I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 401 - 401 I have a business deal I would like to discuss

Chapter 401: I have a business deal I would like to discuss with you_1 Chapter 401: I have a business deal I would like to discuss with you_1 Doctor Howes’s supplier was a portly middle-aged man, who lacked Doctor Howes’s cleanliness and seemed to have aged prematurely due to social obligations; the man’s name was Joe.

“I swear he was very healthy when I saw him, and we talked about the prices of the drugs, you know, factories have been developing rapidly recently, and some brands’ pharmaceutical factories are working overtime to produce a large amount of medication at low prices, which made the medication I supplied seem expensive, so I needed to explain that to him,”

Joe started off with this explanation as soon as he saw Cui Siter.

“When I left the clinic, he was about to close up for the day; he said he had other matters to attend to that evening. I asked casually, and he didn’t specify, but I guessed it could be a party or seeing a woman, because he had groomed himself very cleanly, you know, the kind of cleanliness that goes beyond his usual meticulousness; he was even cleaner that day.”

The middle-aged man with a thick waist took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his own forehead, as the air was humid near the pharmaceutical factory, especially noticeable in the morning.

“Do you have the list of supplied medications?”

Cui Siter inquired.

“Right here, it’s all here; he didn’t buy many different types of drugs from me.”

Joe took out a list, which was from his most recent transaction with Doctor Howes.

Cui Siter glanced at it and indeed, they were common medications, mostly used to treat stomach ailments, wounds, lung diseases, and typical symptoms like colds and fevers.

In Grey Alley, these were the prevalent conditions.

“You didn’t supply any illegal drugs, did you?”

Cui Siter was blunt.

“No, of course not, I never do such things.”

The man wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“However, we found some rather illegal drugs in Doctor Howes’s clinic, like this one…”

Cui Siter took out a small bottle of medication that was found on the shelf in the hidden room.

Joe’s expression grew more solemn as he took a closer look at the bottle and immediately defended.

“That medication wasn’t supplied by me, this kind of drug, let alone medical representatives like us, even hospitals might not have it readily available, only certain powerful figures could have access to their supply channels.”

“Powerful figures, are you referring to the Catania Family?”

Cui Siter put the bottle away.

“I dare not say, dare not say; I know Howes is well-connected with many people, but you would be well-advised to steer clear of those affairs,”

The middle-aged man shrank his neck.

“Has Doctor Howes been acting unusually in any way lately?”

Lu Ban suddenly asked.

“Whether it’s behavior, the categories or quantities of drugs he purchases, or anything else you’ve noticed,”

“Him? There hasn’t been much change, that’s just the way he is, scrupulous. He seems to lack a personal touch, but sometimes he acts quite the good Samaritan. In terms of purchases, he has acquired more medication for lung diseases lately, I guess the factory workers are gradually falling ill.”

Joe, seeing that Cui Siter and others no longer questioned him about the drugs, sat up straighter and seemed less wilted.

“Ha, these businessmen are so clever; they employ homeless people in factories to make a profit, and then the workers’ health deteriorates due to the fumes, necessitating medication for treatment, and the wages they earn end up back in the businessmen’s pockets…”

As he spoke, he noticed the glances from Cui Siter and Shia and promptly closed his mouth.

“Does Doctor Howes provide treatment to those workers for free?”

Recalling the files he had reviewed earlier, where the majority of patients were somewhat wealthy middle-class with almost no workers listed, and thinking of Doctor Howes’s reputation, Cui Siter asked.

“Probably, he sometimes goes to the factory area to distribute medication for lung diseases to the workers for free. I don’t know what he’s aiming for, maybe those in the medical profession have their own pursuits, not like us businessmen.”

Cui Siter proceeded to ask the medical supplier for an alibi and compared it with the police investigation before leaving his house.

“The air here is quite fresh.”

Lu Ban stepped out of the house and took a deep breath.

“There’s always a foul smell in the room.”

“Agreed.”

Shia nodded as well.

“You two…”

Cui Siter said, also patting his clothes as if to dust off something unclean.

“He doesn’t seem to have a reason to kill Doctor Howes, and according to the pattern of the case, as the last person to see Doctor Howes, he’s the most suspicious, which means he’s the least likely to have committed the crime.”

“That makes sense, shall we go see those two patients next?”

Lu Ban asked.

“I have to stop by Lady Martina’s place first, maybe you could wait for me across the street?”

Cui Siter subconsciously touched the handgun under his armpit.

“No problem, we’ll have a good meal while we wait for you.”

Lu Ban had no objections.

With a touch to the medical records in his chest pocket, Cui Siter led Lu Ban and Shia to the corner of the street, asked the two to wait in the restaurant there, and himself took a rickshaw, winding through two streets, before arriving at a musical instrument store.

The owner of the instrument store was fiddling with a violin. Upon seeing Cui Siter, he didn’t speak, but simply gestured toward the back.

Cui Siter walked through the musical instrument store to reach the room behind it, where two men in suits were sitting, puffing away and filling the room with the scent of cheap tobacco.

Upon seeing Cui Siter, the two men rose slightly, extinguished their cigarette butts, and became a bit more polite.

“This is what Lady Martina wanted.”

Cui Siter handed the file from his chest to one of the men.

“You didn’t open it?”

The man glanced at the file.

“Nonsense, if I hadn’t opened it, how would I know this is what she wanted…”

Cui Siter felt these gangsters really needed some basic education.

“Oh, okay, we will deliver this to the lady. As for the payment, the lady said it’s right here.”

The man feigned a look at the file, but Cui Siter knew very well that both men were illiterate, and it was exactly such illiterate henchmen that gave people confidence when transporting documents.

What he handed to Cui Siter was an invitation.

“Tomorrow night’s charity banquet?”

Cui Siter didn’t ask the two men; he knew they were mere messengers.

It seemed Lady Martina wanted him to attend the charity banquet, to test him personally, and if there was no problem, she’d pay and let him go, but if there was a problem, then…

Tucking away the invitation, Cui Siter returned to the instrument store.

He saw the store owner sitting in a chair, flanked by two tall bouncers who were holding him in place, not letting him leave.

On the other side, the violin that had just been in the owner’s hands was now in the grasp of a young man, who played a tune with a classical style.

Cui Siter did not curse or make a hasty exit; he saw the cars outside the instrument store and knew very well that any rash move would be met with the crisp sound of gunfire from a typewriter.

After a moment, the young man set down the instrument and glanced at the unmoving Cui Siter.

“Hello, great detective, I have a business proposition to discuss with you.”

The young man’s face seemed oddly familiar to Cui Siter.