Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

After finalizing the general construction plan, the group drank until midnight before dispersing, with Fan Pengju and Chen Yulou completely drunk.

Of the two, Fan Pengju was the loudest, shouting that he was the "King of Wine in Chongqing," and his brothers all called him "Brother Wine"...

Chen Yulou solemnly declared that he was "unable to get drunk even after a thousand cups," saying that his title of "top leader of thirteen provinces in the south and north" was earned through drinking.

Soon after, both of them collapsed.

However, the girl Hong, whom Chen Yulou brought, had a good alcohol tolerance. While all the men in the circle were drunk, she was still sitting.

Of course, the one who could drink the most was Zhang Zhiwei. He could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, which was well-deserved. Moreover, he was the most famous. Almost everyone came to toast him, and he accepted every toast. He drank several rounds without using any tricks to force anyone to drink, yet he remained calm and composed.

As for Zhang Qishan, the bloodline of the Zhang family gave him a physique that was extraordinary, but it didn't seem to give him an extraordinary capacity for alcohol. He collapsed while everyone was drinking in circles, and few people could say for sure when he passed out.

Of course, everyone present was an extraordinary person. Even if they were drunk, their innate vigilance remained, and most of them would be able to react if anything unusual happened.

After finishing his drink, Zhang Zhiwei got up, patted his Taoist robe, stepped over the brothers lying haphazardly on the ground, and returned to his residence at the Tiantong Steel Plant.

Although he doesn't come to Chongqing often, Wang Ai reserved rooms for him, Lü Ci, and Lu Jin when the Tiantong Steel Plant was first established. He would arrange for someone to clean the rooms every week. The rooms had been cleaned for many years without anyone living there. This time, they finally welcomed their owner.

As soon as Zhang Zhiwei returned to his room, his neighbors Lü Ci and Wang Ai came to his door.

Instead of going to the Gelaohui (a secret society) that night, the two went to Liu Mang's place to discuss the details of "Zhang Mazi's Plan" and the first targets to be targeted.

Liu Mang was clearly more interested in robbing landlords than digging air-raid shelters. After that day, he immediately made a long list.

Wang Ai made a handwritten copy and handed it to Zhang Zhiwei to look at.

Zhang Zhiwei took it, opened it, and saw that the list contained the financial information of major landowners and capitalists in the Sichuan and Chongqing areas.

He noticed that in the past year, these wealthy people have begun to exchange large quantities of gold bars through various channels.

Wang Ai said, "After you mentioned that the legal tender would depreciate, Senior Brother Zhang, Commander Liu used the excuse of wanting to exchange for a batch of gold bars as reserves and sent people to investigate the recent gold and silver flow."

"He discovered that in the past year, especially after the introduction of the legal tender policy, the amount of gold bars exchanged had increased significantly. Based on the gold shop's ledger, he roughly estimated which landlords had exchanged how many gold bars. This excited him for a long time, and he was eager to make a big splash."

Zhang Zhiwei laughed and said, "These wealthy people have a keen sense of smell. They saw through the trick of the legal tender a long time ago and knew to convert their assets into gold to avoid risks. But have they considered that it's even easier to rob them if they convert them into gold?"

Wang Ai chimed in, "That's what they call 'you can escape the first day of the month but not the fifteenth.' Either way, you're going to get stabbed. I wonder how much we'll 'take' this time?"

"It's 'stealing' how much!" Lu Ci corrected from the side.

“How can you call it robbery when you’re robbing the landlord?” Zhang Zhiwei corrected. “The landlord’s money comes from the people, and we take it back to use it for the people, so it should be ‘taken’!”

Wang Ai clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Brother Zhang's words are brilliant!"

Lu Ci couldn't refute it either, smacked his lips, and said, "Senior Brother Zhang is right. We still need to watch carefully and learn well!"

“That’s called winning people over with virtue,” Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile.

"By the way, Senior Brother Zhang, how are things going with your discussions about the air-raid shelter?" Wang Ai asked.

“We’ve discussed most of it and are just waiting to start. By the way, have you discussed with the factory’s technicians about using an underground river to cool the furnace, as I mentioned before?” Zhang Zhiwei asked.

“I’ve already told them, and they all think it’s unlikely,” Wang Ai said.

"And then?" Zhang Zhiwei asked again.

“However, I told them, don’t let them think, let me think!” Wang Ai said, “They are already coming up with a plan based on my pre-set conditions, but I can’t guarantee that it will be completed.”

“You’re a good boss,” Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile. “Give them more money. Then have them connect with Chen Yulou and discuss everything.”

