[Chapter 571: Conspiracy Unfolds Again]
Johnson & Johnson was the mightiest force in the global pharmaceutical industry. Headquartered in New Jersey, the company boasted annual revenues exceeding $40 billion and profits surpassing $10 billion. AbbVie ranked second worldwide, based in Chicago, with annual sales also nearing $40 billion and profits in the billions. Pfizer, coming in fifth, was headquartered in New York, with revenues over $35 billion and profits close to $10 billion.
These three pharmaceutical giants, backed by three veteran senators and powerful figures within the Department of Justice and the FBI, formed a force not to be underestimated. For an ordinary company, even with presidential support, falling prey to their covert machinations could spell disaster, potentially fatal.
Unfortunately for them, they were dealing with Linton Anderson. Anyone daring to scheme against him should not be surprised if they all ended up meeting the Reaper. But before dealing with Kester, he needed to uncover the full situation.
"How did you all come together? What's the specific plan?"
...
Since the launch last May of the Vitality Pills and the Beauty Pills, their miraculous effects naturally piqued the interest of every major pharmaceutical corporation. They scrambled to deploy their top expert teams to analyze and research these products, aiming to unravel the secrets behind their formulas, hoping to reverse-engineer them.
But after more than half a year, no expert team or lab anywhere worldwide had made any breakthrough. The only significant progress was made by Johns Hopkins University, the top-ranked biomedical university in the U.S. In October, renowned biomaterials professor Andy Sargins published a paper revealing research findings on the Vitality Pills and Beauty Pills.
His report detailed the discovery of two entirely new, mysterious energy substances within the products -- both showing remarkable promotion of cellular growth. These substances strengthened human cells and accelerated metabolism. The beauty pill's energy specifically targeted skin cells, explaining its stunning beautifying effects. Meanwhile, the Vitality Pills' energy acted on cells throughout the body, fundamentally enhancing health and boosting overall immunity.
Sargins even hypothesized that long-term use of the Vitality Pills could extend lifespan. It might even treat currently incurable diseases such as cancer and AIDS -- provided sufficient access to the pills. Yet, the exact molecular structures or how to synthesize these energy substances remained a mystery.
The paper ignited an unprecedented global uproar, sparking fierce media debates. Most remained skeptical of such extraordinary claims, though some who used the pills insisted the effects were real. Given the absence of definitive medical evidence and the inability to accurately measure human lifespan extension, no side could conclusively convince the other.
Then something happened that stunned everyone and lent indirect validation to Professor Sargins's views.
Pierce Lawrence, a Houston energy tycoon, had a son, Reed Lawrence, who, years earlier, had lived recklessly among women without protection and tragically contracted AIDS. Reed was in the hospital, counting down his last days.
Pierce, now elderly and physically depleted from a life of excess, was desperate -- the vast fortune lacked an heir, and Pierce couldn't father another child. Reading Sargins's paper, he was overjoyed and immediately sought ways to buy a bottle of the Vitality Pills on October 6. Both he and his son took one pill that month.
The effects were astonishing. Pierce's vitality surged, but Reed's health visibly improved. Hospital tests showed his immune system steadily recovering.
After two months of continued use, in late November, Reed's immunity had returned to over 60% of a normal person's level. He had escaped mortal danger. Doctors judged that if he persisted for a full year, a complete AIDS cure was likely.
This revelation broke the medical world and media into a frenzy. Supporters of Sargins's theory surged, driving an even more intense rush for the Vitality Pills every month on the sixth.
Rich elites worldwide dispatched trusted agents to Los Angeles solely to secure supplies. Nearly all celebrities, experts, and politicians publicly urged Linton through media channels to quit singing and acting and focus entirely on enhancing the Vitality Pills -- increasing production to meet soaring demand.
Congress even saw bills proposed to strictly regulate sales -- to restrict it to Americans only, ideally having the government purchase and distribute or approve qualified buyers. Thankfully, such market-disrupting, state-shaking proposals were swiftly rejected by leadership and never formally debated or voted on.
Even President Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Linton to inquire whether production could be scaled and if White House demand might be increased.
But the real bottleneck wasn't manufacturing capacity -- it was the shortage of wild suma root older than 30 years. Despite Linton's high bid to the Herbal Emporium early last year, the supplier had delivered only 400 kilograms of qualifying suma root after ten months. Last month, shipments plummeted to just 10 kilograms.
The rare wild suma root was simply too scarce. Nearly a year of widespread harvesting had nearly exhausted the supply. Moreover, American pharmaceutical giants had caught wind of Linton's herbal import lists despite his secrecy and began aggressively buying high-priced suma root through their own channels.
Other herbs were farm-grown and plentiful. But wild suma root, sourced deep in the mountains, was limited and now fiercely contested. Even raising prices couldn't stop shrinking supplies.
Monthly production of 334 bottles required 13.5 kilograms of 30-plus-year wild suma root. After previous consumption, Linton's current stock supported only 20 months, and future supply was clearly insufficient.
So expanding production was impossible without destroying his own resources -- a classic case of killing the golden goose. Realistically, only a limited number of wealthy clients existed. Scaling up might force price cuts, undermining profitability. Why bother and risk diluting the product's elite status?
Linton preferred to maintain the highest-end market niche, preserving a strong aura of exclusivity and demand. This ensured robust profits and maximal influence. Even the specialty store had become a global fashion icon.
Reducing price and expanding output risked losing prestige and market dominance. Worse, it meant competing head-on with multi-hundred-billion-dollar pharma giants wielding enormous power.
