Chapter 41: The Advantage Is Mine

Logan first approached Donnell, and through what seemed like casual conversation, he learned about the equipment challenges the gang was facing.

To put it in a nutshell: buying was easy, but buying in bulk was hard.

Take the gang’s favorite, the Thompson submachine gun, for example. Because it could be disassembled for transport or even have its stock removed to fit inside an overcoat, and because it packed a ferocious punch, Donnell wanted to make it the gang's standard-issue weapon.

But as of now, how many Thompsons did the whole "Love Gang" have?

The answer was a meager twenty.

Excluding those kept for defense, there were only ten available for large-scale shootouts. Ten or so Thompsons might suffice against a weak gang armed only with pistols, but they weren't nearly enough to handle more serious violent threats. Even these had been acquired through piecemeal purchases on the black market.

Don’t let the common perception of America as a country overflowing with guns fool you; that applies to individuals. When it comes to large-scale arms trafficking, the Americans are still very vigilant. Any attempt to purchase weapons in bulk domestically would attract attention right from the shipping source. The same logic applied to bulk ammunition purchases.

Logan smiled. Shipping? Was shipping even an issue for him?

However, first, he had to find an arms dealer. And this turned out to be unexpectedly simple. He found an advertisement for an arms dealer right in the New York Times. A truly commercial society! One had to admire it.

His second persona, the mechanic "Jason Statham," went online.

...

The person "Jason Statham" contacted was Walter McCann, an arms dealer who had risen to prominence after World War I, hailing from the McCann family, which had close ties to the American military.

Though called an arms dealer, he was essentially helping the U.S. military dispose of surplus WWI ordnance.

"Aside from the 500 newly manufactured M1921 Thompson submachine guns, there are 2,500 U.S. M1903 Springfield rifles, 300 M1918 Browning Automatic Rifles (light machine guns), 200 M1 rifle grenade launchers, 24 M1 81mm mortars, a large quantity of hand grenades, and various other weapons. There is also an excessive supply of matching ammunition for every caliber... all pulled directly from active military depots. The quality is absolutely guaranteed," Walter McCann promised, patting his chest.

"But honestly, pal, the price-performance ratio of the Thompson isn't great. The cost of a single Thompson is as high as $200. Two of them could buy a Ford car. Even the military can't afford to use them."

"If I were you, I'd go for more active-duty U.S. military hardware. It's cheaper and comes in larger quantities..."

"Jason Statham" kept a cold, grim expression and spoke concisely: "My client likes them, and they have the money."

Walter McCann understood and flashed a knowing smile, thinking that the buyer for this shipment was likely some drug lord in South America. Since "Jason Statham" spoke with a Spanish accent, and most of this shipment consisted of small arms—with the handover point set at the Port of Nassau on New Providence Island in the Bahamas—it was clearly intended for guerrilla warfare in South America.

As far as Walter knew, South American drug lords and anti-government insurgents were quite fond of Thompson submachine guns. Regardless, it wasn't hurting America, so who cared?

Next came the fierce argument over the price. Walter started with an asking price of $1 million—truly daylight robbery. "Jason Statham" displayed the professionalism expected of an arms broker, pointing out that the procurement price for these within the U.S. military wouldn't even reach $300,000.

Walter didn't blink. Although they were "surplus" goods, as a capitalist, he wasn't going to settle for anything less than several times his investment. Finally, he added some extra ammunition supplies and guaranteed delivery to the Port of Nassau within a week, eventually reaching an agreement at $900,000.

The business was easy and profitable, putting him in high spirits. The only thing he didn't know was that after this shipment circled through the Port of Nassau, it would be smuggled by someone with no regard for the "rules of the game" directly into the loyal city of Chicago!

...

"The Chosen One, I hear you lack some good hardware?"

The voice of "Jason Statham," calm enough to make one's skin crawl, rang out. With a flick of his wrists, a Thompson submachine gun appeared out of thin air in his left hand, its round drum magazine glinting with a cold, hard light. In his right hand, an M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) manifested, its muzzle wide enough to fit a thumb.

