Return to Africa to become a tycoon

Chapter 4 Exposing the Fake Doctor

The wind in Genoa is not pleasant; it even carries a pungent odor.

As Italy's largest port city, it sees hundreds of merchant ships coming and going every day.

Tens of thousands of dockworkers near the port make a living from this.

These workers came from all over the country and lived in slums with sewage flowing everywhere and terrible conditions.

Genoa's largest newspaper, The Galleon, is located near the slums. The stench of horse manure and the foul smell of the slums mingled together, creating an unbearable stench.

Working in this kind of environment... isn't really a big deal.

Marinho was used to it. As a journalist, he even grew to like the place.

Because this place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, there's always some kind of gossip circulating. This is especially true in brothels.

Once again, after spending a night interviewing at a brothel, Marinho, still hungover, left the brothel.

Marinho walked straight toward the port through a street full of garbage and excrement.

Last night at the brothel, a girl he knew told him that an Eastern doctor had arrived at the port and claimed to be able to cure syphilis.

Chinese?

doctor?

Can it cure syphilis?

How could anyone believe such nonsense!

Standing by the roadside, gazing at the Lucky Sailors Inn ahead, Marinho sneered:

"That's simply impossible."

He was so certain because syphilis is incurable, a fact universally acknowledged worldwide.

Since syphilis was introduced to Europe, it has swept across the entire continent in a short period of time.

In their quest to cure diseases, Europeans tried everything: bloodletting, amputation, hydrotherapy... and eventually even developed mercury therapy, forcing patients to take ointments containing mercury.

Believe it or not, it actually "worked"—after the patient took it, he neither went mad nor became delirious, but simply died.

Just tell me if you still have syphilis!

Throughout Europe, almost no one with money, power, or fame could escape the clutches of this disease.

Of course, Marinho, being a journalist, was no exception. This had almost become an "occupational hazard" for journalists—they spent half their time in bars, searching for news while also indulging in pleasure.

So almost all journalists have contracted the disease. There's no way around it; how many people in this line of work can avoid it?

Marinho's tone was dismissive:

"That guy is definitely a fraud."

It's not just certain, it's absolutely certain.

However, that's not important. What's important is that this could very well be big news!

Easterners, liars... hmm, exotic elements!

The thought had barely crossed Marinho's mind when his headache suddenly flared up again. He couldn't help but let out a painful groan.

"Damn it..."

Marinho leaned against the roadside railing, one hand covering his head, enduring the torment of his illness.

Headache, nausea… it was syphilis again. He touched his temples—at this rate, he'd go insane soon.

Thinking of this, Marinho looked at the hotel again, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind:

Can he really cure syphilis?

"impossible!"

Almost instinctively, he made the judgment.

He clearly remembers that when he first contracted syphilis, his eyes would light up with hope every time he heard that someone could cure it.

But the result?

Disappointment after disappointment. In the end, not only was his wallet emptied, but his family was also destroyed—his newborn child died of syphilis, and his wife, unable to bear the blow, ultimately chose to commit suicide.

Therefore, he will no longer believe a single word those liars say!

"He's just a damn conman!"

Whether he believes it or not is completely unimportant.

The important thing is that someone believes it.

-

At this moment, in the attic of the Lucky Sailor Hotel, Liu Yide is... counting money.

No, it's counting gold!

Once again, Liu Yide poured the gold coins out of his money bag.

"Whoosh..."

In that instant, the sound of the gold coins was more sacred than the church bells; each gold coin was a prayer in itself.

Gold coins were scattered on the table, gleaming in the sunlight.

A single British pound gold coin weighs 7.98 grams and has a gold content of 91.7%. £175 is... well, that's a question!

I've calculated it countless times these past few days!

That's approximately 1396.5 grams of gold.

Based on the gold price before he transmigrated, it was equivalent to... He did the mental calculation and instantly felt his breathing become rapid.

Before transmigrating, I couldn't earn enough by working 996 all my life, but now—I've got it in just a few days.

In that instant, the dormant dragon blood boiled once more!

Just then, a groan came from next door; it was the patient's groan!

Outside the door, a dozen beds were lined up in a row, and the people lying on them were constantly groaning in pain.

Despite being wrapped in a thick blanket, Hyde felt very cold and shivered constantly. Before long, he became burning hot, and sweat soaked the sheets.

His head was throbbing with pain, and he cried out in agony from time to time. His consciousness was blurred, as if he were enduring an endless torture.

miracle?

Do miracles really exist in this world?

Maybe there is.

But it could never be such a miracle.

Is there anyone who can cure syphilis?

My God, how is this possible?

Hyde was starting to regret it. How could he have fallen for it so easily again?

Inside the room, all of the dozen or so sailors looked the same. The men who had once appeared strong and robust were now lying weakly in bed, tormented by illness.

The room, not very spacious, was filled with a chorus of groans that sent chills down one's spine.

While counting gold coins is a satisfying experience, as someone who has been paid, one must still perform their duties, and even a fake doctor must have professional ethics.

So, feeling satisfied with the gold coins, Liu Yide, feeling refreshed, pushed open the door to the "ward" and began to examine the patients.

The main purpose is to measure body temperature. Right now, all of these people have high fevers, alarmingly high.

Upon seeing Liu Yide, Hyde struggled to sit up:

"Doctor, what's wrong with me...? Please, please help me..."

Hyde, who was already half-dead from the torture, was now starting to suspect that the doctor in front of him actually wanted to kill them and steal their money.

"Doctor, what medicine did you give us?"

Hearing Hyde's question, Liu Yide emphasized:

"First Mate, this is just part of the treatment process. Wait a little longer, and you'll recover soon!"

His words of comfort did not put Hyde at ease. Despite being tortured to the point of near death, he still looked at Liu Yide with suspicion.

"Doctor, what happened to the first mate and the others...?"

Tom nervously stepped forward, looking at the first mate. His cheeks were flushed with an unnatural, eerie red, and his skin was frighteningly hot.

Upon seeing Tom, the physical pain overwhelmed Hyde's suspicion, and he grabbed Tom with all his might, his bloodshot eyes fixed on him:

"Tom, do you...do you have a gun?"

gun?

Tom nodded; of course he brought it.

Hyde whispered in Tom's ear:

"This guy wants to kill us..."

"First Mate!"

Before Liu Yide could react, the boy had already produced a revolver, its dark muzzle pointed directly at him.

The boy, holding a gun, demanded in a stern voice:

"Doctor, what exactly happened?"

The boy holding the gun trembled slightly, but his gaze was unusually firm as he stared directly at Liu Yide:

"What exactly happened to the first mate and the others?"

Tom was an apprentice at the nautical school and had been on board with Hyde since he was ten. In his heart, the first mate was closer than his own father.

If something happens to the first mate, he really will shoot.

Facing the gun barrel, Liu Yide remained calm.

He glanced at the patient in the bed, then looked at Tom:

"Don't worry, Tom, this is just a normal reaction during treatment."

Looking at Hyde, he was about to speak when Liu Yide shoved a half-foot-long thermometer directly into his mouth and said:

"First mate, if you want to recover, you have to learn to endure. Only by getting through this pain can you be cured."

Hyde, his eyes wide, remained silent, resignedly biting the thermometer.

Then, Liu Yide pressed down on Tom's hand holding the gun and put the thermometer in his hand:

"Take their temperatures first, and record everyone's temperature. Take their temperature every three hours, and remember, make sure you record it clearly."

Tom was stunned. He looked at the gun in his hand, then at the thermometer, and then at the first mate and the others.

After thinking for a moment, he imitated the doctor and shoved the thumb-thick thermometer directly into the mouths of the other sailors.