Chapter 442: The Fragrance of Money

"Chairman Su, we've pretty much got a grasp of the ins and outs of this Private Military Contractor (PMC) business."
Liu Bo stood before Su Hao, flipping through the PowerPoint presentation rapidly.
"In this industry, the UK and the US are the most adept."
Take the US, for example. After the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, their PMC industry has expanded like wildfire.
However, since they're armed groups operating under the guise of 'private,' the authorities are keeping a close eye on them, tightening their belts to prevent them from going too far.
"After learning from the experience of the PMC industry in the US, I checked out Turkey as instructed.
I discovered that PMC was absolutely forbidden there before—a complete no-go zone."
"'Before'? Does that mean it's now on the green light?"
"That's right! Didn't we invest in that drone company called 'Baika'?"
Liu Bo's voice became excited.
"The owner of that company is the son-in-law of the current Turkish president!
And that's not all. That president is more like the head of a family business.
He's currently frantically using his extended family connections to open several military industrial enterprises.
Through this business, his family's wealth has skyrocketed."
Su Hao's lips curled slightly upon hearing this.
This Turkish leader sounds more like a CEO who treats the country like his own company, putting national interests aside and prioritizing the profitability of his own businesses.
"His outrageous economic theories have almost ruined the Turkish economy, haven't they?"
"Absolutely! So he had to find a way to survive!
With major and minor powers locked in fierce fighting, the arms trade is practically a money-printing machine.
This president, with a glint in his eye, simply went all in, betting everything on the military industry.
He's filling the economic mess with arms sales!"
"So, the PMC's constraints were loosened as a result?"
"Exactly! Turkey, as you know, has an incredibly advantageous geographical location, situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
That president probably smelled the scent of money, and with a stroke of his pen, he completely overhauled the PMC-related regulations."
"Going in now is like riding the wave of a game-changing update—we've got the perfect timing, location, and people!"
It seems the increasingly rampant pirates at sea have indirectly given them a huge boost.
In any case, this is undoubtedly fantastic news for Su Hao and his team.
This means the biggest policy obstacle to establishing PMC headquarters in Turkey has been cleared.
"But Chairman Su, we're facing a problem next." Liu Bo's tone shifted, his expression turning serious.
"Our PMC, after all, is a private company.
Once we actually build armed frigates and sail them on the high seas, we'll immediately be violating international law.
Then, in the eyes of other countries, our escort fleet will be no different from those lawless pirate ships!"
This is the fundamental reason why the security companies previously responsible for escorting ships were completely at a loss.
PMCs (Persistent Mercenary) are fine on land; they can fight as mercenaries in the mountains or act as bodyguards for a wealthy person.
But once they're at sea, the entire game changes.
Your ship is heavily armed? Your men are carrying massive weapons?
Sorry, international law, the sword of Damocles, can fall at any time.
Su Hao rubbed his temples. "Can't we even have the crew carry more weapons on a regular cargo ship?"
"They can, but it's a drop in the ocean, and it'll cause a whole host of problems."
Liu Bo sighed.
"First, many countries strictly prohibit armed vessels from approaching their ports; they can't even get through the gates.
Second, as I reported to you last time, today's pirates are no longer the scattered rabble in dilapidated fishing boats with cheap guns.
They're all well-organized criminal groups, many of them veterans, and their weapons are more formidable than some small countries' regular armies!"
In short, it boils down to two things: they can't get into ports, and they can't fight at sea.
"Actually, the reason those security ships that escorted us couldn't hold out was precisely this.
The security personnel's weapons were too low-grade; at most, they had a few pistols.
International law also stipulates that civilian vessels are not allowed to be equipped with military-grade weapons. The most effective weapon they could muster was... a high-pressure water cannon."
Liu Bo's lips twitched as he said this, clearly finding the whole situation absurdly ridiculous.
One side consisted of ruthless outlaws with no bottom line, the other of respectable businessmen bound by international law. This confrontation was a joke from the start.
They were waving RPGs around on your bow, while you could only silently fire your high-pressure water cannons. The pirates were laughing their heads off.
“Even if special approval is granted, it'll only be enough for tear gas at best.
That might have worked against petty thieves before, but now? They could blow you and your ship to smithereens!”
Su Hao listened and summarized:
“So, to achieve truly effective escort, our ships, even if they can't become real warships, must possess firepower that pirates will fear?”
“Yes! But that's the problem. If we actually do that, it's like putting our own necks in the noose of international law. The company could face lawsuits and go bankrupt.”
“Even modifications for self-defense against pirates aren't allowed?”
“No! That's how the law is.” Liu Bo helplessly shrugged.
“Pirates won't be punished, but we will. That's reality.”
This law sounds absurd, but upon closer examination, Su Hao could understand the logic behind it.
After all, if some behemoth conglomerate were allowed to use the PMC name to build a private navy powerful enough to threaten other countries, the world order would truly descend into chaos.
"This is so frustrating! We just want to transport goods peacefully!" Li Huilin couldn't help but complain from the side.
"Frustrating? There's nothing we can do; that's how the rules are."
"Then why don't they go catch the pirates! They only set rules for us, but turn a blind eye to those murderers and thieves. What kind of logic is that?"
The crowd's resentment was practically bursting through the ceiling.
"Yes, why do they insist on getting involved themselves, going through all that trouble and effort for this thankless PMC?
Isn't it because they can't rely on anyone else?
Of course, Su Hao could understand the difficulties faced by various countries.
Just to catch a few elusive pirates, would the navies of every country in the world patrol the vast sea lanes 24/7?
That's unrealistic.
With so many sea lanes around the world, and thousands of ships coming and going every day, no one can protect them all.
"So what's our best solution right now?" Su Hao asked.
"Keep the escort ships in the form of ordinary vessels, and then arm all the mercenaries to the teeth.
But even doing that, there's still the risk of being detected, and firepower is still a big problem…
Sigh, that's the crux of the matter."