America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 204 My Lord, Times Have Changed

Zhang Ailun had his Beggars' Sect disciples drive the sand truck back to the city to return the vehicle, while he and Sieg drove to Lancaster.

I took out my phone and searched for location information. I found a mountainous area near Lancaster, turned on navigation, and then drove there.

"Boss, aren't we going back to the city?" Sig asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's quite lively over in Lancaster. There was a robbery at the Garden Bank. Most of the people from the Black Ribbon Gang were arrested and killed, but one driver escaped. I've received some reliable information, so maybe I can pick up some bargains if I go there now."

Zhang Ailun didn't reveal much, and Sieg didn't ask any further questions, understanding that the Grand Master was trying to rely on his incredible luck to snag a bargain again.

The escort vehicle was driven to the target location. Soon, after arriving at the Lancaster highway, state police were seen checking vehicles along the way. All vehicles trying to enter the city were stopped by the state police and pulled over for inspection.

Soon it was their turn to drive the armored truck. Zhang Ailun showed the police officers his driver's license and explained that he was going there to do some business.

The state police didn't give them any trouble. They checked the authenticity of the documents and returned them to Zhang Ailun, explaining, "There has been a serious robbery in Lancaster, and many highways are temporarily closed. You'd better plan a suitable route in advance and take a detour through suburban roads or mountain trails into the city."

"These robbers are so brazen! There was a serious robbery at the entertainment venue in Little Rock a while ago. Good heavens, what's going on lately? I wonder if those thugs have been caught yet!"

Zhang Ailun was shocked, his acting skills were on point, and he felt deeply regretful about it.

"It's always been like this here, but serious incidents don't happen often. You outsiders don't come here often either, so you'll get used to it."

The state troopers didn't seem to care, returned the documents to the two men, greeted the troopers next to them, and quickly let them through.

Have a pleasant journey, gentlemen.

"Have a nice day, officer," Zhang Ailun greeted with a smile, rolled up the window, and stepped on the gas, leaving the roadblock area.

Watching the state troopers continue their vehicle checks in the rearview mirror, the chief couldn't help but remark, "Criminals discussing their cases in front of the officers—it seems pretty good to get away with it like this?"

No wonder many criminals go to the site to investigate after committing their crimes.

"From a psychological perspective, this is an emotion that extends towards abnormal psychology," Sieg said.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Ailun looked at Sieg with hostility. "You think I'm a pervert? Well, you're no better; you're an accomplice."

"It seems the Little Rock case has had a significant impact on the industry, with many people eager to try their luck," Sieg quickly changed the subject.

"It's a pity they failed," Zhang Ailun said.

Otherwise, this would be another success story.

With the highway blocked, Zhang Ailun chose to take a detour, turning the steering wheel towards the mountains, since his original plan was to go uphill anyway.

Although the police officers arrested the members of the Black Ribbon robbery team, they left no survivors and had no idea where their agreed meeting point was.

The armored truck drove smoothly on the mountain road. There were no other vehicles nearby. The road was difficult to navigate, and the navigation system was no longer showing its location.

Zhang Ailun simply parked the car in an open area halfway up the mountain, got out, and started hiking with Sieg, carrying their gear.

It took them almost half an hour to climb to the top of the mountain, but there were no buildings there. Sig was a little doubtful. "Boss, are you sure those criminals would come all this way to sell their stolen goods?"

"Didn't we meet at the villa on the mountaintop last time? They'll definitely be looking for a sparsely populated place. I checked the location, and this area is the only suitable place to hide," Zhang Ailun replied.

They quickly found a Buick riddled with bullet holes on the side road; the tires were blown out, the windows were shattered, and the front bumper was flat.

"There really are cars they left behind here!!" Sig was incredulous.

The presence of a vehicle means those people did indeed reach the mountain, and their base camp is right here. Did the Grand Master really guess correctly? Are you a god?

Soon, Sieg found footprints and bloodstains in the forest. He used his field tracking skills to search carefully and found an inconspicuous little wooden house deep in the forest.

"Boss! We've found something else!"

