American Comic Dimensional Trading Device

“No, I haven’t seen him since you were arrested, let alone had any money. If it weren’t for Ms. Margot’s kindness, we wouldn’t have been able to afford to bury Father. Now that you’re back, find something respectable to do and don’t go hanging out with those guys again!” Francesca said earnestly to her brother.

“…My dear sister, you’re overthinking it. The war isn’t over yet!” Vito said helplessly. He didn’t know that Francesca had asked Josie for help.

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, I’ve already asked Mr. Kahn to find a way to spare you from going back to fight. He’s agreed, and you have to come with me to see him tomorrow to thank him,” Francesca told Vito.

"What? Is this true? Can it really work?" Vito's eyes widened in disbelief.

“Of course, since Mr. Kahn has agreed, he can definitely do it,” Francesca said with certainty.

Vito opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

That night, lying on the bed in his new bedroom, feeling the soft and comfortable mattress, Vito couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

He hadn't enjoyed this peace and tranquility for over a year.

If it were really possible to avoid returning to the battlefield, as my sister said, that would be wonderful.

But then he couldn't help but think of someone's invitation... Never mind, they're probably long gone by now, they've probably forgotten about him.

After a good night's sleep, Vito, led by his sister, arrived at Josie's villa early the next morning.

“Vito Scarletta?” In the study, Josie asked, looking at the tall, handsome Italian young man in front of her. It has to be said that the older sister is beautiful, and the younger brother is not bad-looking either. Heaven knows how their wine-loving mother gave birth to such a good-looking brother and sister.

“Yes, sir, I am Vito!” Vito replied somewhat awkwardly. Although Josie looked younger than him, the imposing aura emanating from her made him feel as if he were facing high-ranking military officers.

“This is your discharge certificate!” Josie nodded and pushed a document over. “It’s an official document from the Veterans Affairs Bureau, so don’t worry about any aftereffects.”

“Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Kahn.” Hearing Josie’s words, Vito’s eyes lit up, and he once again understood what kind of power Mr. Kahn, whom his sister had been talking about, really possessed.

For ordinary people, in such a tense period of war, the only way to get discharged from the military is to find a way to forge medical records.

But he had never heard of anyone like Josh who could produce an official discharge document from the Military Affairs Bureau.

“It’s nothing. Francesca is a very hardworking woman, and I’m not a stingy employer, so I won’t refuse small requests.” Josie waved her hand and then asked, “I heard that when you were in Europe, Captain Rogers saved you?”

"Yes, sir, it was Captain Rogers who saved Captain Bucky and me. If it weren't for him, I might have died on Hydra's testing table." Vito also flattered him at the right time. The moment he entered the study, he saw the photo of Josie and Captain America hanging on the wall, and Captain America was not wearing a mask.

This made him instinctively think that Mr. Kahn knew Captain America and that they probably had a good relationship.

But Josie didn't care about his flattery at all.

He was concerned about something else.

"You mean, you and Bucky were on the testing table together?" Josie, who hadn't taken Vito seriously before, stared intently into Vito's eyes and asked.

Chapter 59 Do my job!

“Yes, sir. Mr. Bucky and I were tied to the lab table and injected with some strange, unknown drugs. Although the military lab checked us afterwards and found nothing serious, I believe we would have been dead if the captain hadn’t arrived in time. We’ve never seen anyone walk out of those labs alive during our captivity… Sir, is there a problem?” Seeing Josie’s curiosity, Vito didn’t hesitate and told her what had happened. After he finished speaking, he noticed Josie’s thoughtful expression and felt a little strange.

"Ah, no problem. I just didn't expect your experiences to be so amazing. If it were written as an autobiography, it would definitely be a bestseller. Speaking of which, having you retire halfway through your career might have deprived the world of a legend." Josie said casually, her mind racing.

He was injected with the same drug as Bucky? That means it was the Winter Soldier drug.

Of course, like Bucky, Vito is probably still only a work in progress.

But who says semi-finished products are useless?

"Perhaps, but I think being able to come back safely and reunite with my family is the greatest happiness!" Vito said with a smile, waving the documents in his hand.

“That’s right, family is everything!” Josie nodded, then suddenly asked, “Vito, now that you’re back, what are your plans for the future?”

“Perhaps like my father, I could become a dockworker? At least that’s what my mother hopes for!” Vito said with a hint of helplessness. There was nothing he could do; the old woman just wanted a peaceful and stable life, but for Vito, who was only 20 years old and full of vigor, that was clearly not what he desired.

“Oh, a war hero, carrying boxes at the docks? Sorry, I don’t mean any disrespect to your mother, but this is indeed a bit beyond my expectations… However, judging from the current situation, you obviously haven’t made a decision yet, so are you interested in working for me?” Josie was also a little stunned when she heard Vito’s words.

Dockworkers in this era are not the kind of technically skilled workers of the future.

Although being a dockworker in the future will be a tough job, most of them will still earn a decent income.

But dockworkers in that era were pure manual laborers.

Moreover, they were often exploited by foremen. It was arguably the lowest-class job of the time, and was basically only done by black people and some newly arrived immigrants.

It's really too incongruous to see a strong and handsome young man like Vito working as a dockworker.

"Work for you? Is that alright?" Vito was pleasantly surprised to hear Josie's invitation.

Unlike when he first returned and didn't know the specifics, he now had a basic understanding of Josh. He was indeed a big boss. Although he didn't know what the pay was like, it was definitely a hundred times better than being a dockworker. Moreover, his sister was also working for him, so his stubborn old mother certainly wouldn't object.

“Of course, why not?” Josie shrugged.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kahn!” Vito agreed without hesitation.

“Since we’re on the same side, there’s something I won’t hide from you,” Josie said, waving her hand to indicate that she was welcome.

