As soon as Ryan finished speaking, the two men across from him exchanged a glance, their faces showing hints of hesitation and darkness.
The safety chief slowly sat back down and looked at the officer beside him. “Minister, have we gotten any intel on the opponents? Are they starting to move?”
The officer, referred to as the minister, frowned and said, “We haven’t picked up any unusual activity from them. However, since the delivery location is in Australia, it must be their people who were buying the arms. Only those with power and ambition could pull this off. It’s impressive that they managed to connect with others without us knowing. If it weren’t for Mr. Ryan and Mr. Adolph tracking them down today, we wouldn’t have had a clue.”
Noticing the serious expressions on their faces, Ryan cleared his throat and said, “I’m not interested in your domestic politics or who’s in charge. I just want to know who we’re dealing with. Where are they most likely to meet? Also, open up your special channels for us; I need to use some resources.”
The minister and the chief exchanged glances, frowning without saying anything.
Adolph smiled slightly and said, “It’s just a special channel. You should know this shipment involves over 50 billion dollars. It’s all the latest military gear. If your opponents get their hands on it, I believe the quiet Australia will undergo a significant change.”
“50 billion dollars? Damn, that’s a lot,” the chief exclaimed, angrily swinging his fist in the air.
The minister looked at Ryan and Adolph, then nodded. “No problem. Just tell us what special channels you need. We can prepare the military supplies you can’t bring. As for the earlier questions, we’ll investigate and give you definite answers.”
As soon as the minister finished speaking, the safety chief jumped in. “We’ll provide you with the best support. However, we hope you two will deliver a solid blow to your opponents while pursuing those arms.”
Ryan glanced at the safety chief and said flatly, “They’re just the buyers. I won’t offend the purchasers, whether it’s their stuff or mine. I’m just a merchant; to me, it’s all about business. I won’t interfere in your domestic affairs-you handle that yourself.”
The safety chief raised an eyebrow at this, while the minister pressed down on the chief’s arm and said to Ryan, “We understand that. We’ll handle our own matters. By the way, Mr. Ryan, we’re planning to purchase a batch of arms from you by the end of the year. As you know, the world changes quickly, and we can’t fall behind. What do you think?”
Ryan nodded and replied, “No problem. I can give you a 20% discount. As for the rest, you can handle that yourselves.”
Hearing this, both men lit up with joy. Ryan’s offer was clear: the discount was a return for the conveniences they provided him. As for the price difference, they could keep it for themselves or do whatever they wanted with it; he wouldn’t question that. It was a huge benefit for both of them.
“Great! We’ll get back to you soon,” the minister and safety chief said, standing up with bright smiles, their earlier surprise and confusion completely vanished.
Ryan nodded in response, and Adolph smiled at the two men, saying, “See you.”
As the footsteps faded, the two influential officials in Australia disappeared from view.
“Wow, what are you guys up to? Those two have some serious backgrounds,” Echo said, walking over to Ryan and Adolph, her face full of shock.
What the hell was a “special channel”? The way the minister and the chief talked suggested it was a big deal. Arms that Ryan couldn’t even bring over, and they could just provide them at a moment’s notice-who were these people? What exactly were Ryan and Adolph planning? Chasing after arms felt like they were about to take down a country.
Noticing Echo’s bewilderment, Adolph leaned back on the sofa, took a sip of his wine, and smiled. “We’re just chasing arms. Didn’t you know?”
Echo rolled her eyes at him.
Adolph laughed and continued, “Those two are no joke. One’s the minister of defense, and the other’s the head of national security. It’s not that we’re trying to do something huge; it’s just that anyone who can buy $50 billion worth of arms is definitely not a small player. We’re in a rush and can’t set things up perfectly, so we need to use their influence. If we tried to send a warship from Europe, it wouldn’t just disturb one country-it would shake the entire world.”
Echo listened to Adolph’s casual tone and glanced at Ryan and Hawk, who seemed completely unfazed. She thought to herself, how powerful was Ryan? He had ties to people at this level, and it was almost driving her crazy.
Ryan shot Echo a cold glance, noticing the mix of calm and shock on her face. “Pack your things. Adolph’s people will take you to Dark Prison tomorrow.”
His calm words sent a chill down her spine. Seeing the icy determination in his eyes, she straightened up and replied, “Not paying attention was my fault, but sending me to Dark Prison? That’s too much. I did help get the chip, Mr. Ryan. What reward do I get for that? I remember you’re someone who believes in rewards and punishments.”
At her words, Ryan’s expression hardened, and both Adolph and Hawk raised their eyebrows, intrigued by the exchange.
Ryan looked at Echo coldly. “What kind of reward do you want?”
Taking a step forward, Echo met his gaze and said firmly, “I don’t want to go to Dark Prison. That’s my reward.”
Ryan leaned back against the sofa and studied her. “You’ve got some guts.”
“I never said I was timid,” Echo replied, refusing to back down.
Bill might think Ryan just wanted to teach her a lesson, but Ryan was ruthless enough that he might actually send her to Dark Prison for some ‘training.’ Even if she wouldn’t die, she’d definitely get hurt. While she acknowledged Ryan’s viewpoint was correct, she figured she should fight for her interests.
Ryan noticed Echo staring at him, without a trace of fear in her eyes. After a long pause, he let out a cold snort and said, “I’ll let this go for today. No reward, no punishment. But if I hear about this happening again, you won’t need to go to Dark Prison. I’ll make sure you understand just how many consequences come from not paying attention.”
Echo immediately let out a sigh of relief, a small smile creeping onto her face.
Adolph, noticing this, chuckled and said, “This is the first time I’ve seen you go easy on someone, Ryan. Echo, keep it up. I’m curious to see what you’ll turn into. It’s rare to see Ryan actually looking out for someone else. Unbelievable.”
“Adolph, you itching for a beating?” Ryan’s cold words carried no anger or blame, but it was clear he wasn’t pleased.
“Let’s go.” Ryan stood up, wrapped his arm around Echo’s waist, and walked forward.
Echo, being pulled along, glanced at Ryan but wisely kept her mouth shut, following his lead. Now wasn’t the time to test his patience, even if she wasn’t thrilled about it.