Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

The next second—

Vladimir's arm was taut, and the scenery before him suddenly plummeted!

My hair was whipped around by the strong wind, the wind was whistling in my ears, and when I looked down, the entire city was rapidly expanding beneath my feet...

"I—I—we're in the sky?!"

Before the words were finished—

Liu Dong, carrying him, leaped off the hundred-meter-high building!

"ah--!!!"

Vladimir was terrified; his pants were instantly soaked. "I won't ask anymore! I really won't ask anymore! Spare me!"

But a second later—

Both feet firmly planted on the ground.

Just a moment ago I was on the terrace, and in the blink of an eye I'm standing under a sycamore tree on the street.

Passersby didn't even look up, assuming two people had suddenly appeared in front of them. Some even muttered, "Wow, how did these two suddenly get here?"

Vladimir leaned against a telephone pole, his suit and tie askew, his chest heaving, panting as if he had just run ten kilometers.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

It took him a good ten seconds to catch his breath. "Hey, old man!" Liu Dong crossed his legs and slowly swirled the wine in his glass. "Still finding it strange?"

"No, no, no... It's nothing surprising!" Vladimir's voice trembled, and cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

He looked up and saw Liu Dong leaning back in a wicker chair, his little finger slightly raised, sipping vodka one sip at a time. His relaxed demeanor made his heart clench.

"We met in Hong Kong—this matter must remain a secret." Liu Dong didn't even lift his eyelids, but his words were as firm as nails, each one resounding.

"Absolutely! Absolutely confidential!" Vladimir hurriedly patted his chest. "I'm a very tight-lipped person... Besides, I don't want to lose my head!"

He caught his breath and straightened his back a bit: "However, Brother Liu Dong, I've really hit a snag right now—you have connections in Hong Kong, could you lend a hand? Helping you out isn't just something I'll personally remember; the whole country owes you a favor!"

Half an hour later, the two sat down in another clean and refreshing Cantonese teahouse.

The wooden table was clean, and the celadon tea set had a warm, glossy sheen, with wisps of steam rising upwards.

Liu Dong pulled out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, struck a match with a "snap," and as the cigarette glowed and faded, he took a deep drag, the smoke slowly emerging from his nostrils and spreading out in circles.

"Speak, what is it?"

"Sigh—" Vladimir sighed like a tractor stalling, "This sea route is blocked."

"The goods are stuck in a port in Malaysia. They are all urgently needed items, but the port is being closely monitored by them. Ships can't dock at all, let alone leave the port."

"This shipment is crucial for us. The whole team is trying to figure out a solution, but we can't seem to find a way out."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice, "Brother Liu Dong, I know you're no ordinary person. Can you help me get this out of here?"

Liu Dong didn't reply, but slowly exhaled another wisp of white smoke, the smoke tip drifting lightly into the air.

"What goods?" he asked.

"Natural dry glue".

Liu Dong's eyes darted around slightly.

Dry glue?

It's just rubber!

The moment those four words left his lips, his heart skipped a beat, and he understood everything.

It turns out that China is short of this stuff, and so is Big Brother—everyone is stuck on rubber.

Why?

How many bicycles can be manufactured?

Why can't the tractor get the tires on?

Even hospital IV drips have to be used with a pinch?

Because rubber is so scarce and relies entirely on imports, and the production areas are tightly controlled in the tropics—that stretch of hot land between 1 degree south latitude and 15 degrees north latitude.

Unfortunately, the Big Brother's territory has no tropical rainforest at all; the Dragon Kingdom only has some scraps on Hainan Island, with a meager output.

But this thing just can't deviate from its path—

Tires rely on it, shock absorbers rely on it, seals rely on it, medical catheters, wire sheaths, aircraft parts... everything depends on it.

Steel is the skeleton, and rubber is the muscles.

The "big beauty" outside had already seen through this, so she simply gathered a group of her underlings and they all kept quiet and refused to sell.

But it's not completely blocked off; a crack is left, a little bit is secretly slipped in, and the price skyrockets.

It costs only eighty US dollars a ton in its country of origin, but once it's shipped to Russia, it's sold for four hundred and fifty!

The shipping cost is more than three times higher than the cost of the goods!

Russia has no US dollars, so it can only use crude oil to pay off its debts; but who is willing to be taken advantage of?

Why not just send a ship over to buy it ourselves, and then leave immediately—how convenient!

As a result, word got out, and before the goods were even fully loaded, the port was surrounded by people.

Vladimir was so anxious that he developed blisters on his lips; his superiors were calling him nonstop.

This batch of rubber is truly the lifeblood of industry; if it's cut off for even a day, a production line in the factory will have to shut down.

"How much in total?" Liu Dong asked.

"Not much, just two thousand tons."

"Okay, the shipping cost will be $50 per ton. Did you know that the highest price for global sea freight these days is only $20 per ton?"

"Ding-dong—"

[Super Brewing System Task Push]

[Accepting a commission for "paid transportation of natural dried rubber" will earn you the following reward: 1 Special Medicinal Wine Jar, NT$888]

[Are you accepting orders?]

"Hey!" Liu Dong thought to himself with amusement, "It's been so long since I've heard that voice!"

With a tap of your finger, decisively select "Yes".

"I'll take the job." He nodded, then raised an eyebrow. "But the price won't do. It's too low."

"How much do you want?" Vladimir immediately sat up straight.

Liu Dong wasn't really sure what to expect—he wasn't familiar with this industry at all. But he couldn't back down, so he blurted out, "Two hundred dollars a ton."

Vladimir's face darkened instantly, but then he thought: this guy dared to ask, he probably knows what he's doing. He gritted his teeth: "Fine! Two hundred it is! As long as the goods arrive in Vladivostok within three days, not a penny less, all payment in crude oil!"

Liu Dong almost slapped his thigh in regret! He should have shouted 300 earlier!

But words spoken are like water spilled; it's unacceptable to change them, and he still needs to maintain a certain public image.

Let's find another way to make up for it: "Wait, we don't want the crude oil, and we don't want the US dollars. This time, we'll settle the bill in gold—$35 per ounce, in pure gold."

"If you agree, I'll deliver it to your door in three days; if you don't, let's pretend we never talked."

As he spoke, he made a move to get up.

"Hey, hey, hey—don't go!" Vladimir grabbed his wrist. "Brother Liu Dong! You just said...three days?"

"Yes, three days."

Vladimir was stunned.

Goods are stuck in the port, and people are trapped in the city. Apart from stubbornly holding out for high prices and looking for a way out, the only other option is to give up and face a dead end.

The guy in front of me, though he's asking for a hefty price, is willing to pay two hundred dollars if I can actually get him in.

Worth it! Really worth it! This deal only cost 280 yuan in total, which is 170 yuan less than secretly getting the goods from Da Piao Liang—that would have cost 450 yuan!

The only problem is that they only accept real gold, not paper money.

what……

We need to send a telegram quickly and get it approved internally.

"Please wait a moment, I'll keep a close eye on the news for you!" Vladimir patted his chest. "My dear friend, let's meet here again at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, and I'll give you a definite answer then!"