Chapter 059: Fierce Conflict at the Pharmaceutical Factory

Chen Jiehua quietly followed Gerhard to the junk warehouse, where he found the hidden data—two full crates of papers.

“But Boss, how are you going to take all this back? It’s too heavy!”

“You go out and carry on as usual, don’t give anything away. Shut the door for me. I’ll check the data first, and then figure out how to bring in my suitcase to pack it up and take it.”

“There’ll be a lot of money in the suitcase. Tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, come back here, same spot, and look for the money I’ll leave for you!”

“Oh! Dear Boss, you’re so generous!”

“Enough, get going! Keep yourselves safe! Use the money carefully, and when I can, I’ll come back to get you out!”

After convincing Gerhard Domagk to leave, Chen Jiehua quickly took the remaining Imperial Marks from his space, pulled the clothes out of his suitcase and stuffed them into the gaps, barely managing to fit the two crates of data inside.

With this priceless trove in hand, Chen Jiehua left, thoroughly satisfied.

He hadn’t yet exited the laboratory doors when he heard gunshots outside!

At the same moment, a chaos of booted footsteps approached, growing louder and closer, interspersed with shouts.

Someone else had slipped in?! Chen Jiehua’s first thought—could it be him?

No sooner had the idea crossed his mind than a shadow dashed in, wearing a brimmed hat. Damn, it really is you!

The shadow paused, surprised to see Chen Jiehua. This guy’s quicker than me! Looks like he’s finished his task and is about to leave?

Afraid the newcomer might run wild and stumble into Gerhard or the junk warehouse, Chen Jiehua decided to play the good Samaritan, grabbed the high-bridged nose man and hurried upstairs to the second floor, ducking into the second-to-last bedroom at the end of the corridor.

“How should I address you?” With the door shut and barricaded, Chen Jiehua asked in German.

“Ramsey. You may call me Ramsey, Mr. Aoki.”

Ramsey’s answer surprised Chen Jiehua—he really did overhear the conversation between him and Meixu on the liner!

“Englishman?” Ramsey was a name common among the British.

The other nodded.

“What’s happening downstairs?”

“I’m not familiar with the route, made a mistake. I hadn’t expected the distance to be so long after coming in. On the way here from the workshop, I was spotted by their Caucasian dogs!”

“I think it wasn’t the dogs seeing you, but smelling you! You’ve got quite a scent. Do Englishmen smell this strong?”

“Mr. Aoki, I don’t think now’s the time to discuss smells, is it?”

The footsteps and barking outside drew nearer; the patrol soldiers were checking room by room. Chen Jiehua peered through the rear window—the back of the building was already guarded by a patrol team with dogs.

“No escape through the front, patrol at the back. We’ll have to break through—six plus one, what do you say?”

“How’s your marksmanship?” Ramsey asked.

“Should be decent. You open the window, jump first, draw the patrol’s attention. I’ll open fire—I can hit up to four moving targets.”

“Got it!” Ramsey said, then without hesitation, opened the window and jumped out.

The SS patrol outside heard the window and rushed over.

Chen Jiehua swiftly took out the Garand semi-automatic rifle, fired at the first soldier, then quickly stowed it, took out the second, fired again, stowed it, drew his pistol, and, with one hand bracing the wall, jumped down, shooting at the third as he fell. Another down!

The last three of the patrol weren’t greenhorns. Sensing trouble, they halted, dropped to the ground, and readied their rifles.

Ramsey, already landed and charging forward, shot the most visible prone soldier—a perfect headshot.

Landing, Chen Jiehua rolled away from Ramsey’s direction, narrowly dodging the initial bullets from the remaining two.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the patrol had burst into the room and reached the window. Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Jiehua saw a head poke out of the second-floor window and fired instinctively, not waiting to see if he hit, swiftly retreating into the corner.

“Damn! Their reaction is lightning fast! Nothing like in the movies!” Experiencing such close-range combat for the first time, Chen Jiehua was still adjusting.

But now was no time for doubts. Enemy numbers were unknown, and they were only two. He had to retreat toward Meixu; only with her covering fire could he get past the wire fence and escape.

Otherwise, given the SS’s reaction speed, the two of them would soon be surrounded.

Using a moment’s cover at the corner, Chen Jiehua checked the rear and sides—luckily, no one in either direction. He quickly loaded the Garand, then whistled toward Ramsey.

Ramsey had taken down two, but was now tangled with the patrol dog. There was one last SS patrolman with a rifle, and two rifles now protruded from the upstairs window. The situation was dire.

Chen Jiehua sized up the scene, decided to take out the dog first—the prone soldier was too far and it was too dark to guarantee a hit.

He shot the patrol dog with the Garand, reloaded, stowed it, and drew his pistol. Damn, not having a fully automatic weapon was such a hassle.

After a few rolls and dodges, Ramsey made it safely to the corner. Without pause, Chen Jiehua turned and ran along the wall, Ramsey following close behind.

Ramsey understood—the goal was the female companion. With backup, they could get over the wire; otherwise, crossing would leave them riddled with bullets. Same calculation as Chen Jiehua.

Using the cover of night, the two darted and dodged their way to the pharmaceutical production area. Chen Jiehua hid beneath a transport truck; Ramsey tucked himself between two stacks of crates nearby.

Behind them, patrols scoured the area, still searching near the laboratory, unaware the pair had already escaped the initial combat zone.

However, from the production area to the outer wire fence was at least a kilometer—and crucially, there was no cover at all. Damn, whoever designed this place was a menace!

The outer patrol would soon be alerted and move inward. If Chen Jiehua were alone, he could have waited for the patrols to push in, then slipped out himself, but with Ramsey—the man’s scent was too strong, there was no way the Caucasian dogs would miss him.

Taking advantage of a brief lull, Chen Jiehua loaded another Garand, stowed it, then topped off his pistol.

Using the light, he flashed a signal to Ramsey with a small mirror, indicating he should get in the truck. He trusted that a spy would certainly know how to drive.

Sure enough, Ramsey understood, dashed for the driver’s seat, while Chen Jiehua climbed onto the cargo bed, crouching against the back of the cab.

The truck roared to life.

“There they are!”