Chapter 54 Advice and Suggestions

The assessment results were out, and the formal record sheet was in Blue's hands. After signing the assessment form, he handed it over to Danny.

Danny looked at the assessment form and then smiled at Arthur. "Did you never participate in shooting training before?"

"No shooting training, just tried a family bucket package at a shooting club."

Danny paused, then looked at the form in his hand.

The overall evaluation score was a C, a barely passing grade.

Looking at the big C on the assessment form, Danny started stroking his chin. He then hesitated and said, "Your marksmanship is impressive, but you are too specialized and don't meet our requirements. Those rated B or higher can join our regular forces, and those rated A may have a chance to join our elite forces. But with your assessment grade of C, I'm sorry, you can't join the Flames of War."

Arthur was not surprised by this result; he was just disappointed and felt ashamed.

Rubber, however, was stunned. He stepped forward and said, "What's wrong with a C rating? You've seen his marksmanship; he just needs complete training to be a qualified soldier. As an assault, he has a significant advantage, and most importantly, he is a Mad Dog! How can you refuse to accept a Mad Dog?"

After pondering for a moment, Danny said seriously, "Rubber, you're not lying or exaggerating. Arthur is indeed a shooting genius as you described. But what we need is not a shooting genius; we need a qualified soldier."

Rubber wanted to say more, but Danny raised his hand and said, "Let me finish. Arthur's physical fitness is too poor. He lacks the experience and physical fitness that a soldier should have. He doesn't have enough combat capability. Maybe he only needs three months of training to be a qualified soldier, but we are a company, not a national army. We don't have the obligation or the need to spend money training a newcomer to become a qualified soldier."

"What... what if he pays for his training?"

Rubber proposed a solution, but Danny shook his head and said, "Our elite forces only accept retired special forces soldiers because they are combat-ready and can immediately contribute. The Flames of War needs many retired soldiers because they can handle the tasks assigned to them. Rubber, be realistic. The Flames of War is not suitable for Arthur."

Arthur wasn't angry or insulted; he thought Danny was right.

Danny looked at Arthur and said regretfully, "You are truly a shooting genius, but unfortunately, I cannot allow you to join the Flames of War. It's not that you're not good enough; it's just not suitable. Allowing you to join the Flames of War's elite forces for extremely dangerous missions would be irresponsible to you and the Flames of War. Do you understand?"

Being in a big business, Danny was gentle in his approach, speaking kindly without any sense of superiority or disdain.

Arthur couldn't say anything like "Don't look down on the poor," he could only say regretfully, "I understand. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

"No, no, you haven't wasted any time at all. We have witnessed the birth of a shooting genius, which is not something you encounter easily. So, I am honored to have conducted your assessment," Danny said.

After saying that, Danny handed the form to Arthur and said, "Look at your strengths and weaknesses."

As Arthur looked at the form, Danny continued, "You defeated Hans, so your combat must be rated A. But your combat assessment is too random, so it doesn't represent your true strength. Your marksmanship is undoubtedly at a genius level, but you are only a potential genius, not a true warrior. You receive an A rating, which cannot prove that you are a formidable soldier."

Arthur nodded and said, "I am too deficient in other aspects."

"Yes, your physical fitness is a D, strength is an F, combat techniques are F, speed is a C, rifle is a C, sniper rifle is an F. Your level is that of a pure novice. It is irresponsible in your own life to engage in the PMC profession with your current abilities. Can I give you some advice?"

"Of course, sir, I am looking forward to your advice," Arthur replied.

Danny was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "First, I want to know why you want to join the Flames of War."

"Uh, to make money."

Danny looked understanding and said, "To make money, that's right. So, from the perspective of making money, why do you want to join the Flames of War? Joining a big platform must have its benefits, but joining an unsuitable platform, the bigger the platform, the harder it is to stand out. If you want to make money, I think you can completely become a professional shooter, not participating in combat, but treating shooting as a professional sport."

Hans suddenly interjected, "Sorry to interrupt, but his shooting style belongs entirely to combat shooting. If you make him participate in shooting sports, he won't have much advantage."

Danny looked annoyed at Hans, but Hans just shrugged. Blue also said, "I agree with Hans's point. He is not suitable as a shooting athlete; he should plan his career around his expertise in combat shooting."

Looking somewhat frustrated and helpless, Danny shook his head and said to Arthur, "Well, I admit I'm not very knowledgeable about shooting. You can ignore my advice."

It seemed like the path of a professional shooter wouldn't make big money after all. Suddenly, Arthur said, "What do you think about me going solo?"

Danny was taken aback and said, "No, I think you should stay with King's Defense. It's better to consider going solo only after you've filled in your shortcomings."

Arthur smiled bitterly and said, "But... never mind."

Danny frowned and looked at Rubber. Rubber shrugged and said, "Frank is selling King's Defense."

Since Rubber had said it, Arthur had nothing to hide. He said in a low voice, "Frank wants to sell King's Defense to me, and I... I want to buy it now."

Danny sighed and said, "Frank, Frank..."

After saying Frank's name with emotion, Danny lowered his voice and said, "Frank was once my best friend. He saved me twice, while John saved me once. But they hate me now. Do you know why?"

Arthur hesitated for a moment, nodded, and said, "I know a little, but not much."

Danny nodded, then suddenly said, "Everyone, please give me and Arthur some space. I need to talk to him alone."

Blue and Hans immediately turned and left, the shooting coach also left, and Rubber hesitated for a moment but was pulled away by George.

