I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 169 They Can't Move Anything (10K Long Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets and Subscriptions)

Killian braced his hands on the table, head bowed, gritting his teeth.

Damn Payne!

He thought for over an hour in his office but couldn't come up with a good solution.

At that moment, the phone lit up.

News Update: "The exclusive rights to Hart Island have been accused of being a monopoly; Speaker Payne says KOM should be open to public bidding."

Killian stared at the words but didn't reach for his phone.

He knew that Payne had begun his attack.

Soon after, another video was pushed out: "Hart Island docks were once used for illegal arms dealing, and KOM was completely unaware."

Killian clenched his fist.

Then came the third post: "In the deaths of Roderick and Samuel, lack of oversight on Hart Island was cited as a key factor."

Killian knew Payne's methods.

When Payne hits someone, he never just hits once, but rather continuously.

Before the formal attack even began, public opinion had already taken the lead.

Article 4: "Human rights organizations demand a thorough investigation into KOM company's alleged employment of prisoners in the disposal of corpses."

Four news items were released at the same time, from different angles, but all pointed to the same thing: K0M has a problem.

Payne had prepared these articles before he spoke, and was just waiting to upload them all at once after his speech.

FXXK! Killian's chest heaved. He was finally certain that everything Payne said in Parliament today, the news released today, and the other things that might appear tomorrow were all planned in advance.

Killian couldn't come up with any immediate solutions; he knew he was being slowly pushed into a corner by Payne.

Lawrence was having dinner.

The TV was on, playing a local news channel, but the volume was low.

He forked a piece of steak, but before he could put it in his mouth, he heard the words "Hart Island".

He stopped, the fork hovering in mid-air, turned his head to look at the television, and his expression became serious.

On the screen was City Council Speaker Payne, speaking righteously: "KOM Corporation's exclusive operating rights constitute a monopoly and require full discussion. Hart Island holds over a million unclaimed corpses. Is KOM Corporation's management reasonable? Is it preventing families from finding their loved ones' bodies...?"

"6

Lawrence put down his fork.

He looked intently at the screen, which had switched to a footage of a reporter's interview.

After the news broadcast ended, Lawrence had only one thought in his mind: "Killian has messed up; Payne is ruining Killian's business."

Killian might not be able to hold out.

But if Killian can't hold on, the exclusive rights will be broken up.

Once the operating rights are put up for public bidding, KOM becomes worthless.

As the president of KOM, the most valuable thing he owns is a small amount of stock in the KOM company.

FXXK! Before I even made a move, the Killian's ship was about to sink!

Lawrence looked extremely grim.

He picked up his fork again, quickly finished his steak, then threw all the cutlery into the dishwasher and started thinking about what to do next.

Lawrence picked up the phone, ready to call Killian and ask how to deal with the trouble.

Suddenly, his hand stopped.

From a certain perspective, it seems that I am not really on the same side as Killian.

I'm just a wage earner!

I'll help whoever wins.

Who has the better chance of winning now?

Of course, it's City Council Speaker Payne!

Since Payne is attacking the exclusive rights, I don't necessarily have to protect K0M, do I?

Why can't I join Payne's side, or even start a new company to compete with KOM and get a share of Hart Island's business?

Lawrence's eyes lit up; he gradually grasped the key.

What kind of company is KOM?

Killian acts as a safety net, providing initial funding while taking charge of its operation and management.

It's that simple.

What are my strengths?

A thorough understanding of Hart Island's operational processes.

I am familiar with the procedures, I can lead the staff, and I am also familiar with the island's infrastructure.

If Kirlian falls, what I'll lack is a protective net.

Payne is perfectly capable of providing this, and it far exceeds Killian's capabilities!

As long as I can establish a new company, even if I give Payne most of the stock and use some to win over Ed and Mickey, I can still get more than 30% for myself!

Much more than at KOM!

What has Killian been doing at KOM all these years?

They did nothing!

The three of us did all the work; he was only responsible for dividing the money.

I took too little.

This is not fair!

Lawrence thought of the little pier on Hart Island again. He had no idea how that ridiculous pier was built, and even Lawrence himself didn't quite understand it.

Perhaps Mickey knows something.

