Chapter 63: Chapter 63 Strive to Make Money
Joe Ga's question caught Nis and Karman off guard...
"I don't want it," Karman said decisively. "Muto's study visa cost 80,000 euros. I want to save the rest of the money for him.
We only operate in Africa, and besides an SD passport, I also have a Ugandan passport and a Nigerian passport, which should be more than enough."
These things really cannot be forced. Karman wasn't particularly wealthy, and she still needed to take care of her son. It seemed unnecessary to splash out several hundred thousand US dollars just for one passport.
Compared to Karman's determination, Nis was very straightforward. Without any hesitation, she said, "I don't have enough money. If you think we'll need another Europa passport in the future, I don't mind taking the refugee route to get a green card first.
However, if it's just for convenience, my current passport is quite useful."
Joe Ga was amused by Nis's tone and, looking into her lake-blue eyes, he said with a laugh, "A Liberian passport can also be considered useful?"
Frowning, Nis replied, "Who said it's a Liberian passport? To make transferring easier, my brother got me a Cyprus passport several years ago. Didn't you notice when we went to Egypt?
If it weren't for that weapons cache, if my brother hadn't preferred me to work for a Chinese company, I could go to any place in Europa anytime I wanted to."
Joe Ga was taken aback. He truly hadn't expected that Nis actually possessed a Europa passport, obviously obtained through some special channel for a legitimate 'fake identity.'
Thinking about her military officer brother, who had risen to a position to receive Gaddafi's legacy, undoubtedly with stronger connections than himself, Joe Ga shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, "So, I'm the only country bumpkin here. Fine, I'll get myself a Greek passport. You guys decide for yourselves.
But I have a feeling we won't be cooped up in Africa forever."
Ayu, who came to freeload a meal, looked at Nis with envy and asked, "What place is Cyprus?"
Facing Ayu's curious gaze, Nis smiled and said, "Cyprus is an island nation in the Mediterranean, north of Turkey and east of Syria.
I've been there once; the scenery of the coast left a deep impression on me.
It's a shame I couldn't find appropriate work there; living there isn't easy."
Nis then said to Ayu, "If you want to travel around Europa, you can get someone to help with a visa. The guy the boss contacted earlier can definitely do it. You don't necessarily need a passport for that."
After hearing this, Ayu looked at Joe Ga, who hadn't said a word, and shook her head, "I want to make money first, to support my child and those Ernu children."
Joe Ga looked at the determined Ayu and said with a smile, "Don't worry, what I said before still stands!
Once you've chosen a gun and Nis confirms your shooting is up to par, I'll take you with me on my business trips."
After finishing, Joe Ga stood up and stretched, walking toward the lounge chair in the courtyard, he said to Karman, "Wake me up at two in the afternoon; we'll go to the airport together.
My 'little gazelle' should arrive around 5 PM, so we need to tidy up the hangar in advance. I'll need some time to inspect the newly arrived 'little gazelle.'"
Just as Karman was about to nod in agreement, Ayu stood up and said, "I'll go. I can take the Ernu children to clean."
Joe Ga looked at Ayu, who was eager to work, and with a chuckle, shook his head, "Suit yourself, just don't touch the fuel truck, and don't damage my plane, that's all."
Nis, seeing Ayu eagerly about to leave, grabbed her arm and whispered a few words in her ear, then took her upstairs.
Nis had the key to Joe Ga's armory; she was taking Ayu to pick out equipment.
Joe Ga said Ayu needed to select a primary and a secondary weapon, but when Ayu came down half an hour later, she had taken three guns.
One was the very common PKM machine gun, one was a Benelli M4 shotgun, and another was a hunting M500 revolver.
Ayu originally wanted to show off the weapons she chose in front of Joe Ga to express her determination, but she hadn't expected Joe Ga to have already fallen asleep.
Nis, however, comforted the disappointed Ayu patiently, took some bullets, and then took her to the shooting range to let her have a try.
Ayu's body was incredibly strong; the Benelli M4 in her hands was like a toy, and she could grasp the one-meter-long PKM along with its ammo pack steadily with just one hand.
Just from a physique standpoint, Ayu was born to be a machine gunner, and as Ayu's shooting instructor, Nis definitely wanted to make up for what the team lacked.
In open terrain, the deterrent power of a machine gun can sometimes be much greater than that of a sniper rifle, especially to those militiamen.
......
The process of receiving the helicopter that afternoon went very smoothly.
The head of the Egyptian Army Aviation didn't want to lose Joe Ga as a reliable client, so the Gazelle that was delivered was in fairly good condition.
After inspecting, Joe Ga was satisfied and paid the two pilots in cash before arranging for them to be driven to the hotel they had booked in Khartoum, allowing them to rest for the night and take the cash back home the next day.
Cash, as long as it doesn't exceed one's carrying capacity, is certainly more attractive than cold numbers in a bank account.
Moreover, there's a lot to be said for cash, the exchange rate between the US Dollar in banks and in the black market is indeed different.
Having received the cash and then pouring Egyptian currency into their accounts, the difference in the exchange rate might well be more than what they could make in a year, so the two pilots were very happy.
Of course, the pilots couldn't possibly keep all the money to themselves, but that wasn't Joe Ga's concern; he needed to hurry and get the two newly arrived Gazelles ready and then deliver them to the Koldovan area within a week.
Joe Ga had never stopped working on the helicopter maintenance; the Agusta had already been dismantled by him into pieces, and all kinds of brand-new parts had been made, just waiting for Joe Ga to assemble them.
This workload was a bit too much for Joe Ga alone, but fortunately, he wasn't in a big rush.
Compared to the Agusta, the Gazelle was much simpler. The aircraft was already in good shape and had undergone a thorough checkup upon arrival, Joe Ga just needed to replace some parts according to the issues indicated by the detection system to get the Gazelle in optimal condition.
Honestly, its engine wasn't any more complicated than a car engine; for Joe Ga, it was just a matter of time.
However, Joe Ga's ambitions were not limited to just restoring the Gazelle to its best condition; he had promised to give Lu Jun a surprise, and he intended to deliver on that promise.
The weapon racks, which wouldn't be of much use, needed to be taken down because Lu Jun couldn't get hold of rockets or anti-tank missiles anyway and the onboard fire-control system was basically just for show.
But the weapon racks could be taken down and left for him too, as a kind of memento, right?
Without the weapon racks, Joe Ga chose to install two mechanical arms inside the cabin, fixed on the inside of the cabin doors.
When needed, machine guns could be mounted on them, and with the doors open, they could fire; when not in use, the arms could be retracted, saving space and remaining concealed.
To leave a good impression on such a grand client as Lu Jun, Joe Ga really gave his all.
He brought the DIY spirit to its peak and increased the cost-effectiveness of the product to the maximum. With this one deal, he could earn back the money he'd spent on his passport!