204: Chapter 202: Can’t Agree 204: Chapter 202: Can’t Agree Having found the address given by Morgan, a sixty-story building, Gao Yang knew he was in the right place as he looked up at the large sign for Tomler Global Defense Consulting Company hanging at the top of the building.
The man Gao Yang was looking for was named Smith Tomler, the owner of Tomler Building and the boss of Tomler Global Defense Consulting Company.
To own a sixty-story building in the bustling area of New York was testament to Smith Tomler’s wealth, but the main source of his wealth was still his defense consulting company, which was, of course, just a legal front for an intelligence broker and war profiteer.
There were not many employees at Tomler Defense Company, so aside from the top floor, all other floors of Tomler Building were leased out.
There was a dedicated elevator within the building for Tomler Defense Company, but to ride Tomler’s proprietary elevator, one needed to verify their identity at a reception desk in front of the elevator—although having an appointment would suffice.
Gao Yang arrived on time, and as soon as he reached the top floor, another reception desk greeted him, where a young and beautiful receptionist saw him emerge and said with a smile, “Hello, sir, do you have an appointment?”
Gao Yang nodded and said, “Hello, I am Ram, and I have an appointment to meet with Mr.
Tomler at 1:45 PM.”
The receptionist looked at her computer, then pointed to the nearby sofa, smiling, “Mr.
Tomler is meeting with a client, he should be with you in about five minutes, please wait a moment.”
Gao Yang waited on the sofa for almost five minutes, but when the minute hand on the watch hit 1:45 PM, a woman dressed as a secretary hurried over to Gao Yang and said softly, “Are you Mr.
Ram?
Please follow me.”
Not a minute late, Smith Tomler was very punctual.
Led by the secretary, Gao Yang walked through a long corridor to the office of Smith Tomler, where a middle-aged man with slightly thinning hair was just coming out of the office.
The man looked disappointed and despondent, but he managed to force a smile at the secretary and Gao Yang before leaving in a hurry.
The secretary knocked on the door and said softly, “Mr.
Tomler, Mr.
Ram has arrived.
Do you need to delay the meeting?”
A man’s voice came from inside, “Please let Mr.
Gao in.”
The secretary opened the door, and Gao Yang entered to find only one man in his sixties inside, undoubtedly Smith Tomler himself.
Smith Tomler appeared to be in his sixties, quite fat with a big belly, and he had a smile on his face that seemed amiable.
Gao Yang stood in the room and said in a deep voice, “It is an honor to meet you, Mr.
Tomler.”
Smith Tomler, sitting behind a huge desk, stood up, but showed no intention of shaking hands with Gao Yang, which, given the disparity in their statuses, meant that Smith Tomler standing up was already showing Gao Yang a great deal of respect.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr.
Ram.
Please have a seat, and we can chat casually.”
The designation of “Mr.” before “Ram” sounded awkward to Gao Yang no matter how he heard it.
As soon as he sat down on the sofa, Smith Tomler smiled and said, “Mr.
Gao, let’s get straight to the point.
My friend Puyol said I should meet you.
He said you have a great little mercenary group, and I’m very interested in your Mercenary Corps.
I hope we can reach cooperation, so I think we should be frank.
Mr.
Gao, what is the name of your mercenary group, how many members do you have, where do your members come from, and what combat experience do you have?”
“My mercenary group is called the Satan Mercenary Corps, and including myself, there are five of us in total.
We’ve participated in fights in Misrata and Tripoli in Libya, and recently, we carried out a hostage rescue mission in Tijuana.”
Smith Tomler frowned slightly and said, “Is that all?”
Gao Yang had already said all he could, so he nodded and replied, “That’s all.”
Smith Tomler shook his head and said, “I know you run a small mercenary group, but I didn’t expect it to be just five people.
Frankly, there’s almost no suitable work for you here.
Whether it’s five people or five hundred, the effort my people need to put in is almost the same.
However, perhaps in the future, I’ll encounter a job requiring a super small mercenary group like yours, so I think we can still cooperate.”
Gao Yang nodded and said, “I hope so, Mr.
Tomler.”
“Please tell me which units your members are from.
And, how are your battle achievements?
Rest assured, I am a professional broker.
I won’t disclose your information to anyone, but I need to have a clear understanding myself.”
“Among our people, one is from a Huaxia unit, um, a special forces unit, one is from Russian Airborne Troops, and the remaining three, including myself, don’t have military experience, but we have all trained in Israel.”
Smith Tomler’s disappointment flashed across his face, but Gao Yang still caught it.
This made him have no hope for the outcome of this meeting, for from all the signs shown, Smith Tomler had not regarded him seriously from the beginning.
