America: Starting from collecting corpses, leveling up to godhood

"Another document is needed: a notarized copy of their will, proving that these two unfortunate souls wished for a simple funeral after their deaths, without any burial or notification to the social security bureau..."

"Found another homeless person? Same as always, fifty dollars."

Old Barney shakily unscrewed the flask and took a swig, then pulled out two pre-printed standard form contracts and a stamped seal bearing the words "California Notary Office".

In less than three minutes, two "legal documents" were freshly produced.

"May your business prosper, ma'am."

After putting the money away, Barney even kindly added a comment.

"If you need a proper death certificate, I have a forensic doctor friend..."

"No need, maybe next time."

Sofia grabbed the documents and turned to leave.

"I thought this process would be complicated, it's really that simple?"

After getting back into the car, Chen Ming kept complaining while fastening his seatbelt.

"Choice is more important than effort, my friend. If you choose to handle these matters at the city hall, you'll have to wait in line for two weeks and deal with the attitudes of those civil servants..."

"But if you go this way, all you need to do next is call 911 to have the police confirm that the body was not murdered and that there is a donation agreement."

"...Don't they ever check signatures?"

Chen Ming glanced at the documents; the signatures on the two documents were almost identical, and anyone who wasn't blind could tell that they were forgeries.

"Normally yes, but they died in Skidro... You'll find out soon enough." Sofia gave a knowing smile.

……

After returning to Skidlow and dialing 911, the two remained in the car for a full hour and a half.

Just as Chen Ming began to suspect that the operator might have flushed the work order down the toilet, an old, peeling Crown Victoria finally swayed over.

Two portly police officers got out of the car. When they saw Chen Ming, dressed neatly, and Sophia, holding documents, standing in what was arguably the largest beggar's den in Los Angeles, they didn't suspect anything. Instead, they looked relieved.

"Was it a natural death?"

The fat policeman in charge didn't even go into the tent; he just peeked at the two bodies that had already developed lividity from two meters away.

"Yes, officer, these are their donation agreement and will."

Chen Ming handed over two documents that still smelled of ink, without changing his expression.

"Very good, all the paperwork is complete."

The chubby policeman didn't even lift his eyelids before shoving the documents back into Chen Ming's arms, then mumbled into the walkie-talkie on his collar.

"Center, the on-site confirmation indicates natural death. The family has made arrangements for the aftermath, and the case can be closed."

After saying that, the two immediately got back into the police car.

The entire process, from the moment the police car stopped to its departure, took less than four minutes.

Chen Ming was left standing there in a daze.

Is that all?

"Don't make a fuss, Chen."

Sofia leaned against the car door and flicked off her cigarette ash.

"In Skidlow, people die every day from fentanyl overdose or hypothermia, and they don't care as long as there are no bullet holes or knife wounds on the bodies."

"Internally, the police department has a specific code name for this: 'NHI'—No Humans Involved."

"It means that if someone dies as a prostitute, drug addict, homeless person, or gang scum, they're not considered 'human' in the eyes of the police, and there's no need to waste money investigating them."

"In this city, nobody but us cares about their deaths... In a sense, we are their last remaining relatives in this world."

"Get to work."

Chen Ming sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and put on his gloves.

"Is it just my imagination? Your arms seem a bit thicker... Did you get steroid injections?"

Sophia looked at Chen Ming's arm with some surprise.

"I've been working out naturally all along."

Chen Ming gave a perfunctory reply, and then, under Sofia's dumbfounded gaze, he carried the two "samples" in one hand and put them into the trunk and the back seat respectively.

……

After finishing everything, it was already afternoon.

After spending a total of over two thousand US dollars, Chen Ming placed the two of them in a corner at the very edge of the East Los Angeles Cemetery and erected a tombstone that was not much bigger than a tablet computer.

[The soldier and his son Jamie]

Chen Ming was about to make a self-deprecating remark when he caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye.

Sofia stepped forward and gently placed a neatly wrapped bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of the tombstone.

The petals were still covered in dew, clearly indicating that they had been recently purchased, creating a stark contrast with the weeds.

"You bought it?"

Chen Ming raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I thought that in your eyes, spending money on dead people was a stupid thing to do."

"I am greedy Chen, but that doesn't mean I'm illiterate."

Sofia straightened up and patted the dirt off her hands.

"Consider it a paid tribute to history—though it cost me a full thirty dollars."

……

As I left the cemetery, the setting sun hung like an orange on the Los Angeles skyline, casting a sickly, dim yellow glow over the entire city.

"Since we're going to have a long-term partnership, you need to know the way."

Sofia began to act as a tour guide, pointing to the fleeting street scenes outside the window.

"Remember this: the area behind the public restrooms on Venice Beach is a goldmine. The addicts there are usually quite wealthy; besides corpses, you can often find the latest iPhones and designer watches..."

"The area under the Duck Boat Pier in Echo Park is also good. Homeless people often freeze to death there in winter. It's a secluded location and convenient for hauling people away."

"but……"

As the car drove past a cluster of low-rise houses covered in graffiti, Sofia's voice became more serious.

"You have to go around those blocks to the south, especially the 18th Street gang's territory. Don't stop there even if it's full of corpses, unless you want to become one of them."

Chen Ming gripped the steering wheel and silently memorized the information.

After circling the darker side of Los Angeles, night fell completely, and Chen Ming took Sophia back to her apartment.

"See you tomorrow."

After watching Sofia go upstairs, he turned around and drove toward MacArthur Park.

The signboard of "Lucky Yuri" pawnshop was still buzzing, like a broken neon monster.

Pushing open the door, Yuri was sitting behind the counter eating a jar of pickles. When he saw Chen Ming, he choked twice before putting on a smile.

"What great stuff did you get this time, friend?"

Chen Ming showed no kindness whatsoever to this Russian who had aggressively driven down the price and then turned around and arranged for people to "double-eat" him at the door.

The only reason he came here was because he wasn't familiar enough with Los Angeles and didn't know where else he could safely sell his goods.

"Stop talking nonsense."

Chen Ming ignored his words, expressionlessly slammed the Nike shoebox onto the counter, and the contents spilled out.

The sour smell made Yuri pinch his nose, and after some picking, he gave a price quote.

"Seven hundred and fifty dollars...that's the highest price I can get."