After everyone else had left, Danny said slowly, "You know, Frank and Mr. Smith had a very good private friendship because they were comrades-in-arms fighting side by side. I and Mr. Smith have almost no private friendship, but Mr. Smith handed over the Flames of War to me instead of Frank. Do you know why?"

Arthur thought for a moment and decided not to say anything. He said, "I don't know."

"Just because I'm a qualified businessman. I can make a lot of money for Mr. Smith. Frank can fight and complete the tasks Mr. Smith gives him, but he can't make money for Mr. Smith."

After saying this calmly, Danny said seriously, "If you were the boss, who would you choose?"

"You..."

Smiling, Danny continued, "The reason is so simple, but Frank doesn't understand. His thinking is stuck in the era of fighting side by side with brothers in the army. But we are not an army; we are a company! I can't risk the lives of twenty or thirty people for the sake of seven, do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Then can you accept it?"

Arthur was silent for a moment and ultimately shook his head, saying softly, "I can't accept it."

Danny smiled and said, "Then you are not suitable to take over King's Defense. If you can't treat business as a business and give it too much meaning, you are doomed to not make money."

Arthur felt confused. He looked at Danny with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Frank hates me, but I don't hate Frank. He's not a qualified businessman, but he is the best brother. I owe him a lot, but I won't mix friendship with business. In this regard, if he calls me a cold-blooded animal, I have no objection."

After calmly finishing, Danny patted Arthur on the shoulder and said, "Frank values you a lot. He mentioned you to Mr. Smith twice, saying you're a talented person. Mr. Smith is very interested in you, so he told me about it. When Rubber asked me to meet you and consider letting you join the Flames of War, I agreed immediately, not because of my previous relationship with him, but because Mr. Smith spoke highly of you to me."

So, there were many reasons behind this assessment. Arthur sighed lightly and said, "Frank is a good person."

Danny smiled and said, "I don't have many friends. Frank has many friends, but Frank doesn't use personal friendships properly to develop his business. Frankly speaking, I'm surprised that his King's Defense has lasted this long."

Arthur pondered for a moment and asked again, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Danny clapped his hands and said, "I've said it. I owe Frank a lot, and now I plan to repay him. So, I want to give you some advice, a path that benefits both you and Frank."

"Oh?"

Confidently, Danny said, "Listen, you can take over King's Defense, but you absolutely must not manage it as Frank does. First, you need to fire all those salary thieves at King's Defense. The people he hired are meaningless and only cause trouble."

"Uh... what else?"

"Then, when you take over King's Defense, you must, absolutely must get Frank to give you his network of connections. At least, you need to be able to contact his friends, which will help your business, especially Mr. Smith. Get Frank to recommend you to Mr. Smith. Trust me, if Mr. Smith gives you some business, it will make you very prosperous."

Danny patted Arthur heavily on the shoulder and said, "King's Defense is Frank's hard work. Taking it over is helping him. Then, you can use King's Defense to make money. Finally, let Frank see that the method I taught him is the right one!"

Arthur was stunned and asked, "Are you waiting for me here? Do you want to use me to get back at Frank?"

Danny smiled and said, "I can easily give Frank some business, enough to keep King's Defense busy. But he won't even take my calls. What can I do? Now, I want to leave a way out for Frank through you. I hope you are a smart person, not as stubborn as Frank."

"Uh, well, thank you for your advice. I will seriously consider it. No, I will go back immediately and take over King's Defense."

"How's John?"

"He needs some time to recover, but he's not in danger."

Danny nodded and said, "John saved me. I abandoned him, so he hates me. But I care about him. My time is precious, but I came to see you and give you this advice because I want to thank you for saving John."

So, there was this connection. Arthur smiled lightly and said, "It's the least I could do."

Danny took out a business card with a serious expression and said, "Here's some advice: if John works with you, don't listen to any of his advice! If you encounter any decision-making difficulties, call me."

"Are Frank and John cut from the same cloth?" With this doubt, Arthur took Danny's business card and bowed slightly, saying, "Thank you."

Danny whistled and laughed, "Now I feel much better. So, tell me your thoughts. How do you want to start?"

Arthur thought carefully and said, "Well, I'll go back and take over King's Defense, start looking for a training camp to fill in my skill gaps, and then, have Frank recommend me to see if I can get any business from Mr. Smith. Of course, it has to be business that suits me."

"You missed a step."

"What?"

Danny smiled bitterly and said, "You didn't mention how to recruit manpower. You can't do everything alone, can you? Going solo doesn't mean you do everything yourself. If you're managing your team, like Mr. Smith started from the Mercenary Company of the Flames of War, you need to find reliable brothers, the kind of brothers who can rely on each other for life and death. If you just want to run a company, then recruit employees. Don't invest any emotions, just pay your employees enough money, and buy them insurance, but never let their life and death weigh on your mind. These are two different modes, understand?"

Arthur took a deep breath and said gratefully, "I understand, thank you for teaching me all this."

Danny looked proud and said, "Frank and John are good brothers, but they can never be good teachers in their lifetimes. I'm different. I can turn stones into gold. If I say you can make money, then you will make money. Now, tell me about your plan."

"I'll go back and take over King's Defense, fill in my skill gaps, recruit manpower, and get tasks from Mr. Smith. That's the plan for now."

Danny pointed to the form Arthur was holding and said, "Train according to the content on this. John and Frank are both good instructors. There's no need to spend money on training camps; our fees are quite expensive."

Arthur nodded repeatedly and said, "I have a clear direction now, thank you."

Danny patted Arthur heavily on the shoulder and said with a smile, "If there are no suitable tasks from Mr. Smith, give me a call. We have many outsourcing contracts. Now, go and do well!"