North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 168 The Chinaman Took the Bait!

In the office, Ah Zu recounted everything that had just happened, without hiding anything.

Of course, aside from a few minor details, those are not important.

"Boss, I never imagined that 'Ohara Cotton Trading Company' was actually a Freemason front...!"

"The Freemasons' assassins came so close to you several times, if...!"

Thinking about this, Victoria felt a chill run down her spine and was filled with lingering fear.

Azu smiled and shook his head: "I didn't actually encounter any danger. They just didn't find a good opportunity, otherwise they would have made their move long ago!"

Victoria said, "You clearly guessed that woman was the assassin, yet you still dared to be alone with her in a room? Boss, aren't you taking a bit too much of a risk?"

Ah Zu calmly said, "She's just a woman who can't even kill a chicken, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Tch...!" Victoria said, "If it weren't for that peach-scented clue that aroused your suspicion, you might already be dead in bed by now...!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible...!" Azu firmly denied, "Am I such a casual man? Would I let her get her way so easily?"

"Pooh……!"

Victoria and Monica both spat lightly at the same time.

Then, Victoria asked with concern, "Can that woman be trusted? Although she pledged her allegiance, she is, after all, an assassin trained by the Freemasons. Will she betray us so easily?"

Azu replied, "Whether someone is trustworthy can only be proven by time and actions!"

"If she can truly remain loyal, we will undoubtedly have another trump card to play against the Freemasons!"

"If she's just trying to get out of here alive, we don't lose anything, right?"

"She...an ace? Tch...!"

Both Victoria and Monica wore expressions of disdain.

Ah Zu placed a thick stack of papers in front of them: "This is her pledge of allegiance. Take a look at it first."

Victoria and Monica picked up the stack of papers and quickly scanned them.

"Tsk tsk tsk... This woman might actually be a trump card!"

"So many secret lovers, it's unimaginable... If only she could make use of them...!"

Azu smiled and said, "This should only be a part. I believe she will still hold back some things and will not give us everything she knows without reservation."

Monica couldn't help but say, "Yes, I think there's at least one name missing from this list of secret lovers...!"

"Who's missing?" Azu asked curiously.

"Li Zunian, the first governor of California...!"

Azu roared, "Monica, I think you really need to be taught a lesson...!"

"whee……!"

……

After a short while, having dealt with the two women, Azu's attention finally returned to the important matter.

“Victoria, how are our eighteen locations doing in the East, in Washington, and in Philadelphia?”

Victoria replied seriously, "In addition to the group that went to Washington openly with Major Klein, another group was also secretly sent to Washington at almost the same time."

“Washington is our focus and core in the East, and another key city is Philadelphia, where the Freemasons are headquartered.”

“As early as the end of last year, we had already deployed a considerable number of people in Philadelphia, and a few of them are now even junior Freemasons.”

"However, the Freemasons are very secretive and tightly organized, and it is very difficult for us to obtain effective intelligence. It will also take a lot of time."

Azu nodded: "Compared to a deeply rooted organization like the Freemasons, our 18th Bureau's foundation is far too shallow. Even if we send people out, their status is very low, making it difficult to gain their trust and obtain any important inside information."

"Like this time, even the cotton trading company knew about the selection of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, while we were still kept in the dark."

"We are still far behind in both the means of acquiring and transmitting intelligence."

At this point, Azu asked, "Has Klein sent any useful information back recently?"

Victoria shook her head slightly: "The latest news is that he was summoned by the President to consult on the selection of the Pacific Fleet Commander, as well as your questions, Boss."

Azu said, "Klein is still too young and lacks political experience. He should have kept a low profile in front of the President of the United States, but instead, he started praising me."

"If the president feels threatened, do you think we'll get away with this?"

Azu hadn't expected that sending Klein to Washington would lead to such a swift summons from the White House.

If he had foreseen it, he would have made Klein portray him as a worthless bastard.

Unfortunately, I am not a god who can predict everything.

Hopefully, Klein will learn from his mistakes and master the ways of politics soon.

At this moment, Victoria said, "Boss, now that we have information on the Freemasons' whereabouts, what should we do next? Should we immediately close in and wipe them out?"

"To wipe them all out? Wouldn't that be telling the Freemasons that Lilith has betrayed their organization?"

Azu said, "Lilith could become our trump card, so we must do everything we can to protect her, not the other way around."

"Not only can we not close the net, but we must cooperate with their operation!"

"Cooperate with their actions...?"

Victoria and Monica were both taken aback.

"But their goals are to assassinate you and to sabotage the naval gun factory... Neither of these goals can afford to be compromised in the slightest!"

