The medication was slowly injected into the foreign devil's vein. Qi Huishen and Chen Ke had made many house calls, so he had witnessed injections many times. Wang Qinian's technique was far more skilled than Chen Ke's. Watching the injection finish, Qi Huishen subconsciously looked at the foreign devil's face. Chen Ke always "observed" them this way. What met his eyes was a face with rough skin, covered in spots and hair. This face already violated Qi Huishen's aesthetic standards, and the pustules covering it made his stomach clench. Suppressing his discomfort, Qi Huishen quickly walked out of the sickroom.

Operating the screen-printing machine, watching the leaflets come out one by one, Qi Huishen felt nothing but pure satisfaction. In the past, printing leaflets always brought a sense of inescapable panic that led to exhaustion and anxiety, but now that problem was completely gone. Public lectures, opening schools and hospitals, and the factories Chen Ke spoke of for the future... The future wasn't entirely clear, only an outline, but for Qi Huishen, this was a joy he had never experienced before. Plus, Chen Ke seemed to have shaken off his temporary confusion and was ready to do big things. Qi Huishen believed they would certainly see tremendous changes.

Just as he was printing, he heard faint arguing. The voices grew louder; they were coming from the sickroom.

Qi Huishen rushed to the room and saw several foreign devils surrounding the bed. The patient who had received treatment had a sallow, waxen face and was groaning incessantly. The translator was shouting at Wang Qinian. Qi Huishen was already quite dissatisfied with this translator, and seeing him so arrogant now made Qi Huishen furious. Before Qi Huishen could even ask what was happening, the translator yelled at him, "You quacks! You're trying to kill people!"

After saying this, the translator spoke to the foreigners in English: "Sir, they made you sign that agreement because they knew their medicine was bad."

Suppressing his boiling anger, Qi Huishen asked Wang Qinian, "Dr. Wang, is the patient having an adverse reaction?"

Wang Qinian's face was grim. "According to the reactions Mr. Chen described, the patient's liver likely can't handle it."

Chen Ke had explained the usage precautions for '914' to both of them in detail. The drug had significant toxicity, and patients might experience facial flushing, burning in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, sweating, difficulty breathing, dermatitis or rashes, and even exfoliative dermatitis, toxic hepatitis, jaundice, anemia, acute purpura, and reduction in granulocytes and platelets.

Qi Huishen had treated dozens of patients with Chen Ke and had seen toxic reactions with his own eyes. This foreign devil appeared to have jaundice symptoms. Lacking other means, Chen Ke generally used the most primitive method: injecting saline solution to dilute the drug concentration in the body and promote urination. Qi Huishen didn't know how Dr. Wang Qinian would handle it, and since Wang was a professional physician, Qi Huishen felt he shouldn't speak out of turn; he should at least show respect to the doctor.

"Mr. Qi, what are the main ingredients of this medicine?" Wang Qinian asked, his face still grim.

Perhaps Wang Qinian hoped to understand the drug's composition himself so he could solve the problem using his own medical knowledge. But to Qi Huishen's ears, this sounded a bit like prying into secrets.

"The medicine is toxic. Mr. Chen always uses saline injections to alleviate the symptoms," Qi Huishen provided the answer.

"You use it on people knowing it's toxic? And you didn't tell us first?" The translator shouted immediately upon hearing Qi Huishen's words. Qi Huishen suddenly felt he understood this translator. His "master" had encountered a problem, and instead of trying to find a way to help, the translator's first instinct was to clear himself of responsibility, and secondly, to push all blame onto the hospital. Qi Huishen had long ago informed them that the drug was toxic, and the medical contract had been signed. Such meaningless slander was extremely damaging in Qi Huishen's eyes.

In the past, Qi Huishen rarely got angry, because he had never truly felt rage. The family business belonged to his father; things outside belonged to others. Qi Huishen wouldn't get angry over other people's property. But this hospital and these medicines were things he and his comrades had poured their hearts and souls into creating. The translator's attack made Qi Huishen feel a anger rising from the bottom of his heart. It was a strange sensation; all thoughts flew to the nine heavens in that moment, leaving only a pure and intense emotion filling his chest and spreading through his body—an impulse that could not be suppressed.

