American Medicine God: Starting by Inheriting a Pharmaceutical Company and Selling Medicine

Inside the GVN television network's studio, a special report on "Community Safety and Public Health" is being broadcast live.

The air was filled with the dry smell characteristic of sophisticated electronic equipment dissipating heat, and the light from dozens of monitoring screens cast cold reflections on the glass walls of the control room.

On the screen, the image is divided in two, but this is not a comparison between rich and poor, but a carefully constructed visual contest between "chaos" and "order".

The image on the left is shaky and blurry, clearly taken from a hidden camera angle using a handheld DV camera, and the color tone has been adjusted in post-production to an unsettling bluish-gray.

It was an underground warehouse in the border city of El Paso. The shaky camera panned across moldy corners, piles of cardboard boxes, and a group of Spanish-speaking, panicked illegal immigrants busily moving something.

The camera zoomed in abruptly, using digital sharpening technology to clearly show the crude logo printed on the boxes—a poor imitation of the "Vote Pharmaceuticals" logo, the blue "V" appearing crooked and distorted, like some kind of satirical graffiti.

The voice-over is a recording of a police press conference, the sound of which has been noise-reduced to sound particularly serious and authoritative: "...This is a transnational criminal gang that uses illegal immigrant networks to distribute counterfeit health products and fake drugs in the community, seriously threatening public safety..."

The image on the right shows the WOT Global Logistics Center in a clear, bright, and film-like quality.

The camera smoothly glides across the spotless epoxy resin floor, where a huge white automated robotic arm, like a surgeon's hand, is sorting medicines with millisecond-level precision.

Each medicine bottle is scanned by a red laser as it passes through the conveyor belt, and a green "Verification Passed" message pops up on the screen instantly, along with a unique encrypted serial number.

The soundtrack is a steady and reassuring string arrangement, with the cello's low bass providing a foundation, creating a sense of religious solemnity and security.

"This is a classic 'diversion' strategy, and also the most sophisticated crisis management."

Victor Corleone sat in his newly renovated, futuristic office, looking at the huge floor-to-ceiling screen, and spoke to Thor beside him.

He was shaking a glass of iced soda in his hand, the ice cubes hitting the glass with a crisp sound that created a strange resonance with the wailing of sirens on the television.

"Boss, that's a brilliant move."

Saul exclaimed with genuine admiration, his eyes, accustomed to maneuvering on Capitol Hill, gleaming with excitement. "Just a few days ago, a tabloid reporter from The New York Times tried to hype up the issue of drug price fixing, questioning the transparency of our pricing model."

"Now? Ha! The whole of America's attention is focused on this 'illegal immigrant criminal gang.' Everyone's talking about border security, about those 'dirty underground workshops,' and nobody cares about how much our drugs cost anymore."

"That's the art of 'scapegoating'."

Victor said calmly, setting down his glass and tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, "Because people's fear of 'foreign invaders' is always greater than their envy of 'local capitalists.' The former threatens their lives, while the latter only threatens their wallets."

"What we need to do is go with the flow and turn this biological instinct into political capital."

Just then, the office's automatic door slid open, and Barry Hines strode in. He was carrying a stack of freshly printed analysis reports, the top one featuring a red and blue bar chart.

"Boss, the results are amazing! This is the latest opinion poll and media monitoring report."

Barry excitedly spread the report out on the table. The red area, which had originally represented negative emotions, was rapidly fading, replaced by blue, representing support and trust.

"Since we cooperated with the police to expose this fake drug ring, the opinions about 'Walter' in radio hotlines and newspaper reader letters have undergone a fundamental reversal."

Barry pointed to the striking chart: "Look, words like 'monopoly' and 'profiteering' have fallen out of the top ten. The hot topics now are 'genuine product guarantee,' 'conscientious companies,' and 'community safety.'"

"Even in some conservative underground radio stations and gun club communications, militia groups were calling for the spontaneous formation of patrols to protect Vought's transport convoys from being hijacked by gangs. They viewed buying genuine Vought drugs as an 'act of patriotism.'"

"Very good." Victor nodded, showing no surprise. "Have you investigated the background of the arrested gang leader?"

Michael Grant, the security chief who had been standing in the shadows, stepped out. The former Secret Service agent, dressed in a well-tailored gray suit, spoke concisely and forcefully, without any superfluous adjectives.