Azu smiled slightly: "If they want to assassinate me, then let them do it... If they want to bomb the naval gun factory, then let them bomb it...!"
-
Meanwhile, Susan O'Hara, who had just returned to the O'Hara Cotton Merchant Guild, was facing an impatient Tony O'Hara.

"Susan, my dear sister, you're finally back!"

Tony asked impatiently, "How's it going? Have you gotten rid of that Chinese guy yet...!"

As he spoke, Tony gently rubbed his neck.

"Hehe!" Susan chuckled. "My dear brother, shouldn't you be more concerned about me? You've been gone for most of the day. Did you encounter any danger?"

“Uh…!” Tony O’Hara’s expression hardened, and he realized that he had been a little too hasty. So he smiled and said, “I’m sorry, my dear sister. It’s wonderful to see you back safe and sound.”

As he spoke, Tony reached out to put his arm around his sister's slender waist.

"Hehe!" Susan chuckled lightly, deftly dodging Tony's groping hand. "My dear brother, the governor and I have been locked in a fierce battle for three whole mornings. Now, I need a rest!"

"That young governor is amazing! His stamina is incredible! Even I almost couldn't keep up!"

As she spoke, Susan stretched lazily, looking slightly tired. "Dear brother, I'm going to rest now. I hope you won't disturb me."

"Wait...!" Tony stepped in front of Susan and said in a deep voice, "You mean, you've already succeeded?"

"Success? Heh... My dear brother, that depends on how you define that word!"

Susan replied languidly, "If you mean I fulfilled my wish and spent a wonderful morning with that young and handsome governor, then I certainly succeeded!"

"If you mean whether we've completed our mission to make that young, handsome governor die suddenly in his bed... I'm sorry, we haven't done that yet!"

"Why?" Tony O'Hara's face immediately darkened. "You slept with him, why didn't you kill him?"

"Heh!" Susan chuckled. "That governor's bodyguards are right outside the room! If I choose to let him die suddenly, do you think I'll be able to come back alive?"

“My dear brother, didn’t you say that my safety is more important than the life or death of that governor?”

"I don't want to be a casualty of that governor's death, so of course I can't act rashly!"

"However, now that he's taken the bait, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future! That young and handsome governor, after tasting my flavor, is already addicted and can't extricate himself!"

“Believe me, my dear brother, I will find a better opportunity. One that will kill him while ensuring my own safety.” “That is undoubtedly the best way, don’t you agree… my dear brother?”

Tony O'Hara is still regretting the missed opportunity.

But Susan was absolutely right. Once that damned Chinese guy took the bait, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, and they would definitely find an even better chance to deliver a fatal blow.

Then, a smile returned to Tony's face: "Yes! My dear sister, you made the right choice!"

"Now, go and get some rest!"

After Susan disappeared from his room, Tony muttered to his retreating figure, "A three-hour battle... Hmph, damn Chinese guy, you're really lucky with women!"

"But you really managed to fight Susan for a full three hours? Unbelievable, you really possess such formidable fighting power...!"
-
Meanwhile, Sean, who was expelled from Huamei Middle School for fighting and violating school rules, returned to Angel Island Arsenal and once again became an inconspicuous grenade production line foreman.

Everyone who knew Sean felt a deep sense of regret for this honest and simple man.

Being recommended to Huamei High School—what a wonderful opportunity that is!

If he persists in his studies for a year or two and obtains his Huamei High School diploma, he will have the opportunity to be promoted to a management position at Huamei Company.

Unfortunately, this guy got into a fight over something trivial and was expelled from Huamei Middle School. From then on, getting promoted became extremely difficult.

Everyone felt sorry for him, but Sean himself didn't care. He still had a simple and honest smile on his face and continued to work diligently and conscientiously.

Under his leadership, his production team was always able to complete production tasks faster and better than other teams.

Within just a few days of returning to the Angel Island arsenal, Sean once again earned everyone's approval with his performance.

Angel Island Arsenal, which operates under a completely closed management system, ensures that workers in the same work group live, eat, dress, and live together almost entirely outside of work.

Over time, Sean and his coworkers became good friends. His honest and kind nature made him very popular wherever he went.

After finishing work that day, Sean, who was eating his meal as he walked, led his coworkers past the gate of the naval gun factory.

Without realizing it, Sean glanced twice at the heavily guarded naval gun factory.

"Sean, stop looking around...!"

A fellow worker quickly whispered a reminder: "Ever since the cannon factory started production, security has been extremely tight. Even if we look at it for a few extra seconds, security personnel will come up to check us. Don't cause trouble for yourselves."

