin Chuan in one breath.
Even though Lin Chuan still had several hundred kilograms of 'powder' left. Olam traded powder for Lin Chuan's canned fish. Lin Chuan then used the 'powder' he had to purchase military equipment from Slovsky. This deal was simply too profitable for Lin Chuan, as his seafood costs were very low. The items he acquired in exchange were in high demand. Whether it was 'powder' or weapons, they were worth a fortune in foreign volatile regions. One could sell higher than gold in prosperous times, while the other was more marketable than anything in a turbulent world.
So, having control over these two items, Lin Chuan could definitely make money. Lin Chuan deeply understood this. However, he absolutely refrained from touching such things. The 'powder' was handed over to Slovsky, where it went was none of his concern. As for the arms he sold to the Middle East, what they used them for was none of his business either. He was just a businessman, a businessman who took risks solely for profit.
"When will the goods arrive?" Lin Chuan asked.
"You'll stay here for a few days first," Slovsky chuckled. "I need some time to prepare. Ten thousand sets, it's not a small number. But, I do enjoy these thrilling things. Haha, it's been years since I've been this excited."
Slovsky stood up.
Beside him, Beyoncé glanced at Lin Chuan, her lips curling into a smile.
"I've arranged guest rooms for you. Please rest well," Slovsky said with a smile.
"Thank you, General!" Lin Chuan and Beyoncé replied almost simultaneously.
Soon, the servants in the mansion had prepared the rooms for them. Lin Chuan stayed on the third floor, while Song Wen and Song Wu shared a room. Beyoncé stayed on the fourth floor.
Just as they settled into the rooms, Lin Chuan and the Song brothers were discussing in the room where to send this batch of military supplies when there was a knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock...
The sound of knocking came through.
"I'll get the door," Song Wen said urgently.
When the door opened, Beyoncé was standing there in a black robe with a beautiful flower pinned to her chest. She was smiling brightly.
"It's you?" Song Wen looked at Beyoncé in surprise.
"Yes, where's Lin Chuan?" Beyoncé asked in broken Chinese.
"Ah..." Song Wen was startled. He didn't expect such a beautiful woman to speak Chinese, which genuinely surprised him. He quickly said, "Lin Chuan is in the room. Come in."
After all, she was a beautiful woman, so Song Wen wasn't on guard against her at all.
Entering the room, Lin Chuan immediately saw Beyoncé.
"Song Wen, Song Wu, you two go out first. I need to discuss something with Beyoncé," Lin Chuan instructed.
"Yes!" the two brothers nodded immediately.
Just as the door was closing.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Beyoncé's expression changed. In a flash, she pulled a handgun from her skirt and pointed it at Lin Chuan's head. Her voice was icy as she said, "Lin Chuan, what exactly are you planning? Why are you here? I haven't settled the score with you from back then, and now you've appeared right in front of me."
Lin Chuan looked up at Beyoncé calmly and then said, "Have you forgotten my rules?"
"Hmph!" Beyoncé gritted her teeth. "I don't care about your rules. I just want to know what you're up to right now!"
"What are you talking about?" Lin Chuan asked, puzzled. "I don't get what you mean!"
"You know exactly what I mean!" Beyoncé said through gritted teeth. "You're buying ten thousand sets of equipment. Where do you plan to sell them?"
"Whoever wants them, I sell to. It's a market economy," Lin Chuan laughed. "Besides, who I choose to sell to, how could you possibly control that?"
"Of course!" Beyoncé gritted her teeth. "I'm Israeli. If you dare to sell to Palestine, I won't let you off."
Israel and Palestine have always been at odds, with significant differences and disputes between the two, not just on territory but in many aspects. So, if Lin Chuan sold this equipment to Palestine, it would undoubtedly enhance Palestine's defenses and pose a greater challenge to Israel. Therefore, Beyoncé absolutely forbade it.
"Heh, if Palestine wants to buy, I'll sell," Lin Chuan said disdainfully. "No one can stop me. Unless..."
"What do you want?" Beyoncé immediately asked.
"Unless you buy all the equipment from me at double the price," Lin Chuan said with a grin. "How about that?"
"You!" Beyoncé was furious. She was indeed angry, feeling like Lin Chuan was treating her like a fool. This was unprecedented. Beyoncé clenched her teeth and said, "Is this how you treat me as a friend?"
"Well, don't you treat me the same way?" Lin Chuan pointed at the gun in Beyoncé's hand and then said, "Look at your attitude towards me. Is that how friends should be?"
For a moment, Beyoncé didn't know what to do.