Yes, this was the real deal!

Al Capone was both shocked and delighted. The Sith was indeed a mysterious and vast organization; another exalted one had revealed himself!

Just as he stood up, without warning, the two murder weapons in the Exalted One's hands roared to life!

Deadly streams of bullets whistled past Al Capone’s left and right ears, the scorching heat of the air even singeing the tips of his hair. It lasted for five full seconds—or was it a century?

A whole drum and a full magazine were emptied. The gunfire stopped abruptly, leaving a sharp ringing in his ears!

Al Capone’s eyes were wide, his teeth clenched, and he didn't dare move an inch.

That felt good! He had finally found a chance to return the "welcome gift" this guy had given him.

"Jason Statham" felt a secret thrill inside, but his face remained expressionless. As if he had just finished a juggling act, he spoke in a tone as steady as if he were commenting on the weather:

"250 Thompson submachine guns, 150 BARs, plenty of matching ammo, plus hand grenades... all straight from U.S. military depots. No child-cheating or swindling here. You can't lose, and you won't be fooled..."

Al Capone, having nearly been scared out of his wits, was then so stunned by the number of weapons quoted that he jumped up. The sheer ecstasy instantly washed away the shock!

He had plenty of dollars, but this equipment—enough to arm a battalion—could not be provided by anyone other than a Sith Lord wielding the Dark Side.

A man needs firepower! Seeing how temperamental this Exalted One was—opening the meeting with a display of raw firepower—how could he, the "Chosen One," dare to even let out a peep?

With this hardware, his sense of security was off the charts!

"Jason Statham" gave him a very "considerate" price, which was just double what Walter McCann had charged.

Al Capone didn't care in the slightest; the deal was concluded quickly in a dreamlike atmosphere.

"Jason Statham" fully embodied the image of an emotionless Dark Lord dedicated to providing weapons. "May the Force be with you. If you're short on firepower, come find me!"

Afterward, Donnell was much luckier; at least he wasn't greeted with a burst of gunfire upon meeting. He also received the same quantity and price of weapons and ammunition as Al Capone.

This time, "Jason Statham" only provided submachine guns, light machine guns, and hand grenades. It wasn't that he was intentionally holding back, but rather that these were the simplest to operate. As for things like mortars, even if he gave them to them now, no one would know how to use them!

At the very least, he had to ensure they could master their current gear before the first wave of the Prohibition Bureau's crackdown arrived.

...

The Prohibition Bureau, indeed, didn't leave them much time to prepare.

After intense planning (and bickering), John Kramer finally pushed the armed prohibition operation to fruition by having the Prohibition Bureau provide the funding and the Coast Guard provide the personnel and equipment.

There was no helping it; most federal departments viewed Prohibition as a hot potato. If the Coast Guard hadn't lost their previously deployed men and been motivated by a desire to avenge their comrades, they would never have agreed to go to Chicago to enforce Prohibition with arms.

Didn't you see John Kramer still bickering back and forth with the Chicago police? That place was a cesspool!

However, Colonel William, who was leading the operation, didn't see it that way.

In front of John Kramer, he stated, "According to comprehensive intelligence analysis, our fallen comrades all died under the fire of Thompson submachine guns."

"The production model of the Thompson is the M1921, which only entered large-scale production this year. According to my investigation, the bulk flowed to South America recently, with only a small portion of M1921s and the early M1919 prototypes entering the domestic black market."

"The number that flowed into Chicago is even more limited."

"The team participating in the Chicago Prohibition operation consists of regular military personnel. They are well-trained, and each is equipped with an M1903 Springfield rifle and an M1911 pistol..."

"In summary, the advantage is on our side. We are ready to deploy at any time."

John Kramer was relieved after hearing this.

"Good, good, good! I authorize you to act immediately!"

"Chicago mobsters, you think you're so capable? I'm sending in the armed forces directly. Let's see how capable you are then!"