That small dock was involved in illegal arms dealing at the time.

Lawrence was still in a state of panic for a few days when Samuel and Roderick unexpectedly died in prison. All the clues were cut off, and no one could find out who the mole was within the water police, who was cooperating with the arms dealer, and who the arms dealer was.

Thus, Lawrence narrowly escaped.

If I establish a new company, I can use this as leverage to attack KOM. If I can defeat KOM, I can seize more market share in Hart Island.

Furthermore, the sudden departure of myself, Ed, and Mickey will definitely cause chaos at KOM for a while.

Lawrence thought about it more and more and felt that this was something he could do.

This is a huge opportunity for me!

Doug placed the news summary on Brian's desktop.

Brian picked up the news summary, read the full text of Payne's statement, and couldn't help but let out a short cheer.

"Oh ho. Killian has angered Payne."

Brian's tone was full of schadenfreude, completely disregarding the fact that it was his insistence on Killian's push for unlimited legal authority that had led Killian into his current predicament.

Brian glanced at the headlines of the next three follow-up reports, put down the summaries, and sneered, "Payne hit Killian's weak spot."

Doug asked, "Can Killian hold on?"

Brian calmly replied, "Of course he can't hold on. But not now. He probably thinks there's still a chance, that he can hold on for a couple more days. He'll only come to me when he realizes he can't hold on any longer."

Doug asked, "So we're just going to do nothing now? Killian is our ally."

"Allies? Remember, politicians have no permanent allies." Brian recalled the tax evasion evidence in his hand and within seconds figured out how to ruin Killian: "Find someone. Someone from the water police, not too high a position, sheriff is fine. Let O'Connor choose, someone who's worked in the waters around Hart Island for a few years, someone who keeps their mouth shut. Have him meet with KOM's president, Lawrence, in a private capacity."

"Use the previous arms deal on Hart Island to lure him in, make him think that he has a chance to get a part of the management rights, and create the illusion that he can go it alone..."

After hearing the instructions, Doug turned and left.

Brian picked up his phone and called Richard: "Master, Payne has started attacking KOM's exclusive rights. This is a great opportunity for us to completely control Killian. I plan to..."

'

Richard's voice came through: "You don't need to report the details to me. Just do what you think will achieve my goal. You're a professional at doing these things."

If there are any problems, I can help you resolve them as needed. That's all, I just want the final result.

"Yes, Master! I promise!" Brian said confidently.

"That's settled then." Richard hung up the phone.

The next afternoon.

Sheriff Frank, dressed in a dark gray casual jacket, stood by a lamppost across the street from Lawrence's office building and dialed Lawrence's number: "I'm here, Mr. Lawrence, you can come down now."

Lawrence walked out of the office building and glanced at the man in casual clothes across the street; he looked to be in his forties.

Lawrence wore a dark brown trench coat and did not slow down his pace.

Frank didn't go to meet them, but instead gestured towards the street corner: "There's a coffee shop over there."

The two entered the coffee shop and sat down in a corner by the window.

Frank spoke first: "Payne is challenging KOM's exclusive rights, and your situation is very bad."

Lawrence squinted at Frank, somewhat confused about the unfamiliar sheriff's purpose: "It's just a small matter, we can handle it."

"It's a small matter..." Frank remained noncommittal. "If the management rights are really redistributed, have you considered starting your own business?"

Frank's words struck a chord with Lawrence, causing Lawrence's eyes to widen in surprise. However, he did not answer immediately, but instead stared intently at Frank.

He quickly considered whether the other party was sent by some important figure to scout the area, or if they were genuinely there to discuss cooperation.

Lawrence couldn't figure it out for the time being, so he didn't respond and waited for the other party to reveal their hand first.

Frank continued, "The waters around Hart Island are under my jurisdiction. I sign off on all the approvals, docking procedures, and nighttime navigation reports. Whether a new company takes over these operations and I allow the process to proceed smoothly depends on who the partner is."

Lawrence understood Frank's purpose.

The other party didn't say "I can help you," but rather "It depends on who the partner is."

The sheriff could cause KOM or the new company a huge amount of trouble and losses simply by stirring up trouble.

This is a nail in a crucial position!

