Chapter: 3147
When Su Chengfeng sighed, Elder He nodded in agreement. “Master, the overseas world has many hidden dangers. It’s full of filth and deceit!”
He continued, “The more chaotic a place is, the easier it is for a powerful group like the Wanlong Temple to form.”
“I just didn’t expect the leader of the Wanlong Palace to be so young,” Su Chengfeng said. “It’s hard to believe that the Wan Po Army could create such a strong organization in such a short time. Regular people just can’t pull that off.”
Curious, Su Chengfeng asked, “What about the finances of the Wanlong Palace?”
Elder He replied earnestly, “They are very strong! Mercenary organizations are quite profitable.” After a moment, he added, “The Wanlong Palace likely makes hundreds of billions of dollars a year.”
“What?!” Su Chengfeng exclaimed, shocked. “Hundreds of billions? That’s like a money-making machine!”
Elder He explained, “It sounds like a lot, but remember, there are tens of thousands of mercenaries in the Wanlong Palace. They take on dangerous work and earn high salaries.”
He continued, “Even the most basic soldier can’t earn less than tens of thousands of dollars a year. For the higher-ranking officers, their salaries are probably three or four hundred thousand dollars or more.”
“With fifty thousand people, just in salaries alone, that adds up to one or two tens of billions of dollars a year.”
“This only covers salary costs. It doesn’t include base costs, training costs, food costs, transportation costs, or the maintenance costs of weapons and equipment.
The bigger expenses come from weapons and ammunition. A bullet costs a few dollars, a grenade costs a few hundred, and an artillery shell costs thousands. In a war, money gets spent faster than it can be printed.
Also, reputation matters a lot for these top mercenary groups. When casualties happen on the battlefield, they have to take responsibility. If someone gets hurt, they must provide full medical care. If someone dies, they have to pay a large pension.
With that in mind, Elder He concluded, “I estimate that Wanlongdian’s annual net profit is around 10 billion U.S. dollars.”
Su Chengfeng responded, “Ten billion U.S. dollars is impressive! They operate outside the law and don’t have to pay taxes, so they keep all that money.”
Elder He nodded in agreement. “From what I know, they’re actively expanding in war-torn countries. They plan to build bases everywhere. While their initial investment is high, once they establish themselves in these regions, their power will grow significantly.”
Su Chengfeng frowned and said, “I didn’t expect the Wan Po Army to be so capable! In a lawless place, personal safety is not guaranteed, yet they have built such a strong organization. They are much more impressive than my reckless father.”
He agreed, “This person is indeed impressive, and I believe he appreciates the support of the eldest master.”
Back then, their family had a chance. “If you can use this well, Master, you could bring us even more support!”
Su Chengfeng nodded eagerly. “Yes, this is definitely a golden opportunity for my Su family!”