6: Chapter 6: Have the arms dealers send representatives to negotiate.

Damascus, the capital of Syria, was once hailed as 'the garden of the earth' and 'heaven on earth'.

However,

after years of warfare, it has long been left in ruins.

Many buildings have collapsed from airstrikes or artillery shells, with even historical structures not spared.

After all, the USA is rather fond of indiscriminate bombing.

Israel, which has inherited this trait from the USA, is naturally no exception.

It would not be an exaggeration to say the entire city has become a hell on earth.

After disembarking from the plane, Mannila directly hired a taxi and headed for the Glass House.

The scenes he witnessed along the way made him feel as if he had stepped into another world.

It was a completely different scene from Marseille, where he currently resided.

Armed soldiers could be seen patrolling from time to time, their faces alert as they scanned their surroundings.

The pedestrians passing by wore expressions of bewilderment, uncertain when the fighting would cease,

or when their lives would return to peace.

Mannila was no stranger to such sights.

He had seen the same look of bewildered on the faces of the people in Baghdad, Iraq, and the Kurds in Syria after the USA's invasions.

Upon arriving at the Glass House, Mannila stated his purpose and was led to a conference room to wait.

He had originally intended to contact Major General Rahim directly, but the call didn't go through, so he had no choice but to wait quietly.

After half an hour, a soldier entered the conference room and escorted Mannila to Major General Rahim's office.

Major General Rahim's office was quite spacious, exceeding 100 square meters, and was furnished rather lavishly.

The floor was covered with Iranian carpets, European-style office equipment was placed throughout, and rosewood furniture added to the décor.

On a nearby bookshelf rested a gold-plated Damascus military sword.

Seeing Mannila, Major General Rahim rose from his chair behind the desk and greeted him.

"You arrived so quickly. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all. My job is to serve you."

Rahim then walked over and sat down on a sofa, habitually lighting a cigar.

Mannila also took a seat on a nearby sofa, casually placing his briefcase at his feet.

Taking a puff of his cigar, Rahim asked,

"No incidents on the way here?"

"All went smoothly. Allah be praised, the journey was peaceful."

After Rahim had satisfied his craving for the cigar, Mannila retrieved the Tianlei Series Anti-Aircraft Missile documents from his briefcase, handed them to Rahim, and began his introduction.

"These are the four models of the Tianlei anti-aircraft missiles. Their altitude coverage ranges from low-altitude to medium-altitude to high-altitude, essentially enabling comprehensive airspace coverage."

Setting his cigar aside, Rahim began flipping through the Tianlei Series Anti-Aircraft Missile documents, and the room fell silent.

After a moment, Rahim pointed at the data on the documents, looked at Mannila, and said,

"Is the Tianlei Type I Anti-Aircraft Missile really this good?"

As a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS), the Tianlei Type I Anti-Aircraft Missile was highly useful for urban and field operations, compensating for gaps in air defense weaponry and engaging various low-altitude targets.

Rahim was somewhat skeptical.

If deployed within units, it could deter enemy helicopters and drones from approaching, thereby supporting the entire unit's air defense mission.

The Quds Force was equipped with some MANPADS, but their performance truly couldn't compare to the Tianlei Type I Anti-Aircraft Missile.

They either had too short a range, or their maximum speed was insufficient to effectively intercept low-altitude targets.

Mannila affirmed confidently, "Yes. I've confirmed with the arms dealer. These performance figures are genuine. They even surpass the USA's Stinger anti-aircraft missiles in capability."

Trusting Mannila's credibility, Rahim did not press further.

After a while, Rahim raised another question, asking,

"The Tianlei Type IV Anti-Aircraft Missile only has an 80-kilometer range, which seems a bit short. Are there any anti-aircraft missiles with longer ranges?"

Mannila was momentarily taken aback, then replied, "The arms dealer only provided these four models. Whether longer-range versions exist would require negotiation with him to find out."

"I see. And what about the pricing for these missiles?"

Mannila pointed to the end of the documents, saying, "The price for each model is listed there, ranging from $120,000 to $1.2 million. The Tianlei Type IV hasn't been quoted yet. From what the arms dealer implied, if the purchase volume is significant, there could be some discount on the price."

Mannila did not inflate the missile prices to Rahim beyond what Li Yi had quoted.

After all, he was merely an arms broker.

His role was to facilitate connections for arms dealers; upon a successful sale, he would receive a commission from the dealer, a percentage of the sale.

Sometimes, he would also take a commission from the buyer.

It depended on who approached him first.

Occasionally, he would collect commissions from both the arms dealer and the buyer.

Previously, when Li Yi had sold police and military training equipment through Mannila, he had paid Mannila a 10% commission.

Given the relatively small transaction amount at that time, Li Yi had no choice but to accept that commission rate.

Of course, if a large-scale sale of anti-aircraft missiles were to go through Mannila this time, the commission percentage paid to him would not be that high.

Rahim had no particular objections to the quoted prices for the Tianlei Series Anti-Aircraft Missiles.

A single Stinger anti-aircraft missile already cost as much as $150,000.

Sometimes, when driving a hard bargain, the USA would sell them for $850,000 each, forcing the buyer to purchase regardless.

At a current price of $120,000 per set for the Tianlei Type I, with each missile costing only $100,000, it could be considered a very fair price.

If it could be even cheaper, it would mean the Iranian National Guard could save a considerable sum, which would be excellent.

After pondering for a moment, Rahim said,

"To defend the Glass House and other bases from airstrikes, we plan to procure a batch of anti-aircraft missiles. The exact quantity hasn't been determined yet. Could you have the arms dealer send a representative here for negotiations, for a face-to-face discussion?"

Rahim wanted to gauge the arms dealer's capabilities through on-site negotiations. After all, these provided anti-aircraft missiles had never appeared publicly before. He needed to personally assess whether their performance was genuine.

Understanding Rahim's intent, Mannila said,

"I will contact the arms dealer immediately to see when it would be convenient for him to come. I'll have them come as soon as possible to expedite the transaction."

Rahim nodded in satisfaction and said, "Let's end here for today. I'll keep the Tianlei Series Anti-Aircraft Missile documents with me to facilitate communication with my country."

Mannila stood up and left Major General Rahim's office.

He had no intention of finding accommodation at the Glass House, fearing Israeli airstrikes might target the location.

In Damascus, Mannila still had a safe house.

He checked into a hotel run by a French national without issue.

The hotel wasn't particularly high-end, but its main advantage was safety.