Chapter 033: Sparring Across the Distance with Senior Brother

The little spy was incredibly excited! Lord Aoki was truly a good man! Such a precious medicine, and he handed me a whole bottle without hesitation! The spy had already investigated this lifesaving miracle drug—penicillin! It was precisely because of this that Pfizer and Parker wanted to swallow up Aoki’s pharmaceutical factory.

Seeing the spy’s excited expression, Chen Jiehua knew he had made the right move! He knows about penicillin. Next, if I tell him to take medicine, he’ll do it without a second thought, won’t he?

After his leg was bandaged, the spy got up. Though walking still hurt a bit, the Japanese had a remarkable tolerance for pain—it didn’t hinder his movements.

Chen Jiehua brought over a glass of water, poured him a drink, and took out a pill. “Here, take this.”

The spy didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even wonder what medicine it was or where it came from. Meekly, he swallowed the pill, washed it down with a sip of water.

Excellent. The wax pellet containing ricin, wrapped in beeswax, had slipped in unnoticed.

(Here, the author originally used cyanide in a wax pellet, but has adopted the suggestion from the reader “Dreamlike Truth” and replaced cyanide with ricin. Upon research, in the era around 1928, ricin was far harder to detect than cyanide, and crucially, ricin wasn’t as ferocious. Once the wax pellet softened in the stomach and the toxin was released, the timing was fixed—the spy would have slightly more time from poisoning to death than with cyanide, but not enough to wonder why, nor enough to pass on any information or cues.)

Then Chen Jiehua handed the spy another bottle of penicillin. “Take this with you. When you change your bandages the day after tomorrow, use half a bottle on each side of the wound. It’s lifesaving.”

This Aoki is so generous! Another precious bottle!

“Thank you, Lord Aoki, for not holding a grudge. Forgive my earlier offense.”

“This factory is no longer mine, as you probably noticed. If I hadn’t discovered you were following me, I would’ve left on my own. Go back now—travel safely! Just tell Tubby exactly what happened.”

Chen Jiehua escorted the spy to the gate, watching him leave.

“I’ve wasted two bottles of precious penicillin for this set-up. Tubby, I’m putting this on your tab!”

According to Chen Jiehua’s original plan, this shipment of medicine was meant for Zhou Yongsu’s team, but the plan would have to change.

First, it couldn’t be sent to the northeast any longer! Tubby’s spy had already reached this place, which meant that this opportunistic brother had been watching the pharmacy even before Chen Jiehua left. If sent, the medicine would be monitored from arrival to distribution to sale, with quantities estimated at every stage—no way to get it to the organization unnoticed.

Especially the whereabouts of penicillin; getting it to the organization would be even harder! He couldn’t call Zhou Yongsu about this. Was it possible they were already tapping phones? He couldn’t be sure, so caution was best.

The only channel left was telegram. For now, his miniature telegraph machine’s signal couldn’t reach that far. He’d have to wait until reaching the Eastern States to buy parts and assemble a high-power transmitter.

Secondly, Chen Jiehua didn’t want to send this precious shipment of combination medicines to Japan either. The first shipment was all aspirin—a trap, a setup. If he sent this second batch to Japan, it would be aiding the enemy. Chen Jiehua just couldn’t stomach that.

But he couldn’t leave it unsent either; keeping it would lead to expiration.

Crucially, he couldn’t send it directly to the organization. Sending it to Shanghai for the organization would expose everything.

The system’s space only held three cubic meters—two were reserved for the upcoming journey to the Eastern States, and the last was full of miscellaneous items, not nearly enough for this much medicine.

System god, please come help me!

Chen Jiehua walked toward the laboratory, deep in thought.

I’m a traveler from another time, but have you ever seen a time traveler this troubled?

His head ached from thinking.

“Lucas, plans have changed. Don’t purchase any more medicine for now. When Pfizer and Parker send over their medicines, just store them in the secret room and make sure to keep them dry.”

“And get the electric grid fixed as soon as possible! I don’t care about saving power—keep the grid running at all times! Buy several wolf dogs to guard the compound.”

“Oh…”

“No more ‘oh’s! Say it again and I’ll dock your pay!”

“All right, boss. Lucas understands. Lucas will take care of it promptly.”

Having settled matters here, Chen Jiehua caught a train east to Washington, D.C., as planned.

After three days crossing the American continent by train, he arrived in Washington.

Last time, he’d come here with System Hongluan, and now it was time to tie up loose ends.

But before closing out those threads, Chen Jiehua had to clean up the aftermath of the pharmaceutical factory incident.

He found his old contacts, bought the latest wireless parts, and assembled a high-powered transmitter to send a coded telegram to Zhou Yongsu. (At this time, there was no radio surveillance or other advanced tech, but Chen Jiehua and Zhou Yongsu had already begun using coded messages.)

(1) The pharmacy network is being watched by Tubby. Everyone, be alert! Contract! Cut off supply!

(2) Please have Yu contact the top leadership for secret receipt of a shipment of medicine, including penicillin. Urgent!

Once the telegram was sent, Chen Jiehua called the main store at Lushun from his house in Washington. The call was transferred twice before reaching the shop.

“Mr. Zhou, there’s been trouble with my American friends’ pharmaceutical factory. An unknown force is investigating and sabotaging my business. The factory couldn’t be saved—it’s been swallowed up by a local company at a low price.”

“Lord Aoki! What did you say? An unknown force is investigating and sabotaging your factory?”

“Yes, but due to local limitations, I can’t determine if it’s domestic, Republican, or local forces.”

“So, Mr. Zhou, this round of medicine can’t be shipped. Start gradually closing the pharmacies in the northeast. When I find a new factory and supplier, we’ll reconsider. As for whoever’s jealous and sabotaging my business, we’ll investigate slowly once I’ve settled things here and returned.”

“Understood! Please stay safe in America. Awaiting your safe return!”

The conversation was originally just a precautionary measure, but as hoped, it was intercepted—and by three parties at once!

With the remote arrangements complete, Chen Jiehua resumed his plan for procuring agent supplies, updating and replacing the latest radio parts, and storing them in his system space.

Throughout November, Chen Jiehua adopted various identities, traveling back and forth among the eastern American stock exchanges and banks, selling off shares in quality companies, dumping yen, and quietly exchanging box after box of dollar cash, which he stored in a safe space. (Two cubic meters were reserved for cash, so he’d cleared the space earlier, storing little penicillin.)

Remaining funds that couldn’t be exchanged were transferred to Citibank in New York and converted into promissory notes worth five thousand dollars each.

This was the precaution the system had advised before Chen Jiehua left America last time.

He didn’t know why he had to do this, but if the system god told him to, he’d follow orders. No doubt it would come in handy, and he wouldn’t go wrong.