I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 239 Preparations for Maxillofacial Surgery

It was 1:30 a.m. when Catherine pushed open the door to No. 1200 Baytop Villa.

She took off her high heels in the entryway, changed into a pair of slippers, and walked into the living room.

Richard sat on the sofa flipping through a medical aesthetics journal.

He was reading an article by Daniel that discussed how to reduce bleeding during liposuction.

It has to be said that Daniel's story is so realistic, it's just like the real thing.

He would have believed it if Richard hadn't performed the surgery.

It's not that some doctors don't question him, but what's the point of questioning? The surgery Daniel performs allows for a quick recovery; if you can't do that, it's just that your technique isn't good enough.

Debbie lay on Richard's lap, fast asleep, drool dripping onto Richard's pajama bottoms, soaking a large area.

Shadow was curled up on Richard's other thigh, sleeping on his back.

Catherine placed her bag on the coffee table, sat down next to Richard, rested her head on his shoulder, and took a deep breath: "It's signed! 125 billion! We've acquired the core assets of the Bellow Group. Master, I can hardly believe it. Just a few months ago, I was a small-time owner of a cosmetic clinic, earning less than $20 a year. Now, I've secured the Bellow Group's entire store network! Master, all of this is a gift from you!"

Catherine was thrilled, her long hair brushing against Richard's neck.

Richard remained calm, closing the journal: "OK, so what's next? What are you planning to do?"

Catherine paused to calm herself before saying, "With Bauer, the senior executives of the Bellow Group, and a large number of Bellow Group employees, the store integration process can be accelerated to 6 to 8 months. The re-integration of the supply chain, brand switching, store renovation, and staff retraining are all proceeding simultaneously. To speed things up, I've selected 20 of the most profitable and flagship stores, along with a group of key employees, and are accelerating their training. These stores can reopen within three months. Other stores can proceed in the same manner."

Richard listened quietly, then said, "I need a room where I can perform maxillofacial surgery."

He's been stuck on "Flesh and Bone" for a long time, and he's already finished studying endocrinology-related subjects, so he can't make any further progress.

Liposuction, body sculpting, and blood draws are all completely irrelevant to the study of "flesh and bones".

The only effective method was to modify Debbie, but after several more experiments, he found that this method was unreliable, and the last time it was just a lucky guess.

In a world without magic, exploring magic is incredibly difficult.

Richard decided to perform some more advanced surgery as an experiment.

Catherine hesitated for a moment: "Maxillofacial surgery? No problem, all eight flagship stores have sufficient equipment, including operating rooms, anesthesia equipment, and recovery areas, all available on-site, enough for maxillofacial surgery."

"However, since the owner doesn't have a license, he can only enter the operating room as a 'clinical observer' to observe and learn from a surgery. He can only watch, not touch, otherwise someone might report him."

Richard said calmly, "So, you need to figure out how to do it without being discovered."

Catherine pondered for a moment, then said with difficulty, "If it's just liposuction, one or two nurses will suffice, and we can find reliable people to keep it a secret. But maxillofacial surgery is different; it involves too many people. The assistants, nurses, and anesthesiologists during the procedure will all see what the patient is doing. There are at least eight people present, and I can't guarantee that the entire team will keep quiet."

Richard thought for a moment and said, "I don't need a team for the entire surgery. Nurses can handle the preoperative preparation and postoperative care. No one else needs to be present during the rest of the procedure."

Maxillofacial surgery may involve a great deal of flesh-remodeling magic, and at least for the first few surgeries, Richard didn't want anyone present.

If it really increases my knowledge, then I'll try to find a way to continue doing it long-term.

If it's useless, Richard won't bother wasting his time on this.

Catherine paused for a moment: "The flagship store has an operating room at the end of the corridor, with a separate access control. It's mainly used as a backup room for reconstructive surgeries, and its usage frequency is very low. I can adjust the access control so that only my and the master's fingerprints can open it, and the name of this operating room won't be listed on the schedule. Pre-operative preparation can be done by a few trusted people, and post-operative cleanup will also be handled by them. The main part in the middle will not be recorded, and everyone will exit. The master can use the name of Christina's new drug experiment to demand confidentiality. Of course, this requires informing patients in advance, and fewer people will be willing to accept it."