Sig shouted, summoning the Grand Master over. While somewhat surprised, he also had doubts. "Is there really a place to live here? Ordinary people certainly wouldn't think of coming here."

As you approach the cabin, you'll find bloodstained fingerprints. The door wasn't closed properly, and footprints indicate that someone went inside.

Zhang Ailun pulled out his gun and reminded, "Search the area carefully again to see if there are any other living people."

Sieg agreed, took out his gun, and went to check the surrounding environment.

Pushing open the door, the cabin was quiet and simply furnished. The tables, chairs, and benches showed signs of insect and rodent damage. There were some empty wine bottles and construction maps on the table.

Zhang Ailun glanced at it and saw that there were writing and drawing marks on it. It looked like a bank's design blueprints. They had carefully planned a robbery here!

They quickly discovered a person lying on the sofa in the cubicle, with a black handbag next to them. There was blood on the handle, which was probably the bag containing money.

Zhang Ailun walked over with his gun and tentatively called out, "Hey, buddy, are you alright?"

"Okay, looks like you're not doing too well..."

Pointing the gun at his head, I leaned closer and saw that he was covered in blood, with several bullet holes in his chest, and had been cold for a long time.

God knows how he braved a hail of bullets and stubbornly made his way here. Daring to rob a bank, he's a tough guy, just a bit unlucky.

Zhang Ailun put on gloves, opened the black briefcase, revealing stacks of green US dollars. After counting them, he found a total of 26 US dollars!

"Boss, I've checked. There's only this small cabin nearby, and no one else."

Sieg pushed open the door and entered, quickly noticing the handbag. Curious, he leaned closer for a look and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "So much money?"

"How could the assets we got from the bank be missing?" Zhang Ailun smiled.

He casually took out two stacks of US dollars and tossed them to Sieg. "Go check the surroundings again and see if there's anything valuable. Consider this your share of the profits."

Sieg counted the money and found that he had received a bonus of $2. It was a windfall!

I scratched my head, never expecting that making money would be such an easy thing!

I just can't understand why someone can be so lucky! It all comes down to the Grand Master! He's got a real knack for getting rich by finding bargains.

Zhang Ailun accepted the remaining money, bringing his total wealth to a staggering 120 million.

A Mayweather armored escort vehicle costs around $18, so you could buy six at once.

Each Gazelle attack helicopter is limited to $22, and you can buy five. But the Grand Master certainly doesn't need that many.

After getting the money, Sieg searched the cabin but found nothing except a few unnumbered pistols and shotguns.

Zhang Ailun picked up his briefcase, had Sieg clean up the mess, and then prepared to leave.

Back on the mountainside, we got into the escort vehicle and drove down the mountain without any obstacles. We drove on the mountain road, located the coordinates of Lei Huo Company's exhibition on our mobile phones, and started heading to Hangar B-52 on Agula Mountain.

Midway through, Zhang Ailun received another message from Dominic, which he glanced at.

Dominic: Someone ordered the glider and the victim's coin, and they're willing to pay a total of $100,000! I've already sold the coin to them, and they paid $80,000, but the client says they need to inspect the glider in person.

Zhang Ailun: Okay, once I finish my work here, I'll go back to deliver those things. You can have him wait for us at the airport first. [Location coordinates]

Dominic: Aren't you in the city right now?

Zhang Ailun: Sieg and I are preparing to attend a private arms exhibition hosted by an arms company to purchase several armored escort vehicles. Once I've settled things here, I'll have time then.

Dominic: Okay, I'll let the buyer know. You guys go ahead with your business, I won't keep you from doing it any longer.

Zhang Ailun put away his phone and focused on driving. He then asked Sig to notify the Beggars' Sect disciples who had returned to the city to call over Boketu, who was skilled at flying, and Qibatu, the madman of the ground crew, to help appraise the weapons and goods that needed to be purchased and to escort them back by car.

It took us almost half an hour to finally arrive at the airport in Agula Mountain. There were quite a few buildings along the roadside, making it seem more like a small town near the highway.

Zhang Ailun parked the armed escort vehicle nearby, got out, and led Sieg over. They found that there were quite a few security personnel near the airport's hangar area.