Lawrence asked in a deep voice, "Sheriff Frank, let's be frank, what exactly do you want?"

Frank cut to the chase and said directly, "Ten percent of the shares in the new company. I'll only take dividends and won't participate in management. I guarantee you won't have any trouble on the water for the next three years."

"10%?" Lawrence scoffed. "Regardless of your ability or not, and regardless of how well I'm doing at K0M, why would I need to start a new company? Ten percent is too high; you're just—"

Frank interrupted him: "I'm just a representative."

Lawrence became serious.

Sending a police chief as a representative, or at least a police inspector, or even a police superintendent.

That's a big shot that a small company like K0M can't afford to mess with.

Frank calmly said, "You know better than I how much that ten percent is worth. And you need more than just a sheriff; you need the whole line to be open."

He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Including goods that can't be declared through customs, even goods from that small dock on Hart Island, the water police's radar can be repaired as needed to assist you."

Lawrence's fingers clenched under the table.

Frank is hinting at an arms deal!

He is a man of that unknown arms dealer, and he is an undercover agent hidden within the maritime police!

The illegal arms trade is dangerous, but it can also be very profitable.

"I need to assess the risks and benefits," Lawrence said cautiously.

But the burning greed in his heart had already told him to do it!

We absolutely must make this deal!

You make more money by breaking the law!

Frank stood up: "Think about it. No rush, but don't take too long. Also, we can guarantee the NYPD will be fine, but you'll have to handle the City Council situation yourself."

Frank got up and walked out of the coffee shop.

Lawrence sat in the coffee shop for a long time, his hands clenching and unclenching on the table, before finally making up his mind.

I want to get rich!

I'm going to make a fortune!

With Frank's backing, his familiarity with Hart Island, and Killian's fatal weakness, Lawrence believed he had a 90% chance of winning this round, provided he also gained Payne's support!

All in!

Lawrence picked up his phone, found Payne's assistant's number, and dialed it: "Hello, this is Lawrence, president of KOM Corporation. I'd like to arrange a meeting with the Speaker to discuss something. Would this afternoon be convenient?"

Payne was flipping through documents when the assistant led Lawrence into the Speaker's office.

"Sit down." Payne didn't look up until he finished turning the page in his hand, then closed the document, looked up, and his gaze fell on Lawrence.

Lawrence sat very upright in the chair.

Payne leaned forward slightly and spoke quickly: "You're the president of KOM Corporation, and you've come to me, which means you think Killian can't hold on any longer and wants to jump ship, right?"

'

Lawrence paused, not expecting Payne to be so blunt: "—I think Killian is in a bit of a difficult situation right now, but..."

'

Payne interrupted Lawrence: "I'm asking if it's right or wrong, not what you think. Listen, Lawrence, the city council president's time is valuable; don't waste my time. Let's get straight to the point."

Lawrence gritted his teeth: "Yes."

Payne leaned back in his chair with satisfaction: "Tell me what you want to do?"

Lawrence immediately replied, "If the independent operating rights are revoked, I am capable of operating Hart Island independently. I am familiar with all the processes and have readily available staff. I can help you set up a new company, but I will need some support in terms of relationships and processes."

Payne didn't respond to that: "What makes you think you can run it independently? Killian spent twenty years building KOM, what makes you think you can?"

Lawrence confidently stated, "I worked at KOM for twelve years. I rose from operations manager to president, and I was involved in every aspect of the island's operations. Killian was only responsible for signing contracts and attending hearings; the actual operations were all done by me and my team."

Payne accepted this explanation: "Your team? How many people do you have?"

Lawrence quickly replied, "The core team consists of three people, plus skilled workers, making about 10-12 in total. The core team needs 50% of the shares, while the others will only receive salaries."

Shares? Payne glanced at him and immediately realized that this was a foolish and greedy fellow.

He actually thought that I, a city council speaker, was like Killian, interested in such a small amount of money.

snort!

Payne remained expressionless, jotted down a few numbers on a piece of paper, and then asked, "Twelve. Do you think that's enough to run a new company?"

Lawrence was confident: "That's enough. Hart Island's operating model is already established; the new company just needs to run according to the existing processes. Twelve people can get it running, and we only need to add some workers and clerks later."

