Over the next ten days, Brook launched a large-scale purchasing operation in Punjab.
He mainly bought agricultural products such as wheat, rice, potatoes, sugar, carrots, and tomatoes.
Although he could have simply "taken" them without spending a penny, he had his own principles—he did not rob the poor.
Besides, food prices there were unbelievably low.
Take wheat, for example. In Britain, one Pound Sterling could buy five jin of wheat, but in India, one Pound Sterling could buy twelve jin.
Because of the enormous quantity he purchased, the final average price came to one Pound Sterling for fifteen jin of wheat.
Brook did not even need to touch his gold reserves. He spent only half of the funds he had obtained from the Indian Industrial Credit Investment Bank.
After procuring the supplies, Brook flew directly to Ukraine—no, it was still Great Bear territory for now.
The Great Bear would not formally collapse until after the "8.19" incident, and Ukraine would not declare independence until August 24.
It was only August 3 now, with more than twenty days left.
But Brook had no intention of waiting that long.
The moment he stepped out of the airport, Brook saw a blonde, blue-eyed beauty with a graceful figure.
She was holding a sign bearing the name "Mike Austin" and waiting.
Brook walked straight toward her.
Mike Austin was the false name on his passport.
A trace of surprise flashed through the beauty's eyes. Clearly, she had not expected Mr. Austin to be so... petite.
But her professionalism allowed her to quickly regain her composure.
She extended her hand and said with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Austin. I am Zoryana Vladimirovna Romanova, and I will be responsible for your upcoming itinerary."
"Hello, Ms. Romanova."
Brook also held out his hand, lightly clasping her fingertips twice.
The two then got into the car, with Romanova driving.
"Mr. Austin, according to your request, we have already contacted General Kuznetsov. A meeting can be arranged at any time."
Romanova spoke as she drove.
"What if I entrusted this matter to you as well?"
"This..." Romanova hesitated greatly.
"What, are you afraid?"
"I can provide you with consultation in my personal capacity, but the company cannot possibly be involved in such matters."
Romanova bit her lip, clearly weighing the pros and cons.
"Oh, Ms. Romanova, you want to leave Ukraine."
Romanova sighed. "If your transaction truly succeeds, then I can only leave Ukraine, perhaps even the Great Bear."
Though she had said "if," she knew this deal was practically a certainty.
Austin was offering not only money, but also vast quantities of food.
Ukraine had long been restless within, yearning to break free from the Great Bear's restraints.
It was merely waiting for the right opportunity.
At such a critical moment, whoever could provide massive amounts of food to relieve the people—
would become the first president after Ukraine gained independence.
General Kuznetsov could not possibly refuse such temptation.
She was now nothing more than a discarded pawn of the company, and she might even be in danger of losing her life.
But she had no choice.
Brook looked Romanova over again beside him.
Her exquisite features, sapphire-like eyes, and flawless figure.
She perfectly embodied the beauty of Ukrainian women; merely looking at her was pleasing to the eye.
"As long as you satisfy me, I'll take you back to Britain."
Romanova's eyes lit up instantly.
This Austin was definitely loaded.
The gold listed on that fax alone was wealth she could never earn in several lifetimes.
"I'm twenty-six. I've never had a boyfriend, and I just had a medical examination. I'm in excellent health..."
"Ahem. Follow me during these negotiations. I want to see what you're capable of."
Brook hurriedly cut her off, or who knew what censored words she might blurt out next.
"Rest assured, Boss. Ukraine has long desired independence, and it simply lacks the means to maintain such a massive arsenal. Other than selling it, the only option is destruction. Here, these weapons are nothing but scrap metal."
Romanova swiftly returned to a professional demeanor and analyzed the situation seriously.
"Everything else is negotiable, but what if I want 'Big Gudu'?"
Brook suddenly dropped a bombshell.
Romanova's pupils contracted sharply, and her body began trembling uncontrollably.
