I manufacture weapons in the Middle East and am wanted globally?

Chapter 77 "Boss, shouldn't we raise our prices too?!"

Muhsen stood in front of the terracotta warrior.

His fingertips gently brushed across the terracotta figurine's face, from the brow bone to the cheekbone, and from the cheekbone to the jaw, not missing a single undulation.

"This is a terracotta general."

Chen Zheng stood half a step behind him, his waist slightly bent, his hands folded in front of him, his posture as respectful as a museum guide. "A genuine old object, more than two thousand two hundred years old."

Muhsen's finger stopped on the terracotta figurine's brow, where a hair-thin crack meandered from the temple to the brow ridge, like a dried-up river.

He turned around and looked at Chen Zheng.

"Bruce, this must be really troublesome for you, right?"

Chen Zheng shook his head. "For you, I am willing to give everything, including my loyalty."

Even he himself didn't believe it when he said it.

I respect you because you have money, but when the Americans blow you up, let's see if Chen Zheng will collect your body.

Muhsen reached out and patted Chen Zheng on the shoulder.

"That's thoughtful of you."

Then he turned around and gestured with his chin toward the two bodyguards at the door.

"Take them to my room; I want to sleep with them tonight!"

Chen Zheng's brow twitched upon hearing this. "You're really brave! You dare to sleep with them!"

Do foreigners have no taboos?

The two bodyguards responded and carefully walked to both sides of the terracotta warrior. One held the head and the other supported the base. They bent over and moved outwards inch by inch with their feet as light as if they were walking on cotton.

He turned around. "Why don't you have a meal before you go?"

After finishing his meal, Chen Zheng took his leave.

Muhsen escorted him to the door warmly, then shook his hand and said, "If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can let Assam know."

! ! ! !

Mr. Chen smiled and nodded in agreement, then got into his car and drove away.

Watching the convoy disappear into the distance, Muhsen's gaze deepened. "Interesting!"

Inside the car, Assam rolled the window up as far as it could go, letting in the hot Mediterranean wind that whipped his bangs back.

He tugged at his shirt collar and let out a long breath.

"Bruce, you're too bold. Do you know that when Pahlavi was staring at you in the hallway just now, my back was completely soaked with sweat. I was afraid he would swallow you whole."

"Swallow it? I could choke it to death!"

Chen Zheng leaned back in his seat and rolled the car window down halfway.

"With such a timid nature, how will you ever make a fortune?"

Assam's expression was a mix of anger and amusement: "Next time you have this kind of sudden outburst performance, can you give me a wink beforehand? When you suddenly rushed up and shouted 'Imam,' my heart almost jumped out of my throat. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold back my laughter, do you know that feeling?"

Chen Zheng flicked off his cigarette ash.

-

"That's the difference between you and me. If I had a background like yours, with a grandfather of that caliber, my family would be the only one left in the Bekaa Valley by now. Why would you be working as a lackey in that lousy trading company? You would be the Khomeini family's plenipotentiary representative in Lebanon."

Assam paused for a moment, opened his mouth as if to refute, but swallowed the words back.

He leaned back in his seat, staring at the sun-bleached gravel road outside the windshield. He remained silent for a few seconds, then sighed and shook his head.

"You are indeed more shameless. I admit that, I can't compare to you."

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm suing you for defamation!" Chen Zheng sat up straight immediately: "What do you mean by shameless? This is called humbling yourself."

He put the cigarette back in his mouth, took a drag, and the smoke wafted out from the corner of his mouth, spreading in the carriage. "In this society, do we even have a chance to make money standing up? It was all taken by those born with a silver spoon in their mouths eight lifetimes ago. If you could make money on your knees, do you believe the line would stretch all the way to New York? The line would be long enough to fill the entire Mediterranean Sea."

Assam was taken aback by his words, his lips twitched, and finally he let out a long sigh.

"You're right."

He nodded, his tone carrying a complex mix of emotions, "None of the successful business people I know are thin-skinned."

"That settles it." Chen Zheng flicked the cigarette ash out the window. "Alright, stop worrying about this."

Assam changed the subject, "But I still don't understand how you're so familiar with those things. You can even recite sentences from his books off the top of your head. That's not something you can cram for at the last minute. When did you read them?"

Chen Zheng pointed to his head, a hint of smugness on his face.

"That's called 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'."

"Opportunity favors the prepared mind. What do you think I was doing all those sleepless nights? Did you think I was watching porn or masturbating? Doing that too much will damage your brain. Time is not for wasting, but for enriching yourself."

Assam sized him up. "Damn it—you managed to show off!"

Chen Zheng waved his hand, too lazy to respond.

He rolled up the car window, and the air conditioning regained its power. He took a bottle of mineral water from the glove compartment, unscrewed the cap, and took two gulps.

"Right, let's get down to business."

He put the water bottle back, turned to look at Assam, and said, "Muhsen said he'd give me two outsourcing orders. You can help me choose the one with the higher unit price."

Assam crossed his arms and scoffed at these words.

"Do you think you'll get a chance to get one with a higher unit price?"