"Oh, and there are security cameras. There are cameras in the hallway, and another one outside that operating room. I can tell the security team that the operating room is under renovation and the cameras need to be temporarily turned off until further notice..."

The two whispered for a while, and Debbie showed signs of being woken up.

Richard simply got up and carried Debbie back to the bedroom.

He went back to his room to continue studying.

This is a side effect of having a high physique; with too much energy, it's impossible to fall asleep.

A moment later, Catherine entered the study wearing a black silk nightgown...

Nothing was said that night, and dawn broke.

At exactly 9 a.m., Richard's phone rang. He glanced at it and saw it was Zhang Bo, so he answered it.

"Mr. Li..." Zhang Bo hesitated for a moment before addressing Richard respectfully and politely, "The kind of large estate you asked me to keep an eye out for last time, I've found four suitable ones. I've already communicated with the landlords, and you can visit them when it's convenient for you."

"Tell me about it." Richard got up and walked to the window, watching the shadows running wild in the yard.

A leopard cat, appearing out of nowhere, fawned over the shadow; judging by its alluring appearance, it seemed to be a female cat.

Zhang Bo immediately said, "The first one is located in Westchester County. It was built in the early 20th century and covers an area of ​​about 120 acres. The main building is well maintained, but the surrounding land has been developed several times and the landscape is not very complete. It is a conventional choice with existing property records and clear zoning boundaries."

The second property is located on the north shore of Long Island, covering approximately 85 acres, with a private beach and private dock entrance. It is in good condition and is currently owned by a company.

'

He quickly introduced three properties, then said, "I think the one you're most interested in is the fourth: River Valley Estate. This estate is located on the east side of the Hudson River Valley. It's currently the most suitable, covering over 200 acres. The main house was built in the mid-to-late 19th century, with a solid frame and excellent privacy. The overall layout, topography, and views of the estate are highly intact. It's the last relatively complete private estate in the area, and also the largest. Currently, it's the only one without competing offers because the owner refuses to sell..."

Richard was somewhat surprised: "Why is the landlord on your list if they refuse to sell?"

Zhang Bo lowered his voice slightly: "The current owner of the manor is Connor Donovan, an old-fashioned, devout Catholic who insists on donating the manor to the church after his death. However, his only son obviously disagrees, and the son secretly listed the manor with a real estate agency. The agency obtained copies of the son's power of attorney and property documents, so the house is indeed registered for sale in the system. But..."

Zhang Bo said somewhat apologetically, "Connor is unaware of this matter at the moment. If you are interested, I can arrange a viewing, but it needs to be outside the time when the old man is at the estate. His son will coordinate with the butler to adjust his schedule. Also, I think that Debbie is a saint, and perhaps she can use her connections in the church to coordinate, and Mr. Connor-Donovan might agree to the sale. If it's not Debbie, but some other buyer, I wouldn't have mentioned it."

Richard listened, a hint of interest rising in his eyes: "Send me detailed information about the River Valley Manor. Also send me information about the other three locations. I'll get back to you as soon as I've reviewed it."

"No problem. I'll organize it and send it to your phone as soon as possible."

Vincent Cross sat at his window-side workstation on the second floor, with a dual-screen computer and a stack of archived old documents in front of him.

He worked in the ICE New York office for 11 years, rising from a junior investigator to his current position as Investigator General. He was never promoted beyond his rank or transferred, just like the most inconspicuous cog in any government department, and his career can be considered relatively smooth sailing.

At 8:15 a.m., Vincent sat down in his chair as usual, turned on his computer, and found that he had received an encrypted email.

The sender's signature field contains only the abbreviation A.

Vincent's eyes narrowed slightly, a secret delight creeping into his heart.

Mr. A finally gave me a task!

He always receives a good reward for completing Mr. A's tasks!

Vincent immediately opened the email.

The main body is very short, following the standard format used internally by ICE: target name, supporting documents, and visa status summary.

The attachment contains a photo of a University of Tokyo international student named Alex, screenshots of his social media posts, and a summary of his visa file.

Cross didn't look at the screenshots carefully. He first looked at the target's basic information and the nature of the case, and then turned to Alex's visa file summary to confirm the other party's student visa status.

He opened the internal system and entered ALEX's name and file number.

The system showed that the visa status had been investigated by the immigration department within a week, and then inexplicably "closed," with the note "No action required."