Zhang Ailun showed them his Armed Nation credentials, explaining that he was there to attend the exhibition. Soon, staff members came to greet them, and they swiped their cards to enter, thus smoothly walking inside.

Upon arriving at the exhibition's hangar area, one finds numerous armored vehicles and trucks carrying military supply crates, all parked on the ground. Inside the open green boxes are brand-new weapons, clearly labeled with their prices.

Lei Huo staff members, dressed in suits and wearing badges, introduced the guests.

一箱5.56子弹售价860美元，一箱24盒，一盒24颗，一颗5.56子弹价格低至1.2美元。

The OpsCore tactical helmet has a wholesale price of $190. The individual laser rangefinder has a wholesale price of $1900. The military tablet PC with network card system has a wholesale price of $10000.

The HK416 assault rifle, priced at over $2500, can be equipped with a vertical grip and a high-powered scope. An M16 costs approximately $800, and adding an OpsCore tactical helmet (market price $200) and an Interceptor body armor vest (valued at $250) completes the basic "hard gear" setup.

As for the "soft equipment" in addition to the three-piece set, it mainly includes auxiliary tools such as tactical gloves and backpacks, as well as small accessories such as night vision goggles and noise-canceling headphones.

The most unassuming noise-canceling headphones cost a few hundred dollars each, but a simple night vision device can cost $4000! The wholesale price is around $3200.

There are also high-tech military products, such as the Black Bee, a military-grade micro-drone.

Measuring 16 cm in length and 2.5 cm in height, it features a full dynamic imaging camera and still image capabilities, weighs 33 grams, boasts high-precision radar control, and comes bundled with two Black Bee drones for alternating use. Priced at a staggering $19.

The number and variety of more affordable civilian micro-drones are far greater. These include rotary-wing drones, biomimetic drones, and amphibious drones.

Civilian drones are mostly made of plastic or composite materials, powered primarily by electric motors, and carry full HD or 4K cameras as reconnaissance payloads. The camera performance determines their reconnaissance capabilities. Additional attack payloads can be installed for dropping lightweight munitions, and they are priced around $200-$3000.

Civilian drones are battlefield consumables, and the biggest difference between them and military drones is their resistance to interference, much like the difference between a demolition toy and a weapon of mass destruction.

Truly high-end large drones cost tens of millions of US dollars and are equipped with advanced C4 systems, or brain-training systems and Thousand-Hand Guanyin systems.

A single electromagnetic interference missile can instantly destroy 10 civilian-modified drones in a war zone, burning through their circuit boards and rendering them unusable. However, it may not be able to destroy professional large military drones, because they have superhuman protective capabilities.

However, from an economic perspective, the most economical and practical option for ordinary battlefields is still the civilian-use micro-drone with firepower, which is low-cost and quick to take effect.

Even if Usain Bolt came, you could run on the ground until your kidneys gave out, but you still couldn't outrun a drone flying in the sky. You could be taken down in an instant, the moment you show your face!

The difference between ordinary radar signal scanning and modern electronic warfare active phased array radar is like this: a martial arts master issues an order, and thousands of scouts run out and then run back to report the news.

Furthermore, a cultivator in the Mahayana stage can instantly unleash their divine sense domain, leaving no place untouched by even an ant.

If you're unhappy, you can conveniently seal off all five senses of your entire army. A loud shout can burn through your eardrums, extinguish your brain's chip, and turn you into an idiot with a screen full of static.

Playing Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf on a loop in your brain a hundred times, or even playing short films for you while eating shumai.

What's the point of playing this game?

Without radar, missiles are like blind soldiers who can't even fire arrows; even nuclear weapons would be rendered useless.

Aircraft carrier? If an aircraft carrier goes blind at sea, you'll have to go back to the Age of Exploration and crawl back using a compass!

Electronic warfare is so domineering, it's a game of overwhelming force, manipulating everything at will, it's not even in the same league.

My lord, times have changed.

Those who can come here to participate in the exhibition are basically armed nations with star-level qualifications. The higher the reputation score and weight of the gun store, the higher the discount you can enjoy when shopping here.