"We've got it figured out. The target's name is José Martinez, and he entered the country illegally three months ago. They were indeed manufacturing counterfeit drugs, but on a small scale, mainly using starch and vitamin powder to impersonate our 'Hercules'."

Grant paused, a cold glint in his eyes: "Interestingly, we discovered their seed funding came from an offshore account, which, after four layers of investigation, pointed to a lobbying group affiliated with Purdue Pharma. It seems our competitor is trying to create a medical accident by distributing substandard counterfeit drugs, then frame us to damage our stock price."

"Typical dirty work," Saul scoffed. "Too bad they underestimated our intelligence network."

"Their biggest mistake was underestimating the technological barriers."

Victor scoffed, stood up, and walked to the French windows. "Do they think this is still the era where you can fake things just by putting up labels?"

"Barry, arrange for the technical director to appear on the show. I want him to explain in detail our 'microscopic holographic anti-counterfeiting technology' and 'end-to-end electronic tracking system'."

Victor turned around, his eyes piercing: "Have him tell the audience that every bottle of genuine Vought drug has an unalterable 'electronic file' generated on our central encrypted server when it leaves the factory. Any drug without this file is not only fake, but also 'toxic'."

"We need to broaden the concept of 'counterfeit drugs' to an unlimited extent. Anything outside of the Waters regulatory system, anything we cannot track, is a potential threat."

"Understood." Barry quickly took notes. "I'll have the technical director bring a few microscopes on stage to demonstrate how to identify 'unknown impurities' in counterfeit drugs. The visual impact will be more effective than any data."

"Then let's make the fire burn even brighter."

Victor continued, "Contact The Wall Street Journal and Fox News for a joint in-depth report. The topic is 'Who is poisoning our communities?'"

"The focus should be on underground workshops that exploit regulatory loopholes, employ illegal workers, and produce substandard products. This case should be elevated to the level of 'national security'."

"Tell the public that this is not just a business competition, but an 'asymmetric war' against American health."

"Saul, it's time for you to step in," Victor said, looking at his legal advisor.

Saul pushed up his glasses, revealing the sly smile typical of a professional lawyer: "I've drafted an amendment to the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. We'll lobby Congress to mandate end-to-end electronic tracking for all prescription drugs."

"The reason, of course, is to fight crime," Saul said, spreading his hands. "But in reality, the technical standards of this tracking system are entirely based on Walter's patents. This means that any company that wants to sell drugs in the United States either has to pay us hefty patent licensing fees or be kicked out of the market."

"This will greatly raise the entry barrier for the industry, completely shutting out those small and medium-sized competitors."

"That's not all," Victor added, "we also need to establish a 'law enforcement force'."

He pressed a button on the remote control, and the screen switched to the live broadcast.

On television, GVN's star presenter is interviewing a senior security consultant for Vought, a retired Navy SEAL commander. He's wearing a tactical vest and a Vought badge, looking both professional and intimidating.

"...That's why we're calling for stricter legislation."

Facing the camera, the consultant spoke with righteous indignation, each word like a bullet: "This is not to protect the profits of large corporations, but to protect every family from the harm inflicted by dirty hands from the shadows."

"Those criminals don't follow the rules and don't respect life. But we follow the rules, we respect life."

The consultant paused, looked directly into the camera, as if making a promise to every middle-class person sitting on the sofa:

"Wat Pharmaceuticals is committed to investing an initial $5000 million to assist state law enforcement agencies in establishing 'Community Drug Safety Nets'."

"We will hire veterans to form professional compliance patrol teams that will go deep into community pharmacies and clinics to combat medical fraud and counterfeit drug sales targeting the elderly. We want every American to feel only peace of mind, not fear, when they pick up a medicine bottle."

Victor looked at the screen and smiled with satisfaction.

"Listen to this word, 'safety net'," he said softly. "How warm, how harmless."

"But in reality, it's a network. A surveillance network woven by private capital, covering the entire society. Our patrol teams will have legitimate grounds to enter any pharmacy, inspect their inventory, and audit their accounts."

"This is not just about cracking down on counterfeit drugs; it's about establishing our 'law enforcement authority.' When a company's security department begins to function like a police force, it is no longer just a company."

"It is a quasi-governmental organization."

Victor turned and looked out the window at the brightly lit city. In the night, police lights flashed in the distance, and further away, Walter's giant GG sign emitted a soft blue glow.

"In this world, security is the most expensive luxury. And we are the only supplier."

He raised his glass and gestured towards the void.

"For the sake of order."