697: Chapter 689: If You’re Going to Start, Start a Big Company 697: Chapter 689: If You’re Going to Start, Start a Big Company The briefcase wasn’t very large, but it was heavy.
Gao Yang opened it and found it full of documents.
Gao Yang took out a stapled set of documents, flipped through them, and found they contained information about Rwanda as well as a map of the country.
Picking up the second set of stapled documents, the first page bore the Syrian flag with a line of text underneath that read: “Market prospects analysis for security operations in Syria.”
Flipping further through, there were many maps of various countries, their relations with neighboring countries, and an assortment of weapon specifications.
Helicopters, transport planes, tanks, armored vehicles, cases of small arms and ammunition.
Every weapon had photos and textual descriptions.
The key point was that the photos of the weapons were taken in real life, and every weapon’s image had a line of small text.
Most of it said that the items were of clear provenance, and a small portion stated that the items could be laundered.
Gao Yang looked up and asked Grand Ivan, “What does all this mean?”
Grand Ivan smiled and said, “I thought about it, whether giving you shares in a shipping company or an oil field, it seems neither is very appropriate for you.
Those aren’t fields you excel in.
So I think being a security merchant would be the best choice for you.”
Gao Yang asked, “Security merchant?”
Grand Ivan nodded and replied, “A security merchant, like the large multinational security traders of South African EO or the Armored Group!”
After finishing his thought, Grand Ivan waved his hand and smiled, “These documents were prepared for you in the past two days.
Planes, helicopters, tanks, cannons—all the equipment is a gift to you.
I can help you with some business.
You can choose any of the countries in the documents to set up your headquarters or branch offices.”
Gao Yang’s mouth fell open.
He had information on twelve countries, meaning he could conduct business in any of them.
Moreover, he quickly estimated in his mind—if the weapons in the documents were all for him from Grand Ivan, then he would possess one Mi-76 large transport plane, one C130 transport plane, five Mi-24 helicopters, three Mi-35 helicopters, four S-70 helicopters, six T-72 tanks, four M109A4 155mm self-propelled howitzers, eight 2S31 type 120mm self-propelled guns, twenty-three BMP-2 armored vehicles, nine BMP-3 armored vehicles, twelve M113 armored personnel carriers, and additionally, there were two thousand AK47 rifles, three thousand AK74 rifles, one thousand four hundred M16 rifles, and another list that stated there were grenades, mortars, and other light arms available in any quantity at any time, without limitation, ready on demand.
These weapons, Gao Yang’s first thought was that their total value definitely exceeded 200 million dollars; just the Mi-76 alone was worth tens of millions, and so was the C130.
Gao Yang felt his heart pounding; this equipment was enough to arm an exceedingly large security force.
And this force wasn’t just for guarding homes, it was capable of fighting a war in a place like Africa.
In its heyday, the armament of South African EO Company was nothing more than this, and perhaps not even as good as what Gao Yang could now have.
As for Blackwater Company, compared to the paper strength Gao Yang had, it was nothing but trash, pure trash.
Gao Yang hesitated to accept; it wasn’t that he lacked courage, but that the pile of items Grand Ivan was offering him was just too overwhelming.
Gao Yang was merely the leader of an ultra-small Mercenary Group of ten people.
And now, Grand Ivan was telling him to stop being a mercenary and start a large company instead—with a staff exceeding thousands, fully equipped, capable of global deployment, and free to set up bases wherever he wished in Africa.
If there was anyone he disliked, just stage a military exercise and scare them to death.
This wasn’t just trading a musket for a cannon; this was trading a musket for a nuclear bomb.
If it were trading a musket for a cannon, Gao Yang would gleefully accept, but trading for a nuclear bomb, Gao Yang feared it might blow up in his face.
After swallowing hard, Gao Yang shook his head, his voice trembling as he said, “Thank you, but no need, Grand Ivan, really no need.
You’re giving too much; I can’t accept it.”
Grand Ivan waved his hand and smiled, “Don’t be polite, you might think it’s a lot, but for me, giving you all this is the most cost-effective and effortless way to do it.
You have to understand, others would need to spend a lot of money to buy these things, but I am the seller, I’m just using the stock as a favor.”
After saying this, Grand Ivan laughed and added, “And don’t think running a massive security company is difficult.
You have connections with an American, right?
You can register a company and then start taking jobs from the Americans—Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, there’s a lot of work to do.
America desperately needs capable private security companies to help them with their work.”
Ivan also smiled and said, “If you feel that running a huge security company attracts too much attention, you can split it up, register a few more companies—a part of them being regular security companies to work for the Americans, and the other part can be off the books, going wherever there’s war to make money as mercenaries, the choice is yours.”
