Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Davis's wife picked up the warm water and took a sip, a look of worry on her face:

"What should we do then? ExxonMobil's business here is already suffering from reduced profits due to the bad situation. If we're double-taxed, we'll have even less money left at the end of the year. And what you mentioned before, the government is tightening its audits of overseas income. Won't that cause a lot of trouble?"

"There are definitely some troubles," Davis put down his knife and fork, took a deep breath, "but thankfully, our business isn't illegal. It's just that the Neutrality Act has been strict lately, and some of the goods I ship from the US are taking much longer to clear customs, especially those related to strategic materials, which are almost impossible to get through. Also, my colleagues at headquarters said that the government is gradually restricting oil exports. If there's a complete embargo, the oil-related businesses we handle will probably have to come to a standstill."

"Should we consider going back to China?" the woman asked softly, her eyes full of anticipation. "Although we'll earn much less back home, at least we'll be safe, unlike here where there's a war. By the way, I heard from Mrs. Naira that things are also chaotic in Europe. Apparently, a short man became the president of Germany, and many people admire and support him."

Davis frowned: "I really dislike that guy. Can we not talk about him?"

"Okay." The woman covered her mouth and chuckled.

Davis continued, "We can't go back. There are still many interests to be gained here in China. Although Shanghai has fallen, the Japanese army doesn't dare to easily offend the foreign merchants in the concessions. They need to import resources from us foreigners and don't dare to break off relations. Besides, we've been established here for so long. If we go back now, all our previous investments will be wasted."

He paused, then added, "Besides, the situation in the US isn't that great either. Although the new policy is being implemented, labor laws are becoming increasingly strict, and labor costs are rising. It's actually more worthwhile to speculate here in the Far East. We can wait until things stabilize and we've made enough money before considering returning home."

The woman was silent for a moment, then nodded, picked up the bread and handed it to him: "Okay, I'll listen to you. But you must be careful when you're out there. Shanghai is not peaceful lately. Whether it's the Japanese army, speculators from other countries, or locals, they are all not to be trifled with. Be careful about your safety while you're at work."

........

After dinner, the woman cleared the table, while Davis leaned back on the living room sofa, lit a cigarette, and gently swayed the cigarette between his fingers, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

Lin Rui used his supernatural abilities to observe the room, hoping to glean some useful information.

Not long after, two figures walked along the gravel path and knocked on the door of the Davis family's house.

Davis got up and opened the door, greeting him with a smile: "Tom and Jack, you're right on time. I thought you'd be a little late."

The two men who came in were blond foreigners, dressed in sharp suits, and were probably senior Mobil employees living in the other two buildings.

"All I want to do right now is play bridge; it's our only pastime these days," Tom, the slightly taller one, replied with a smile, his gaze sweeping across the living room. "Good evening, Mrs. Davis."

The woman came out of the kitchen carrying coffee, smiled and nodded, and placed the cup on the coffee table: "Please sit down. I've already set up the bridge game for you. It's just that the coffee might be a little weak today. The quality of coffee in the concession is getting worse and worse."

The three of them said no more and sat around the small round table in the living room, taking out playing cards.

Lin Rui leaned against the wall, lit a cigarette, and listened quietly to every word of their conversation.

At first, they just chatted about trivial matters in the concession, talking about the recent movements of the Japanese army on the edge of the concession.

However, as the game progressed, the topic gradually shifted to internal matters of Mobil Oil.

Jack pulled out a card and lowered his voice: "Have you heard? Yesterday, a few people from the Japanese Army Intelligence Department came to the headquarters building in the International Settlement. They were quite aggressive and said they wanted to buy all of Mobil's oil reserves in Shanghai."

Tom frowned, pausing his card-playing motion. "Of course I heard. I happened to run into them when I went to headquarters yesterday. The price those Japanese offered wasn't even below cost, and the manager rejected it on the spot. After all, it's better to keep our oil and sell it to the foreign firms and merchants in the concessions for a better profit than to sell it to the Japanese at a low price."

"That's right. Soldiers are more direct than businessmen. They're not worried about us sending telegrams to Tokyo." Jack sighed. "Those Japanese will come again. Before they left, they said that if the big boss doesn't give in, our Mobil goods might have trouble clearing customs in the future. The Neutrality Act is strict now, and our customs clearance is already slow. If we get harassed by the Japanese, it will be even more difficult to carry out our business."

The two discussed back and forth, but Davis remained silent, mechanically playing his cards. His face grew increasingly somber, and he showed no sign of smiling even after winning two hands.

Tom noticed something was wrong with him and asked suspiciously, "Davis, what's wrong? Why are you so quiet today? You're usually the most active player at the poker game. Is something the matter?"

Davis put down his cards, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a helpless tone, "It's nothing, just some work-related stuff, it's a bit annoying."

"Work-related matters?" Jack's eyes lit up, and he joked with a smile, "Did you make a fortune again and are just pretending to be worried in front of us? Or is there some new progress on those 'special business' projects you're in charge of?"

Upon hearing the words "special business," Davis frowned even more deeply, and his tone turned somber: "Don't mention it again. The big boss already asked me yesterday to stop all arms trade. As you know, I've been in charge of this for the past few years, and now he's just telling me to stop? I still have a batch of high-quality weapons sitting on me. If I can't find a buyer to dispose of them, the big boss will probably ask me to go back to the country in a while."

Upon hearing this, Tom and Jack were both stunned. Then Tom smiled and said, "Going back to China? Isn't that a good thing? Shanghai is so chaotic right now, with war raging everywhere. Going back to China means you can stay away from danger and reunite with your family. We all envy you."

"A good thing?" Davis shook his head with a wry smile. "You guys don't understand at all. If I go back to China, all the investments I made in the Far East will be wasted. Besides, labor laws in the United States are getting stricter and stricter, and it's questionable whether I can find a good job back home. Moreover, you know my family's situation. Double taxation already puts a lot of pressure on us, and without income here, life will only get harder."

He paused, then added, "Besides, I don't want to go back to China. Although the Far East is chaotic, there are also many opportunities. As long as I can sell this batch of weapons, I can stay in Shanghai and may even make a lot of money. How could I be willing to go back like this?"

Tom and Jack exchanged a glance but didn't say anything more. They just patted him on the shoulder and offered a few words of comfort. The game continued, but Davis's mind was clearly no longer on the cards. He made frequent mistakes, and the worry on his face grew heavier.

Lin Rui, who was standing against the wall on the street outside, had a knowing smile on his lips. He threw away the cigarette and had already made up his mind.

It turned out that Davis was indeed the head of arms dealing at Standard Oil, but now he was being asked by the boss to stop business and was facing the predicament of being deported back to his country. The batch of arms he was holding onto was exactly what he wanted.

The solution is simple: if I can become Davis's middleman and help him find a buyer to purchase the weapons, I can satisfy my own needs and help Davis out of his predicament—a win-win situation.

Lin Rui slowly withdrew his supernatural power, his gaze falling on the small villa. He had already decided to meet with Davis again and have a proper talk about this matter.