American Medicine: I survived the death knell thanks to the devil.

Chapter 96 Smuggling Underground

The subway swayed in the tunnel. Lynn opened her phone and searched for Evelyn.

The screen is filled with: Forbes interviews, New York Times headlines, and red carpet photos from charity galas —

Clicking the first link reveals a high-definition portrait that fills the entire screen.

Platinum short hair, prominent bone structure.

The Demon Worldline Convergence System has been activated.

[Demon identified: Evelyn Ashford Whitmore]

[Race: Lamia]

[A beautiful queen in Greek mythology who fell from grace due to jealousy. The gods cursed her to lose her own children, so she compensated by devouring the children of others. Her upper body was that of a breathtakingly beautiful woman, while her lower body was that of a rotting serpent's tail.]

(Evelyn: "The Brazilian one, sixteen, ballet major—arrange for her to stay at the estate for two weeks first, tell her it's an arts residency program. Hmm, the Chilean one is also good—")

[You can choose from the following world lines]

[Intersecting Worldlines Unlocked: The Demon "Siren" Victoria and the Demon "Lamia" Evelyn are Deeply Entangled in Cause and Effect]

[X: Persuade Victoria to infiltrate Evelyn's inner circle as her "private doctor," secretly gather evidence, and work with her from the inside. (Reward: Slightly increased stamina, 1 basic skill point)]

[Y: Gather evidence and submit it to Dawson, using Victoria's lineage to question procedural irregularities in the estate acquisition. A coordinated attack, both overt and covert, a political strangulation. (Reward: 2 Common Skill Points)]

[A: Investigate the Whitmore Youth Arts Foundation to obtain evidence of Evelyn's transnational human trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors. (Reward: 1 Common Skill Point)]

[B: Proactively submitted his "private doctor" resume to Evelyn. After joining, he wore a tight white coat every day to take her blood pressure, massage her shoulders, and feed her organic salads. When he went barefoot running in the estate, she used a dog leash to walk him as his morning exercise partner. (Reward: "Kegel Pelvic Floor Muscle Control Master Level", Platinum Dog Collar)]

Lynn didn't make a choice immediately; he continued swiping the screen, needing more information.

Evelyn Ashford Whitmore.

As a woman and as an LGBTQ+ leader, she holds a high position among female voters.

Born into a "middle-class family" in Charleston, South Carolina, but not a single childhood photo can be found.

She married Richard Whitmore, a 61-year-old hedge fund tycoon, at the age of 22.

Richard died of an acute myocardial infarction in 2016.

The death certificate was issued by a private doctor; no autopsy was performed; and the cremation was completed very quickly.

Three months before his death, he amended his will, transferring all of his two stepsons' trust shares to Evelyn.

With a net worth of $3.8 billion, she ranks nineteenth on the Forbes list of the richest women in America.

The Whitmore Youth Arts Foundation was founded in 2020, recruiting hundreds of teenagers from Eastern Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia each year to study in the United States.

The foundation's training base is registered at St. Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Epstein's "Little St. James Island" is just due south, less than four miles in a straight line.

In 2022, the Vanderbilt family mansion on the Upper East Side was purchased.

In 2025, he announced his candidacy for Speaker of the New York City Council.

Campaign slogan: "Fight for the children of New York, fight for the future of New York."

That's all the information we have on the surface; there's still a lot more to find out later.

On Monday afternoon, Arjun's message popped up on her disposable phone.

"Wednesday, on call 24/7. 4:00 AM, meet me at Hunter's Point."

Lynn replied with a period.

He drew out the work schedule.

Wednesday is the daytime orthopedic shift. Cassie is off work, and Sachi is fine.

The only gap is himself.

Lynn dialed Julian's phone number.

"Cover me up for Wednesday."

"No problem." Julian didn't ask any questions and didn't hesitate.

Lynn doesn't need Julian's manual skills, but his attending physician rank and status as a second-generation doctor remain, and even—

He was better able to keep those resident doctors in line than he was.

"What if Victoria finds out?"

"It's alright, don't worry about her."

Lynn hung up the phone.

Wednesday, 3:45 a.m.

The RV was parked in a dead-end alley at Hunter's Point.

The most desolate industrial wasteland in the southeast corner of the South Bronx.

It is situated right next to the Donghe River, with a derelict railway freight yard to the north and a row of rusty warehouses to the south.

The air was filled with the smells of diesel fuel, river water, and rotting wood.

Three hundred meters away on the riverbank, there is a small private dock.

Two refrigerated container trucks were parked on the pier, their bodies bearing the logo of an Indian spice importing company.

Several workers wearing fluorescent vests were unloading goods, their movements swift and efficient, without exchanging a single word.

Lynn noticed:

There was a person standing on each side of the entrance to the dock, seemingly smoking.

However, their positions are unique, and their lines of sight cover the entire road leading in and out.

Two dark-colored SUVs were parked on the outside, their windows completely blacked out, and their engines still running.

These people are not ordinary porters.

Arjun's Audi appeared in the rearview mirror right on time.

He stepped out of the car, wearing a dark gray wool coat and a scarf tied neatly.

The temperature was three degrees below zero, like going to a private dinner party.

Two people followed behind him.

