America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 346 Medellín

Having settled the mining work, Zhang Ailun led his team away from the survey site and then contacted Andre, a mining businessman in Colombia, to convey his desire to purchase mining machines and to explain his identity and purpose.

Upon receiving the news, Andrei's first reaction was not joy, but shock and horror.

Andrei: You want to buy my mining rigs? Are you working for the Silver Island guerrillas? Don't even dream about it!! I've been at odds with you guerrillas for ages, you won't get any assets from me! I'm already prepared to sell the factory to the government and the state, at least they're willing to give me some retirement money, you'll get nothing! Damn guerrillas!!

When the Grand Master received his message, he immediately realized that the kid was probably being overly cautious.

However, it's understandable. After all, the other party went from being a well-off, legitimate tycoon to being tormented by the guerrillas to the point of not being able to eat or sleep properly, and almost losing his family and his wife and children.

Zhang Ailun: You've misunderstood me, Mr. Andre. I'm not a guerrilla. On the contrary, I'm friends with the Colombian government. Silver Island is now my property, and I'm preparing to invest in some mining work there. I've already arranged the manpower; all I lack is some professional equipment. You're currently residing on San Andreas Island, right? If it's convenient, I can bring some people to visit you now and discuss the acquisition.

Andrei: You even know where I am? And you still say you're not a guerrilla?

Zhang Ailun: This isn't a secret, is it? Haven't you heard about the recent news related to Colombia? I had friendly talks with Colombian Congressman Dacchi, and they've sold Silver Island to me. I've also taken care of the guerrillas. And there's this guy named Golza who was in a plane crash. What a misfortune.

Andrei: The partisans' Golza suffered a plane crash? Really? I don't really know much about that, please wait a moment.

Andrei was taken aback and quickly consulted his friends in the government. The results confirmed the information, and he hurriedly sent a message to the leader.

Andrei: I'm sorry, Mr. Kim, I was being too sensitive and mistakenly thought you were a member of the guerrillas and were helping them plunder my assets!

Andrei: The guerrillas were truly despicable. They had been harassing me and my family for a long time, using all sorts of despicable means to try to take away my mining equipment and property, making my life and my family's lives miserable. I had no choice but to seek help from the government, spend a sum of money on charitable donations to obtain political asylum, and abandon my property in Medellín with my family to seek refuge on the island of San Andreas.

Zhang Ailun: It's okay. You businessmen who do business in Colombia do need to be more vigilant. Your approach is not wrong either. I only recently came up with the idea of ​​buying Silver Island, and now I have successfully taken over the island. There is no longer any threat, so I can focus on mining.

Andrei: Mr. Kim, how did you manage to take back the island from those guerrillas? They were all ruthless terrorists.

Zhang Ailun: Because of my good relationship with the US military, I've met more elite units involved in things like arms dealing. In comparison, the Colombian guerrillas are nothing to brag about.

Got it, you're an arms dealer.

No wonder they were able to easily deal with the guerrillas; when they tried to outgun the arms dealers, it was like an egg hitting a rock. Hearing this, Andrei was completely relieved and warmly welcomed the Grand Master to acquire his assets.

Andre: It is an honor for me that Mr. Kim has the idea of ​​purchasing mining equipment from us. I have more than ten factories of various sizes in different mining areas in Colombia, with all kinds of professional and advanced equipment and engineering mechanics. I can say that I am the only one in Colombia. Other mining companies cannot compare with me.

Andre: But I was targeted by guerrillas, so I had to withdraw my equity investments in factories across various regions. Currently, I only have one large mining plant in Medellín. My company used to work at the Buritica mine in Medellín, which is Colombia's most modern large-scale gold mining project, creating numerous jobs for local workers. But since the guerrillas came knocking, they've tried to coerce and entice me with despicable means. My company hasn't been open for a long time, and all the important machinery is there. If you're interested in acquiring it, I can sell it to you at a low price, provided you can dispel the guerrillas' covetousness.

Zhang Ailun: I've already dealt with the guerrillas on Silver Island. Those guerrillas who coveted your factory equipment are probably from the same organization. I believe they wouldn't be so foolish as to offend me. You can act under my name; I guarantee no one will mess with you unless they want to get shot!

Andre: Mr. Kim, I can take you to the Medellin factory in Colombia right now to see the equipment, and then we can discuss the purchase price. I can also help you with the transportation.

