"I wouldn't do it for less than 500 million US dollars,"
Song Heping's tone didn't seem like he was joking.
This made Kelly somewhat surprised.
Was this guy serious?
Was it really all about money to him?
But that price...
It was just ridiculously high.
"You've given an impossible price."
Song Heping said, "Don't you want to fight drug trafficking? Let me put it this way, I checked the funds you've invested in Colombia's drug eradication programs this year, which amount to 700 million US dollars. The Colombian government army received so much money from you—look what they have done with it? My asking price of 500 million US dollars is fair and reasonable; it's basically a bargain. Any problems?"
Kelly's gaze had never left Song Heping's face.
It was the most typical Eastern face.
She tried to find a hint of lying on the young man's face.
But in the end, she saw nothing.
In fact, she even thought this guy was telling the truth.
And what embarrassed Kelly the most was that Song Heping's asking price left her without a rebuttal.
Because some reasons couldn't be openly discussed.
Song Heping, of course, knew these reasons.
The United States Government was very enthusiastic about foreign aid.
It looked very generous, even somewhat saintly from the Great America.
But if one looked through the facts to the essence, it amounted to nothing more than a wealth transfer game.
Having spent a lot of time in Illiguo, Song Heping was familiar with dealing with the military leaders and the temporary government there, so he clearly understood what was involved.
For example, out of the 700 million US dollars in aid, first there was training, which was provided by the Green Beret Special Forces from the Army for special Forces of the Colombian government army, like the AGLAN troops, or the whole CCOPE combat group—these were all training provided by the US Special Forces.
This training could be priced in US dollars.
Next came technical support, like the previously dispatched electronic reconnaissance aircraft, fuel costs and wear and tear, and personnel attendance subsidies, which could also be quantified in US dollars.
And the biggest part was weapons and equipment.
Here's where it got interesting. The weapons were all produced by the American military industrial complex, and the sponsors supplied American-style equipment, so effectively these dollars were just placing orders back into the hands of the military industrial complex, never leaving the United States.
And finally, there were the operational expenses. These were just some crumbs for the high officials and military leaders in the Colombian government.
The commissioners from Great America also had a share in this, but ultimately, they needed to give a little incentive to the Colombian officials who signed the cooperation agreements, because even puppets need to be paid, right?
A huge amount of funds, in the end, just meant Great America paid, Commissioner Smith and the arms dealers divided it up, the Special Forces involved in the operations got a subsidy, and as for what could be achieved with the 700 million dollars?
Why worry about the results?
This was big business.
It was profit!
If they actually eradicated drugs in South America, the business would dry up, the profits would vanish, the revenue sources would disappear.
Without those, how would Commissioner Smith in the congress get anything?
How would the arms behemoths get anything?
How would the puppets in the Colombian government get anything?
Song Heping knew exactly how things worked, which was why he dared to quote his price.
His own, a Defense Company, didn't need any arms sponsorship or military training, and being a private company it wouldn't embezzle its own funds—the only thing to take care of was the commissioners in the congress, military, or intelligence agencies.
Clearly, this would displease the bigwigs of the military-industrial complex.
If the bigwigs weren't happy, neither would the days of commissioners like Smith.
So for someone like Kelly, sitting opposite him, agreeing to Song Heping's plan was out of the question, unless they really faced an insurmountable issue and couldn't resolve it through supporting the local government, then perhaps they would consider outsourcing the task to such "black gloves" like himself.
Song Heping accurately understood his own and his company's position, which made it easy for him to hit Kelly's sore spot.
"Are you not afraid I'll agree and let you do this?"
There was a threatening tone in Kelly's voice.
Of course, it was a threat.
If the ELN armed forces were Song Heping's clients, then by having him eliminate his own clients, in Kelly's view, this would damage the reputation of Song Heping's company.
But she underestimated Song Heping.
She was not aware of the wisdom of Eastern people.
Song Heping grinned, very affirmatively saying, "As long as the money is paid, as long as the funds are transferred, I will definitely do it. Don't worry, I wouldn't dare to scam money from the United States Government, right? I'm more worried about you globally prosecuting me."
"Saying you're afraid doesn't necessarily mean you are really afraid," Kelly said. "Sometimes those who say they aren't afraid are actually the ones who are truly scared."