Gao Yang had no hope that Smith Tomler would treat him as an equal negotiation partner, but the disregard shown by Smith Tomler made him uncomfortable.
Although Smith Tomler always wore a smile, the disdain was evident from the beginning of the conversation.
“Alright, Ram, I’m a straightforward person, so I’ll just say it straight.
To be honest, I don’t think we need to collaborate, but Puyol sincerely recommended you to me, and I can’t ignore the friendship with him.
So here’s what we can do: we can form a trial cooperation contract.”
Gao Yang smiled and remained silent, while Smith Tomler had no intention of asking for Gao Yang’s opinion and continued on his own: “First, if there’s a mission for you, you’d better not refuse it casually.
Of course, you have the right to refuse, but if you refuse once, our cooperation will be terminated.
Second, if there is a suitable mission for you, you’ll need to pay a deposit of thirty percent of the total mercenary fee upfront.
If the mission is successfully completed, you get the full fee, and I keep the thirty percent deposit.
If the mission fails, you won’t get a penny.”
“These are the two conditions I’m proposing, because the success rate for missions recommended by me and ultimately agreed upon is ninety-two percent—a very high success rate.
I don’t want someone lowering my success rate, and I don’t want to busy myself for no profit at the end.”
The terms laid out by Smith Tomler were impossible for Gao Yang to accept.
First of all, the idea that you must accept any mission is out of the question—how can you agree to a mission that sends you straight to your doom?
The second point is even more laughable, depositing a fee before taking a mission—only a fool would do such a thing.
Smith Tomler clearly had no intention of cooperating with Gao Yang.
Both knew this, but due to their friends being involved, they still completed all the formalities of a business negotiation.
Smith Tomler laid out the conditions, and Gao Yang chose to refuse.
Gao Yang didn’t have the habit of reacting with hostility when someone looked down on him.
It was just business.
If they couldn’t agree, let it be.
There was no need to play the role of a dark horse, nor was there any need to prove his worth to Smith Tomler.
Even if the Satan Mercenary Corps were amazing, the money they could make for Smith Tomler was just a drop in the ocean to him.
Had Gao Yang been representing the Deyang Group, the treatment would have been definitely different.
In the end, it all came down to power.
Throughout the negotiation, Smith Tomler had maintained the attitude suitable for a businessman and showed Gao Yang enough respect.
Thus, Gao Yang reciprocated with the proper demeanor.
He stood up, walked over to Smith Tomler’s desk, and smiled, “It’s a pity, but I cannot accept your terms.
It seems we cannot reach cooperation for now.
I hope there will be an opportunity to collaborate with your company in the future.
Sorry to have disturbed you, goodbye.”
With a polite smile on his face, Gao Yang respectfully declined Smith Tomler’s offer.
However, in Smith Tomler’s eyes, there was a flicker of appreciation for Gao Yang.
He stood up, reached out his hand first, and as Gao Yang shook it, he smiled, “It’s a pity we couldn’t come to an agreement, but regardless of the outcome, it has been a pleasant encounter.
I believe we will have a day of cooperation.
I hope you can still consider our company then.
Goodbye, Mr.
Ram.”
After bidding farewell to Smith Tomler, Gao Yang immediately left the premises of Tomler Global Defense Consulting Company.
Once he reached the lobby on the ground floor by elevator, the smile on Gao Yang’s face disappeared, replaced by a frustrated expression.
It can’t be helped; anyone treated with disrespect wouldn’t be in a good mood.
Gao Yang planned to go back to the hotel immediately, but before leaving, he wanted to inform Morgan about the result of the meeting.
Despite being disrespected and not achieving the desired result, Gao Yang still felt the need to thank Morgan and his friend.
After all, they had kindly secured this meeting opportunity for him as a favor, so Gao Yang had to express his gratitude.
“You failed too?”
Just as Gao Yang was reaching for his phone, a listless voice sounded beside him.
Gao Yang looked up and saw a middle-aged man with thinning hair looking at him with dejection.
Gao Yang quickly remembered that this was the person who had come out from Smith Tomler’s office before him.
Uncertain of the man’s intentions, Gao Yang simply nodded without speaking.
The middle-aged man chuckled bitterly and then extended his hand to Gao Yang, saying, “Donnie Copafil II, you can call me Little Donnie.
Buddy, don’t be too disappointed.
We haven’t reached a dead end, right?”
Although somewhat puzzled, Gao Yang still shook hands with Little Donnie and replied, “You can call me Ram.”
Little Donnie, holding Gao Yang’s hand, looked at him with surprise and said, “You’re called Ram?
That name obviously doesn’t fit a broker, so you’re not a broker.
You’re a mercenary?” (To be continued.
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