Zhang Ailun: That's great.

After chatting for a few more minutes and agreeing to meet at the Medellin airport, Zhang Ailun put away his phone, called Boketu and Bailey, and asked them to bring a few people to fly to Medellin, Colombia.

Silver Island is not far from Colombia. It only took a few tens of minutes for the plane to successfully arrive at Medellín Airport and land smoothly. The Warthog A10 even arrived ten minutes ahead of schedule.

Zhang Ailun had already communicated with Congressman Dutch beforehand during the flight, so when an armed attack aircraft flew into Colombian airspace and landed inside the airport, all the procedures went smoothly.

Upon arriving at the Colombian airport, Zhang Ailun contacted Andrei again. Andrei had already arrived at Medellín airport from San Andreas Island on a private jet and was currently en route to pick him up in a private vehicle. After receiving the news, the Grand Master also chose to wait at the airport with his men.

I sat down to rest in the airport's VIP service area and had a cup of coffee to refresh myself. Fully armed soldiers were on guard nearby. Airport staff had also received notification from the government that a VIP would be landing at the airport and were prepared to receive him.

Unexpectedly, an American Warthog attack aircraft arrived at Medellín Airport first, followed by a Cirrus private jet landing on the runway with heavily armed bodyguards on board!

The airport manager felt that this VIP must be someone important, and after preparing the passenger registration list, he also brought people over to greet them.

"Mr. Jin, do you have any other needs? If you are concerned about your personal safety or have any other special needs, I can introduce you to a professional security team. They will ensure your personal safety throughout your stay in Medellin and provide protection for your tourism and sightseeing."

The airport manager also introduced the leader to the group.

Many guerrilla members recruited and incorporated by the government are subsequently organized into local security teams to provide protection and services to wealthy individuals. They are familiar with the local environment and can help the rich avoid unnecessary harassment and trouble, as they only need to inform other organizations in advance.

Don't touch this person, or something terrible will happen!!

If you dare touch him, the government forces will come after you the very next day.

"I'm waiting for someone to pick me up. I don't need any other services for now. You can go about your business," Zhang Ailun replied.

Looking at these security teams, I noticed that they were all former guerrilla fighters.

While waiting, the Grand Master noticed that many people were paying attention to the situation here. The crowd was mixed and their identities were unclear, so he didn't want to attract too much attention here.

After all, this was the first time the Grand Master had come to Colombia, and it was Medellín no less.

Although there are no major drug lords here now, drug cartels, smuggling activities, and guerrilla organizations still exist, so the level of security is not secure, although it is much better than before.

If you are a regular traveler or a poor person, then you are safe.

After all, no one wants to waste their energy on a poor person. Poor people aren't very healthy either; they smoke and drink, their lungs are black, and their kidneys are weak.

If you have money, good health, and no connections, then you're not so safe in a big way. Medellin, you've really come to the right place, my good brother!

You've just passed through the checkpoint with your medical report, and the next second someone is eagerly welcoming you to get on the bus.

Where you go is no longer up to you.

After finishing their conversation with the leader, the airport staff turned and left.

The soldier on guard observed the situation outside and returned to report to the leader: "Commander, there are at least a dozen local gangs, smuggling rings, drug traffickers, and guerrilla informants outside. The airport here is a densely populated area, and kidnappings and smuggling incidents frequently occur."

"Ignore them. This is an airport. Many travelers from other countries board their planes here. They are unlikely to cause a riot here unless they want to become famous internationally! Their kidnapping plans are always purposeful. They wouldn't just target a rich person and act recklessly."

Zhang Ailun didn't care. Even the most brainless kidnappers wouldn't act recklessly and disregard the rules. Such an organization would have been wiped out by the government forces or other hostile forces long ago.

He glanced at the time and instructed, "Have some water and rest. Don't worry, just think of it as a sightseeing trip."

The soldiers remained noncommittal, outwardly sitting down and ordering coffee and dessert, but secretly becoming even more vigilant. They only relaxed when Andrei's convoy arrived at the airport, got out of several off-road vehicles, and came over with a dozen security personnel.

Andrei and his men inquired with the airport staff and learned about the VIP room where the Grand Master was located. They then brought their men over to knock on the door and offer their greetings.

"Hello, Mr. Kim, I am Andrei."