Payne tapped his finger on the table: "You've been with KOM for twelve years, you should know one thing very well: profits will decrease when the exclusive rights become a multi-bid. Even if it's split into two companies, I'll only get about half of Killian's annual income, so why would I do this?"

Payne played along, following Lawrence's line of thought and continuing to press him, deliberately making Lawrence believe that he valued the interests of Hart Island.

Lawrence opened his mouth, but Payne's concerns prevented him from answering. He could only say, "If I take the core team with me, KOM will be in chaos for a while. As long as KOM loses its exclusive operating rights, I should be able to grab 7% of the profits."

"Should? I don't want to hear 'should'," Payne said dismissively, then continued, "What do you have? Why should I cooperate with you? Why can't I find someone else to do the work for me? They don't even want shares."

Lawrence clenched his knee.

He quickly went through the cards he could play in his hand. The most valuable one was naturally the evidence of tax evasion, but that was also his last card.

He didn't want to reveal it so quickly, but Payne didn't give him any time to talk it over.

Lawrence swallowed hard. "I have evidence of Killian's tax evasion. Six million dollars, transferred from KOM's account to shell companies under his own name, with no tax records. I have the transfer records and internal emails."

Payne's expression remained unchanged, but he was overjoyed inside.

That's it!

No wonder this idiot dared to negotiate with me.

Six million dollars in evidence of tax evasion, with at least two million dollars in unpaid taxes—an extremely high amount, constituting a federal felony punishable by at least 10 years in prison. This is a price Killian simply cannot afford!

I finally got the ace.

Payne remained outwardly calm as he looked at Lawrence, neither immediately pressing for answers nor nodding. He stared at Lawrence for a couple more seconds, until Lawrence began to panic, before finally speaking: "You say you have evidence. Did you verify the legal validity of this evidence before coming here? Will it be enough for the IRS to open a case?"

Lawrence confidently stated, "I've verified it. The transfer records are complete, and the internal email chain is intact."

Payne asked, "Then why don't you go to the IRS yourself?"

Lawrence hesitated for a moment, then said to cover it up, "Destroying Killian won't do me any good. I can't handle the exclusive rights and legal issues myself, so..."

""

Payne interrupted Lawrence directly: "Come on, you came to me not just for the law. You want me to take the fall for you. You're afraid you'll be dragged down if he falls, and if he doesn't, you're afraid of his retaliation, so you came to me to have me take the fall for you."

Payne looked down at Lawrence.

He didn't care about the shares, the profits from Hart Island, or even whether Lawrence could build the new company.

What he cared about was the evidence of Killian's tax evasion.

As for Lawrence, he's a tool that came to us on its own; we can throw him away after we're done using him.

Lawrence was embarrassed; this was indeed his true feeling.

The city council speaker is a cunning old fox who is hard to fool.

"Speaker, you have excellent insight. I've also been considering this..."

'

Payne looked at him and said, "Give me the evidence, and I'll take care of Killian for you. You go and build a new company."

2

"No! I'll only use the evidence when I need it!" Lawrence wasn't stupid; if he handed over the evidence, he would lose his usefulness.

Payne scoffed: "OK. Since you have the evidence, you'll have to go talk to Killian. I'll help you handle the trouble, but you're asking for too much stock. I want 60%."

""

Payne deliberately lowered the price, continuing to mislead Lawrence and making him believe that he was interested in the shares of the new company.

In reality, Payne didn't care about that small amount of money at all.

"This..." Lawrence hesitated, "40% is too little. I have two other partners, and people from the NYPD are also involved. They all need to get a share."

"That's your problem." Payne lowered his head and continued reading the documents. "Alright, your time is up. Go do what you need to do. I'll take action if necessary."

When Lawrence stood up, his legs felt a little weak.

He turned and walked out of the office, took a few steps down the corridor, then stopped, glanced back at the door, turned back, and continued walking.

Lawrence didn't realize that he had just taken a breath, nor did he realize that his clenched fist was slowly loosening.

As he walked out of the city hall, the wind rushed in his face and the sunlight shone down, and he finally came to his senses and returned to the human world.

