NOVPUB
Chapter 921: Chapter 806 Not What I Imagined
April 5.
The auction was held as scheduled in Kinshasa.
The form of secret bidding used this time could be described as quite ’creative’, but to carry out targeted ’interest transfer’, this method was the habitual practice in the ’industry’.
Otherwise, if it were an open bid.
Too many people would be hard to control.
As for being suspected by the public of backroom deals, they were not afraid, as suspicion was always just suspicion. When officials spoke, reasons were never an issue, especially since this time, the auction was neither reported nor widely known, yet many participated.
It almost covered all major interest groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Even if many from Moi’s side couldn’t get a share here, the thought of the four billion US dollars in initial funding not yet approved by Congress, still sitting with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They wouldn’t dare to utter a single word of dissent.
Thus.
A ’feast’ just ended silently like that.
Eventually.
Several enterprises under the control of the Black Prison Group secured high-quality assets across several layers, mainly in minerals, which was Tang Qing’s intention. In this way, there would be fewer competitors.
Tang Qing had no interest in real estate, automobiles, low-end manufacturing businesses, and the like.
In Tang Qing’s view.
Non-renewable resources.
Were the only ones that could truly be called ’valuable resources’.
And these.
Tang Qing spent just under a hundred million US dollars, the rest were all through loans, albeit only five-year loans at an annual interest rate of eight percent, but five years was enough for Tang Qing to earn this money back.
As for the seemingly high interest.
Tang Qing scoffed.
The inflation rate of the Congolese Franc was higher than the interest rate, and by the end, it might even result in a negative interest rate. If exchanged on the black market by then, he could save a large sum of money; it would be hard to incur losses.
...
April 8.
Kinsasha Airport.
An airplane from Kenya Airways slowly landed.
Thirty-seven individuals with Chinese faces disembarked.
The leader was a man over thirty, with a square face and a fierce demeanor, clearly a professionally trained soldier, each carrying military-green colored travel bags of the same color.
They wore identical outfits as well.
"Captain, is this the Democratic Republic of the Congo? Doesn’t seem much," a man in his twenties with darting eyes, clearly a clever type, came up and asked, his gaze sweeping around at the exotic surroundings.
Well then.
He was disappointed.
It was just a gathering of black-faced uncles.
"What did you expect to see? Come on, let’s go outside; our company’s vehicle is waiting," the captain, He Liang, replied curtly, walking at the front. This young man was a member of his platoon, so he still referred to him as captain.
He had retired two years before.
He Liang followed the reassignment arrangement, working in the security department of a city company, but the income was really too low, with many siblings at home, creating a heavy burden. Therefore, last September, he was introduced by a former comrade to the current company.
Initially, the company’s main business was domestic security and bodyguard services, but the wages were not low, with a high base salary. Most importantly, the company promised many opportunities for earning extra money abroad in the future.
A monthly salary of over ten thousand was possible.
Just two months after joining the company.
The opportunity arrived.
The company undertook a large number of mining field security projects in Africa; the basic salary was double that of the domestic one, plus various subsidies, his salary easily exceeded ten thousand, reaching the level of domestic white-collars.
This was in 2006, a salary over ten thousand was an immense temptation, and with one month of paid leave each year, He Liang didn’t hesitate, signed up, and passed the selection, setting foot on this land in Africa.
He remembered his first task was at an open-pit coal mine located in Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was the deputy captain of the second security team, comprising eighteen individuals, managing more than twenty African security guards.
The Security Team also had another squad of twenty, but they were employed by the mining company, not the third-party security companies like theirs. 𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Initially.
He Liang found the area chaotic, with constant threats to life, even feeling restless while sleeping, having to clutch his gun, and indeed, as he had imagined, most parts of the country were rather unstable.
Tribes.
Armed forces.
Underworld forces.
Robbers.
Or hooligans who could turn into robbers at any moment.
These were widespread across this land of two million square kilometers.
Before he left, he had heard that mining fields were very unsafe places, with rampant illegal mining and extortion; one could easily be killed over a pack of cigarettes.
They still dared not offend the locals excessively.
But these were expectations they had prepared for.
Upon arriving at the mining field, they were overwhelmed by the local hospitality; on the first day, mine leaders treated them to a feast of mountain delicacies and game, which the surrounding residents had hunted and sold to them at a bargain.
The next day.
A nearby tribe chief hosted them.
He also let them eat and drink copiously; the demeanor was exceptionally cordial. He thought it was because the mine had bribed heavily, making these people easy to talk to and always smiling.
But later.
He realized that was not the case.
The people here respected not their money but an unknown force. He didn’t know what it was, but he could imagine it was formidable. The mine leaders subtly indicated that as long as they were justified, they should never fear the Africans.
If they needed to fight, they should fight.
Don’t be cowardly.
The other party would never dare retaliate afterward.
Indeed, the mine leaders proved true; once, a few individuals from the tribe, drunk, created havoc at the mine and even fired guns, injuring a Chinese security guard. After that, he never saw those individuals again.
Later, chatting with security guards from that tribe, he learned that those people had died.
He Liang had heard that because of this incident, the tribe chief was fined a considerable amount of money. As for the amount and who imposed the fine, He Liang did not know, in this country where people would kill for a thousand US dollars.
Who knows how much a considerable amount of money is.
Gradually.
As time passed.
He Liang knew more and more.
About the various weapons at the mine and later even the US military Hummers provided, reportedly surplus from the Iraq War, not just these Hummers.
He heard that other mining fields even had potassium transport vehicles and unconventional weapons.
The first thing He Liang thought was that the Government of Democratic Republic of the Congo definitely backed this venture, otherwise it would be impossible. This made him fully aware of the deep connections this mining company had.
In the following days, they had a relatively smooth time, training daily, patrolling, occasionally hunting, and getting along well with the local natives, often eating and competing together.
Just last month.
He heard that business was rapidly expanding.
The company had become a subsidiary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and He Liang, having taken the opportunity to learn French during this period, was promoted to vice manager of the subsidiary, mainly tasked with guiding newcomers for registration.
He also part-timed as a training instructor, needing to travel to various mines.
Thinking back on the work the company had taken on.
He Liang felt a bit shocked.
More than ten new mining fields had opened, each with security personnel ranging from twenty to forty, just this once, at least three hundred people were required from domestic, nearly draining the company’s domestic personnel reserves.
He estimated that the company’s expansion would be frantic going forward.
No wonder the company had been recruiting like mad before, wanting anyone with a military background; there was a massive task waiting for them.
