The cook's buddy Ivan ran into trouble in Colombia, which left Song Heping feeling quite helpless.
There were still a dozen days left until the bidding for the US Army's logistics transport contract next month. Although Ferrari was in charge of all the specific affairs of the entire project, it shouldn't have had any unexpected disruptions, since it was a done deal and others couldn't interfere. However, Song Heping still had to sign the contract himself, and after obtaining it, he had to start recruiting a large number of drivers as well as a certain number of local mercenaries, and to build parking lots, repair departments, and new office buildings.
When the time came, he would be busy from head to toe.
He had intended to take a trip back home before he got busy, to see his brother and sister, and to purchase some properties domestically, like buying houses and rebuilding the ancestral home.
But now this incident had thrown all plans into disarray.
Song Heping faintly felt that the matter would not be so easily resolved.
South America.
That haunted place was most famous for its anti-government armed forces and drug trafficking groups.
From Mexico to Colombia, from Brazil to the utterly chaotic other small countries, one was more disorderly than the next, each more fierce than the last.
Especially Colombia, where Americans had been fighting drug traffickers for many years. The fact they had been fighting for so long without any achievements to speak of showed the situation remained the same.
The drug traffickers were still active, and the anti-government armed forces were still exchanging blows with the government army.
Actually, after the cook's last $2 million worth of arms were intercepted by the AUC rebels, Song Heping initially decided not to pursue the matter for the time being and look for an opportunity to avenge this arrow later.
After all, the balance of power was clear to see.
Not to mention the long distance, the strength of the two sides was not on the same level.
A defense company versus an anti-government armed organization.
One having the strength of only two companies of troops, the other having tens of thousands.
And go to someone else's turf to fight them?
What were the chances of winning?
This world is always ruled by strength.
When power is insufficient, one must learn to bow down.
It's just that the Russian's nature was too arrogant.
Ivan thought that after so many years in the Russian underworld, considering himself a small leader, he knew all there was to know.
In actuality, those South American rebels really didn't take the Mafia seriously.
And he dared to take two subordinates to go thousands of miles to Colombia to collect debts on his own?
He truly didn't know how many eyes Lord Ma had.
In the evening, Ferrari came to find Song Heping and handed him a piece of intelligence.
Song Heping glanced at it, it was an introduction to the structure of the AUC organization and details about their military strength and garrison locations.
Clearly, this was internal data; otherwise, it wouldn't be so detailed, even including information about the main responsible person's family, very comprehensive.
"This is all I could get. The AUC is an extreme right-wing group, and they are not easy to deal with," said Ferrari, pointing to the intelligence report. "There's an introduction inside, they may be supported by the Colombian Government."
"Ah!?"
This really surprised Song Heping.
"Isn't it an anti-government armed organization?"
Song Heping had thought that if it was an anti-government armed group, maybe he could get some support from the government army, talk about some conditions, and borrow their strength.
Now, saying the AUC was related to the government army, what was to be done?
"Just finish reading it," Ferrari said. "I have to go deal with the bidding."
With that, he stretched and yawned.
Song Heping saw Ferrari's red eyes and knew he hadn't slept well these past few days, feeling touched.
In the "Musician" defense company, Ferrari was the only clerical staff, and many thought he had the most comfortable position.
They neglected the role and the hard work of the administrative supervisor.
Every operation, from the start, the intelligence and communication needed during the process, and the file handling after completion, were all done by Ferrari alone.
Take this transportation business bid for instance, saying it was predetermined, but in reality, a lot of tedious paperwork needed to be handled, and he had to communicate with the military to check for omissions. What was said in one sentence involved too much behind the scenes work.
The hard work of clerical staff is not understood by outsiders.
"Ferrari, good work. After we get the contract, I'll give you a sufficient bonus according to the company's reward regulations," said Song Heping.
Song Heping never just provided emotional value; he also offered monetary value.
Upon hearing this, Ferrari smiled and waved his hand, "How much are you giving?"
Song Heping said, "How much do you want?"
Ferrari said, "I've got my eyes on a building on Santorini Island. I need one million US dollars."
