Chapter 53: This Is Doing a Good Deed!

Warning: In this chapter there is racism as this is a fiction, read at your risk also I absolutely don't support it, I am just Translating it. 

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Iridium Metal?

Josh certainly knew what Iridium metal was, and he had to thank the first Avengers movie for it.

One crucial scene showed Loki gouging out the eye of a German scientist to scan his retina, allowing Hawkeye to steal a large chunk of Iridium from a vault. That Iridium was then used to stabilize the portal for the Chitauri invasion.

After watching the movie, Josh had looked into it and discovered that Iridium was an expensive platinum group metal with extremely stable chemical properties. It was one of the most corrosion-resistant metals, insoluble in acid. Even boiling aqua regia couldn't dissolve it. Moreover, Earth's reserves were very limited.

Iridium was primarily used in cutting-edge scientific instruments and as an alloy additive. It was also a key raw material for smartphone and electric vehicle batteries.

Its price ranged from $5,000 to $6,000 per ounce (around 1,000–1,500 RMB per gram).

Sounds high-tech and valuable, right?

But here's the harsh reality: the market demand for Iridium was relatively low. Even in the 21st century, when electronics were ubiquitous, global demand only reached a few tons annually at its peak, sometimes even less.

Back in Josh’s world of 1944? Do you know what Iridium was used for? Fountain pen nibs.

In other words, demand for it was minimal. Selling small amounts was pointless, and larger amounts simply wouldn’t sell. It was a complete waste.

When Josh expressed these thoughts, Yuri immediately exploded in anger.

"Foolish! Utterly foolish! Who told you to sell it? Since you've interacted with people from my timeline, don't you know about the War Factory? The Apocalypse Tank? Tesla Troopers? Tesla Coils? The Magnetic Reactor? Not just the Soviets—many of the Allies' military technologies rely heavily on Iridium for their core components! In our world, Iridium is one of the most fiercely contested strategic materials between the Allies and the Soviets. And you're telling me this stuff doesn’t sell???"

It was a good thing they were in separate universes; otherwise, judging by Yuri’s expression, he might have strangled Josh on the spot.

Josh opened his mouth but couldn’t muster a response.

What could he say? That his world lacked such technologies? Forget 1944 America—even in Josh’s previous life in the 21st century, much of the technology in Red Alert was purely science fiction.

But Yuri’s attitude made one thing clear: Josh might lack the technology, but Yuri certainly didn’t.

Although he was stranded in the Cretaceous Period, as one of the most brilliant scientists in the Red Alert universe, Yuri was likely capable of feats on par with Tony Stark from the future. Give him the right tools, and he could practically build anything from scratch.

Josh forced a smile and said, “Yuri, sir, don’t be angry. I’m just young and inexperienced. I didn’t recognize the value of what I had! Whatever you need, just say the word, and I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”

“Hmph, at least you’re not entirely hopeless,” Yuri muttered. “Well, I don’t need anything urgent for now. Just get me some food and drinks, especially vegetables and alcohol. The Cretaceous Period is a barren wasteland; apart from dinosaurs and ferns, there’s hardly any larger mammals to be found. Also, prepare a typewriter and some paper for me since I assume there’s no computer in 1944. I’ll draft a list of the equipment I need, sorted by priority, and you can procure them gradually. Oh, and if possible, send me a few people, you know…” Yuri winked suggestively.

Living in the Cretaceous Period, Yuri had survived by using his psychic abilities to control dinosaurs. Unlike his clones, Yuri himself could control over a hundred beings at once, even more so when the creatures had simple minds, like dinosaurs.

Although food, drink, and safety weren’t major concerns for him, the loneliness of isolation was hard to bear. As a man of ambition, Yuri hadn’t sunk to the level of desperation where he’d, say, pursue a relationship with a lizard like certain infamous figures. But now, with the interdimensional trading system at his disposal, he saw no reason not to indulge a little.

Josh immediately understood what Yuri wanted. “People? No problem!”

Josh had avoided buying people through the system because he lacked means to control them and feared they might expose his secret. Selling people to Yuri, however, was a completely different story.

As someone with a moral conscience, Josh abhorred the idea of human trafficking.

But if the “people” in question were Japanese internees, that was an entirely different matter.

They were, after all, “chickens” (in Josh’s terms), not people.

Where could he get Japanese internees? Easy.

After Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt had ordered the forced relocation of over 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast to ten “relocation centers” in the interior, under the guise of wartime necessity. There were also tens of thousands of Japanese Americans living inland or on the East Coast, ostracized by society.

With a word to his subordinates, Josh could easily acquire a batch.

Besides, these Japanese Americans faced discrimination and hardship in the U.S. Josh rationalized that sending them to the resource-rich Cretaceous Period, where they would have Yuri’s protection, was essentially a rescue mission. Freedom? Who needed that when survival was guaranteed? They already worshipped power, didn’t they?

The more Josh thought about it, the more justified he felt.

“Japanese internees? Well, not ideal, but I can work with it. Just no blacks!” Yuri said, clearly displeased but willing to compromise.

Of course, Yuri didn’t mind if Josh sent over black laborers. He could just have them work in the mines.

“Whites? Sure, but you’ll have to wait until the war ends next year. I’ll head to Europe to fetch some for you,” Josh replied. In the post-war chaos, when much of Europe was famine-stricken, acquiring people under the guise of providing aid wouldn’t attract much attention. Plus, sending them to the Cretaceous Period for pioneering work was arguably better than letting them starve.

Yes, this was a good deed. No doubt about it.

Josh felt practically saintly.

“Oh, by the way, Mr. Yuri, besides Iridium, could you prepare some dinosaur eggs for me?” Josh suddenly remembered.