"What? What did you say?"
Arthur Galston looked at the lawyer standing in front of him with so confusion.
"The thing is, Mr. Galston, there’s a company on the East Coast that is very interested in both you and your invention, the ’plant growth regulator.’ They’re not only willing to purchase the patent you hold, but also offer you a position so that you can continue research in this field. Would you be interested?"
As he spoke, Attorney Hudson pulled a check from his briefcase. Even after 40 years in law, Hudson had never encountered such a generous client.
"This is $20,000—for the purchase of your patent."
When he received the telegraphic check, Hudson could hardly believe it was real.
$20,000!
Just to buy a patent that didn’t even seem particularly useful!
It was simply... unbelievable.
"Twenty thousand dollars!"
My God.
Arthur Galston, born in Brooklyn, New York—whose father had lost his job during the Great Depression and who had spent his youth in hunger—stared at the check in disbelief, stunned by the row of zeros on the paper.
That amount was equivalent to several years of his salary. With it, not only could he move his wife into a new ho, but he could even buy a car—if one was available...
Many thoughts ran through his mind.
Of course, he also thought about his father’s debts—he could help pay them off now.
But reason still compelled Galston to ask:
"Are you sure? Sir, this plant regulator only helps soybeans flower and bear fruit earlier..."
Was this invention really worth $20,000?
Even Galston wasn’t confident about that. $2,000 would have been more realistic. In fact, when he first invented the plant regulator, he hadn’t considered it to be particularly useful.
Its yield-increasing effect was very limited. In practice, using it might even result in a net loss during cultivation.
It was practically a valueless invention—at least for now. Maybe it would have future potential, but... $20,000?
Soone was really willing to pay that much for it?!
"Mr. Galston, the check says it all. Once you sign the contract, the money is yours."
$20,000.
There wasn’t a person in the world who wouldn’t be moved by that. Hudson knew that very well—no one could resist such temptation.
If it were him, forget a patent—he wouldn’t hesitate to sell his wife to the buyer. He might even throw in his daughter.
This was twenty thousand dollars!
Once this deal was sealed, Hudson would proudly brag about it for the rest of his life.
"Mr. Galston, you have to understand—opportunities in this world are fleeting."
"Well then..."
Galston examined the contract again carefully. After confirming it was real, he finally signed his na. Then he asked:
"Sir, you ntioned they’re offering a job too—what about the salary?"
This company was without question the most generous Galston had ever seen. That’s why he was eager to work for them. Not only could he continue the research he loved, he could also earn a good inco.
"We’re going back to New York!"
At the train station, carrying their suitcases, Galston held his wife, Darlie Judith Koontz’s hand, visibly excited.
"Once we get to New York, I’m going to buy us a house—a real house, not an apartnt. It’ll have at least four bedrooms..."
Galston was now filled with hopes for the future. Though he had earned his PhD and always believed he’d live a better life than his father, he hadn’t expected things to change this fast—so fast it felt almost unreal.
In fact, Galston had recently lost his job. When that lawyer ca looking for him, he was already unemployed.
He and his wife had moved to Pasadena for a research job at Caltech, invited by the plant biologist Jas Bonner, to work on a warti project involving a xican shrub called guayule. The goal was to extract rubber from it, creating an alternative rubber source. The project had been military-funded and aid at supplying rubber for the ard forces.
But as synthetic rubber production ramped up, the military no longer needed the project.
With the funding gone, Galston was out of a job. Just as he was considering what to do next, the sudden job offer—and that astonishing check—had changed everything.
"Yes. Once we get to New York, our life will be completely different from before."
Just then, Darlie spotted soone and said:
"Hey, look—it’s Sun."
Carrying his own suitcase, Sun Tianlei had also noticed them. They were classmates.
"Arthur, Darlie, what are you doing here..."
Sun Tianlei approached them.
"Are you heading to New York?"
"Yes—and you?"
Darlie seed to suddenly rember sothing.
"Sun, are you going to the KTJ Laboratory in New York?"
KTJ Laboratory—this was the company that had bought Galston’s patent and offered him a position. The reason Darlie asked was because Sun Tianlei was also a chemist.
"Wait—are you two going there too?"
"Yes, Arthur is going as well. That’s amazing—I can’t believe you’ll be working together!"
Overjoyed, Darlie grew a little curious.
"Sun, do you know what KTJ stands for?"
"KTJ..."
Sun Tianlei shrugged.
"Who knows? Maybe it stands for Kill the Japs."
Kill the Japanese devils...
As a Chinese international student, Sun Tianlei was nothing if not blunt.
And, well, he was right. That’s exactly the kind of direct thinking Pierre had.
In fact, the reason Pierre had been recruiting chemists and botanists across the United States was precisely for one goal:
To kill Japanese devils.
And not just a few—as many as humanly possible.
In the 1940s, Long Island, New York, had yet to beco a haven for the wealthy. The landscape was still covered with vast fields of corn and potatoes. Due to the abundance of cheap land, many factories were also established here.
Claire Chemical Pesticides Company was one such factory, located right on Long Island.
This enterprise was dium-sized, but its facilities were fully equipped. However, as a pesticide company, it seed to have little relevance to the war effort. It couldn’t manufacture weapons, nor could it produce poison gas.
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