Chapter 482: Military Investment

"Chairman Su, there's new progress on that South American territory you had 'Wildfire' keep a close eye on!"
Liu Bo's voice, tinged with urgency, rang out in Su Hao's office.
"They sent people to investigate, and good heavens, that place is anything but ordinary right now.
It's practically a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. The war risk index is at its peak!"
"War?"
Su Hao's brows immediately furrowed.
Those two words alone were enough to give him a headache.
The fighting in Eastern Europe wasn't over yet; why was there never any peace in the world?
"That's right, war!" Liu Bo reported rapidly.
"Venezuela and Guyana are on the verge of war over a disputed territory.
Now, Venezuela has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops on the border, practically holding a knife to Guyana's head, ready to overturn the table at any moment!"
This news surprised Su Hao somewhat.
After all, there are plenty of neighbors fighting over land in this global village; who doesn't have some historical issues?
But this feud between these two old neighbors is said to have lasted a full two hundred years, a veritable century-long drama of grudges and rivalries.
"Venezuela originally didn't bother with that poor neighbor next door.
But then, by sheer bad luck, a shovel struck that disputed area called Esquebo, and they unearthed a massive oil and gas field with staggering reserves!
Now, their neighbor's property has discovered a gold mine, buried right under their backyard wall.
This time, Venezuela went completely mad, immediately pulling out maps from their ancestors' eighteen generations back, shouting that the land has always belonged to them."
"I remember Guyana used to have a lot of mineral resources, right?" Su Hao asked.
"It's not just a lot! It's practically a gift from heaven!
Gold, iron, bauxite... it's scattered everywhere like it's free.
There are even rumors that uranium deposits are buried beneath that godforsaken place!
Many international mining giants have already sent exploration teams to investigate, conducting several rounds of surveys."
No wonder!
Su Hao instantly understood.
As soon as the smell wafted out, those international behemoths, with noses sharper than dogs, immediately followed the scent.
Even the major Eastern European powers publicly stood up for Venezuela, chanting "slogans of justice" and demanding that Guyana "return its territory."
“The calculations behind this are so lucrative you could hear them across the Pacific,” Liu Bo grumbled.
“Gold, iron ore, oil, natural gas, and now uranium!
This isn’t a territorial dispute; it’s a piece of prime real estate that everyone wants a piece of!
Those giants are practically drooling!”
Indeed, the temptation was so great that any major power would be tempted to get involved.
“Our ‘Wildfire’ organization plans to establish a strategic outpost in Guyana’s territorial waters, which requires the Guyanese government’s approval.
But they’ve sent word that they can get their approval, but only on one condition.”
“What condition?”
“They want us to help them with military equipment and training new soldiers, just like we did with Nigeria—a full-scale ‘military industry investment.’”
“Oh?” Su Hao’s interest was piqued.
"I guess it's because we invested heavily in the Nigerian navy back then, completely upgrading their dilapidated fleet with new weaponry, dramatically increasing their combat effectiveness, and making those ignorant pirates around them cry for their lives.
That was incredibly effective advertising.
Guyana was naturally envious, finding our 'arms investment' extremely appealing."
This deal seemed plausible.
But the problem was, Guyana's opponent was Venezuela. The military strength of these two countries was like that of a grown man and a three-year-old child.
Venezuela could muster an army of 150,000, with plenty of tanks and aircraft;
Guyana, on the other hand, could only muster about 5,000 armed men, and its navy was practically nonexistent.
Given this disparity in strength, in the event of war, Venezuela could easily crush Guyana a hundred times over.
But Venezuela hesitated to act, not because of Guyana, but because of the United States standing behind it.
Not to mention neighboring Brazil, which also disapproves of Venezuela's arrogance and frequently sends warnings.
This is a miniature arena of power struggles among giants; whoever makes the first move could ignite a global storm.
"But that's the problem," Liu Bo said, changing the subject.
"Right now, the Aiden government is practically a 'vegetative state' domestically, essentially a lame duck, its voice carrying no weight.
Guyana is in complete panic, feeling like its backer is about to collapse!"
"Even so, the US wouldn't just stand by and watch Guyana be annexed, would it?" Su Hao questioned.
"It's hard to say, Mr. Su. The US is practically paralyzed right now. Even if Venezuela were to attack, whether they could react immediately is a question.
Besides, even if the Eden government wanted to send troops, they'd have to see if those old men in Congress would agree.
What's worse, the Communist Party's top presidential candidate, Trent, is a complete 'isolationist'!"
Mentioning Trent, a playful smile crept onto Su Hao's lips.
That guy was practically a walking Twitter generator, a political disaster.
He'd publicly declared more than once that the US could no longer be the "world police," that all its allies were parasites sucking the empire's blood, and that they either had to sever ties or pay astronomical protection fees—or they'd be waiting for him to pull the plug once he came to power!
"Trent hasn't even taken office yet, and he's already making a huge fuss all over the world.
From his old buddies in Europe to Japan, he's singled them out and scathingly criticized.
He's offended every ally, creating widespread anxiety. How could Guyana not be trembling with fear?"
Right now is clearly a golden opportunity for him and the Communists to crush the Democrats, their approval ratings soaring.
Trent could have easily sat back and waited to be carried into the White House.
But he doesn't. He can't stand a day without making some outrageous and shocking statement, personally driving down his own approval ratings. It's like the legendary "Seven Injury Fist"—it hurts the enemy a thousand, but he also hurts himself eight hundred.
"Trent knows perfectly well that besides himself, there's no one else who can beat the Communists."
But his actions probably delighted the Democratic Party, who thought, "This guy's digging his own grave; let's not stop him, let him put on a one-man show."
An election that should have been a foregone conclusion was transformed into a series of suspenseful events by this "eccentric."
"In short, because of this series of complex reasons, Guyana is now eager to find a new ally, so they came to us."
"What they want is military investment that can produce immediate results?" Su Hao asked.
"Exactly! And their appetite is quite large." Liu Bo spread out a map...
"Guyana faces not only external threats but also internal strife.
Their criminal organizations are rampant.
The Caribbean today is practically a carbon copy of what our 'Wildfire' operation entailed before it entered Africa—utterly chaotic.
Gangs, drug lords, and arms dealers run rampant.
Most critically, illegal mining has reached an unbridled, lawless level."
In short, this is a land blessed by the gods, yet infested by demons.