Lawrence walked down the steps to the sidewalk, stopped, and suddenly clenched his fist.

It worked!

I made it!

I successfully recruited Payne, along with Frank and his group of water police, and with the materials I had, Killian had to relinquish his exclusive rights.

I'm going to be a boss!

I'm going to get rich!

Lawrence took a deep breath, feeling refreshed, and walked towards the parking lot. He picked up his phone and called Ed: "Ed, call Mickey over, we need to discuss something important!"

Unbeknownst to him, a fly had been silently and motionless on the inside of his clothes.

Lawrence acted quickly.

After discussing it with Ed and Mickey, he immediately went to find Killian.

The longer you delay, the more trouble you'll cause.

There's no time to lose; we must make Killian relinquish his exclusive operating rights first!

evening.

Lawrence stood in front of Killian's office door, his hand on the doorknob, then paused, without pushing the door open.

He looked down at his hands, his fingers spread open, then clenched again.

These hands have handled documents for twelve years, signed contracts for twelve years, and served coffee to Killian for twelve years.

Things will be different after today!

These hands will seize power!

Lawrence took a deep breath, and without knocking, pushed the door open and went inside.

Killian was talking to his assistant when he heard the door open. He looked up, saw Lawrence walk in, and frowned slightly. "What is it?"

Lawrence walked to the sofa, sat down, crossed his legs, and smiled, "It's alright, you guys chat first."

Killian stared at him for two seconds.

Lawrence had never been so relaxed in front of him, had never entered without knocking, and had never interrupted when he was talking to his assistant.

He instinctively felt that something had happened.

Killian's gaze lingered on Lawrence's face for a moment, then he tilted his head at his assistant and said, "You can go out now."

The assistant glanced at Lawrence, got up and left, closing the door behind him.

The door lock clicked.

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Killian looked at him: "Speak."

Lawrence did not speak immediately.

He leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, fingers resting on his knees, as if giving Killian time to examine himself.

He mentally reviewed his posture, speech rate, and facial expressions after entering the room.

Hmm, not bad, that's how a great person should act.

Killian frowned at the pretentious Lawrence: "What the hell are you doing?"

Lawrence smiled calmly, took a card from his inner pocket, and placed it on the table in front of Killian.

The card contained only a few lines of text, a record of each transfer Killian made from KOM.

Killian glanced down and his expression changed.

The color drained from his face and then returned; his lips twitched, and a sound like something was blocking his throat escaped.

Bang!

Killian slammed his hand on the table, leaping up from his chair, and roared, "Are you threatening me?!"

The files on the desktop shook slightly.

Lawrence sat on the sofa, motionless and as steady as a mountain.

Killian, suppressing his boundless rage, yelled, "Lawrence! What the hell do you want?! What the hell do you want?!"

Lawrence smiled calmly as he watched Killian stand up, watched his chair slide back half a foot, watched his fingers clench on the table until his knuckles turned white, watched his disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes.

Having groveled before Killian for twelve years, I had never seen him so panicked.

Lawrence had only one thought in his mind: So you can be afraid too.

What a load of crap, a city councilor! Once caught red-handed, he's just as pathetic as a dog!

Lawrence straightened his buttons and calmly said, "Either you give up your exclusive rights to KOM, or this thing ends up on the IRS's desk. You choose."

Exclusive rights!!! Killian stared at him incredulously: "Do you know what you're talking about?"

Lawrence smiled.

Killian's voice trembled with anger: "Lawrence, I hired you, I promoted you. You eat my food and use my money, and now you dare to betray me?"

Lawrence didn't reply; he simply leaned back comfortably on the sofa, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Would you like to know who the shareholders of my new company are?"

Killian's expression changed.

The anger on his face froze for a moment, then seemed to be suppressed by something, replaced by a mixture of alertness and fear.

He had already guessed the name Lawrence was going to mention, and Killian flew into a rage: "You traitor!! You shameless Judas!"

Lawrence smiled.

Payne is not a shareholder at all. The company hasn't even been established yet, so where would he get shareholders?

But Killian didn't know that this didn't stop Lawrence from exaggerating.

Lawrence only needed to convince Killian that Payne was behind him.