“I’ll arrange it,” Wang Ai said. “What do I need to do during the project?”

"Take charge of logistics, and also have the Tang Clan send a few people to handle safety during the construction. The Pao Ge Society has too many people and too many eyes and ears, I'm not too comfortable leaving everything to them," Zhang Zhiwei said.

Wang Ai nodded: "I will talk to Gao Yingcai about this!"

"Gao Yingcai?"

“Yes, Gao Yingcai!” Wang Ai said, “Gao Yingcai is usually in charge of the safety issues at Tiantong Steel Plant.”

"Today, I spoke with Gao Yingcai about asking them to send people to participate in Zhang Mazi's plan, but Gao Yingcai told me that he couldn't make a decision on this matter and that it had to be decided by the Tang Clan Master. I'm not sure if my words will carry much weight with the Tang Clan Master, so I'm afraid you'll have to step in, Senior Brother Zhang."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded: "I'll leave the Tang Clan leader to me."

“Senior Brother Zhang will definitely have no problem going!” Wang Ai said. “Although Master Tang is always very friendly when we meet, I don’t know why I’m always a little afraid of him. On the other hand, Master Tang Jiaren is always smiling and has a blessed look. He seems much easier to get along with.”

Lu Ci said, "I think the Tang Clan leader is easier to talk to. The old master is a cold-faced killer, always smiling, clearly a smiling tiger."

"It doesn't matter!" Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand. "They're all easy to get along with."

“I’ve figured it out. There’s no one who’s hard to deal with in front of you, Senior Brother Zhang!” Wang Ai said. “That Liu Mang, and that Fan Ha’er who’s been calling me ‘Egg Master’ for years, when they see you, Senior Brother Zhang, they act like they’ve seen something else. They’re not at all as arrogant and domineering as before.”

“I win people over with virtue!” Zhang Zhiwei said. “Do they need to be arrogant in front of me?”

The two fell silent, each silently cursing in their own hearts.

Wang Ai: What a fine idea of ​​winning people over with virtue! If virtue doesn't work, then this Taoist priest must know a bit about martial arts, right...?

Lü Ci thought to himself: "Your Zhang is arrogant, who would dare to be arrogant in front of you?"

Then, Wang Ai said to Zhang Zhiwei, "Senior Brother Zhang, there's something else I need to discuss with you!"

"you say!"

“It’s about penicillin!” Wang Ai said.

Zhang Zhiwei immediately became serious. He was still very concerned about penicillin. He asked, "Is there a breakthrough in purification technology?" Several years ago, during the floods, penicillin was undergoing clinical trials and a small amount was produced. He had transferred a batch to Zhang Sanjia at that time.

Later, Zhang Sanjia contacted him again after a long time, asking if there was still any of this miracle drug left, as he needed another batch, the more the better.

In the past few years, Zhang Zhiwei has sent it to him twice more when he has time.

His actions greatly displeased the foreign scientists across the ocean, as the drugs they had painstakingly produced for clinical trials were being frequently taken away, causing the clinical trials to be delayed again and again.

If it weren't for the generous offer and the fact that they were the only investors in the project, they would have quit long ago.

Wang Ai said, "There have been some breakthroughs in purification technology, but not significant ones. There are still some technical difficulties. The main problem is that the precision of the laboratory equipment is not high enough. The United States has imposed restrictions on this type of research, especially since we are not American citizens, the restrictions are even more severe."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded; this was indeed a point that was difficult to avoid.

Lu Ci said, "Didn't you create a fake identity?"

Wang Ai said, "They did use fake identities and agents, but they still couldn't escape their intelligence network. Moreover, several phases of clinical data were leaked, and now the US government seems to be interested in this project."

"Is it out of interest, or is it simply a desire to make money?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Wang Ai pondered for a moment and said, "I think it's both. They even gave me an ultimatum, demanding that we hand over all our technology and that they buy it at a low price."

"At the time, I wanted to report to you, Senior Brother Zhang, but you were in seclusion and I couldn't get in touch with you. So I took it upon myself to contact the steward named Walter of the Royal Order of the British Church and asked them for help."

"After Walter consulted with the commander Helsing, Helsing stepped in and resolved the matter. However, Helsing also set his sights on the technology."

“These despicable foreigners are simply wolves in sheep’s clothing,” Lu Ci said through gritted teeth.

Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand to shut Lü Ci up: "This was originally discovered by the foreigners, and I never intended to hide something that benefits the whole world. Fatty, what did you do with it?"