Song Heping said, "Don't worry, that will be enough."
Ferrari lightly pointed his finger at Song Heping, "I trust you."
After speaking, he returned to his seat to continue working.
Song Heping also went to his desk and opened the intelligence file.
To go to war, one must first understand the enemy's details.
As the saying goes, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you will never be defeated.
The file was thick, easily a hundred pages, but fortunately, it was all in English, so reading wasn't an issue.
Song Heping read on page by page, growing more and more concerned as he did.
The structure and personnel of the AUC gradually took shape before him as he turned each page.
Currently, there were several groups within Colombia representing different ideologies, each with different policies and capabilities.
The three most powerful and active were the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia People's Army (FARC-EP) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), as well as the rightist Colombian United Self-Defense Army (AUC).
The relationships between them were incredibly subtle and interesting.
For instance, although FARC and AUC were both anti-government armed forces, they despised each other and saw each other as mortal enemies.
This was because FARC was leftist, aiming to overthrow the Colombian government, while AUC was rightist, protecting the interests of the local landowning class.
Founded later, in 1997, AUC's roots could be traced back to the longstanding Colombian self-defense militias among the rural landowners, many of whom harbored right-wing beliefs because they felt the Colombian government wasn't doing enough to ensure their safety.
Both the FARC and the National Liberation Army taxed the landowners heavily, which caused significant dissatisfaction and contributed to the establishment of AUC.
In 1997, these numerous but scattered right-wing militias finally established a unified organization as a local force resisting the anti-government armed groups. Essentially, they were an auxiliary to the army, which is now the armed force known as AUC.
Ferrari had said that AUC had intricate links with the Colombian Government Army, and this was why. There were no conflicts of interest between AUC and the government army, unlike with leftist armed groups like FARC and the ELN, with whom they had an inherent and irreconcilable enmity.
Although these three armed groups had different ideologies, they also shared some common traits.
For example, they were all considered terrorist organizations by Europe and the United States, all relied on the illegal drug trade for funding, and all had employed child soldiers.
Because of this, the Colombian government never acknowledged any connection to AUC, let alone admitted that the AUC were a local armed force assisting them in the resistance against FARC and ELN.
After reading, Song Heping fell into deep thought.
He himself believed in the veracity of this intelligence report.
Although Americans could be quite foolish in some respects, their intelligence capabilities were beyond doubt.
Especially the DEA, which had been deeply rooted in South America for many years—their intelligence was unlikely to have any flaws.
If the intelligence was accurate, it meant that the government army turned a blind eye to AUC, and might even be supporting them sub rosa. Even the previous shipment of arms seized by AUC from local drug traffickers had been a welcomed event for the government forces.
In dealing with AUC, Song Heping had three possible strategies in mind—leveraging the government army's strength, utilizing the power of armed groups hostile to AUC, or a small squad going deep into the field to assassinate their leaders or kidnap key figures for a hostage exchange.
The last method, a small squad assassination, was the least advisable.
Colombia's dense jungles were navigable, and even the US Special Forces might not be able to carry out a decapitation strike; how could a small company like his own fare better?
Given the inability to match in intelligence and logistical support, the chance of success was even slimmer.
Thus, this option was the most impractical and carried the highest risk.
Naturally, the best choice would be to strike AUC by leveraging the government army's power, but it now seemed that this idea was as unlikely as asking a tiger for its hide.
That left only one method—using the forces of other armed organizations to eliminate AUC or to wreak havoc, allowing his own people to enter and make the kill or kidnap operation, or even to rescue Ivan.
That meant seeking out FARC or ELN for talks...
It sounded simple but was extremely difficult in practice.
These were all anti-government armed forces, and finding a credible intermediary to make contact was no easy task.
One misstep could even make the meeting itself dangerously compromising.
But it seemed the only viable option left.
In the end, Song Heping resolved to make a decision; the majority of the world's problems could be solved with money.
Even if it cost him, he had to find someone who could connect him with FARC or ELN. He would personally travel to South America to meet them and explore the possibility of cooperation.