The translator took another step forward, preparing to shout something else. Qi Huishen slapped him viciously across the face. This was one of the gains from participating in the revolution these past few days; learning that Hua Xiongmao was actually a military graduate in martial arts, Qi Huishen had asked him for pointers. Based on Qi Huishen's physical aptitude, Hua Xiongmao taught him a few moves specifically for brawling. Nothing more than a slap, a heart-digging punch, and a heart-nest kick. After Qi Huishen executed the first move, the next two followed naturally. The translator was stunned by the slap; he hadn't expected this gentle-looking youth to resort to violence directly. Fights are like that; once the initiative is seized, it's hard to recover the situation. The translator was knocked to the ground by Qi Huishen's punch and kick.

The direct physical reaction to rage was tunnel vision; right now, Qi Huishen could see nothing but the translator. Seeing the man fall, Qi Huishen felt a burst of immense pleasure, which only fueled his anger further. Catching sight of a stool in his peripheral vision, he grabbed it, ready to smash it down on the translator.

Qi Huishen felt a pair of strong arms grab him tightly from behind, and he heard some muffled sounds. It wasn't until his anger suddenly dissipated that he felt a wave of weakness wash over him, and the world returned to its normal appearance.

Everyone in the room was staring at Qi Huishen in shock. The translator, seeing Qi Huishen raise the stool, had curled into a ball, instinctively raising his hands to block the blow that seemed imminent.

"Mr. Qi, is this necessary? Hitting him a bit is enough; you'll kill him if you go on like that," Wang Qinian hurriedly urged.

Qi Huishen panted heavily and put down the stool. The foreign devils were likely used to the translator's usual behavior, but judging by their expressions, they had never seen anyone dare to beat a translator like this. Not only the foreigners by the bed, but even the patient groaning on the bed stared straight at Qi Huishen.

Qi Huishen slumped into a chair and began to calculate. The best thing now would be to call Chen Ke; after all, Chen Ke developed the drug and knew it best. Qi Huishen should have gone to get Chen Ke himself, but Wang Qinian wasn't entirely reliable, and more importantly, Wang Qinian hadn't been with them long, so there was no reason for him to shoulder this burden personally.

"Dr. Wang, could you please go and invite Mr. Chen here?" Qi Huishen asked.

"Will you be alright here alone?" Wang Qinian asked in a low voice.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just come back quickly."

Wang Qinian patted Qi Huishen gently on the shoulder, turned, and went out.

"You came here because you believed we could cure the disease, right?" Qi Huishen asked the foreigners in English.

The foreign devils looked at each other, and the one who seemed to be the leader answered, "Correct."

"Since you have come to our hospital, you are our patients. We have no ill will towards you, and we will do our utmost to treat you. I think you should have confidence in that."

The foreigners nodded slightly.

Qi Huishen pointed at the translator scrambling up from the floor. "This person is talking nonsense. Apart from interfering with the doctor's treatment, he does nothing. that is why I had to hit him. I hope you can understand."

The leading foreigner smiled. "Sir, we can understand your anger. Let's let this pass. Please, hurry and treat our friend."

Hearing the conversation while clutching his face, the translator lowered his head and shot a furious glance toward the foreigners, not daring to let them see. Then, he glared at Qi Huishen with a look of bone-deep venom. Qi Huishen didn't care in the slightest. At this moment, he didn't regret a thing. For someone who dared to insult his hospital, a beating was getting off light. Qi Huishen now wanted to ask Wu Xingchen to find someone to finish this translator off. He had seen it with his father; guys who tried to harm his father were tied up and dragged away, never to be seen again. Thinking of this, Qi Huishen decided that this business had to be done in cooperation with his old man. Any scoundrels like this translator had to be dealt with mercilessly.

Before long, urgent footsteps were heard outside, and Chen Ke and Wang Qinian rushed back. Wang Qinian immediately began examining the patient upon entering, then started a saline drip. After a round of emergency treatment, the patient's condition gradually stabilized. The waxen yellow of his face faded somewhat.

Chen Ke explained the situation to the foreigners. This patient had a severe physiological reaction, so the dosage would be reduced in the future, or it might be best to temporarily stop treatment. If the patient was unwilling to continue, they could receive a full refund and leave.

Watching the professional handling by Chen Ke and Wang Qinian, the foreign devils, though uneasy, did not choose to terminate the treatment. Chen Ke looked at their skeptical eyes and the crosses around their necks, and an idea struck him. He said with a solemn expression, "If you wish to continue treatment, then whatever this patient encounters is the will of God." Chen Ke crossed himself. "God will not give man a trial he cannot bear. Amen."