Vincent didn't investigate why it was shut down, nor did he ask why. As long as he completed his mission, nothing else mattered to him.

As long as he strictly adheres to ICE's rules and regulations, he will never get himself into trouble.

After working at ICE for decades, he became very adept at utilizing various systems.

Vincent first reactivated ALEX's investigation file and set it to the highest priority. Then he moved the file to the next stage, awaiting approval of the arrest warrant.

After doing all that, he reopened the attachment and carefully looked through Alex's photos and personal information.

He was just an ordinary international student at the University of Tokyo, nothing special, with an ordinary hairstyle and ordinary clothes.

He glanced at Alex's social media screenshots. Those comments were indeed a bit outrageous, such as the "kill line," but compared to the terrorists and drug dealers that ICE dealt with, these bullshit comments were nothing.

Vincent even secretly agreed with Alex's statement about the kill threshold.

However, who Alex actually is is irrelevant to Vincent; he only cares about whether his mission can be completed successfully.

Arrest a foreigner and make him disappear without a trace.

He is very good at this kind of work.

Vincent checked the approval progress; there had been no change. Generally, the director would approve it within two or three days, though the timeframe was uncertain.

He wasn't in a hurry. He opened his browser and searched for ALEX's name.

There were more search results than expected.

Vincent saw the New York Times article, the BBC report, and clips of commentary from Fox News.

He quickly browsed through several of them, extracting ALEX's activity timeline and key claims on different platforms, and came up with a plan: relying on ALEX's various statements online (although Vincent also agreed with them), Vincent was 100% confident that he could capture him without being punished by any organization.

"A modern Don Quixote, brimming with a sense of justice but riddled with flaws," Vincent summarized Alex.

This mission was far too easy. Dealing with a foreign student who did dirty work for the professor was much easier than dealing with those damn drug dealers!

Vincent searched around and found a phone number, then dialed it.

After three rings, a woman's voice came through the receiver, tinged with a hint of wariness and formulaic politeness: "Hello, this is Li Yuan. Who is this?"

Vincent spoke in a gentler tone than usual: "Ms. Li, I am the Chief of Investigation for the ICE New York office, and I am investigating a case related to visa violations."

We noticed a recent column you published about a social media figure, the same person I'm investigating. I'd like to verify whether you had any direct contact with that person when you wrote that article.

Li Yuan couldn't believe that her article had actually alarmed ICE!

It’s too unexpected!

She suppressed her surprise: "I haven't contacted him directly, nor have I been interviewed by him. All the information in the article comes from publicly available materials—videos on social media, discussions in the comments section, and some people forwarding his statements. His personal identity..."

The background information was also obtained from publicly available sources. If you need to verify the specific dates, I can send you the sources cited in the article.

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat, not from fear, but from excitement.

The excitement of being valued by an American dad!

Especially when she heard the person on the other end identify himself as an FBI agent, an indescribable sense of satisfaction and pride rose in her chest.

Like a primary school student being praised by the teacher.

She recalled the people in the comments section who disagreed with her, those who accused her of "kowtowing to America."

Let's see!

Right now, the ICE Investigator is calling me!

Look how much my brother trusts and values ​​me!

I am doing the right thing. I am helping the United States fight those bastards who attack America, helping ICE clean up human scum, and I am maintaining the order of democracy!

Vincent looked down on Li Yuan, but he didn't show it. Instead, he praised her, saying, "Very good. Tell me what you know."

"OK! Sir!" Li Yuan said excitedly and quickly, "Alex's videos aren't personal expressions at all, Agent, they're organized incitement! He couldn't possibly have made so many videos in such a short time by himself. From the editing rhythm to the release time, everything was designed..."

'

Most of the videos claiming to show Alex's "kill lines" are fabricated and based on fictional scenarios. Alex's sudden popularity is no coincidence; there must be someone behind it all, providing him with materials, promoting his content, translating, reposting, and further disseminating it!

"This is an organized propaganda attack by an enemy state! We must be vigilant and stop it immediately!"

Li Yuan didn't care whether Alex would lose his degree because of her slander; she only wanted to gain Dai Di's trust.

Do whatever you want!

Vincent, however, was getting impatient.

Who the hell cares about this nonsense?

I only want to hear three key pieces of information: address, phone number, and contact information!

What an idiot woman!