C18 At Home

Zhao Feng furrowed his brow, "If that's the case, the issue might lie on your end. Where do you store all your medicines?"

"In a warehouse nearby! I rented it... Wait, are you suggesting that someone might have tampered with it?" Wei Ying exclaimed, shocked.

Zhao Feng's face was grave as he said, "We'll check it out and see for ourselves."

Shortly after, Zhao Feng and Wei Ying arrived at the warehouse, finding the door locks untouched.

"To be safe, I'm the only one with a key to this warehouse. No one else can open it," Wei Ying explained. "It doesn't make sense for anyone to have switched my medicine."

Yet, Zhao Feng began to roam the warehouse, scrutinizing the walls as he moved.

Suddenly, his eyes gleamed. "Wei Ying, come here and look at this!"

Wei Ying hurried over and followed Zhao Feng's pointing finger, noticing the wall's color was off compared to the rest.

"What, could it be..." she gasped in disbelief.

With a scoff, Zhao Feng delivered a powerful kick, and the wall crumbled with a crash, revealing it had been modified into a double layer of wooden planks with a hollow space in between!

But the paint was so well-matched that it was nearly impossible to detect without close inspection.

Wei Ying turned ashen, "No wonder there were issues with my medicine. It looks like someone has been secretly swapping it out! Who would despise me enough to resort to such vile tactics?"

Zhao Feng fell silent, then spoke softly, "Wei Ying, stay away from the company for the next couple of days, and give your staff a break too. We need to recall all the medicine you've distributed. I'll look into this and let you know once I have some answers."

Wei Ying, now visibly concerned, replied, "Zhao Feng, isn't it risky for you to investigate? If they're capable of replacing my medicine with fakes, they must have a dedicated counterfeit operation. These people are not to be underestimated!"

He chuckled reassuringly, "Don't worry, your husband can handle it." His words made Wei Ying's cheeks flush with a mix of worry and affection.

In that moment, Wei Ying had an epiphany about the true value of having Zhao Feng as her husband. In the face of genuine adversity, he was her rock.

She nodded with a sweet compliance. "Okay, I'll send the staff home. And you, if you come across any leads, let me know right away. I'll call the cops and have them handle it. Please, don't do anything risky!"

Zhao Feng offered a reassuring smile. "Understood!"

But would he actually involve the police? Not a chance—not until he'd dealt with the counterfeit drug ring himself. Alerting the authorities prematurely could tip off the criminals. Zhao Feng's strategy was clear: find the culprits, neutralize them, then inform the police.

As a physician, Zhao Feng loathed those who peddled fake medications. Doctors pour their hearts into healing, and to see patients, on the brink of recovery, suffer setbacks or worsen because of counterfeit drugs was unbearable.

Thus, Zhao Feng harbored a deep-seated detestation for these criminals, wishing he could personally bring them to justice.

Having left Wei Ying's company, Zhao Feng parked his car and reached out to Elder Ding.

Elder Ding was taken aback upon learning of the counterfeit drugs. "Young Master, has someone tampered with the young mistress's medication? Our EDonghai Pharmaceutical Industry's products are never counterfeit!"

"You're spot on," Zhao Feng confirmed. "The drugs were swapped out in the warehouse. And the fakes are sophisticated—indistinguishable from the real thing, even to an expert."

"What do you need me to do, Young Master?" Elder Ding inquired with deference.

"Elder Ding, I need you to dig up information on the individuals who switched Wei Ying's medication. Uncover everyone involved, including the location of their production facilities," Zhao Feng instructed, his voice grave.

"Right away, Young Master!" Elder Ding responded.

Later in the afternoon, Elder Ding reported back with the location of the counterfeit drug operation. Zhao Feng felt a surge of urgency and immediately set off for the site.

Elder Ding had offered backup, but Zhao Feng declined. Solo, he was more agile, less likely to be detected. Besides, Zhao Feng was no slouch in a fight; a handful of adversaries were no match for him. That's why he dared to tackle this mission alone.

Zhao Feng raced to the suspected forgery operation, tucked away in a spacious courtyard on the outskirts of town. The expansive grounds seemed tailor-made to house the assortment of tools and materials needed for producing counterfeit goods.

He parked his car discreetly nearby and approached the courtyard, finding the iron gate firmly shut. To keep prying eyes at bay, opaque tape had been plastered over the gaps in the gate, a futile attempt at secrecy that only drew more suspicion.

With a smirk, Zhao Feng muttered to himself, "Looks like I've hit the jackpot."

The courtyard wall towered above, daunting to the average person, but not to Zhao Feng. With a graceful leap, he scaled the wall with ease, his hands and feet finding purchase effortlessly.

From his vantage point atop the wall, he surveyed the yard below. Cardboard boxes were strewn about, sheltered beneath umbrellas, with labels like "Amoxicillin" barely discernible. Zhao Feng inhaled deeply, his suspicions confirmed—this was indeed the counterfeiters' lair.

He dropped silently into the courtyard, his landing barely a whisper.

Unexpectedly, a young man emerged from a corner toilet just in time to spot Zhao Feng. Frozen for a moment, Zhao Feng cursed his luck, "Of all the rotten timing..."

The young man's face blanched, and he bellowed, "Intruder!"

His cry summoned a motley crew from within the building—seven or eight men, each armed with steel rods or machetes, and the young man from the toilet brandished a stick. They glared at Zhao Feng, closing in with menace.

Zhao Feng's lips curled into a smile. "Quite the welcoming committee. It's hardly honorable to gang up on one person, but then again, honor's lost on counterfeiters deserving of punishment."

The bearded ringleader roared, "Damn it! He's onto us! We can't let this kid get away!"

The gang, with their ruffian roots, charged with a ferocity that would have sent an ordinary man running. But Zhao Feng was far from ordinary. Unfazed by the odds, he let out a contemptuous snort and met them head-on. With a swift move, he wrenched a steel rod from one of the thugs, commandeering it with ease.

This thug had the worst luck. Not only did Zhao Feng snatch his steel rod, but inertia also carried him straight to Zhao Feng's feet.

A flicker of panic crossed the thug's face, yet Zhao Feng just cracked a slight smile before delivering a brutal knee to the man's groin.

The thug let out a wail like a pig to slaughter, collapsing to the ground and writhing in agony, clutching at his groin.

As the rest charged in, Zhao Feng wielded the steel rod with precision, striking at the heads of his assailants with each swing.

A couple of well-placed blows were all it took to send the thugs sprawling to the ground.