Though undaunted by these giants, Linton judged it a futile fight offering little reward but inviting a powerful adversary's wrath. He decisively rejected production expansion and the White House's supply increase.
However, the big pharma giants -- Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, and Pfizer -- burned with envy and bitterness watching Linton's Vitality Pills and Beauty Pills explode in sales.
As the veterans of the sector, they understood his profits clearly. Without massive R&D costs and with dirt-cheap material sourcing, production costs were nearly negligible, while profits soared beyond belief.
Such astronomical returns in their own industry were irresistible. They had to intervene to grab a share, even if just a piece.
Moreover, if they developed cheaper, less potent versions priced lower, would Linton's niche survive?
Unfortunately, Linton's health company was wholly private -- no shareholders, no public listing. Standard corporate warfare maneuvers -- financial manipulations, sowing internal discord, divide-and-conquer tactics -- were useless.
Even more critical, production was at Linton's private Montana ranch, secured with rigorous protection. Staff recruitment was White House-screened. Stealing formulas or sabotaging production was near impossible.
They faced a frustrating stalemate -- unable to profit from or harm Linton's company.
But the stakes and profits were too enormous to ignore. These pharma titans, usually competitors, allied to strategize how to deal with Linton's company.
When their combined might proved insufficient, they recruited their political backers and senior senators from their states -- Roger Wayne, Carol, and Cody.
To guarantee success, they enlisted FBI Deputy Director Maslow and Deputy Attorney General Eric Gorelick.
Considering enforcement, Los Angeles was Linton's base and too influential for the local FBI branch or LAPD to get involved, so they brought in Kester from the FBI New York office.
Thus, a nine-member alliance formed: top pharma bosses, elite politicians, and high-level law enforcement. Their sole mission: hunt down Linton, seize stakes in his health company, or even wrest control entirely.
They understood Linton's rocketing popularity and status, the unmatched efficacy of his pills, and the robust support from California, Montana, President Clinton, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
This was a powerhouse combination -- conventional tactics would fail.
After intense deliberations, they devised two plans: Plan A and Plan B.
Plan A sought any criminal leverage against Linton -- serious, provable offenses -- enough to grip him by the throat. With such evidence, he'd have no choice but to comply, ceding company interests or entirely surrendering control. Even partial ownership, access to the Vitality Pills' formula, and making him a frontman was their minimum goal.
They rejected the notion that presidential and Senate support made Linton untouchable. America was a nation of laws. Solid criminal evidence backed by DOJ and FBI brass, and three powerful senators, meant cover-ups were impossible.
If Plan A proved unfeasible, Plan B would be brutal: destroy Linton and his company, eliminate the pharmaceutical threat, and covertly seize the manufacturing secrets.
Plan B involved manufacturing scandals, launching smear campaigns through media, staging medical incidents, and pressing the judiciary to turn false accusations into airtight cases. Media would then obliterate the Vitality Pills and Beauty Pills's reputations.
They'd recruit individuals nationwide--skin disease patients allegedly harmed by the Beauty Pills, heart, liver, and kidney patients suing over Vitality Pills' side effects. These plants would file FBI complaints, triggering protective custody and media onslaughts that would fatally damage Linton's products.
Could Linton retaliate? They took no risks; the rewards had to justify danger.
Regarding the recent bloody massacres of five Los Angeles gangs and the brutal wiping out of the Bronfman family in Tokyo, the alliance had analyzed.
Maslow, Eric, and Kester jointly reviewed the cases. They concluded both attacks were orchestrated by the same powerful, shadowy force -- one they believed was controlled by President Clinton and temporarily lent to Linton.
They reasoned that if Linton wielded such power, he wouldn't so easily forfeit major stakes, as the Tokyo massacre allowed the Clinton family to absorb most Bronfman assets.
The synchronized Montreal blow to the Bronfman base was less significant -- any one of the nine had resources to coordinate such actions.
As for the Los Angeles gang massacre, the local FBI and LAPD chiefs -- Peter and Crowell -- were merely transferred to desk jobs and allowed to retire quietly.
If Linton controlled the force, he wouldn't have spared these senior officials; only President Clinton's influence kept him protected.
From this, the three concurred the alliance could operate covertly with manageable exposure risks.
Linton's personal Thunder Guards intimidated most, but posed little threat to their level. Clinton's forces wouldn't strike them either.
Plan A remained the priority, and under this framework, they chose Puff Daddy to execute.
Puff Daddy was a Universal Records singer under Linton's label, naturally subordinate -- a relationship that eased access.
Moreover, his parties were wild and audacious -- numerous enticements that, coupled with Linton's infamous charm, would presumably attract him.
They believed once Linton attended one of Puff Daddy's wild parties, step-by-step seductions would yield the criminal proof they needed.
But to their disappointment, no matter how much Puff Daddy tried to win Linton over, inviting him repeatedly, Linton just wouldn't bite. He rarely visited New York.
This time he was coming for a concert with rehearsals days ahead -- a golden opportunity, and the alliance had prepared extensively.
Yet Linton showed zero interest in Puff Daddy's scene, giving them no opening.
Under these circumstances, Puff Daddy was discarded from their scheme.
After urgent consultations, the alliance decided to have him provoke Linton deliberately -- disrupt his concert to tarnish his reputation -- as groundwork for Plan B.
Of course, Plan B wouldn't launch too soon. The search for Plan A's execution would continue until clearly impossible.
Only then would the alliance unleash their final, ruthless gambit.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
https://discord.gg/HjHHhUXPn7.