Killian would then realize that killing him wouldn't help; the biggest trouble would be Payne, and Lawrence would be able to guarantee his personal safety.

Killian's hands trembled violently: "You traitor!"

Lawrence stood up, patted off non-existent wrinkles on his trousers, and then buttoned up his suit jacket.

His movements were slow, deliberately mimicking the mannerisms of important figures in movies.

"Three days," Lawrence said. "You have three days, or this material will appear in the IRS's complaint mailbox."

Killian stood there, head bowed.

The door opened, then closed again.

He was the only one left in the office.

Killian picked up the card, looked at it again, then put it down, gripping the edge of the table and taking a deep breath.

Lawrence was inexperienced, and he went too far.

In Killian's view, the problem is not "whether to give up the exclusive rights", but what other demands will be made after the exclusive rights are given up.

Having that material is just the beginning; exclusive rights are only the first step.

Lawrence could make him relinquish control of the company, the next step might be some of KOM's shares, and the next step after that would be to get him out of the city council.

This is not a transaction.

This is a knife hanging overhead; when it falls is up to the person wielding it.

Killian slumped back in his chair as if all his strength had been drained, panting heavily.

Twelve years ago.

At that time, KOM had just been established and needed someone who understood operations. Lawrence came for the interview, wearing an ill-fitting suit, nervously clutching his resume, and speaking haltingly.

It was he who gave Lawrence that job.

Now, this is how Lawrence is repaying himself!

Richard stood in the center of Hart Island, surrounded by wasteland and weeds, the soil surface grayish-white, mixed with bone fragments.

He squatted down and picked up a piece of shinbone that was half-buried in the soil, its surface already eroded white by the wind.

He looked at it, then threw it back on the ground and patted the dirt off his hands.

Nest of skeletons.

He recalled the sentence in the skill description: depending on the different environments of the Bone Land, the type of Bone Nest will also be different.

The system reports that Hart Island's type is [Corrupted Spirit Abyss].

Corruption? Lingyuan?

This doesn't match the situation on Hart Island at all.

There was no smell of decay here; the soil was dry, the bones were highly weathered, and the moisture had long been drawn away by the sea breeze and salt.

Ling Yuan found it even more illogical. He stood in the center of the flat ground, surrounded by a three-meter-deep concrete pit.

There was no corrupt swamp, no deep cave, nothing that could be associated with the "abyss".

Richard stood at the highest point of Hart Island, looking down at the land below, which had been divided into squares by KOM workers with white lime lines. Some squares had already been filled in, while others were being filled in.

After the snow melted, many skeletons were exposed on the ground.

Everywhere.

Richard glanced around, his gaze shifting from the first square on the east side to the last square on the west side, and then he smiled.

Standing on this land, he felt like an old farmer standing in front of his own wheat field, the wheat already ripe and ready to be harvested.

Just then, Richard heard the sound of an engine coming from afar.

He turned his head and saw a ship approaching the temporary dock on Hart Island.

It was an OCME corpse transport ship.

After the ship docked, a hearse was unloaded, and the KOM company employees began their work.

Valerie stood on the deck, reluctantly acting as the overseer. Like most people, she loathed the place; every inch of the soil reeked of death.

"Hurry up and move it, don't dawdle. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can leave."

Helen emerged from the cabin, wearing a mask and rubber gloves, with only her eyes visible on her face.

She was a little unsteady on her feet when she jumped off the boat, and wobbled on a loose rock. Valerie reached out and helped her.

As she let go, she patted Helen's shoulder: "Stand firm. There are bones buried here. If you fall and hit a bone, you won't even have a place to get a tetanus shot."

"Thank you," Helen said gratefully as she regained her balance.

She straightened up and scanned the ground around her.

She saw the bones; white, broken bones buried in the soil, half exposed, scattered everywhere after the snow melted.

Helen's gaze swept around, and suddenly she saw a person standing on the dock, smiling and waving at her: "Hi! Helen, what a coincidence, what brings you here?"

Helen took off her mask in surprise: "Richard, what are you doing here?!"

Richard laughed: "I'm doing research here. It's a new project by Professor Shepard, studying the long-term environmental impact of corpse diseases on the island."

