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Chapter 447 The Demon Released Ahead of Schedule

Ohio, old factory buildings.

The old plaque with the Chrysler logo on the outer wall at the entrance has been removed and replaced with a brand new KAS Defense plaque.

At the factory gate, Thomson stood alone, his faded work jacket still bearing traces of oil stains from his time working at the Chrysler factory.

With reddened eyes, I stared at the old factory building that was both familiar and unfamiliar, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

It wasn't because the old factory was about to resume production, but because of the rows of neatly parked military vehicles and cars in front of the administration building, and the several American soldiers in camouflage uniforms and carrying guns around the perimeter.

how many years.

Even at its peak, this factory never had so many military leaders inspect it.

Inside the administration building, in a spacious conference room, the marks of time are clearly visible; the paint on the walls is somewhat mottled, and there are even tiny cracks in some areas.

Fortunately, the entire conference room was clean and bright, and the floor was spotless; otherwise, it would have been uninhabitable.

At this moment, the room was filled with military leaders. Military representatives in uniform sat on one side of the conference table, their rank insignia clearly visible on their shoulder straps.

On the other side of the conference table were gentlemen dressed in suits; these were the board members of Case Defense.

Massim sat in a dark leather chair, leaning slightly forward, with his hands folded on the conference table.

He first glanced at the board member representing the elephant sitting next to him. Their eyes met in mid-air, and they both caught a hint of confusion in each other's eyes.

Immediately, both of them turned their gazes to Ernst in the main seat, wondering if the other had gone too far this time.

Through their connections as board members, they've summoned so many powerful representatives from the military and Ministry of National Defense. If they don't give an explanation today, this joke has gone too far.

Despite the stares of the crowd, Ernst remained calm. He slowly flipped through the contracts in front of him, the soft rustling of the pages clearly audible in the quiet meeting room.

After a moment, he raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, before slowly speaking, "After Chrysler Defense sold off its major stake in 1996, it still had $1.2 million worth of maintenance contracts outstanding. Now, these contracts have been officially transferred to Case Defense."

"But I want to make it clear that I didn't establish Cass Defense to become a repairman."

Seeing the furrowed brows of the military representatives and board members present, Ernst chuckled softly and continued, "Of course, I'm not against maintenance business. If the military can provide more maintenance contracts in the future, and the scale of cooperation expands further, I wouldn't mind continuing to undertake this part of the business."

"After all, a business that makes money is a good business."

An elderly man, adorned with various medals and badges, sitting to Ernst's left, finally lost his composure and spoke in a loud but slightly angry voice, "What exactly are you trying to say? Our time is very precious, and we don't have time to listen to you go on and on, so stop wasting everyone's time."

The old man had no interest in Ernst, this rapidly rising American tycoon.

If it weren't for the connections the elephants used, he would never have been willing to travel all this way to this godforsaken place.

Faced with the old man's dissatisfaction and questioning, Ernst looked at this military procurement guru and said sincerely, "I didn't mean to waste everyone's time. I invited you all here today to discuss a deal with the Defense Acquisition Council, a huge deal that could contribute tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars to the Department of Defense every year."

The phrase "a business worth hundreds of billions of dollars" is enough to get the nerves of everyone present.

The key issue is making hundreds of billions of dollars, not spending hundreds of billions of dollars.

"What business?" The old man's angry expression vanished instantly, his breathing became heavy, his chest rose and fell slightly with each breath, and his eyes were fixed on Ernst's face.

Ernst did not answer, but slowly picked up the contract in front of him and carefully read it again, as if the contract contained the key to wealth.

Seeing this, the others in the conference room exchanged glances, and finally the old man spoke up, saying, "I can help you secure a contract renewal with the Army."

Ernst remained unmoved, focused intently on the contract in his hand.

"Six hundred million dollars over ten years, that's the maximum we can offer."

