Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 410 - 392 Peddler

Chapter 410: Chapter 392 Peddler

Teacher Mu wasn’t unwilling to deal, nor was he too lazy to speak; he was simply frozen solid by Gao Yi’s words.

He was shocked, numb, his mind and body numbed together, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet - that kind of total paralysis where for a moment you can’t speak or move.

Usually, extreme fear, extreme joy, extreme sadness, or simply a deep disbelief can cause this psychological lock-up.

I don’t know which one its was for Teacher Mu, but snapping out of it was simple: shake him awake, shout him awake, or scare him awake.

Teacher Mu was clearly of the latter variety; still in a state of paralysis when he suddenly heard Gao Yi say it wasn’t necessary, the effect vanished, and fear shot up. It was like a switch flipped back in his head, ’click’, and his whole body lit up with electricity, then he could speak again.

The evidence was very clear, because Teacher Mu even started swearing.

Everyone knows when emotions peak, the uncontrollable outburst that slips out is "oh shit".

"I’m so sorry! My apologies! Everything you said is true! You’re not joking, are you?"

Every word from Teacher Mu landed with weight.

Without hesitation, Gao Yi said, "What I’m telling you is the truth, but the authenticity of this item needs your verification. To put it bluntly, I’m just a middleman passing it on. The other side has indicated they’re willing to sell, but I haven’t gotten my hands on it, so I can’t guarantee anything right now, well, let’s talk price."

"Yes, let’s talk price, you say, you tell me."

"Well... the seller is asking for 550 million USD, and then there’s a middleman who wants a ten percent commission fee, which makes it 550 million altogether."

"Hiss... ha... uh... cough cough, you should get a commission, too."

"Uh, how much would be reasonable? I’ve never done this kind of business before, and I wasn’t planning on profiting from this. What do you think would be a fair amount?"

"I don’t know either, since I’ve never done this kind of business myself. To be frank, no one has. If I may be so bold, let’s start our negotiations at a reserve price of one billion dollars, assuming the item is authentic. I can confidently make this decision on behalf of the buyer right now. Rest assured, this is just our preliminary negotiation floor price, there’s definitely room for discussion. What’s your take?"

Teacher Mu was anxious to please Gao Yi, his mindset being as long as you can sell, I guarantee there’ll be no haggling.

The greatest military technology intelligence in human history was laid out in front of him, put on the shelf. Even as the only buyer, you’ve got to snatch it up.

Because it’s not Russia selling it, but a handful of Russians of unknown status. Who knows what might happen? Just the simplest scenario: what if the seller accidentally gets hit by a car, and then there’s nobody left willing or daring to make the deal? Everything would go south then.

"Alright, I’ll contact the seller right away, agree to their offer, and proceed to the next step of the negotiation."

Teacher Mu earnestly said, "I’ll report back immediately and start raising the funds. With our initial cooperation as a foundation, this collaboration is bound to go smoothly. I’m not sure about the specific procedures for cooperation yet, but give me a little time to figure it out. We might need experts to inspect the goods, but we can discuss everything and anything. I’m not a professional in this area; I’ll find an expert to connect with you soon, just give me some time."

Offering a billion right off the bat, and it’s only the floor price, with clear implications that it could go higher.

Is Teacher Mu a fool? Does Teacher Mu have too much money to spend, or does he like wasting it?

None of the above. Right now, anyone who hides behind pretenses is the real idiot.

Not a second to be wasted; a minute squandered is to be a criminal against the state, and scaring off the seller would make one a sinner for ages.

Gao Yi sensed Teacher Mu’s sincerity and promptly said, "Okay, I’ll get in touch with the seller. As long as the price of 550 million USD is guaranteed, all else can be discussed. At least I can get the seller to prepare for the trade right away. I’ll go talk to them first."

"Please, I implore you to make sure this deal happens! We’ll leave it at that for now, um, just a moment, how should I address you?"

They needed a safe, hassle-free moniker for Teacher Mu to use when reporting to his superiors.

Letting Gao Yi choose his own code-name was a sign of respect.

Gao Yi thought for a moment, then said, "Just call me Little Gao."

"Alright, Little Gao... cough cough, my apologies, apologies, I’ve lost my composure, I’m a little too excited, not very professional of me to make you laugh. If it’s alright with you, can I have a professional contact you in the future?"

"There’s no need, I actually find dealing with you a bit more relaxing. So, Teacher Mu, shall we be in touch later?"

Mu Tianwen’s teacher is called Teacher Mu, after all.

Teacher Mu was stunned for a moment before he immediately realized that if it was the code name Little Gao had given him, then Teacher Mu it would be.

"Alright, we’ll get in touch later."

The call was disconnected.

Gao Yi was about to call Sherkin but then he thought better of it and didn’t rush to make the call.