Was Austin a member of some terrorist organization?
He actually wanted Big Gudu!
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Was his goal to destroy the world?
"Drive properly."
The car had already begun swerving across the road, and Brook immediately reminded her.
Romanova forced down the fear in her heart and focused on steadying the wheel.
But her throat was terribly dry, and she kept swallowing.
"Relax. I'm not interested in destroying the world. Not having something and not using it are two different concepts."
"B-Boss, are you telling the truth?"
"There are still so many beautiful women like you in this world waiting for me. How could I bear to destroy it?"
Brook's answer eased Romanova's fear somewhat.
The subsequent transaction went far more smoothly than Brook had expected.
General Kuznetsov truly dared to sell anything.
There was no need to mention firearms and grenades.
Equipping two or three brigades would not be a problem at all.
Seven An-225 transport aircraft, 650 tanks, and 700 armored vehicles.
Fifty aircraft, including ten heavy strategic bombers, five Tu-95MS bombers, and twenty Tu-160 bombers, some equipped with KH-55 subsonic cruise missiles.
Thirty missile launch vehicles, twenty land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, 200 intercontinental missiles, and 1,000 other missiles.
Three hundred of them carried Big Gudu.
There were also some blueprints and specifications for these weapons.
They were not complete sets, but they were detailed enough.
And Brook paid only a total of 50 million tons of agricultural products, five tons of gold bars, and two million Pound Sterling.
After the deal was completed, he gave Romanova twenty thousand Pound Sterling as settlement money.
He told her to settle her family affairs and come find him in Britain before the end of the month.
As for whether Romanova would abscond with the money—
Brook did not particularly care.
First, twenty thousand Pound Sterling was not much.
The amount Romanova had saved him in this transaction far exceeded that figure.
After all, compared to an outsider like Brook—
Romanova was truly ruthless when dealing with her "own people."
Second, if such a small sum could test someone's heart—
he felt it was well worth it.
Brook did not return directly to Britain. Instead, he used the Space Gate to travel to Great Xia.
The Great Xia of this time was not the camera-filled Great Xia of 2025.
No one would notice a person suddenly appearing.
He stayed in Great Xia for twenty days.
This timeline was not entirely identical to his original world; at the very least, his hometown did not exist.
But looking at those familiar faces, Great Xia was still the Great Xia in his heart.
Sooner or later, he would return to Great Xia and settle down there.
Brook began another large-scale purchasing spree.
He bought all kinds of seasonings by the ton, especially Chuan Shu hot pot base, which he piled into small mountains.
Although time flowed in his independent space at the same speed as outside, its temperature remained constant at around five degrees Celsius.
As long as he built an ice cellar out of blocks of ice, the things inside could be preserved for a long time.
Naturally, he also purchased tea and baijiu in huge quantities.
For aged pu-erh tea, as long as the air was dry and it was properly sealed, storing it for a hundred years was no problem.
As for Maotai, he bought more than 5,000 jars directly, each weighing over a hundred jin.
If Maotai production during this period had not been so low, and if they had been willing to sell all of it to him—
he truly would have wanted to buy several hundred more tons.
After returning, he planned to bury all the liquor and drink it after reaching adulthood.
His actions still attracted the attention of Great Xia's police.
There was no helping it. Not only were his purchases enormous, he was also paying in Pound Sterling.
It would have been strange if no one noticed.
If he had not constantly changed his appearance and moved on after every purchase, he would probably have been invited in for tea long ago.
On his final day before leaving, he went to Kyoto.
Brook left most of the weapons in his space, along with all the blueprints, in Great Xia.
He hoped the Great Xia of this world could rise earlier.
He hoped that ten years later, when 81192 encountered foreign enemies, there would be no need to defend Great Xia's dignity at the cost of a life.
Instead, they could shout the words that made every Great Xia citizen's blood boil.
"Turn on your fire-control radar if you dare and aim it at me."
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