At least three of the foreigners crossed themselves simultaneously and said, "Amen."

Chen Ke's performance unexpectedly won the foreigners' trust, and two of them actually requested to receive treatment as well. Such daring behavior was truly baffling. Chen Ke didn't refuse. Not discussing fees this time, he had Wang Qinian inject them with the drug.

After that, neither Chen Ke nor Qi Huishen felt it was right to leave. They waited at the hospital with Wang Qinian. Beds were arranged for the foreigners, and the three of them took turns making rounds. The two new patients showed no toxic reaction; their bodies remained normal after the injection.

"I didn't expect Mr. Qi to have such a fiery temper," Wang Qinian said with a smile when the three gathered together.

"I heard you beat that translator pretty badly," Chen Ke laughed as well.

Bringing up the incident, Qi Huishen's anger had not yet subsided. "Anyone who opposes our cause, a beating is letting them off easy." He spoke the words through gritted teeth.

"Well, what's done is done. He's just trying to make a living, too. Although his methods were despicable, we should try to understand. The most important thing is to have a sense of propriety and not cause trouble for yourself," Chen Ke couldn't help but advise.

"I know, Brother Wenqing."

"I'm not criticizing you; I'm worried about you. Those foreigners don't have any deep friendship with that translator. But if they had started a fight with you and you got hurt, I would be heartbroken."

Qi Huishen genuinely smiled. "Thinking back, I am a bit scared. Luckily it didn't blow up."

"Exactly, no need to suffer for the sake of a scoundrel like that." After saying this, Chen Ke turned to Wang Qinian. "Dr. Wang, Huishen has no experience in fighting and can't control his strength. Go take a look at that translator and check him over. Don't let Huishen actually break him. If he's really injured, I'll give him some money for medical expenses."

Wang Qinian hadn't expected Chen Ke to do this and said with some surprise, "Mr. Chen, is that really necessary?"

"We've already made money; we don't care about that little bit. Although he asked for it, Huishen was too impulsive. Paying him some money to smooth things over is best. Of course, if he doesn't know what's good for him, we won't let him off so easily next time."

"Since you put it that way, Mr. Chen, I'll go," Wang Qinian said, standing up.

"I'm counting on you, Dr. Wang."

The next day, the drugs took effect, and the foreigners' conditions improved. They paid their medical fees one after another. Chen Ke privately stuffed two Mexican silver dollars into the translator's hand. The translator still glared at Chen Ke with hostility, making Qi Huishen, who was standing behind Chen Ke, want to strike him again. But Chen Ke simply offered a few words that were half-coaxing, half-threatening, and then led Qi Huishen back to the workshop.

"Huishen, what do you think of Dr. Wang?" Chen Ke asked on the road.

"Last time he specifically asked about our formula. I feel like there might be something off about him," Qi Huishen voiced his suspicions.

"I see. Let's observe him for a while. The formula must absolutely not be leaked."

"Brother Wenqing, there is something I want to discuss with you. After encountering this incident, I want to involve my father in the pharmaceutical business. I don't know what your thoughts are."

"Let's discuss this at the Party meeting. We shouldn't decide privately."

"True."

Chen Ke patted Qi Huishen on the shoulder. "Huishen, you got angry for the sake of the Party's cause. Anger isn't right, but I am very happy about your emotions. This cause is our revolutionary cause, and I feel very happy."

"Aren't we comrades? I didn't think that much, I just couldn't hold it back at the time."

"I know, I know," Chen Ke said repeatedly.

After walking a bit further, Chen Ke asked.

"Huishen, you come from a comprador family, after all. If this business of mine makes a huge amount of money, what kind of outcome do you think awaits me?"

"Do the British dare to rob you openly?" Qi Huishen asked indignantly. After saying it, he fell silent himself.

Chen Ke smiled. "It's not like there aren't other ways. For now, let's see if we can find a big tree to lean on. 'Under a big tree, it's good to enjoy the shade.' But to use this medicine as an aid to the revolution, we must have a very reliable comrade in charge of it. Apart from you, Huishen, we don't have such a comrade right now." Chen Ke smiled bitterly.

"Will the British definitely come to snatch this medicine?" Qi Huishen still held some illusions.