The purchase price of arms dealers cannot be the same as the market selling price, otherwise how would they make money?

Although it was called an exhibition, the Grand Master thought it was more like a market for independent cultivators.

There were even two arms dealers arguing heatedly over a mere 1.5% discount.

Zhang Ailun led Sieg around the exhibition and unexpectedly bumped into the owner of the Armed Nation on West Street. The owner seemed surprised to see them and greeted them with a smile, "You're here for the exhibition too? Is there anything you like?"

"We do want to get a few armored trucks. Are you also planning to buy goods here?" Zhang Ailun asked, somewhat surprised.

"Buying goods? No, I'm here to sell!"

The boss of Armed Nation smiled slightly and pointed to a modified Black Hawk helicopter not far away, vividly demonstrating to the two what it means to be an industry leader.

"I no longer make money by selling ordinary guns and ammunition. It's more about exchanging interests with certain people. If you want to make big money, you have to do more business. That decommissioned Black Hawk helicopter, although it's a bit damaged, can still fetch $500 million in the third world market, but I only spent $70 to buy it."

You are truly remarkable.

They made several million dollars just by reselling it!

"for example?"

Zhang Ailun humbly sought advice from the other party.

"That deal you made today was quite good. The major at the Luo Jinwei military base seemed to have a very high opinion of you. Keep up the good work, and you'll definitely earn more money and get more business in the future," the Armed Nation boss smiled.

Seeing that some acquaintances were approaching, he turned to the two of them and said, "My friend is here. I'm going to discuss a deal with them. You two can continue your tour."

"OK".

Watching the other person leave, Zhang Ailun led Sieg to the area where armed escort vehicles were sold and spoke with the staff.

There's no change in price; you can drive it away with a full payment of $18. If you're shipping it over, you'll need to pay an additional shipping fee.

The thrifty and hardworking leader naturally chose to have one of his own people drive the car, saving on transportation costs.

"Can we test drive it?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"Of course. This vehicle is a custom-made bulletproof version by Mayweather. Its run-flat tires can withstand the sweeping of small-caliber bullets, and its bulletproof glass can withstand close-range shotgun fire. It can perform transport missions on mountainous and rough gravel roads."

The staff handed the car keys to the two men, and Zhang Ailun got into the car and started the armored vehicle.

It feels like the driving experience and power are even better than the armored vehicles from Armed Nation.

After circling the site a few times, and even testing the vehicle's performance on specially designed rough terrain and sandy swamps, the power and engine were indeed very strong.

After getting off the bus, he discussed it with Sieg and immediately decided to buy three armored vehicles.

With four armored vehicles taking turns to handle orders, that's basically enough.

The staff member replied, "Currently, there are 20 armored escort vehicles for sale at the exhibition. Six of them have already been ordered. Only two of them are the Mayweather Company custom version. Most of the remaining vehicles are bulletproof escort vehicles produced by our Thunderfire Company."

"What's the difference?" Zhang Ailun, who didn't know much about brands, immediately asked.

"There is no difference in quality. The Thunderfire Company's armored vehicles are still the latest models. It's just that most people prefer to buy armored vehicles from big brands, even if it's a car that was produced in the inventory several years ago."

The staff member explained, "The market price for a Thunderfire armored truck is around $20, but now you can buy one for only $18."

So the customer actually benefited?

"Since there's not much difference, let's all choose Thunderfire. I personally don't care much about brand reputation; practicality is the best."

Zhang Ailun followed the staff to the hangar to take a look at the actual vehicle. It was basically the same as before, with run-flat tires and bulletproof facilities, as well as a one-button alarm, emergency call function, and satellite communication function.

If you are considering installing heavy firepower on the escort vehicle, you will need to purchase additional equipment, such as machine guns, large-caliber cannons, Vulcan Gatling guns, or howitzers on the roof. However, once such weapons are modified, the vehicle cannot be parked in the city and must be parked in the suburbs.

After all, no one can guarantee what you'll be doing driving this kind of car in the city!

Are you still escorting weapons?

They believed you when you said you were going to bomb the bank vault doors or stage a terrorist attack on the city government!

(End of this chapter)