A South Asian man, strong and fit, with his right hand always hanging down inside the hem of his coat.

The other white man had a buzz cut, a tattoo on the side of his neck, and walked with a very low center of gravity, suggesting he had received systematic combat training.

The two people's positions, one in front and one behind, naturally sandwiched Ah-Jung in the middle, forming a protective circle.

Breathe evenly, and keep scanning the surrounding environment with your eyes, never lingering in the same direction at the same time.

Lynn took a deep breath.

He used to think that having Sachi was enough.

Looking at Ah Jung's team now, with guards on the dock, on standby in the car, and bodyguards, every link is professionally configured.

He then realized that his previous confidence might have been a bit too much.

Sachi was a good soldier.

But ultimately, a person is just a person.

We need to get Sachi to contact that Navy SEAL comrade as soon as possible.

Now that our own funds are in place, we can't skimp on necessary expenses.

Moreover, loyalty also requires time and experience to cultivate.

Arjun approached, his gaze sweeping over the exterior of the RV before settling on the ventilation grille and reinforced hinges in the rear compartment.

"You've modified your car quite well."

Cassie deserves much credit.

Arjun lightly tapped the side panel of the car with his knuckles and listened to the echo.

"Soundproofing, ventilation, independent circuit. Very professional."

He went around to the driver's seat and tapped the windshield with his finger.

"It would be even better if it were bulletproof."

"How much?"

"B4 grade, withstands 9 millimeters. Including labor and materials, around 8,000. You'll have to pay for it yourself."

Arjun straightened up. "I'll help you make a connection after today."

Lynn didn't haggle; he'd just leave it to Cassie.

Besides, eight thousand for life insurance isn't expensive.

"Today's 25,000 is the basic daily wage, which you receive while you're here. The fee for each surgery is calculated separately, but it remains the same as before."

Arjun glanced at Lynn and made a joke with a smile.

"I'd rather you didn't earn a single penny of surgery fees today."

This is what Arjun truly thinks.

Lynn earning money for the surgery means someone is bleeding.

If someone is bleeding, it means there's something wrong with his business.

"Let's go. I'll show you something."

The refrigerated trucks on the pier were bigger than Lynn had imagined.

The 40-foot standard shipping container was painted with the "Saraswati Spice Trading Company" logo on the outside, with the FDA food import registration number printed below it.

"To what extent is the risk control for this route in place?" Lynn asked.

-

Arjun raised his chin, gesturing for him to look at the brand logo on the shelf.

"Sarasvati Spice Trading Company, registered in 2019, is a physical business."

"There are two retail stores in Manhattan and a sorting warehouse in Queens."

"We legally import approximately four million US dollars worth of spices and seasonings annually, have a clean tax record, and have long-term supply contracts with six chain Indian restaurants."

When he said these things, he sounded like a CEO presenting an annual report to the board of directors—clear, accurate, and organized.

"This isn't a makeshift shell. This company has always been doing legitimate business."

Lynn seemed to be deep in thought.

At least 6 years.

Arjun had installed this backup line six years ago.

At that time, Ravi's line was still in good shape, and he was already paving the way for alternative plans that might be used someday.

"The FDA's sampling rate for imported food is less than two percent."

Arjun continued, "The aroma of spices can mask any chemical residues in medicine. The refrigerated environment ensures that the medicinal properties are not degraded. Each cabinet contains two thousand boxes of pepper, with one hundred and twenty of them having medicine in the bottom compartment."

"The port dispatching, customs brokerage, and cold chain logistics are all handled by separate personnel. They are unaware of each other's existence."

"If any link in the chain has a problem, just burn that part; it won't affect the upstream or downstream."

Lynn understood.

Segmentation firewall.

Each layer is an independent node, like a hemostat in surgery, clamping the bleeding point without affecting the overall blood supply.

He was as cautious as he was when running his illegal clinic.

However, Arjun's scale is much larger than his.

There are also more areas that require caution.

Arjun gestured to the workers to open the container door.

A wave of cold air hit me.

Inside the box were standard kraft paper boxes labeled "Karara Premium Black Pepper - Net Weight 25 kg".

The worker pulled out the innermost box and cut open the seal.

The pungent aroma of black peppercorns instantly filled the air.

Peel back the top layer of pepper to reveal the vacuum-sealed aluminum foil packaging.

Ah-Qiong tore open a package and handed it over.

Indian generic version of ceftriaxone sodium injection.

The batch number, expiration date, and manufacturer information are all included.

"Cephalexin, amoxicillin, metronidazole, lidocaine, propofol. Everything you need is here."

Arjun took the aluminum foil packaging back and sealed it.

"The puncture kit and laparoscopic supplies you requested last month will be in the next batch of supplies. We're all on the same team now, so you don't need to give me a list of everything anymore."

"Just make a phone call."

People like Arjun wouldn't reveal their core supply chain to others for no reason.

Unless he needs this person to be deeply bound to him.

"Have you seen enough?" Arjun asked.

"I've seen enough."

"Park the car behind Warehouse Number Three. Today's people—"

Far out of their sight, at the entrance to the dock, the two sentries disguised as smoking workers simultaneously extinguished their cigarettes.

Something's up!

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