Niger, Niamey International Airport.
"Buddy, haha, we meet again." Robert passionately greeted and embraced Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen awkwardly shoved him away. "Ahem, I think it's better if we just shake hands."
"No, no, no, this is to sincerely express my remorse." He pounded Jiang Chen's back quite vigorously. Then he walked in front of a Hummer and exaggeratedly opened the door with a teasing smile. "Please get in the car, Your Honorable Dictatorship."
"I still have a long way to go," Jiang Chen retorted with a smile.He took Ayesha to sit at the back of the car, while Nick naturally took the passenger seat in front.
"Now that you think about it, I do believe fate has brought us together in the desert." Robert stepped on the gas, held the stirring wheel and started the ignition. He remarked while smiling, "Last time, it was in the desert in Iraq too."
"Last time, I was there to wipe your ass for you. Hopefully, you won't get into trouble this time," Jiang Chen couldn't resist the temptation to mock him.
"Ahem, aren't you missing the point here? There's a guy from UA who runs an errand all over the world for you, a Slavic who went to the frontline with you, and a beauty sitting beside you," Robert jested and looked at him through the rearview mirror of the car.
Hearing this, although there was no visible change in Ayesha's expression, her face turned into a crimson shade.
"Just focus on your driving. Stop talking nonsense anymore," Jiang Chen laughingly reprimanded him and then paused before asking, "Where's the location of the base?"
"Sahara desert, Niger. It's an undeveloped area in Agadez Region. Better prepare yourself mentally as it could be quite desolated out there," Robert reminded.The outside of the airport was in Loess Hill, and there were hardly any buildings in sight. Aside from the road, there were dust and yellow sands everywhere. A gust of wind would occasionally sweep a layer of dust.
Moreover, it was probably the only airport Jiang Chen had seen without a taxi lane, a bus stop, let alone a subway.
"Damn, how could this place be so poor!" he swore while he stared out of the window into the endless sand dunes that went as far as the eyes could see.
How can you say that this is the capital? At the very least, it shouldn't be this undeveloped.
"Downtown is much better. It's like the suburbs of Los Santos." Robert laughed. "10 kilometers more to go. We're not that far. Speaking of poverty, Niger's Minister of Commerce Armani would like to meet you and invite you to dinner."
"To attract foreign investment?" Jiang Chen asked dispassionately. He leaned back on the chair and yawned. "Why don't you go on my behalf? I already bought 20 acres of wasteland. I'm temporarily not interested in investing in any other projects."
"Ahem, no, there's actually more to it. Basic necessities such as water, power supply, food, ammunition that will be used in training, and so on," Robert reminded him.
Those indeed posed as a concern. Jiang Chen pondered on it while pinching his chin.
"Military supplies, that I can solve. As for the others...what do you suggest?" Jiang Chen looked at Robert.
"For the power supply, my advice is to buy a few sets of fuel generators or a batch of solar cells. The sun is pretty intense here, so I think solar power would be our best choice. As for the water, it seems to be illegal to drill well in here. And I also don't suggest engaging in squabbles with the local tribes. I heard that even the Niger government couldn't control them, so it's best if we outsource them. Food and basic necessities can be purchased locally. The cost of living here can be quite cheap, especially the food."
"Then let's do that," Jiang Chen nodded.
"If that's the case, you definitely need to meet Armani. But before that, I'll send you to the hotel where you'll be staying." Robert shrugged and smiled.
The car finally drove into the downtown area.
Niger River ran through the city. The river was lush verdant, just like an oasis in the desert.
In fact, it was not as bad as what Robert made it out to be. At the very least, Nieamay, the capital of the country, didn't seem that bad. Although he hadn't seen the suburbs of Los Santos, when they reached the downtown area, the surrounding buildings looked rather sophisticated.
He only stayed at the hotel for a short while before he changed into a suit Robert had prepared for him and got into the car.
This time, instead of Robert's Hummer, it was Niger Department of Commerce for receiving VIP guests.
They got off at a restaurant where they apparently received foreign guests. A black man in a suit walked toward him and greeted him with a smile
"Welcome, Mr. Jiang Chen. You must be the oriental billionaire Robert was talking about." The elderly black minister warmly held Jiang Chen's right hand and shook it firmly.
Much to Jiang Chen's surprise, Armani could actually speak in Han.
"Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Armani," he responded to his enthusiastic greetings.
"I knew a lot of Han comrades as outstanding as you. We have a lot of comrades here in Niger coming from Hua, so you can think of this place as your second home. Niger welcomes you," Armani said warmly, speaking in a rather fluent Han.
