Ramas wanted to express some objection.
After all, from a negotiating standpoint, both parties start with sky-high demands and then haggle towards the best possible price.
However, he found himself seemingly unable to refuse the terms.
Because the conditions set forth by Song Heping were simply too enticing.
Besides, the two were now part of a symbiotic relationship, collaborating in the arms trade, and just through working with Song Heping, Ramas's expected annual profits would be significant.
Not assisting in this matter, Ramas feared offending Song Heping, the god of wealth; should he refuse to cooperate even in the arms trade, the loss would be substantial.
"Alright, I will do my best to facilitate this, but I would like to know exactly how much land you want?" Ramas finally brought up the issue of the land area.
Song Heping raised a single finger.
Ramas asked, "1,000 hectares?"
"No," Song Heping shook his head, "10,000 hectares. 1,000 hectares wouldn't even be enough for a small airport."
"10,000 hectares?!"
Ramas's eyes bulged out.
Song Heping said, "That's correct, isn't it just 100 square kilometers? Is that a lot?"
Ramas said, "No way! That's too much!"
Song Heping said, "I'm not interested in buying it outright, I want to lease it, but I'm requesting a 99-year lease term."
"99 years?!"
Ramas nearly cried out in shock.
"What's the difference between this and buying?"
"The difference is significant," Song Heping replied. "For example, if I lease this piece of land from you, any mineral deposits discovered underground would be of no concern to me. As long as you give me a reasonable rental compensation, I would vacate willingly. I could even consider exchanging it for another plot of land, just compensate for my construction losses. It's different with outright purchase; the minerals underground would belong to me. I know your country has plenty of oil, and I'm not looking to take advantage of you. Think about it, are my terms not reasonable? A 99-year lease demonstrates my confidence in you and makes it easier for you to persuade your superiors, General. I have your best interests at heart."
After this speech, Ramas felt himself fall silent, unable to respond yet again.
Song Heping, this man, always spoke in an even and unhurried tone.
But each sentence hit the nail on the head and left listeners utterly amazed.
The worst part was, you couldn't find fault with his reasoning.
Upon closer consideration, leasing land was indeed much simpler than buying or selling it, and more likely to persuade his own superiors and the president.
"Alright, leave this matter to me," Ramas finally nodded, and then asked, "But you must ensure that this training school is built within a year and put into use."
"No problem," Song Heping replied, "When can we sign the contract?"
"This isn't a small matter; you need to wait," Ramas said, "After all, it involves 100 square kilometers of land."
"It's wasteland, it's jungle," Song Heping pointed to the distance, "Can you see a single person within sight?"
Ramas sighed, "One month."
"No," Song Heping shook his head, "I only have half a month to give you, to be frank, this is related to our arms trade."
"Hmm?"
Ramas was somewhat surprised.
Song Heping explained, "Morins has contacted me; he needs a large amount of arms, a demand worth three million dollars. My time is very tight; I promised to deliver within three months. If the land can be developed into a military training base within three months, of course, it would need an armory, and then you could help me legitimately bring the arms in. Understand?"
"Under the guise of training!"
Ramas had a sudden realization.
That was the trick Song Heping had up his sleeve.
The collaboration between the two was aimed at the South American arms market; having a storage warehouse would be very convenient, and bringing arms in under this guise was legitimate and safe, for both Song Heping's "Musician" defense and for Ramas as well.
As for whether the large quantities of arms reaching here would attract attention, there was no need to worry.
After all, with military backing for the base, customs would certainly not be difficult.
In this way, everything would operate under a very formal and legitimate guise.
Brilliant!
Ramas gritted his teeth, "Fine! For the sake of money! I will persuade my superiors within half a month."
Three million dollars' worth of arms, split fifty-fifty, would mean quite a few hundred thousand dollars for himself.
Combined with securing the deal for the military school's land, he could count on nearly two million dollars in income this year alone; how could Ramas not be tempted?!
"Fine, I'll leave this matter to you. I need to head back to Illiguo. I've been away for quite some time; if I don't return soon, our partners might start getting suspicious."
Song Heping decided to fly back to Illiguo first.
He had both the military and the CIA to deal with there.
No one could guarantee that staying away for too long wouldn't raise suspicions, especially since a Green Berets squad had been wiped out in the Colombian jungle. The Americans would definitely be infuriated, and given their conduct, they would surely deploy all their intelligence resources to track down the perpetrator.
If he stayed in South America too long, he was too easy a target.
There were too many matters awaiting him upon his return this time.