"Oh...!" Sean quickly lowered his head, shoveling rice into his mouth as he walked. Only after they were far away from the naval gun factory did he whisper and ask, "What kind of guns are they producing in this gun factory? Why is it so heavily guarded?"

"Making cannons isn't some big secret, is it necessary to make it so mysterious?"

The coworker shook his head, saying mysteriously, "I don't know either...!"

The coworker turned around to make sure no one was watching before whispering in Sean's ear, "But I overheard a fellow villager who works at the cannon factory mentioning that the cannons they make here are completely different from those made in other arsenals..."

"Other companies feed the shells into the cannon from the muzzle."

"And the cannons we make have shells inserted from the rear..."

Sean's expression hardened: "The shell is shoved in from behind... what kind of cannon is that?"

The coworker continued to shake his head: "That's all I know. Don't ask around, it won't do you any good."

Sean nodded and silently ate his rice.

After nightfall, the workers in the same prefab house gradually fell asleep.

Only Sean's eyes still shone brightly in the darkness.

It wasn't until after 2 a.m. that Sean quietly got up and disappeared from the prefab house with exceptional agility.

Even at night, the Angel Island Arsenal is illuminated by bright gas streetlights that burn all night long, making the entire factory almost transparent.

But Sean always managed to find inconspicuous dark spots, sneaking away unnoticed by anyone.

Finally, he arrived outside the most heavily guarded explosives depot on Angel Island.

Explosives depots are crucial locations for any arsenal, and no accidents can be tolerated.

The same applies to the explosives depot on Angel Island!
There are guards every three steps and sentries every five steps. Even though it is late at night, there are still dozens of people stationed here, inside and out.

In the shadows, after Sean had changed his appearance, he reappeared under the lights as a completely different person.

A security guard in uniform!

"Old Huang, it's my turn to relieve you on duty!"

Sean greeted a security guard familiarly.

"Hey, Zhang Datou, you're a quarter of an hour late!"

"Hehe, I have a bit of diarrhea...!"

"Um, I'm going back to catch up on my sleep... yawn!"

Old Huang handed the rifle to Sean and disappeared, yawning all the way.

Sean slung his rifle over his shoulder and followed at the back of a five-man patrol.

Taking advantage of the moment when the people in front of him weren't paying attention, he darted away and disappeared behind the wall of one of the explosives warehouses.

Sean pulled a three-kilogram explosive charge from his pocket, placed it against the wall, and lit the fuse.

These explosives were all the result of Sean meticulously skimming off bits and pieces from the grenade production line.

Once the explosives were lit, Sean dodged away and kept his distance.

"Boom...!"

The three-kilogram explosive charge exploded with a loud bang, blasting a large hole in the thick reinforced concrete wall of the explosives warehouse!

"Shhhhhhh...!"

Instantly, the entire Angel Island arsenal came to a standstill, alarms blared, and security personnel from all directions swarmed in.

Sean rushed into the explosives warehouse before anyone else could.

He casually strapped two large bags of explosives, weighing a total of fifty pounds, to his body.

Then, he lit the fuse of another bag of explosives and threw it heavily into the depths of the explosives warehouse...!
After doing all this, Sean rushed out of the explosives warehouse at top speed, ignoring everyone's stares and shouts, and charged forward with his head down!

"boom……!"

He had just run a hundred meters or so when a deafening explosion rang out from the explosives warehouse right behind him!

The massive explosives warehouse was instantly and completely reduced to dust!
At least a dozen people around were also blown to pieces by the earth-shattering explosion!
Even Sean, who had already run more than 100 meters, was thrown high into the air by the powerful shockwave and landed several meters away!
The powerful shockwave swept across the entire Angel Island arsenal in an instant, shattering all the windows.

And above the site of that explosives warehouse, a spectacular black and red mushroom cloud rose!

"Ahem...!"

Sean, injured by the shockwave, struggled to his feet and looked back to see that all that remained of the original site of the explosives warehouse was a huge crater!

Without much hesitation or lingering, Sean disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

When he reappeared, he was already at the naval gun factory, beneath its high walls.

With practiced ease, Sean swiftly and skillfully retrieved a grappling hook from his back, silently scaling the seven- or eight-meter-high wall.

Upon entering the naval gun factory, the security personnel were in complete disarray due to the deafening explosion.

Sean stealthily made his way to the outer perimeter of the forging workshop, the core of the entire naval gun factory.

Here is a 3,000-ton hydraulic press that Huamei Company purchased from Europe at great expense and with great difficulty.

Only with this hydraulic press can powerful naval guns be manufactured!
Without this hydraulic press, Huamei Company's entire cannon-making plan would be delayed by at least six months.

Sean's goal is this 3,000-ton hydraulic press!
(End of this chapter)