Helen walked over quickly, and before Richard could say anything, Helen gave him a tight hug, as if she were venting something.

"Uh..." Richard realized what was happening and gave him a light hug as well.

Valerie's gaze towards Richard immediately changed.

How could such a beautiful girl like Helen fall in love with a man with yellow skin?

The workers around, busy digging pits, looked on with envy and jealousy.

Some people even started whistling.

Helen released her grip, her cheeks slightly flushed, and feigned composure as she asked, "How long have you been here?"

Richard smiled. "It's been a while."

Helen looked around in fear: "Don't you think it's... creepy?"

Richard smiled: "I'm used to it. My advisor said this project has a good chance of publishing a CNS paper."

Helen understood immediately.

For students, the allure of CNS papers is boundless.

Valerie walked over and stood beside Richard, looking him up and down.

Yellow skin, looks young, not dressed very well, what kind of bullshit scientific research are they doing on this deserted island?

"A student? Sent here by their advisor?"

Richard shrugged: "I guess so."

Valerie curled her lip: "What do you mean 'calculate'? Who would want to come to a place like this? Did you offend your mentor?"

She said this to Richard, but it was a reminder to Helen.

Helen stepped in to explain for Richard: "Valerie, Richard is Professor Christina Shepard's student."

She emphasized Christina Shepard's full name.

Richard is an academic successor!

How could I possibly offend Christina?

Valerie was just an office worker at OCME; she knew nothing about scientific research and didn't know what Christina did.

She said casually, "I know. Many famous professors have students who are sent to places like this; it's a bit of a misfortune."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Richard again. There was no malice in his eyes, but he wasn't particularly kind either; he was simply reminding Helen not to have contacted the wrong person.

Helen wanted to argue, but she didn't want to contend with Valerie in front of Richard.

Valerie clearly didn't understand the allure of CNS papers; if Helen had that opportunity, she would have stayed here without hesitation.

dead?

What's there to be afraid of in a dead person!

Richard was too lazy to explain to irrelevant people: "Want to come and see where I work?"

Helen perked up: "Great!"

Helen followed Richard to the post.

Valerie pursed her lips and went back to the deck.

The research station was brightly lit, but the space was small, containing a table, a microscope, several sealed sample containers, some common experimental instruments, and a teaching skeleton supported by a metal rod standing firmly in the corner.

Helen glanced at the skeleton, completely ignoring it.

For medical students, this is just as normal as what they see in the classroom.

Richard explained to her, "This is where we do sample separation, that's the storage area, and that one in the corner is a refrigerated centrifuge. It's mostly used to observe tissue samples from cadavers and other diseased tissues."

In reality, Richard never used most of these things; they were just for show.

Helen looked around.

This is where Richard lives and works.

The room fell silent.

Richard leaned against the worktable, while Helen stood two steps away, neither too far nor too close.

Helen whispered, "I didn't expect you to be here."

Richard laughed: "I didn't expect to run into you here either."

Helen slowly approached, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of the countertop: "Emily interrupted what happened last time—and you haven't contacted me since."

Richard looked at the girl beside him: "You've been very busy lately."

Helen looked up at Richard's face, which was inches away from hers: "I know. I am..."

""

She only managed to say half a sentence before her heart started racing.

Just then, Valerie's voice came from outside: "Helen! It's time to go back!"

Helen was startled and shouted loudly outside, "I'm coming!"

"I'll see you off."

"Um.

""

Richard took Helen out and unexpectedly saw Lawrence and Mickey coming to the island again. They were talking as they walked over, followed by several workers.

Richard grew increasingly annoyed.

There are so many irrelevant people around all day long, it's too annoying. I must take complete control of KOM Company!

Helen followed his gaze and asked, "Who's that?"

"People from KOM Corporation," Richard said casually.

Lawrence wore a more sophisticated dark gray trench coat today than last time, with the collar buttoned up and the hem fluttering slightly in the sea breeze.

He walked to the edge of the outpost, completely ignoring Richard, and stood on the open space next to it, tapping the ground with the tip of his shoe: "This spot is nice."

Mickey immediately took out his phone and snapped a picture, then squatted down and drew a line on the ground with chalk: "This side is ours now."