He shook his head. "I know the aid list that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard gave to the milk tea shop better than you do. Those high-tech items, guidance components, communication modules, special materials, are all made in the Revolutionary Guard's own factories. They will never leak out. What leaks out are the brackets, bases, shells, connectors, and other bulky, heavy, and low-profit junk."

Chen Zheng frowned slightly, but didn't reply, waiting for Assam to continue.

"but--"

Assam drawled, "There's one advantage to this junk: huge quantities. How huge? By the truckload. Truckload after truckload. Profit margins are thin, but the sheer volume makes up for it. Small profits, quick turnover, you understand?"

Chen Zheng nodded, his eyes lighting up.

He felt that his factory was somewhat "weak" and lacked something that would guarantee a stable income, and these official orders were exactly what he needed.

You can't possibly use so many high-tech devices to make the most basic "KT board drone", right?

Anyone could make that, right?

By the time others realize this, there will be competition in the market.

"Okay, low profit, high volume it is then."

He stubbed out his cigarette in the car ashtray, his tone decisive, "Then you keep an eye on things for me, anything in large quantities is fine, I'm not picky. Find me whatever you need: brackets, bases, casings, connectors, I'll make them all. It's more reliable than selling my AKMs one by one."

Assam nodded, took the crumpled notebook out of his pocket, uncapped the pen, and wrote a line on a blank page: "Outsourcing for bubble tea shops, stand and base type, large quantity, pending confirmation."

"I'll contact someone when I get back to find out the specific specifications, materials, tolerance requirements, delivery time, and payment terms, and then I'll compile them for you."

"You've worked hard." Chen Zheng patted him on the shoulder.

Assam stuffed the notebook back into his pocket, glanced at Chen Zheng, shook his head, and chuckled.

Assam leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment, and then spoke, his tone becoming much more serious.

"Bruce, I'm going to tell you the truth, and you might not like it."

"Speak."

"My boss might not be able to miss the act you put on today."

Chen Zheng's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't speak, waiting for Assam to finish speaking.

Assam continued, speaking slowly, each word seemingly rehearsed in his mind before uttering: "Do you know what kind of background my boss has? He's from the Khomeini family. He grew up in that kind of environment; what kind of people hasn't he seen? You're the umpteenth person to put on a show of piety and loyalty in front of him. Do you think he can't see through it?"

Chen Zheng rolled down the car window a crack to let the wind in.

"So what if I figured it out?"

Assam looked at him.

Chen Zheng continued, "But even the most powerful person needs someone to please them, doesn't he?"

Boss Chen just stared at him like that. "I'm like an entertainer in front of an ancient emperor. My performance is full of clowns, but the clowns can win the emperor's favor."

Who says actors can't be trusted confidants?

Suddenly, one person came to mind: An Lushan—

Chen Zheng mumbled, "In the business world, I can endure any hardship, but I absolutely cannot endure the hardship of being broke!"

""

His gaze was fixed on Assam. "When I stand at the top, people will only praise my courage and patience."

"Some of your ideas are too extreme, buddy," Assam said, exasperated.

Chen Zheng smiled and didn't argue. "Maybe so. Let's leave the future to the future."

The car turned onto the main road leading to Zahle city, where the road surface changed from gravel to asphalt, and the sound of the wheels turning over it changed from a crunching sound to a low hum.

The buildings on both sides of the road have changed from vineyards and olive groves to dense residential areas, with shops one after another selling everything from fruits and vegetables to clothes, hardware and electrical appliances.

There were quite a few people on the street, including locals in long robes and Western tourists in windbreakers, carrying large and small bags and taking pictures everywhere.

Several children were kicking a deflated soccer ball by the roadside. The ball rolled into the middle of the road, and one of the children chased after it, almost getting hit by a car. The driver honked the horn loudly, and the child's mother rushed out from the roadside, grabbed the child's arm, dragged him back to the side of the road, and cursed under her breath.

Chen Zheng watched this scene and chuckled.

"This place is quite lively."

Assam leaned back in his chair and followed his gaze.

"It's almost the weekend, and it'll be market day in Zahle, so there will be even more people."

Chen Zheng nodded.

The car drove through Zahle city, turned several streets, and stopped in front of a hotel.

The hotel has a small facade, three floors, a beige exterior with green shutters, and several Toyota pickup trucks and an older Mercedes-Benz parked in front.

The doorman, dressed in a red uniform and wearing a golden tassel hat, ran over and opened the car door.

Chen Zheng climbed out of the car, the sunlight hitting his face so brightly that he squinted.

He took his phone out of his pocket to check the time, and was about to walk into the hotel when his phone vibrated.

The name on the screen is Khalid.

He answered the call and held the phone to his ear.

"Boss!"

Khalid's voice came through the receiver, brimming with excitement, "It's blown up! It's blown up!"

Chen Zheng frowned. "What exploded? Be more careful."

NATO has launched airstrikes on Libya!

"The arms trade is booming!"

Global energy prices have also risen!

"Boss, shouldn't we raise our prices too?!"