Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 693 - 699: That’s How Thrilling It Is

Chapter 693: Chapter 699: That’s How Thrilling It Is

Jethro was extremely excited, but out of caution, he didn’t immediately call Corkdor to report his progress, however, he readily agreed to Yang Yi’s offer of two million US dollars.

"Two million US dollars? Transfer, not cash?"

"Yes, transfer only, actually, I wanted to give cash..."

"Hahaha..."

Jethro burst into laughter, then pointing at Yang Yi, he said, "Are you planning to rip someone off here?"

Yang Yi shrugged his shoulders and said, "Two million, if I even give you back one million, I would still keep one million, which is still better than giving it all to Pyatov."

Jethro waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, two million for those big guns is already cheap enough, super cheap. According to my estimate, 36 cannons plus 8000 shells are worth at least twenty million US dollars. Getting them for two million is a steal, and the key isn’t the price of buying the cannons but pulling off this deal. With two million we can quietly push Kanchelskis into hell, which is a bargain, so we must not alert Kanchelskis for a mere two million dollars. The longer this is kept secret, the better."

Yang Yi looked surprised and said, "Wait, are the cannons really worth that much?"

Jethro shrugged and said, "Cannons are expensive, very expensive. Don’t ever think that cannons, being somewhat ancient weapons, would be cheap. Let me tell you this, there aren’t many countries in the world that can manufacture cannons, and there’s no such thing as a bargain for large caliber artillery."

"So, if we get our hands on this batch of cannons, um, should we divide some benefits?"

"Of course, if we sell this batch of cannons along with the shells, we could probably make ten million dollars. Deducting the cost of five million, let’s do this. I won’t give you one million US dollars in compensation, we’ll just split the profit directly. You take four million dollars, and I’ll cover the costs like shipping fees."

Yang Yi scratched his head and said, "Isn’t it worth twenty million?"

"That’s the regular price. If we could wait, maybe we could sell it for that much, but if we want to cash out quickly, it’s better to sell it for less."

Yang Yi nodded. He didn’t understand the arms trade well, and had to take whatever Jethro said for granted.

Just then Jethro suddenly laughed aloud and said, "Ukraine has a lot of military hardware, loads of it. They originally didn’t need all that weaponry, so a great deal was sold off cheaply. Of course, it wasn’t the Ukrainian government that sold it, but some people down the line who colluded with Big Ivan and sneaked it out. Now Ukraine is facing a civil war, and the urgently assembled new government forces suddenly found they have no cannons available. And here we are, having secured 36 cannons, an entire heavy artillery battalion. This is really, hahaha..."

Yang Yi forced a few dry laughs. The new Ukrainian government was furious because the armaments that should have been stored in the arsenal had mysteriously vanished, while the higher-ups were flirting with arms dealers like Deyo, just waiting to sell more arms to Deyo to line their own pockets. This really left one with nothing to say but a hollow laugh.

Jethro stopped laughing, then said to Yang Yi, "Didn’t you say you wanted to get some heavy weapons to deal with Big Ivan? After we get our hands on these cannons, no, forget it, it’s really not usable."

Yang Yi frowned and said, "I don’t really understand cannons. Can you tell me why they’re unusable?"

"Because these cannons are towed artillery, and I assume you haven’t actually seen them, but they are quite large and hard to move, and deployment is also slow. Unless you have a pre-planned battlefield, by the time you find the people and move in the cannons, what’s the use?"

"I am planning to prearrange the battlefield."

Still, Jethro shook his head and said, "152mm caliber cannons have a minimum range, and besides, these are howitzers. They’re bad for targets within visual range. Also, if you want to operate cannons you need gunners. Think about it, even if you use just four cannons, you’d need at least twenty to thirty people. Then, are you going to have trucks dragging the cannons around downtown Kyiv?"

Artillery is indeed inconvenient to use, although it’s the most realistic heavy weapon Yang Yi could find.

While Yang Yi was frowning deeply, Jethro said in a serious tone, "Actually, the best option I could think of is armored vehicles. They’re fast and mobile, and if disguised, they could even move around in downtown Kyiv. Lately, Kyiv has deployed quite a few armored forces to maintain order. The most important thing is that they have very good protection, and of course, tanks are also an option. Just imagine how exciting it would be to blast Big Ivan’s ass with a tank!"

Yang Yi took a deep breath and said, "If only we could swap the artillery for armored vehicles and tanks."

"It’s not impossible."

Jethro thought for a moment and said, "We should be able to find some, but it will take a little time. Actually, we don’t need to look. If we tell L we need heavy firepower to deal with Big Ivan, she could get us an armored brigade."

"It’s time to think about these things. Also, where do you plan to transport the artillery? We’re set to receive the goods tomorrow, and we need a place, right?"

Jethro smiled and said, "We already have a place, and I guarantee Kanchelskis won’t be able to find it."

"Where?"

"The 72nd Mechanized Brigade."

"The 72nd Mechanized Brigade? You mean Ukraine’s 72nd Mechanized Brigade?"

"Yes."

Yang Yi shook his head, looking confused, and said, "I don’t understand. Are you saying we’re selling the artillery to Ukraine’s 72nd Mechanized Brigade? Shouldn’t the artillery already belong to the Ukrainian military?"

Jethro smiled and then said in a serious voice, "What’s the most profitable business in the world?"

"Uh, arms dealing is definitely one of them."

"So what’s more profitable than the arms business? The answer is an arms business with no capital. Guess how much Big Ivan spent to get these cannons. I bet it won’t exceed one million US dollars, of course, Big Ivan’s hidden costs are not included."

"Talk about a profit..."

"No matter how much Big Ivan paid, these cannons are no longer within Ukraine’s equipment sequence. Since we got them from Kanchelskis, they are ours. Ukraine needs to arm its own military with artillery, so naturally, they have to buy these cannons. Fair, isn’t it?"

"But..."

"There’s no buts. If you want something, you pay for it. Besides, it’s not Ukraine but the United States that will pay for them. So why wouldn’t I sell? Urgently needed artillery that doesn’t require adaptation or retraining of soldiers, and it’s cheap too. Shouldn’t the Ukrainians and Americans thank me?"

Yang Yi let out a breath and then smiled, "Now I have only understood one thing, and that’s why you guys had to grab the Ukrainian turf."

Jethro laughed and said, "We can’t get involved with Russia, but Ukraine is definitely something we have to take over. Alright, I need to contact some people, to finalize this deal as soon as possible. If everything goes well, we’ll deliver the artillery to the 72nd Mechanized Brigade tomorrow and get ten million in our hands. The arms business is just that cool. Ever thought about switching careers?"