Workers unloaded several iron pipes and red and white warning tape from the ship and began setting up stakes, stringing lines, and inserting signs on site.

Lawrence stood in the center of the plot of land, hands on his hips, looking around as if surveying his future territory: "The new company's headquarters will be here. Good view, close to the sea, and convenient for transporting corpses."

He spoke faster than usual, with a slight upward inflection at the end of his sentences, unable to suppress his smugness.

Mickey said to Richard, "Hey kid, move the door to your lab to the other side. This side is our property now. You'll be using the other side from now on. The road here needs to be redesigned."

"So this is how you claim land?" Richard looked at the two men with the eyes of someone looking at a dead man, as if they were skeletons on the ground.

Helen stood beside Richard, looking at the chalk line on the ground, and saw that the workers had already fenced off the area, blocking the entrance to the research site.

She said with dissatisfaction, "Why do you have to stand so close? Can't you move a few meters to the side?"

Lawrence heard Helen's voice, but he didn't stop or turn around.

He didn't even glance at Helen. What's a pretty girl compared to that?

I'm going to be a boss!

We're going to get rich!

Where there's wealth, there are always pretty girls.

Lawrence strode forward confidently, completely ignoring Richard and Helen, and said to Mickey as he walked, "Straighten the line, don't let it go crooked."

Mickey answered for Lawrence: "Focus on your studies. This has nothing to do with you. Just have your advisor reconnect with the new company."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and caught up with Lawrence.

Soon, the workers had put up the signs, and the red and white warning tape marked a square area on the ground, which perfectly covered the spot where Richard was going to place the core of the skeleton nest.

Helen looked at the signs, bit her lip, and whispered, "They've gone too far."

"Hey! You guys..." She took half a step forward, as if she wanted to say something.

Richard reached out to stop her: "No need."

Helen turned to look at him, and Richard said calmly, "Professor Shepard will handle it. There's no point in arguing with these foremen about this."

Helen was finally relieved.

Come to think of it, Christina's status is too high.

People in these small companies probably don't understand Christina's influence.

As long as Christina gives the order, no one can touch her laboratory.

Helen stood beside Richard, looking worriedly at the signs: "They might start construction soon."

"7

Richard smiled and said, "They can't move anything."

As he said this, his gaze fell on Lawrence's retreating figure.

Lawrence was directing the workers to adjust the spacing of the signs, his voice carrying over from dozens of meters away, carrying an uncontrollable, high-pitched quality.

Valerie smiled smugly when she saw Richard's discomfiture: "Helen, let's go."

"Okay!" Helen replied, then she suddenly stepped forward and gave Richard a light kiss on the cheek. It was almost imperceptible, but it did touch him.

Richard looked at her with a smile.

Helen's ears turned red first, and she whispered, "Don't get angry over those people."

Richard said sincerely, "I'm really not angry."

Who would get angry over someone dying in futures trading?

Helen looked at him, as if to confirm if what he said was true, before nodding: "That's good."

Valerie's urging voice came through: "Helen! We're done moving! Let's go!"

Helen glanced in the direction of the dock, then reluctantly turned back: "Then I'm leaving."

Richard patted her on the shoulder: "Go ahead."

Helen boarded the ship, glanced back, and Richard waved with a smile.

She waved her hand as well.

The ship finally returned to port.

Helen was still looking at Richard on the island.

Valerie, speaking with the wisdom of someone who'd been there, said, "Listen to me, Helen, what respectable student would be sent to a place like this? That boy was marginalized in his advisor's project group. You're young, don't waste your time on unworthy people. And... he's Asian."

"Thank you, Valerie, I understand." Helen didn't explain further; after all, Valerie meant well.

Valerie neither understood Christina's importance nor the significance of academic successors, so explaining it to her was pointless.

As the pier receded into the distance, Hart Island shrank into a gray-white dot in the field of vision.

Helen stood at the stern, watching the outpost recede into the distance.

She recalled the moment she had pressed herself against him; it had happened so fast that it was over before she could even savor it.

What a pity... Helen touched her lips, trying to savor the feeling of that touch.

Valerie glanced at her, sighed, and said nothing more.

This silly girl is beyond saving.