Green knew everything, and there was no point in hiding anything from him. Moreover, when dealing with Russians, Green obviously had more experience.

So Gao Yi left his room again to see Green, and he was very direct: "I’ve settled things on their end, now I need to talk with the seller. How should I negotiate?"

Green looked somewhat pleased and said faintly, "You don’t plan to keep me in the dark and go around me to contact the seller?"

"I trust you, and there’s no point in concealing anything from you. If you’re worried I’ll pocket what should be yours, you’re underestimating me."

Green sighed, then he whispered, "First thing, negotiate, absolutely do not agree to the Russian’s initial asking price."

"Haggle? Isn’t that a bit much? The buyer has already agreed, and is willing to give one billion, which is far beyond what the seller asked for."

"If you agree to the Russian’s price, they might up the price at the last minute, which is a small matter. The real fear is they might feel taken advantage of by you, leading to unnecessary complications in the deal. Haggling shows respect for the seller; you must make the Russians feel they’ve gotten a bargain and haven’t just given away something valuable to you for cheap."

He held up three fingers solemnly, "Start at 300 million, leave room for a price increase."

Gao Yi was obedient; he picked up the phone and dialed Sherkin. Once Sherkin answered, he said calmly, "The deal is basically fine, but 550 million is too expensive. It’s tough for me to deal with that price. Three hundred million, with a 50 million dollar finder’s fee for you. How about it?"

"Three hundred million is too little."

"Buddy, you have to understand, the sonar fingerprint is important, but there’s only one buyer. They have their own fingerprint database, and if the price is too high, it’s really not easy to sell. The key point is, I’ve got to leave some profit margin for myself. You’re asking 550 million, and at most, the seller’s side will pay 550 million. I’d only make 50 million for all this effort, which isn’t right. Paying them 300 million leaves me profit room. What do you say? Otherwise, I’m at a loss, I really would be."

Sherkin, without hesitation, said, "No, that won’t work. This is a trade involving goods plus cash. You have to understand; your profit is still the data on metallic hydrogen. Without this additional deal, you couldn’t sell the data at all. Now you’re getting 50 million from Northeastern University, which is really good."

Gao Yi sighed and said, "Buddy, I’m giving you room for profit, how can you let me earn less? Can’t you talk to the seller? We’re friends, I need to have enough profit, don’t let me lose out here."

"Really, it can’t be done. The lowest the seller will go is 400 million."

"You’re saying I could make one hundred million, but now I can only make fifty million? I have to bear risk costs too, this won’t do! Absolutely not! Unless you give up some of your cut to me. How about you take thirty million?"

"No need to talk, that’s absolutely out of the question!"

Back and forth, repeated haggling.

In fact, the amount wasn’t what was important. What mattered was that the middleman, Sherkin, and the seller, the KGB, had to feel that they were profiting, that they had gotten a good deal.

Gao Yi was very annoyed and said, "I’ve given you my bottom line, but you completely disregarded my interests. Buddy, this isn’t good. Do you know how many people I have to pay to sell this thing? At this price, I won’t make a single dollar! You have to leave me a bit of profit. The buyer isn’t necessarily committed, I’ve taken a lot of risks, I haven’t even inspected the merchandise. What if what you’re offering is worthless to me?"

"Don’t worry about the quality of the stuff, it’s definitely complete. You can inspect the goods on-site at the time of the transaction, there’s no problem with that, right?"

"Inspecting the goods is a given, but I still have to go inspect, which increases my costs even further. Aren’t you considering safety costs?"

Sherkin was silent for a moment, then he said grudgingly, "You can recoup your losses from Northeastern University, but sorry, I really can’t give in on this."

"You’re really... forget it! Buddy, consider this time I’m giving you a break. I’m taking a big loss, and you must understand, I agreed to this deal to make you a friend, and in future deals, I must earn it back!"

"Of course, of course, you won’t actually lose anything this time, you’ll just earn a little less. Buddy, we’re good."

"How will we inspect and exchange the goods, and when and where? Hurry up before I change my mind. Quick, finalize these details. Damn, I’m really taking a loss here... I have to distribute seventy million out of my hundred million..."

Gao Yi spoke of a very realistic sharing ratio, and Sherkin truly did not doubt it. He immediately said, "I will contact the seller right away to proceed with the deal, we’ll speak again."

After hanging up, Gao Yi looked at Green. Green said faintly, "You don’t act like a big-time businessman, more like a street peddler in Chinatown, but... that’s exactly what Russians eat up, isn’t it? It’s psychological massaging, satisfying their mental needs. Alright, this deal is secure."

Relieved, Gao Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I’ve never done this kind of business, nor have I seen how big shots do it. I’m only familiar with the haggling patterns of small traders. Never mind, if it’s like a peddler, then so be it. As long as the deal is secure, we’re good."