Grand Ivan smiled and said, “You can open a company in America, another in Africa, and one in Asia.
The most important thing isn’t the equipment, but whether you can secure contracts.
Don’t worry about the business side of things; the contracts included in the documents span countries with plenty of work for you to do, and you can also establish bases.
At least in Africa, you have more than enough contracts to keep you busy.”
Uriyangko also said urgently, “Go for it, Gao, go for it.
Your friend, that big shot from America, he can definitely help you get contracts from the U.S.
Army.
You can’t lose.”
Gao Yang frowned and said, “But just having equipment and jobs isn’t enough.
I need to find people and maintaining this equipment costs a lot of money.
Planes need airports and pilots, and it’s the same for helicopters.
How can I possibly have the money for all this?”
Grand Ivan laughed and said, “I can’t help you with people, but paying staff is just about payroll.
Hire when you have jobs; pay after the work is done.
Money is not that big of an issue.
The key is that you need to be able to find the manpower.”
Gao Yang was truly tempted.
He was familiar with running a security company.
As for manpower, he was sure he could find enough people eventually, and he didn’t need to expand too quickly.
He could take it step by step.
The key expense was the equipment, and if Grand Ivan gifted him so much equipment, everything else would be minor in comparison.
Gao Yang nodded and said, “Let me think about it.
I need to consider it.
Suddenly dealing with something this big, I’m not sure if I can handle it.”
Grand Ivan replied gravely, “Don’t rush it.
All this equipment is yours.
Just leave it with me for now, so you don’t have to spend money on maintenance.
When you need it, just call and I’ll send it over.
This way, you can take your time and not spread yourself too thin too fast.”
Grand Ivan had thought things through thoroughly, addressing all of Gao Yang’s concerns.
And that wasn’t all; he continued, “Additionally, starting big business might be unfamiliar to you, so I will assign two people to help you.
They are specialists in this field and will assist you with negotiations and initial work with those countries.”
Gao Yang knew that accomplishing something wouldn’t be simple, but Grand Ivan had paved the way for him so well, and besides, he was on good terms with Morgan.
Grand Ivan had made a good point—if he asked Morgan for help, it wasn’t impossible to take on a couple of big jobs from the Americans.
Gao Yang’s heart began to tremble.
Everything was coming together—it was time to go for it!
Compared to just getting some shares and waiting for dividends, or being given an oil field, Gao Yang would rather start his own large security company.
“Alright!
I’m in, Grand Ivan.
What else do you think I need to do?
What should I prepare for the initial steps?”
Grand Ivan spoke calmly, “There’s a lot of preliminary work that needs to be done, such as registering a company.
You must do that yourself to avoid linking you to me.
Plus, even preliminary work requires some money—you need starting capital.”
Gao Yang nodded and said, “I’ll start preparing right away, begin with the initial steps and tackle problems as they arise.”
Grand Ivan said gravely, “I will not involve myself in any of your affairs.
On the contrary, I have to maintain a distance from you.
Here’s a suggestion: find a partner to work with.
Partner with someone well-connected and with a strong background.
This will not only help you secure contracts but also share the risks.
Of course, you must control your partner’s shares and make sure you have absolute control over your company.”
Gao Yang immediately nodded and said, “No problem.
I have the right person for this.”
Grand Ivan smiled and said, “Very good.
It seems you’ve decided to establish a security company.
From now on, I’ll just keep an eye on this matter.
My personnel will be in place soon to transfer the equipment to you.
Everything should be ready in at most three months.
As for the details, it’s up to you.”
Gao Yang could hardly believe that just after a few words, he was on his way to transition from mercenary to big boss.
It seemed more fantastical than a pie falling from the sky, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all too good to be true, like he was dreaming.
Just as Gao Yang was about to speak, someone suddenly knocked on the door urgently.
Grand Ivan said, “Come in,” and his aide appeared composed, yet Gao Yang had a feeling something was off.
Gao Yang felt that something major had happened; he had no proof, just a gut feeling.
Sure enough, after his aide whispered a few words to him, Grand Ivan’s brow immediately furrowed.
He then loudly said, “Gao, I’m sorry, but you need to leave now.”
After speaking, Grand Ivan stood up with a serious expression and said, “Uri, Ivan, leave with me.
We need to leave South Africa.
Gao, the cleaners will escort you out.
Regardless of what happens, do not get involved.
Leave everything to the cleaners.
It’s an emergency; I don’t have time to explain more.
We must leave now, hurry!” (To be continued.
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