"Haha, of course."
Pleasantries completed, Jiang Chen and Armani walked into the restaurant with an entourage of bodyguards and other personnel in tow. This "welcome ceremony" was quite lavish.
Seeing this, a sudden strange idea popped up into Jiang Chen's mind.
He was wondering when he returns home for New Year, would his major bring a congregation of people to welcome him in a grand fashion such as this? He was, after all, the man who appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The government newspaper also lauded him for his achievement in the technology sector. Even in the entire province, not a lot of people could outshine him.
Sheesh, it would be so cool to go home and be welcomed in such a grand fashion.
Despite being in overseas, distance did not interfere with his wish-fulfillment fantasies.
Armani invited him to sit with him. The side-by-side seating arrangement spoke volumes about how highly the Minister of Commerce regarded him.
Naturally, looking from this angle, one could also see how poor Niger was.
Perhaps because of the presence of numerous Han investors in Niger, Armani chose to discuss business during dinner. He clearly knew the intricacies of their culture as he perfunctorily drank two glasses before deciding to stop.
Obviously, he was drinking while talking business according to"Han custom".
After another exchange of greetings, Armani naturally led the topic into the right track.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Jiang, for investing in Niger. Is there anything we can assist you with to make this process easier? The basic economic condition is excellent and we're now in the stage of rapid development. There are a lot of business opportunities to invest in..."
Listening to Armani's passionate speech or drivel, Jiang Chen couldn't help but ridicule him in his mind. [You don't even have cab at your airport, yet you have the audacity to say that your economic situation is good!]
But even if the heart said so, the words could not be said out loud.
"Of course, I am very optimistic about the domestic development of your country. And that's exactly the reason why I'm establishing a security company and building a training facility here." Listening to this black uncle speaking for a long time, Jiang Chen still maintained his composure.
The meaning behind these words was: I have no interest in investing now.
However, Armani was apparently not ready to give up that easily as he continued to enthusiastically discuss some other projects in great details. His meaning was obvious: give me some money right now.
"How about this, I have a proposal—to facilitate seamless transportation of goods, I intend to invest in road construction from the provincial capital of Agadez province to the undeveloped area." In fact, this idea was brewing in his mind for a while now, and it was an excellent opportunity to bring it up.
As soon as Armani heard about the road construction, his eyes instantly brightened. If they could build roads, not only it would drastically improve the livelihood of people in the undeveloped areas, it would also strengthen the government's control over the rebellious tribes.
"Haha, Niger citizens will surely be very grateful for your generosity and friendship, Mr. Jiang."
"Don't mention it. It is up to you to study the specific planning of the road, and then we will discuss it further based on your proposal," Jiang Chen responded with a smile while looking at the eagle-eyed Armani.
Finally the dinner concluded in a harmonious mood. The minister of commerce personally sent him back to the hotel where he was staying.
"How is it, my friend?" Robert asked while grinning at him. He was standing at the entrance of the hotel.
"Annoying. Do ministers always talk this much? They're so damned desperate for an investment."
That Armani was a rather interesting character, a politician with a flair for public speaking. There was nothing wrong with soliciting investment, but when Armani sensed his lack of interest, he became more assertive and went on forever. For a while there, although he knew that Armani was speaking Han, he had no idea what he was talking about.
"Hahaha!" Robert started to laugh hysterically and patted him on the shoulder.
"My friend, now you understand my pain? The first day I was here, he basically serenades to me for the entire day. But I cleverly brought your name up and said that I was only working for you, and the real person with money is a guy named Jiang Chen."
"That's not funny." Jiang Chen glared at him and entered the hotel.
Robert caught up to him and started getting down to a more serious topic.
"Simply put, it could be quite annoying to talk business with black people, but we can't just give them some candies and send them away. Tomorrow we'll head over to Agadez province to inspect your military base.
"Ahem, it's a training facility for a security company."
"It doesn't matter since everyone already knows," Robert commented carelessly.
Stopping in front of the elevator, Robert nudged him with his elbow and quipped, "We'll depart early morning tomorrow so don't go crazy tonight."
Without waiting for his reaction, Robert dashed into the elevator that's about to close.
"This pervert," Jiang Chen said with amusement and shook his head.
But at that moment, an image of Ayesha dressed in a white floral dress last night appeared in his mind.
[Uh, okay,] Jiang Chen decided.
[I'll sleep a bit later tonight and accompany her to try on a few clothes.]
