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Chapter 75: Bright Light
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 13:52:22 +0000 UTCFacing General McGinnis, who could potentially become his future employer, Josh ignored Colonel Ross’s subtle hints and directly shared everything.
It was nothing more than McGinnis leading the project and Howard executing it, attempting to develop a drug to improve soldiers' alertness and wakefulness during combat—this drug was called "Midnight Oil." However, after initial animal trials on mice, Howard concluded that it was a failure.
But General McGinnis didn’t believe that this drug, which they had put a lot of effort into, was a failure. He thought it could have unexpected effects in actual combat.
Of course, he knew that the drug could not be used on his own soldiers.
So, he ignored Howard’s objections and included the drug in air-dropped supplies sent to the front lines to the Soviet soldiers.
The result was disastrous: an enhanced Soviet unit, nearly 300 men, was completely wiped out, with only four survivors.
Afterward, Howard and General McGinnis had a violent confrontation, which eventually reached the highest levels of command.
In the end, the military sided with Howard Stark, offering him a multimillion-dollar contract to smooth over the incident.
As for General McGinnis, he was relieved of all duties and ordered to retire within a specific period.
This was undoubtedly an internal scandal for the military and a massive blemish on McGinnis's career.
But for the stubborn, somewhat volatile old general, he had no intention of hiding or lying to Josh, whom he considered an ally.
After McGinnis finished speaking, Josh didn’t respond immediately. He fell into brief contemplation.
However, his thoughts weren’t on whether to reject hiring McGinnis because of the scandal, but rather on how the nature of this "Midnight Oil" drug closely resembled a drug that Yuri had mentioned to him in the past.
This drug was a secondary psychic agent used on a large scale by ordinary soldiers in Yuri’s army.
Yuri’s basic soldiers, the Yuri New Recruits, had improved alertness and even slight psychic abilities like telepathy from using this drug.
However, to fully utilize these psychic abilities in battle, the soldiers needed specialized psychic helmets. Without them, the psychic energy exerted by an average soldier was weak and practically useless.
But even without the helmets, this drug was still a potent and useful combat enhancement.
The only problem was that the drug had side effects due to its neuroactive properties, leading to a strong addiction.
But these side effects were nothing compared to the "Midnight Oil" drug, which had a near-fatal outcome when used.
“Mr. Kahn, if you’re feeling troubled, you can speak up. I wouldn’t make things difficult for a young man over something like this,” McGinnis said with a sigh, thinking Josh was considering rejecting him.
“No, no, no, General, you’re overthinking it. I’m not thinking about rejecting you at all. In fact, I’d be very willing to hire you. I’m just considering that there might still be a way to turn things around with this situation!” Josh hurriedly waved his hands to clarify.
He was being honest. The scandal surrounding McGinnis was indeed a serious issue, but that was mostly a political matter.
Compared to the tremendous connections McGinnis could bring, a little scandal was nothing.
Furthermore, the person McGinnis harmed was a Soviet soldier, not an American citizen, so it wouldn’t affect Josh.
However, if possible, McGinnis staying in the military could be of even greater benefit.
“Mr. Kahn, what do you mean by that?” McGinnis and Colonel Ross exchanged a curious glance.
“Earlier, didn’t I mention that I was interested in the military-industrial field? Actually, I came to see Colonel Ross to recommend a new type of combat drug… and as luck would have it, this drug has effects that are quite similar to the 'Nightlight' you just mentioned, perhaps even stronger. It might even grant some incredible abilities. Of course, there are side effects, such as the potential for addiction if the dosage isn’t controlled—much like morphine. And, yes, it’s a bit expensive!” Josh explained without hesitation.
Of course, the "expensive" part was just for show.
Considering the drug’s mass use by Yuri’s army, its actual cost wasn’t much higher than morphine’s.
But did that stop Josh from charging a high price? No.
“Mr. Kahn, is that true?” Both McGinnis and Colonel Ross were visibly excited at Josh’s words.
“Do I have any reason to lie?” Josh smiled and shrugged.
Neither McGinnis nor Colonel Ross responded, as Josh indeed had no reason to lie.
“Do you have a sample?” McInnis asked eagerly.
“Of course. It’s in a biological laboratory I acquired not long ago, and I also bought a pharmaceutical factory so we can immediately begin production if the military needs it,” Josh smiled. “I never figured out what to call this drug, but now it seems we should call it ‘Bright Light’... What do you think?”
In reality, Josh had already had Yuri begin mass production of this highly practical drug after his laboratory equipment update.
“Excellent, excellent, it shall be called the Bright Light drug! Let’s go now and see the effects of this drug!” McGinnis and Colonel Ross could barely contain their excitement.
If they could confirm the effects of the drug and use it with part of the military before the invasion, even a small improvement could drastically change McGinnis future.
He wasn’t going to let his career end here, not when he was already at the rank of Major General.
As for whether this would offend Howard Stark—please, Josh wasn’t familiar with him, and as long as Josh was involved in military industry, Howard Stark would be the biggest competitor. Offending him was of little consequence.
Meanwhile, in a mansion in London, a drunk Howard, arm around Whitney, was giving her a tour of his private lab.
“Ah, Howard, you’re such a genius! By the way, what are those over there?” Whitney, leaning against Howard, pointed to an isolated lab in the back.
“Oh, those are just some dangerous chemicals and agents. I won’t take you there,” Howard said, glancing at the lab and waving his hand.
“You know, Howard, I really love your talent. So, how about it? Don’t you think our invention goes so well together?” Suddenly, Whitney jumped into the cabin of a new rotorcraft, lifted her skirt, and revealed her long, slender legs to Howard in a seductive pose.
“Heh, yes, of course, it goes perfectly,” Howard replied without hesitation, and they immediately began to enjoy themselves amidst the machinery.
However, Howard didn’t notice that Whitney, who had been pretending to indulge him, kept casting occasional glances at the drug laboratory.
