Now, this group of muscle men—no, they should be collectively referred to as the UBCS—already possessed the embryonic form of Umbrella's private military force.
At this moment, William gestured toward the burly old man beside him and introduced him:
"Andre Kapushkin Ostrovsky; it was he who gathered you all together to become employees of Umbrella.
You are to address him as Colonel.
And regardless of what military or police ranks you held previously, from now on, you are all Privates.
Depending on the operations and missions you participate in hereafter, there will be evaluations for promotion.
Each promotion will increase your base salary and benefits.
In the future, more employees will certainly join, and you will be their Sergeants, Lieutenants, and Captains!"
Hearing the bright vision painted by William, the UBCS were no longer so bewildered.
They were even somewhat glad that they had signed a 'contract of indentured servitude' with this company.
Whatever unknown creatures, whatever unknown phenomena—to hell with it all.
Unknowingly, these Soldiers seemed to have accepted the supernatural phenomena William spoke of.
"Boss, and Colonel," another UBCS raised his hand and asked:
"Since we are the company's private force, then... what about weapons and equipment? We can't go into battle empty-handed."
"Hmm, good question." William didn't rush to answer them; instead, he said calmly:
"First, go put on your uniforms. Calculating the time, it should be arriving soon."
After speaking, William walked out of the conference room, leaving the puzzled group behind.
Andre, however, puffed out his chest, his beard seemingly bristling, and poking his own chest, he roared at the bewildered Soldiers present:
"What are you idiots still standing there for! You heard what the boss said! From now on, you are all my Soldiers!
So! Get out of here immediately and collect your uniforms! Move!"
Andre's roar startled all the UBCS, making them shudder. They instinctively stood up, saluted, and replied loudly:
"Yes! Colonel!"
——————————
William went outside and sat on a chair under a parasol, quietly watching Andre assembling the group of UBCS who had already put on their uniforms.
In fact, shortly after the license was issued, he had communicated with Impact Guns, one of the largest firearms websites in the United States.
He placed an order relying on the internet, which, while not very advanced, was barely usable.
The items purchased are as follows (excluding tax):
1. Barrett M82A1. Caliber:.50 BMG. Unit Price: 7620 USD. Quantity: 20 units.
2. Light Machine Gun / FN M249S Para. Caliber: 5.56mm. Unit Price: 9022 USD. Quantity: 20 units.
3. Rifle / HK 41. Caliber: 5.56mm. Unit Price: 2970 USD. Quantity: 140 units.
4. Submachine Gun / HK MP5. Caliber: 9mm. Unit Price: 2400 USD. Quantity: 140 units.
5. Pistol / Glock 17. Caliber: 9mm. Unit Price: 500 USD. Quantity: 140 units.
Shotgun / M4. Caliber: Various shot shells. Unit Price: 1900. Quantity: 50 units. Etc.
William purchased enough munitions from Impact Guns to arm hundreds of people, along with vast amounts of ammunition.
After all, most of the time, the UBCS and USS would be idle in this camp. Therefore, they needed to train to maintain a high level of combat readiness, which would consume weapons and ammunition.
William had originally hoped that the standard-issue rifles for the UBCS and USS would be the SCAR or ACR, but both of these guns were only announced in 2007.
However, the 416, produced by Germany's Heckler & Koch (HK) company in 2005, was also a good rifle that could be modified in various ways.
And the MP5, that classic submachine gun, was purchased to deal with indoor and narrow spaces.
He also purchased two hundred sets of Level IV ballistic plates and tactical belts from this firearms website, with each set priced at five hundred U.S. dollars.
As well as four hundred FAST tactical helmets and Kevlar helmets, two hundred PVS-15 binocular night vision devices at a unit price of twelve thousand, two hundred gas masks, and various accessories such as holographic and red dot sights for firearms, under-barrel grenade launchers, and so on.
The order, including various ammunition, totaled twelve million U.S. dollars, of which eight million was for firearms and equipment, and the rest was for ammunition.
At this point, William realized that every time a Soldier fired a shot, it was equivalent to burning money.
But William didn't feel the pinch. Regardless, he wanted to provide the best munitions to the UBCS and USS to deal with threats in any situation. Being able to buy life with money—this deal was not a loss at all.
Would Umbrella's purchase of such a quantity of weapons not be discovered by the government of Nova Scotia Province?
The government certainly knew. The tax exemption mentioned previously came in handy here.
No matter where items were purchased, once they were shipped into Nova Scotia Province, Canada, a fifteen percent tax had to be paid. That's right.
For over twelve million in munitions, if transported to Hafa City via the docks, the tax paid to the provincial government alone would reach as high as 1.8 million.
The government knew Umbrella held a license for private contractor operations and was actually eager for them to purchase more munitions.
Moreover, William's charitable fundraising and construction fund assistance during this period had gained him a great deal of goodwill in Hafa City and even Nova Scotia Province. So, they wouldn't make things difficult for William at all.
"However," William looked at the UBCS being lectured by Andre and muttered to himself, "I still need to set up my own arms factory."
He had once thought about acquiring a large arms company, with Lockheed Martin being his favorite. But looking at their market capitalization of over one hundred billion U.S. dollars, he temporarily abandoned this idea.
First, complete the recruitment mission, then obtain the 50 billion authority, and then see what the system has to say.
"Beep! Beep!" The horn of a heavy truck suddenly sounded at the camp gate.
This instantly drew everyone's attention. The barrier blocking the two heavy trucks was seen slowly rising under the control of the African security guard in the security booth, allowing the two heavy trucks to drive smoothly into the camp.
Finally, the trucks stopped in the open space in front of the barracks. Seeing this, Andre shouted loudly: "You brats! Your weapons and equipment have arrived! Hurry up and unload the cargo for me!" "Yes! Colonel!"
The existing UBCS quickly moved the crates of munitions off the heavy trucks. Taking advantage of this time, William signed for the order with the truck drivers.
After the two trucks finished unloading and left the camp, William stood once again in front of the 120 UBCS and said: "Everyone!"
"Right now, you are wearing the uniforms of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service, referred to as UBCS. The UBCS will be one of Umbrella's most fundamental units."
"However, where there is a foundation, there will be something special. I need to select the twenty most elite among you to be incorporated into the Umbrella Security Service... referred to as USS."
As he spoke, William took a crowbar from Andre's hand and pried open a dark green wooden crate. Pointing to the munitions inside, he said loudly: "Now, pick up your guns for the shooting test, followed by the physical fitness test, and finally, the comprehensive combat test! The top twenty will directly enter the USS and will have better salaries and benefits!"