"They’re doing physical training right now," Harris said, glancing at his watch. "Let’s wait for him in the mess hall. I assume you haven’t had lunch yet?"


    "Alright," Deng Shiyang replied, taking the key from the desk and putting it in his pocket before leaving the room with Harris.


    The mess hall was even tidier than its exterior suggested. It was said that Harobi intended to turn this place into A.F.S.’s first training center in Africa, so all the facilities were well-equipped. The camp had a fully functional water supply and sewage system. Security, cleaning, and laundry were handled by dedicated personnel, and the management of the mess hall and meal services was outsourced to a food service company. According to Harris, this provided trainees with a comfortable environment, allowing them to focus entirely on enhancing their combat skills.


    Perhaps Harobi hadn’t explained clearly, but Harris seemed to regard Deng as a senior company official. Although he had a dismissive attitude toward Semler, Harris appeared to be respectful and accommodating toward Deng, answering every question and even eagerly offering to order food.


    Lunch was quite hearty: vegetable stew, fried fish with tartar sauce and fries, mushroom chicken rice, fruit, and coffee to go with the meal. Compared to a restaurant, the food in the mess hall was not as flavorful, but for trainees dealing with demanding training, the calories mattered far more than the delicacy of the flavors.


    "I have work to do later,  " Deng declined the beer Harris offered, then picked up a stainless steel tray full of food and walked over to a table in the corner.


    Harris glanced at his back, put the two bottles of Budweiser back into the fridge, and then carried his lunch to join Deng.


    As soon as Harris sat down, Deng said, "This operation is on a tight schedule. I’d like to know what kind of training is available for my men here."


    "We have complete physical training facilities, and the camp has ten lanes each for seven meters, twenty-five meters, and fifty meters of shooting ranges. I can also provide you with some classrooms, each equipped with a projector and full audiovisual equipment—"


    Deng waved his hand to cut him off and asked, "What kind of weapons do you have here?"


    "The armory has forty AKs and ten RPDs, plus some pistols—mainly CZ-75s and BAPs."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "What about the ammunition?"


    "About 200,000 rounds of 7.62 rifle ammo, 100,000 rounds of 9mm pistol ammo, and some blanks ."


    "That''s not enough," Deng shook his head and continued, "Their training will focus on live-fire exercises, and ammo consumption will be high. You should arrange for more ammunition. We only need rifle ammo; keep the pistol rounds for yourselves."


    Harris''s mouth twitched, but he said nothing.


    "Also, I need MGLs, RPGs, and training grenades," Deng continued. "Get me a batch of red dot sights as well—about twenty should be enough."


    Harris frowned. Deng glanced at him and asked, "Is there a problem?"


    "It’s about the sights," Harris replied. "I know a guy in Gaborone who is a Kobra dealer. If we order from him, they can be delivered in two days. Any other brand will take longer."


    "Let’s go with that."


    As soon as he spoke, there was a burst of noise at the entrance, and a group of black men wearing gray-green short-sleeved T-shirts and shorts noisily entered the mess hall. Most of them were in their prime, tall and muscular. Their T-shirts were soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to their bodies, showing the outlines of their developed chests. Deng gestured toward the entrance, then gave Harris a questioning look.


    "Yes, that’s them," Harris nodded.


    Deng turned his head to look toward the entrance, just in time to see Semler walking in with the group. He waved in that direction.


    Semler spotted them as soon as he walked in. He quickly jogged over to the table, greeting Deng, "Mr. Deylek, long time no see."


    "Yes," Deng nodded and said, "I''m here to help you train them. I assume Shannon already informed you."


    "Yes, we spoke on the phone yesterday," Semler said, nodding.


    Deng glanced at him and pointed to the mess hall counter, "Go eat first. We’ll talk after."


    About five minutes later, Semler returned with a stainless steel tray of food. He greeted Harris first, then sat down beside him.


    "Let’s talk about roles first," Deng began. "I''ll only handle the combat side. I won’t interfere with physical or basic training." He paused before continuing, "I may have to leave at any time, so I’ll only set the training content, but the actual execution is up to you. Any questions?"


    Semler remained silent but nodded.


    "I need more training facilities," Deng said to Harris. "We need to build some wooden walls for cover shooting exercises, as well as grenade and RPG window targets. Also, add some 100-yard shooting lanes."


    "This place uses the metric system," Harris reminded him.


    "Alright, 100 meters," Deng continued. "Also, we need to build a Killing House. It doesn’t need to be too complex—just hallways, a hall, and medium-sized rooms." He gave a glance at Semler, who looked uneasy, and added, "I don’t expect them to learn any advanced CQB tactics. I just want them to be able to avoid getting shot in the back or blown up by a teammate’s grenade during an attack."


    Semler nodded again.


    "Alright, that’s all for now," Deng paused before adding, "Also, I want to conduct a live-fire exercise this afternoon to assess their combat skills."


    ---


    Annotations:


    - BAP : Browning automatic pistol.


    - Kobra: A Russian-manufactured reflex sight.