Chapter 031: Encounter with Japanese Spies

Chen Jiehua appointed George Lucas as his agent in the United States, entrusting him with responsibilities such as overseeing pharmaceutical production, supervising finances, and managing product distribution on site.

“Oh, dear Chen, don’t leave just yet. I wanted to ask about your token of trust—that strange little knife. What is it for?”

“That’s my surgical scalpel! I am a doctor. In light of our friendly cooperation, you have gained my friendship. In the future, should there come a time when no one else can save your lives through surgery, you may seek me out and I’ll save you.”

“Oh! God!” The two men shook their heads in unison, thinking this fellow was quite the braggart.

Chen Jiehua shook his head as well.

God or no God, when the critical moment comes, He won’t be the one to save you.

After concluding negotiations and signing contracts with the two companies, Chen Jiehua packed a crate of penicillin into his spatial storage for himself, reserving a small portion of the finished penicillin in the warehouse, and exchanged the rest with the companies for commonly used medicines from his homeland’s pharmacies.

“George, help me procure more varieties of medicine and supplies. Here’s the list.”

“My dear Chen, I wish I could visit your Republic. I long for that place! Many who’ve returned say the streets are paved with gold—is that true?”

“George, it’s America that’s paved with gold now! It all depends on how you see it, and how you pick it up. Your task now is to fulfill your supervisory duties within the new company. Once production stabilizes, you’ll personally escort the next shipment of medicines to the Republic. I’ll show you how to find gold there!”

“Oh, that would be wonderful! My dear Chen!” George Lucas said, moving in for a hug.

“Get lost!”

“Haha—Chen, you really don’t understand our Western sense of humor!”

Once the arrangements for the shipment were settled, Chen Jiehua prepared to leave San Francisco, taking the train east to the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C.

However, just as he stepped out of the pharmaceutical laboratory, still some distance from the factory gate, he sensed someone watching him.

“What’s going on? The factory’s already merged with you guys, surely you wouldn’t still have someone monitoring me?”

Chen Jiehua walked calmly toward the gate, feeling for the source of the surveillance, his mind rapidly analyzing the situation. He was still within the factory grounds, which had been shut down for three weeks. Aside from George Lucas, there shouldn’t be anyone else here.

If he left the factory, things would become complicated and harder to control. So, he decided to catch this person inside the factory and get some answers.

As a time traveler, being watched was not something he could tolerate; he disliked the unknown and being silently surveilled.

Using a series of clever turns and sudden glances behind him, Chen Jiehua pinpointed the stalker’s location and, without hesitation, rushed toward him.

But just as he was about to reach the spot, his heart pounded with instinctive alarm. Suddenly, he saw the barrel of a gun appear before him.

“Damn! I forgot this is America—there are guns!”

Reacting swiftly, Chen Jiehua dodged to the right, avoiding the first shot and finding cover.

In this era, human life was as fragile as grass; a single careless mistake could end the game.

He sensed that after firing the first shot, the assailant quickly changed position, retreating at least five meters to the wall.

He planned to scale the wall to escape—clearly, he’d climbed over to get in.

Chen Jiehua peeked out to check the opponent’s position, saw nothing, then rolled forward two or three meters to another cover, surveying the surroundings and feeling for the adversary’s location.

The wall was two meters twenty high, topped with electric wiring, making the total height two and a half meters. He remembered this well, having personally overseen its construction. But why wasn’t the electricity on?

Damn it! Did Lucas betray me? Or was the power off to save electricity since production was halted?

Now wasn’t the time to investigate. A two-and-a-half-meter wall, scaled barehanded, would take at least seven seconds even for him.

If the adversary believed he was unarmed, he’d try to climb the wall. That climbing time was enough for Chen Jiehua to get his gun and deal with him.

His advantage now was the element of surprise—the opponent didn’t know about his spatial storage. Damn it, did you think you were the only one with a gun? I have one in my space, too!

Though the enemy remained silent, Chen Jiehua not only sensed his position but could also hear his heavy breathing.

“Heh, he’s nervous! He must be assessing whether I’m armed. A worthy opponent—clearly a trained agent. Ordinary locals don’t have such skills.”

The adversary likely didn’t dare shoot again; the first shot was forced. If he fired again and attracted others from the factory, things would get even riskier.

But it had been at least three minutes since the first shot, and Lucas hadn’t appeared—making betrayal seem increasingly likely.

Chen Jiehua decided to disrupt the opponent. “Hey, friend! It seems like I don’t have any enemies here. Which pharmaceutical company sent you?”

Time froze for five seconds.

“I am Abbott Laboratories pharmaceutical factory inspector, came to check factory condition. Please let me go!”

Damn it! Abbott Laboratories? Why not claim to be from Schering-Plough! That was obviously Japanese English—literal and clear, but not quite idiomatic.

Chen Jiehua realized what kind of person he was dealing with—a spy sent by Japan to gather intelligence in the United States. If he was Japanese, then the situation warranted serious consideration.

No time to think further; knowing he was a Japanese spy, Chen Jiehua couldn’t let him escape. He quietly drew a gun from his spatial storage, flipped off the safety, then put it back, ready to grab it when needed.

“The pharmaceutical factory has already been sold to Pfizer, and the contract has been signed. There’s no need for you to investigate further. You can go back now.”

“Then you move aside, stay away, and let me out.”

“Get out the same way you came in! You have a gun, I don’t! What if you shoot me if I stay too far away?”

Little devil, climb the wall and forget about walking out the main gate. If you don’t climb, how can I shoot you?

Time froze again for thirty seconds. The spy was torn, wrestling with whether to negotiate or scale the wall. He calculated: Chen Jiehua had left the lab without a gun, so the odds were seventy percent that he was unarmed. He himself was skilled enough; climbing the wall would take just ten seconds, and by the time Chen Jiehua reached him, he’d be atop the wall.

After deliberation, the Japanese spy bit down on his gun, flicked the safety off, and quickly turned to climb.

Chen Jiehua drew his gun, fired two shots, striking the spy’s calves, then swiftly stowed the weapon in his space and rushed forward. The spy landed just as Chen Jiehua reached him; he snatched away the gun, pinned the spy, and pressed his hands down.

Got you, you little fox! Done!