Wang Ai said, "I shared the technology with Helsing. Britain still has a lot of influence in the United States. Helsing helped us resolve this matter."

"Well done!" Zhang Zhiwei praised.

Wang Ai said, "However, although the crisis of being forcibly occupied has been resolved, the United States wants to send experts to cooperate with us in research. They also said that this medicine is too effective, so it needs to be controlled. First, we need to meet the needs of the United States, and only the surplus can be exported. But the United States' current demand is frighteningly large. I estimate that it will be very difficult to transport out in large quantities again."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded and fell into deep thought. This situation was not unexpected. It was already a testament to Haiersin's efforts that they were able to save that company.

"Isn't this going from blatant robbery to being slowly ripped off? It's outrageous!" Lü Ci cursed. "By the way, are you going to withhold payment for supplying them?"

“It’s still a payment!” Wang Ai said. “I talked to the official in charge of this matter in the United States, and we agreed to split the profits 50/50.”

"A 50/50 split?" Lu Ci felt it was a bit unfair: "He only has two mouths and he takes half?"

Wang Ai said irritably, "It's already quite an achievement to be able to negotiate a 50/50 deal, and we only managed to do so by leveraging Helsing's influence. However, we didn't lose out."

"Not a loss?" Lu Ci asked, puzzled.

Wang Ai said, "Because the higher the purchase price, the more the other party gets, so the price of this medicine is almost astronomical, more expensive than gold. Even if it's only half, they can still make a fortune."

Lü Ci was dumbfounded.

Zhang Zhiwei smiled. This was not surprising at all; it was an old tradition in the United States.

It's relatively restrained now, but later on, even a pack of screws that costs only a few dollars to produce could be priced at 90,000 dollars.

Wang Ai said, "However, although we earn a lot, it's not easy to transfer the money out directly!"

"It's alright. Money is meaningless; it only has meaning when converted into resources. We can buy things later," Zhang Zhiwei said. "Now that we have the technology, can we refine it domestically?"

“No!” Wang Ai said, “The equipment in China is incomplete. Although I brought some back, several pieces of equipment are under strict control. I am trying to bring them back through some special means.”

"What special methods?" Zhang Zhiwei asked. "Do I need to go there in person?"

"With Senior Brother Zhang taking charge, getting a few pieces of equipment sorted out is a piece of cake. However, if we trouble Senior Brother Zhang with every little problem we encounter, wouldn't that make us look too incompetent?"

Wang Ai said, "I've made some progress. I've developed a relationship with a friend who used to work for us and is now doing research at the US Academy of Engineering. However, his current position is still low, so he can't handle the equipment transfer. But he gave me a list of people who are capable of doing this, and I plan to contact them one by one, offer them a large sum of money, and see if I can get one back."

"Your informants have even reached the US Academy of Engineering?" Zhang Zhiwei was somewhat surprised. "That's impressive. The people there are all big shots."

Wang Ai smiled and said, "This is nothing. There are many people from our country working in some research institutes in the United States. Many of these people are concerned about China. The things that our Tiantong Chamber of Commerce has done over the years are obvious to all, so it is easy to make contact with them."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded: "We can get to know these people better, and if they have any difficulties, we can do our best to help them."

“I think so too. We’re all on the same side, and we might need it in the future. Look, we did this time. But it’s a pity that the US seems to treat us differently. None of us have been promoted to high positions. Otherwise, the equipment issue would have been much easier to resolve,” Wang Ai said.

Zhang Zhiwei said, "Show me the list of people you're planning to contact this time?"

Wang Ai took out a document: "This contains information about those people."

Zhang Zhiwei took it and glanced at it. These people were David Clas, Michael Jones, John T. Reliable...

Zhang Zhiwei's gaze settled on this reliable John. If he remembered correctly, this resume later showed that John had helped the impoverished China acquire a high-tech scientific device, which contributed to the birth of "Miss Qiu".

"Let's forget about the others. Let's focus on getting to know Mr. John better. My intuition tells me he's a warm-hearted and pure person. Don't try to outsmart him. To be honest, we want to get a piece of equipment to manufacture medicines to benefit the people. We hope he can help us."

“I’ll arrange it right away!” Wang Ai said. “I also think that this Mr. John might be more reliable.”

“This gentleman is indeed quite reliable, but his nephew is not so reliable,” Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile.

"Nephew?" Wang Ai asked in confusion, "This document doesn't mention that he has a nephew."

"It will be born in ten years!" Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile. (End of this chapter)