Chapter 077: Zhao Shiyu Is Left-Handed

Chen Jiehua glanced outside, then drew two bundles of US dollars from his coat and placed them gently on the table. In Shanghai now, dollars were as good as gold.

“Find a place to stay as soon as possible, then come to the pharmacy to find me. Meixiu, let’s go.”

Alexander Johnson pocketed the dollars, shrugged, and accepted them with a smile—after all, your coat is like a treasure chest, there’s nothing you don’t have.

After leaving the Huamao Hotel with Fujiwara Meixiu, Chen Jiehua hailed a taxi and went straight back to the pharmacy.

The matter of the gun could wait—it was rarely needed, after all. But the issue of being left-handed was urgent!

Chen Jiehua wasn’t returning at his usual time; it was still midday. The shopkeeper, Zhao Shiyu, was busy doing the accounts—writing with his right hand using a fountain pen, and operating the abacus with his left. His left hand! Left hand on the abacus!

Chen Jiehua stared at Zhao Shiyu’s left hand. Damn it, searching high and low and never noticing before!

“Stop for a moment and come inside.”

“Boss, what do you need?”

Inside the storeroom, with the door open, Fujiwara Meixiu naturally stood watch outside.

“Old Zhao, are you left-handed?”

“Yes, is there a problem? I write with my right, use the abacus with my left—very convenient.”

“There’s a big problem! You shoot with your left hand too?”

“Yes.”

“That won’t do. From today on, you can only use your left hand for the abacus—not for shooting. You must start practicing shooting with your right hand as soon as possible! And from now on, always wear gloves when handling or practicing with a gun!”

Zhao Shiyu didn’t quite understand, but didn’t ask. He just looked at Chen Jiehua, waiting for him to continue. For him to rush back so urgently about this left and right hand business, it clearly wasn’t on a whim.

“I’ve just come from Xiefei Road’s Hehe Lane. There’s a firearms expert at the constabulary, and he’s already identified left-handed firing marks on three corpses!”

Zhao Shiyu stared wide-eyed at Chen Jiehua. Thinking back to last night, it did seem he’d taken down three men with his left-handed quick draw!

Instinctively, Zhao Shiyu extended his left hand—the trigger finger and web of his thumb bore old calluses, not very thick, but clearly there to the touch.

A cold sweat broke out on his back. The enemy had become this formidable?

“Do you see now? In the future, there’ll be more firearms experts, ballistics specialists, and forensics experts coming to China—to Shanghai!”

“There aren’t many left-handed people in this world to begin with, and even fewer who shoot left-handed!”

“I understand!” Zhao Shiyu had just realized this himself—that’s why he’d broken out in a cold sweat.

“These next few days, take care. Get a small file and gradually remove those calluses. During the healing period, don’t go near the French Concession—they might set up checkpoints.”

“Afterward, do as I said: practice shooting right-handed. Even if it feels awkward, get used to it. Always wear gloves. Tell the others as well—wear gloves when practicing, and anyone with heavy gun calluses must file them down as soon as possible!”

“Alright, thank you for the warning. Your experience in this struggle is truly impressive!”

Chen Jiehua could only smile wryly. He had no such experience—he was just passing on Sorge’s advice.

“As for last night, it’s confirmed: there were eleven on the other side. One woman severely wounded, one driver badly hurt, the rest all confirmed dead.”

That night, after the pharmacy closed, Zhao Shiyu returned to the rendezvous and relayed all Chen Jiehua’s news to the comrades of the Red Team. First, he spoke about the gun calluses. The Red Team members silently extended their hands. The newcomers had no calluses yet, but most of the veterans bore distinct marks.

Who had ever cared about such things before?

“We didn’t care before, but now that someone’s pointed it out, we must pay attention. File down any calluses, and those without should take care in the future. As Old Zhao said, get used to wearing gloves.”

The second piece of news: it was confirmed that the traitor Bai Ni was dead—their mission to eliminate him was complete.

“Good! Damn traitor! Serves him right!”

Meanwhile, at 73 Jisifeier Road, Aoki Jo’s home, Chen Jiehua was in regular contact with Old Zhou in America, while also teaching Fujiwara Meixiu to send telegrams using different fingers.

“There are two benefits to sending code with different fingers. First, it prevents developing ‘operator’s hand.’ Frequent shooters develop gun calluses, and similarly, using the same finger and posture to transmit code will produce distinctive marks. If you’re ever checked by an experienced enemy, your fingers will give you away.

Second, by changing fingers, the pressure and frequency vary, making it harder for skilled listeners to track you.”

Thanks to Chen Jiehua’s warning before leaving San Francisco, Old Zhou had gradually sold off the penicillin from the furniture warehouse on the black market, exchanging it for US dollars.

A little over a month after Aoki left, Old Zhou received word that Poland had obtained the formulas for penicillin and “Bailang Duoxi.” What exactly Bailang Duoxi was remained unclear, but the penicillin formula had certainly come from Aoki. Its leak was almost certainly intentional.

Sure enough, once Poland got the formula, soon after, Soviet Russia, Britain, Italy, and Japan all acquired it as well, and every country started ramping up production.

Lately, inspections at the pharmaceutical factory had become much laxer. Penicillin prices on the black market had plummeted—down to a tenth of their peak.

From this, Zhou Yongsu grasped an economic principle—a fast way to make money! Now, with Liu Junze’s help, he felt unstoppable. There was no reason not to speed up the process.

So Old Zhou reported to Aoki that he wanted to head east to make money—to invest during the Great Depression and profit from it.

Aoki Jo had Meixiu send back a whole string of messages, but in essence, it was just four words: “Go all out!”

What an extraordinary partner! Such insight, and so worry-free!

Chen Jiehua instructed Old Zhou to help find new rifles in America—semi-automatics that didn’t need to be reloaded after every shot—and to see if it was possible to fit them with magnifying scopes for better accuracy.

With Old Zhou’s ingenuity, that shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Old Zhou and Liu Junze, upon receiving the telegram, exchanged glances and looked over at the modified Lee-Enfield MK3 rifle in the corner. “Isn’t this exactly what Aoki’s talking about?”

Aoki was behind the times! Still tinkering with “scope-fitted” rifles, when we’ve already been using these sniper guns to take out plenty of enemy officers!

Let’s telegram him back and tease him a little!

Chen Jiehua was stunned when he got the translated reply. What a treasure trove you all are! Where I was still searching for words to describe what I needed, you’d already made it and put it to use!

Of course I want these! The Garand can’t be used anymore—I must get to America as soon as possible to pick up a sniper rifle!

He replied: Keep modifying at least two more, the more rounds the better. I’ll set out soon!

Since opening the pharmacy and pushing drug sales was Aoki Jo’s main business at present, and with the Emperor, the Army Ministry, and the Shimazu family all waiting behind the scenes, he couldn’t possibly be content with just one store—that didn’t fit with the plans of the general headquarters.

So why not use the excuse of meeting with pharmaceutical suppliers to take another trip to America? It was time to negotiate with those two companies anyway, and he could collect the sniper rifles at the same time.