"Is the Department of Defense going to give CAST Defence a new maintenance contract?" Ernst asked with delight.

The old man's face darkened instantly. He had meant to say "renewal," but now it had become "addition."

However, considering the huge business deal the other party described, he could only grit his teeth and nod.

"Then thank you to the Department of Defense for its support of CASE Defense."

The contract is worth $600 million over ten years. Adding the remaining $120 million for the four-year contract held by Case Defense, the contract size has doubled, with the average annual maintenance cost reaching $90 million.

Last year, the U.S. Army spent a total of $980 million on the maintenance of main battle tanks and various military vehicles. This $90 million annual maintenance budget already represents a significant proportion of its total expenses.

However, Ernst still didn't mention the big deal, which finally made the old man's patience run out. His voice carried a clear hint of pressure and anger: "Don't go too far. This isn't a place for scrambling to do everything yourself."

He was telling Ernst that even if he revealed the money-making plan, it wouldn't just be the people in the room sharing the spoils; the entire military would be involved.

If you don't speak up today, you'll offend not only these individuals, but the entire military.

Ernst certainly understood the deeper meaning behind the other party's words, and he was also aware of the complex web of interests within the military.

"My plan will lead to the military purchasing some vehicles, and this order must be handled by Cass Defense."

"No problem," the old man readily agreed.

Your plan and the orders you receive are perfectly flawless.

As for whether someone will be envious of this order in the future, that's not his concern.

Ernst wasn't stupid, but securing the existing benefits was the key.

As he spoke, he got up and pushed over a whiteboard with a map of the area hanging on it.

The map of the Middle East is familiar to everyone present.

Ernst drew several circles on the map and said, "These are oil-producing areas in the Middle East, and the powers in these areas don't have a good relationship with the United States."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Even Massim was getting impatient this time.

Ernst gave him a calming look and pointed to the markings above.

"What I'm trying to say is that the military has conducted so many military operations in the Middle East, at a tremendous cost in terms of manpower, resources, and finances. Why do we always withdraw after each operation instead of maintaining a presence in these key oil-producing regions to protect the legitimate interests of American citizens there?"

Seeing everyone frowning and looking like they hadn't reacted yet, Ernst inwardly despised these guys, thinking they liked to do bad things but weren't very bright.

"According to U.S. law, as long as the land belongs to me, all the resources hidden beneath that land also belong to me."

Now everyone understood that Ernst was referring to those oil fields.

"Stealing oil?"

Ernst shook his head, a meaningful smile on his face. "No, that's robbery. We're just controlling the oil to prevent it from falling into the hands of terrorism. The money from selling it will be used to buy food and distribute it to the local starving people."

In short, the righteous cause stood firm, and even managed to get the grain merchants on board.

"It's not just about oil; I know of many regions that are covered in leafy plants, and much of it has even flowed into the United States. As a soldier, I think the U.S. military's control over these leafy plantations is a form of protection for its own citizens."

Stealing oil in the Middle East and planting leaves in Afghanistan and Central America later became a legitimate way for the US military to make extra money.

The U.S. military's defense budget in 2024 is $8420 billion, of which only $1700 billion is for salaries, but these side incomes alone have earned more than $2300 billion.

However, the US military is still quite well-behaved now; these things were only started after 03.

Ernst simply unleashed the demons deep within them ahead of time, while simultaneously securing an order for his Cass Defense.

Since General Dynamics holds the rights to produce tanks, let's develop armored vehicles instead.

Stealing oil? You can't exactly use tanks to escort it, can you? That's too slow.

But military vehicles aren't safe either. Who can guarantee that a terrorist won't set up a rocket launcher and fire at you?

Then we can develop a fast and well-protected tank.

Of course, Ernst was also determined to win the order for tanker trucks, but not for production; it would be for rebranding.

What is meant by "acceptance"?

Don't worry about whether I have it or not, as long as I can deliver the equipment that meets the contract requirements on time.