171: This is the rule, no problem!

Aziz Audah fell into deep thought.

He naturally wanted the best, the SAM-18, but the price was simply too high.

With a price difference of thirty thousand dollars, buying four sets of Red Dragon would save enough money for an extra set.

For an organization like his that urgently needed to expand its armed scale, quantity was sometimes more important than quality.

"Money is still too tight."

Aziz Audah let out a long sigh and made a decision.

"We'll go with the Red Dragon! First, let's solve the problem of whether we have them or not!"

"A wise choice," Jameson nodded approvingly.

He picked up a pen and began drafting the procurement list for Aziz Audah.

"Then, Mr. Aziz, let's finalize the quantities."

Aziz Audah leaned in, watching Jameson's pen tip glide across the paper.

"AK-47s, we need eight thousand!"

"Ammunition, eight million rounds!"

"smaw rocket launchers, let's start with two hundred sets! Plus an additional two thousand spare rockets!"

"Red Dragon anti-aircraft missiles, forty sets!"

"And the mortars you mentioned, we need one hundred and twenty! Shells... let's start with five thousand!"

Aziz Audah finished stating his requirements in one breath; every item had been carefully considered.

These weapons were enough to completely upgrade his warriors' equipment, raising their combat effectiveness by an entire level!

Jameson's fingers flew across the calculator, and soon, a number appeared on the screen.

"Eight thousand AK-47 rifles, 6.4 million dollars."

"Eight million rounds of ammunition, 480,000 dollars."

"Two hundred sets of smaw rocket launchers, 2 million dollars."

"Spare rockets, at a friendship price of 400 dollars each, two thousand rounds come to 800,000 dollars."

"Forty sets of Red Dragon anti-aircraft missiles, 4.8 million dollars."

"One hundred and twenty mortars, at 6,000 dollars each, is 720,000 dollars. Five thousand shells, 200,000 dollars."

Jameson looked up and turned the calculator toward Aziz Audah.

"Total: 8.96 million dollars."

Less than nine million dollars!

Aziz Audah looked at the number and let out a long sigh of relief.

Using less than a tenth of his total funds, he had procured such a large quantity of critical weapons.

Coming here was truly the right move!

"No problem! The price is completely acceptable!" Aziz Audah said excitedly.

Jameson withdrew his smile, his expression becoming businesslike.

"Mr. Aziz, according to our company's policy, for orders from non-state entities, we require full payment upfront."

"That's the rule, no problem!"

Aziz Audah didn't hesitate for a second, immediately pulling out a satellite phone from his coat.

"I'll arrange for someone to wire the funds to your designated account right away!"

"Very well."

Jameson stood up and extended his hand to Aziz Audah.

"A pleasure doing business with you. Once the funds arrive, we will immediately arrange the stock and prioritize shipment for you."

"A pleasure doing business!"

Aziz Audah shook his hand firmly, his face full of gratitude.

After seeing off the eager Aziz Audah to arrange the wire transfer, Jameson immediately dialed an encrypted number.

On the other end of the line came David's flat voice.

"Settled?"

"Yes, boss," Jameson reported respectfully.

"Total price is 8.96 million dollars. The other party has gone to wire the money."

"This batch of weapons is mainly intended to deal with Israel's armored units and attack helicopters."

"Mm."

David paused, seemingly lost in thought.

Using the people of Palestine to wear down Israel's national strength—this deal, strategically speaking, was a guaranteed win.

Mexico.

Over a dozen pickup trucks and armored reconnaissance vehicles painted with skull liveries glided silently into the city streets like ghosts.

The vehicles were filled with heavily armed drug cartel gunmen.

In the leading armored vehicle, Ernesto bit down on a thick cigar, the crimson ember glowing and fading in the darkness.

Through the bulletproof glass, he coldly watched the brightly lit police station not far away.

"Boss, all squads are in position."

A raspy report came through the walkie-talkie.

Ernesto picked up the walkie-talkie, his mouth curling into a cruel arc.

"Very good."

"In five minutes, I don't want to see a single policeman left alive."

"Do it!"

With the command, the Grim Reaper's scythe swung down abruptly.

"Da da da da da!"

The heavy machine guns mounted in the beds of the pickup trucks were the first to roar, the searing rain of metal instantly shredding the police station's doors and windows.

The police officers on duty didn't even have time to react before they were mowed down by the dense fire, turned into a bloody mess.

"Boom!"

A cartel gunman shouldered a smaw rocket launcher and pulled the trigger.

An orange tail flame flashed past, and the rocket, trailing a long streak of smoke, slammed precisely into the second floor of the police station.

The violent explosion blew off half the roof, and concrete blocks and glass shards rained down like a storm.

Shrill screams and sirens echoed through the night sky, but were quickly drowned out by even more frantic gunfire.

The gunmen leaped from the vehicles, brandishing brand-new AK-47s.

They charged into the ruined station in combat formation, firing indiscriminately at any moving target.

In less than ten minutes, over a dozen police stations in Ocotlán were simultaneously engulfed in flames.

Hundreds of police officers were killed on the spot, with only a tiny few surviving by chance because they were on leave or away.

The entire city's law enforcement apparatus was completely destroyed in a single night.

When the news broke, all of Mexico was shaken!

This was no longer a provocation; it was a naked declaration of war!

The high-ranking officials of the Mexican government were furious.

They immediately mobilized the nearest Army regiment to Ocotlán, equipped with heavy weaponry, to aggressively suppress the uprising.

They vowed to uproot Ernesto's drug cartel and wash away this disgrace with blood.

However, they knew nothing of their enemy's strength.

As the long column of military vehicles from this full-strength regiment entered a valley, the cartel forces lying in ambush bared their fangs.

"Fire!"

From both sides of the valley, over a hundred mortars roared simultaneously.

Whish, whish, whish!

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of tearing air, a dense barrage of shells fell from the sky like hail, precisely blanketing the entire marching column.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions merged into one, and the earth trembled.

Military vehicles were blown apart, and the Soldiers inside were instantly shredded.

The lucky survivors didn't even have time to find cover before they were tossed by the blast waves, slamming heavily onto the ground.

"Ambush! It's artillery!!"

"Take cover! Get to cover!"

The commander's roars sounded so pale and powerless amidst the explosions.

Immediately after, as several attack helicopters arrived to provide support above the valley, they were locked onto by fire dragons rising from the ground.

Those were MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems)!

Accompanied by several brilliant fireballs bursting in the air.

The multi-million dollar attack helicopters were like kites with severed strings, spiraling down trailing black smoke.

The Government Army fell into complete chaos and panic.

Their tanks attempted to organize a counterattack, but they were met with one lethal SMAW rocket after another.

These weapons, originally intended for bunkers and light armor,

could also deal devastating blows to main battle tanks in close-quarters combat.

The battle lasted less than an hour.

A full-strength regiment of the Government Army had hundreds killed, over a hundred tanks and armored vehicles destroyed, and the remaining Soldiers were all taken prisoner.

With such glorious battle results, Ernesto's name resounded throughout the Americas.