"Why wouldn't they? Give me a reason. I recall teaching you *Das Kapital*. What did Marx say? 'Once there is adequate profit, capital is very bold. A certain 10 per cent will ensure its employment anywhere; 20 per cent certain will produce eagerness; 50 per cent, positive audacity; 100 per cent will make it ready to trample on all human laws; 300 per cent, and there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run, even to the chance of its owner being hanged.' The initial profit of this medicine is fully 600%. Forcing out the formula and then eliminating me is no big deal for the British. They could earn hundreds of thousands, millions of pounds. I really can't find a reason for the British to let me off." Chen Ke said with a wry smile.

"Then we won't treat the British anymore," Qi Huishen said angrily.

"No, we must do it. If we don't treat them, how will we make money? I want to make as much money as possible before things deteriorate, then convert the money into US dollars and gold. To gather funds for our revolutionary cause," Chen Ke said calmly. "Huishen, what do you think of Wu Xingchen?"

"I still can't see through him, but I feel he isn't a revolutionary," Qi Huishen replied.

"Revolution doesn't require everyone to become a revolutionary, and the Revolutionary Party isn't about making the people serve the revolution. The Revolutionary Party is about the revolution serving the people," Chen Ke said, slightly helpless.

"Where do we find these 'people'?" Qi Huishen asked gloomily.

Chen Ke's heart leaped; these were the words he most wanted to hear. "Huishen, let's hold a Party meeting today. We'll split up to notify everyone. Let's invite Wu Xingchen as well."

That evening, besides the five members of the Party cell, Wu Xingchen attended the meeting as a partner in the special medicine venture. Chen Ke and Qi Huishen reported on the recent situation separately. You Gou sighed helplessly, Hua Xiongmao sighed with regret, and Wu Xingchen sat with a grim face, eyes closed and silent.

"Comrades," Chen Ke said. "If anyone wants to withdraw now, I won't stop you. This is the first test we are facing. I will absolutely not stop anyone who wants to leave."

No one moved, and no one spoke. The other four, excluding Chen Ke, all looked at Wu Xingchen. Wu Xingchen remained silent for a while before speaking. "Does Brother Chen have a plan?" Hearing Wu Xingchen's words, the eyes of the other four became even more wary. Wu Xingchen was unaffected. "If there is anything I can help with, please give your orders, Brother Chen."

Before Chen Ke could speak, Hua Xiongmao spoke up. "I say, Brother Wu, you're Chinese too. Don't secret societies value loyalty and righteousness the most?"

"Zhenglan, don't say such useless things," Chen Ke interrupted Hua Xiongmao. "If the revolution can't even save itself, don't talk about anything else. We have no reason to ask Brother Wu to risk his life for us. I've always said, the revolution is to save everyone, not to drag everyone in to die."

Hearing Chen Ke's words, Hua Xiongmao fell silent. He looked at Chen Ke with burning eyes; that spirit and energy made Chen Ke very gratified.

"By my estimation, the time left for us is three months. If the British are going to make a move, it should be in November," Chen Ke said. "Right now, what we need to do is seize the time to make money. As for the British, we will try to stall them. Let the British feel that we still have illusions about them."

"What if the British play hardball right now?" You Gou asked.

"That's impossible. The British look down on Chinese people, and they aren't very confident in this medicine yet. I'm afraid the British still wishfully think that we are desperate for their approval. So, gaining three months is still possible," Chen Ke replied.

Hearing this, everyone felt it made sense.

"We cannot give up this opportunity to run a school. Huishen, no matter what, the British won't dare to touch you, so I require that you absolutely do not get involved in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process," Chen Ke continued.

"Why? Brother Wenqing, do you not trust me?" Qi Huishen got a bit angry.

"Huishen, it's not that I don't trust you," Chen Ke explained. "When You Gou and I talk about chemistry, we can't help but use chemical terms. If the other side knows the trade, they'll know exactly what we are doing as soon as they hear it. I'm not trying to scare you, but you would definitely be taken by the British and interrogated. Your complete lack of understanding is actually a good thing."

Qi Huishen could understand this explanation. "Don't worry, Brother Wenqing, I will never leak the news."

"The British only make up half the possibility of those who might move against us. The other half is other comprador families. If I fall into British hands, I might save my life if I truly surrender. But if I fall into the hands of Chinese compradors, I am dead for sure." Chen Ke said this, then turned to Wu Xingchen. "Brother Wu, if other comprador families move against me, it might be hard for me to defend myself. I wonder if you can help me?"

"I can call some people over from Hebei. Their kung fu is excellent," Wu Xingchen replied.

"Then I'm counting on you, Brother Wu," Chen Ke replied.