After taking the list, Phillips carefully reviewed it, frowned, and said, "Mr. Chen, as you know, no one has any stock on hand right now. It will take some time to prepare the items you need, especially since the amount of TNT is too large. I need time to collect it."

Detonators are readily available, but the latest Browning pistols and their matching steel-core bullets are not cheap and require special channels to order.

"Oh my God! Are you going to start a war?"

Huo Yueze watched the other party's performance coldly, knowing that this was a tactic by the foreigner to raise the price.

“Mr. Phillips, I know you specialize in selling these high-end goods, which is why I sought you out. We'll be doing business together again in the future, and I hope you won't let me down!”

“No problem, I can provide all these high-end goods, but we only settle in US dollars. As for the price…” Phillips smiled slightly, then held up four fingers, which immediately made Huo Yueze’s expression change.

"Forty thousand dollars? That's outrageous!" Huo Yueze couldn't possibly agree to that; it far exceeded the black market price. "Mr. Phillips, you're showing absolutely no sincerity; you're breaking the rules!"

“Mr. Chen, I know my price may be a bit high, but I can guarantee that, at present, only I can use diplomatic channels to transport these weapons into Shanghai as quickly as possible. Of course, the business can be discussed slowly, and we can talk about any problems later!” Phillips said unhurriedly. He knew very well that these people must not have been able to find the goods they needed on the black market, which was why they came to him. He was very confident that he could close this deal.

After a heated exchange and haggling, Phillips finally spoke up, saying, "Mr. Chen, how about this? I can agree to your price. After all, this is our first time dealing together, so I can give you a discount."

Huo Yueze shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Phillips, the current transaction price is already much higher than the average black market price. Are you still not satisfied? It's hard to imagine that if you do this, it will be very difficult for us to trade in the future!"

Before Huo Yueze arrived, he knew the price of the deal would be high, but he didn't expect Phillips to ask for such an outrageous price. It was an outrageous demand. If he hadn't been pressed for time, he would never have been taken advantage of.

Phillips laughed and said, "Chen, there's a saying in China: 'Existence is its own justification!' My prices are a bit high, but the goods I offer are all high-end, of the best quality, and delivered the fastest. I believe we will do business together again in the future."

"How long will it take to receive the goods?" Huo Yueze didn't want to say any more and asked directly.

“Twenty days!” Phillips habitually held up two fingers again.

"That's impossible, we can't wait that long!" Huo Yueze shook his head repeatedly. The headquarters' order was to complete the demolition mission within forty days. Three days had already passed. After transporting the TNT explosives to Shanghai, he still had to find a way to transport them to the Japanese-occupied area. The time in between was too tight.

“Phillips!” Huo Yueze said urgently.

“Chen, we are trading partners now, and I believe we will be in the future. According to your Chinese custom, you can call me Philip directly.” Phillips waved his hand to interrupt Huo Yueze, “I understand your feelings. How about this, sixteen days! That’s the fastest speed, I guarantee it! You can search all over Shanghai, and no one will be able to transport this batch of weapons into Shanghai faster than me.”

Huo Yueze was furious. The guy opposite him had a firm grip on the initiative in this transaction. But it was a seller's market. He knew that what the other party said was true. In Shanghai before the war, these weapons would never have been so scarce. But now the Japanese controlled goods very strictly. Many black market arms dealers had stopped trading because they had no connections. Only diplomats like Phillips could use diplomatic channels to transport this batch of weapons into the concession. He had no choice but to fight back.

"Alright, Phil! We've agreed on sixteen days! It can't be any later, or I'll terminate the deal!" Huo Yueze said helplessly.

"Deal!" Phillips happily stretched out his hand and shook hands tightly with Huo Yueze, finally finalizing the deal.

Phillips turned and poured three glasses of red wine, handing one to Huo Yueze and the other to Ji Hongyi, saying, "To our friendship!"

Huo Yueze and Ji Hongyi exchanged a glance. Although the deal was finalized, the foreigner had gained the upper hand and controlled the pace of the entire negotiation. This feeling was unpleasant, but the situation was beyond their control, so they had no choice but to accept it.

The three of them lightly clinked their glasses and drank the wine in them.

With the transaction completed, Huo Yueze and Ji Hongyi were about to get up and leave, but Phillips gestured for them to remain seated.

“Chen, now that the arms deal is done, we can talk about other business!” Phillips said with a smile.

"Other businesses?" Huo Yueze asked in a deep voice. "Philip, could you be more specific?"

“Chen, it’s like this. Actually, my main business isn’t arms. As you’ve seen, in the arms trade, I only deal in high-end goods that others don’t have. Business isn’t very good because my main business is intelligence!” Phillips said.

"intelligence?"

“Yes, all kinds of intelligence, military, political, Japanese, Chinese, even American. Of course, if you need it, British, German, French, I can provide it for you too,” Phillips said, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated tone.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!