“You’ve met Brook before, haven’t you?” Josie asked.

“Yes, sir!” Vito nodded.

“Last year, your sister took out a high-interest loan to bury your father. I helped her pay for it, and Brooke handled the arrangements. I’m telling you this not to ask for a favor or to make you pay back the money, but because Brooke found out something else while handling this matter: your father’s death might not have been an accident!” Josie said.

"What? Is this true?" Vito's expression changed drastically upon hearing Josie's words.

He had always believed that his alcoholic father had drowned after drinking too much, just as his sister had written in her letter, and he had no doubts about it... because given his father's alcoholic nature, such a thing was indeed possible.

But if, as Josie says, this wasn't an accident, then that's a different story.

Vito may not like his drunken father, but he was still his father! And at least during his childhood, his father left him with some good memories.

“Whether it’s true or not, you’ll have to investigate for yourself. After all, I was just an observer in this matter before. In fact, if it weren’t for my wife Margot’s request, I might not have paid that money, and naturally, I wouldn’t have pursued the matter. But now that you’re back and working for me, I’m telling you… Go find Brooke, he’ll tell you the details! Don’t rush into going to work, we can talk about it after this is settled,” Josie said slowly.

After hearing Josie's words, Vito immediately understood the meaning behind what he had told him.

It is both a favor and a pledge of loyalty.

“I understand, thank you, Mr. Kahn!” Vito nodded and then left Josie’s study.

After seeing Vito leave, Josie paused for a moment, got up, walked to the door, locked the study door, then opened the trading device and connected with Yuri.

"What's the matter, Josie?" Soon, Yuri's disguise appeared.

The background is still a cave, but although only a week has passed, the scene inside the cave is completely different from before. It has become a large laboratory, where some Japanese chickens are being controlled and are constantly busy.

Yuri, who used to look like a wild man, was now cleaned up and put on a decent white coat, regaining some of the ruthless aura he once had when he almost crushed the world.

"That's good news. A half-finished replica of a super soldier has come to us. So, I'm asking if you'd be interested in studying it. Do you think the equipment you have is sufficient?" Josie asked, glancing at the equipment behind Yuri.

The equipment in these labs was all purchased at a high price from the University of Chicago, because many pieces of equipment need to be customized and are simply impossible to buy so quickly.

In other words, Josie's offer was high enough that the University of Chicago considered it an opportunity to upgrade the equipment, which is why they were willing to sell.

Of course, Josie wouldn't lose out either, because Yuri was actually the one who paid for it... Iridium metal wasn't selling well in this era, but platinum was selling very well. And since iridium was a by-product of platinum, and Yuri was able to find a lot of iridium ore, how could platinum be lacking?

“Of course I’m interested, but to study this, we do need some equipment,” Yuri said, his eyes gleaming slightly.

Chapter 60 Revenge! A Pledge of Allegiance!

"Mr. Brooke!" After leaving Josie's study, Vito, who was preoccupied, quickly found Brooke wiping the car, guided by the servant.

"Oh, it's Vito. What's up?" Brooke stopped what she was doing and asked.

“Mr. Kahn sent me to find you. He told me that you know something about my father’s death!” Vito said, looking at Brooke.

“So that’s what it was. I did know. Get in the car!” Brooke nodded, gesturing for Vito to get in, and then got into the driver’s seat.

Vito didn't hesitate and got into the passenger seat.

Brooke drove to the port area, to the dock where Vito's father used to work.

"Hey, who are you people?" As soon as the car stopped, a worker came up and asked.

“I’m looking for Winnie!” Brooke casually tossed a cigarette over.

For people at the bottom of society, a few cigarettes can solve most problems, so they don't need to spend any money.

As for Brooke, his boss Josh himself was in the tobacco business, so in addition to their salaries, the bodyguards received three cartons of cigarettes as a perk every month, making them even more comfortable than American soldiers. Naturally, they didn't feel bad about spending a few cigarettes.

"Winnie, someone's looking for you!" The worker sniffed his cigarette, cheerfully put it behind his ear, and called out as he turned around.

Soon, a shifty-looking young worker emerged from the crowd of people carrying goods.

"Ah, it's Mr. Brook!" Upon entering and seeing that the person looking for him was Brook, the young man hurriedly stepped forward and flattered him. He didn't know Brook's true identity, but he knew that the other party was an "important person".

“Tell me again what you know about Antonio!” Brooke said to the young man, Antonio being Vito’s father’s name.

"So that's what it is! Hehehehe..." The dockworker named Winnie chuckled, rubbing his hands together, but didn't continue speaking. Instead, he looked at Vito and asked, "And this gentleman is?"

"This is none of your business! Here, just tell me!" Seeing the other person's expression, Brooke snorted and tossed over a box of opened cigarettes.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry for being so talkative!" Seeing a pack of cigarettes, which had already been opened but was still at least half full, Winnie immediately stuffed it into his pocket with a grin. "If I'm not mistaken, Stephen was the one who killed Antonio."

“Stephen? Who is Stephen?” Vito asked immediately from the side.

“He was our boss Derek’s number one henchman, the boss of this area. I saw them go out together that night, and only Stephen came back, soaking wet. We found out the next day that Antonio had drowned in the ditch… What a ridiculous thing, that ditch was only a little over a meter deep, not even a child could drown there!” a worker named Winnie said vividly.

Vito, standing to the side, was already feeling his blood boil.

Although this was only the opinion of the dockworker in front of him, he already believed it to be 90% true.

He didn't know who Stephen was, but he did know Derek, whom the other person was talking about. Derek was his father's boss and also a notorious bully in the area.

I'd heard his name quite a few times when I was a hoodlum.

"Do you know where Stephen and your boss Derek are right now?" Brooke nodded and then asked.