As Zhang Ailun stepped outside, he saw a middle-aged man with white hair, smiled, and shook hands with him. "Hello, Mr. Andre, I am Hamberg Juankin."

"Mr. Jin, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I hope you haven't encountered any trouble here?" Andrei asked eagerly.

"I can't imagine anyone being so foolish as to come looking for trouble with me," Zhang Ailun chuckled.

"You're right, that Warthog attack aircraft outside is yours?" Andrei noticed an A-10 parked at the airport and exclaimed in amazement.

"That's right. Have you taken care of all your personal matters? Now you can take me to visit the factory and the mining equipment, right? I have other things to take care of this afternoon and evening." Zhang Ailun urged him a little.

"It's all taken care of. I can take you there now." Andrei hurriedly had someone prepare a car and led the leader to the waiting area, where they got into the SUV.

Zhang Ailun left Bailey and Boketu at the airport and took only a few people by car to the mining machine factory.

The vehicle left the airport and headed towards the mining area of ​​Medellín. Everything went smoothly without any setbacks. The surrounding towns were developing rapidly and had made great progress compared to the last century. They were not as dilapidated as I had imagined. After all, Medellín has Colombia's largest gold mine, which will, to some extent, radiate wealth to working-class families.

The mining machine factory was reached in just over ten minutes.

After getting off the bus, Zhang Ailun glanced at the seemingly deserted mountain area. There were hardly any people there, and apart from the factory buildings and a few shantytowns, the rest of the area appeared even more desolate.

Andrei also invited the Grand Master to the factory. After arriving, he saw various pieces of equipment parked inside, as well as more than a dozen engineering mechanics living there.

Andrei had them start up and inspect all sorts of equipment to ensure that there were no quality issues and that the equipment could be put into use after purchase.

He explained, "Due to harassment and obstruction from the guerrillas, I haven't been able to officially resume operations for several months. During this time, I've laid off many employees and lost a lot of money. Previously, government officials approached me to negotiate the purchase of this entire set of industrial equipment, which I was still considering. This equipment was advanced equipment that I imported from abroad using US dollars, but the government was only willing to settle the payment in Colombian pesos, which would undoubtedly cause me a significant financial loss. Now that Mr. Kim is willing to step in to purchase these items, I certainly don't need to worry about it anymore."

Zhang Ailun glanced at the equipment; there were all sorts of mining machines, and none of them had any problems. Once transported to Silver Island, they could be put into use for mining operations immediately.

He inquired, "Mr. Andrei, at what price do you intend to sell these devices?"

"When I first purchased this advanced equipment, it cost a total of $1500 million. I also frequently hire people to debug and maintain the equipment. Now, with the surge in demand for mining work in Colombia, the price of this equipment has increased rather than decreased, and it can be sold for $2000 million."

Andre explained, "The price I negotiated with the Colombian government was 875 billion pesos, which is about 2000 million US dollars. But if Mr. Kim is willing to settle in US dollars, I can just sell it for the original price of 1500 million US dollars."

Zhang Ailun searched for prices of various mining equipment and found that if this set of equipment were purchased on the West Coast, a single advanced crusher would cost nearly $500,000. A package of large ultrasonic crushers would cost at least $2 million.

Other modern industrial equipment such as drilling machines, rock drills, electric shovels, pneumatic picks, water pumps, crushers, excavators, heavy trucks, belt conveyors... even second-hand products would cost more than 20 million US dollars to acquire.

The initial investment is so high, not even including labor and utilities, it's more expensive than the entire Silver Island. No wonder those guerrilla members are trying to take the wrong path and rack their brains to get this equipment for free.

Furthermore, they are unsure whether there are actually silver coins and gold on Silver Island. If they spend nearly $3000 million to purchase equipment but fail to produce any silver or gold coins, who will bear the loss?

The island's scenery has been damaged, and no treasure has been discovered yet. Even if they wanted to continue developing tourism, no one would want to come anymore. Since the risks are so high, they might as well continue using the Silver Island treasure as a gimmick to sell tickets.

This is one of the main reasons why the guerrillas have held onto Silver Island for so many years without mining the treasure. Another reason is the resistance from the government. The people within the guerrillas are not a united front and are unwilling to give up the ticket revenue from Silver Island. They want both.

Now look what's happened: the money's gone, and the island's gone too.

All of it went to the Grand Master.