I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 94 Irving's Despair (10K long chapter, please vote and subscribe)

Based on the description, the flesh puppet is a temporary servant that lasts for 6.5 hours. This value should be obtained by dividing the spirit by 2.

In other words, how long this thing can last depends entirely on how strong Richard's willpower is.

Richard discovered that a black bone box had appeared in his perception.

It is long and narrow, about the size of a palm, and looks like a piece of charred bone.

He projected his consciousness over there, but the internal space was empty; there was nothing there.

"This should be the so-called 'Blood Remains Box'."

He tried putting the pen in, but there was no response.

They tried putting the corpse's heart in again, but there was still no reaction.

It seems to be a non-general storage space, only suitable for storing that so-called "fresh flesh and blood".

What exactly is fresh flesh and blood?

Richard checked the system's explanation again: "You can absorb [fresh flesh and blood] from the wounds of any animal."

It should refer to a certain life characteristic that only exists in living organisms?

Go back and try finding a small animal.

Richard cleaned up the body and put it into the morgue.

He went to the bathroom and kicked a stall door hard.

boom!

Rex's exclamation came from inside:

"Fk! Who's outside?"

Richard laughed and said, "Rex, it's time to clean up the mess."

"WTF! Bro! You even managed to find this!" Rex complained in dissatisfaction.

"You hide here every day, everyone knows that, right?"

In fact, with Richard's hearing, no breathing sound could escape his ears as long as someone was in the bathroom.

A moment later, Rex came out of the door, pulling up his pants.

He dared not offend Richard.

Since Richard arrived, he has been much more relaxed, with a significantly reduced workload. He smiled and said, "OK, OK, I'll go right away."

Richard stood in front of the urinal and relieved himself comfortably.

The restroom needs to be ventilated by opening the window, and it is the place with the faintest formaldehyde smell in the entire OCME building.

Rex certainly knows how to pick a spot.

Richard didn't leave immediately; he stood by the window, breathing in the fresh air outside.

The wind was cold at four or five in the morning, which cleared his mind considerably.

Christmas is approaching, and many places on the streets have been decorated, creating a festive atmosphere.

Even the usually lifeless OCME has a small Christmas tree erected on the lawn in front of the gate, decorated with colorful lights.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of several people gathered around a car in a corner downstairs.

A fat man got off the bus and greeted the group with a laugh.

The familiar voice, the familiar figure, the familiar car—it's ALEX.

Alex opened the car door, and several people began to move the body into the car.

The two sides clearly knew each other.

"This guy has even expanded his business here?" Richard asked in surprise.

OCME is even selling corpses?

According to Irving, shouldn't some be cremated and some sent to Hart Island?

He stood at the window and continued to observe.

Moreover, this group of people didn't bother to hide or avoid the market; they traded directly near the OCME, which is incredibly audacious.

It shouldn't be an illegal sale, right?

Richard's hearing was good enough that he could faintly hear their conversation even from where he was standing.

"$2500, that's too expensive. I can get a corpse from the street for only $1000." Alex's voice floated up.

"Hey, Alex, that's not how you calculate the price." The person speaking stood in the shadows; Richard couldn't see the face, but he could hear the voice.

It's Martin.

A morgue technician who frequently goes out on fieldwork is responsible for dragging bodies back from various corners; it turns out he also does this kind of work.

"These are the goods I've selected; they have great research value. Give them to your boss, and he'll accept them even if you ask for 3500."

"3500!" Alex exclaimed. "How is that possible! The boss told me the maximum was 2000, no more. It's Christmas, there are corpses everywhere!"

"Not all corpses are the same! Look at this unlucky guy, he has diabetic foot, his whole foot is rotten and he hasn't gone to get treatment, what a rare case!" Martin was obviously experienced and wouldn't be swayed by Alex's few words.

Alex covered his nose: "It stinks so badly! 2200!"

"So what if it smells bad? It's worth money even if it smells bad! 2800! At least 2800!"

The two bargained, their voices drifting intermittently into Richard's ears on the night breeze.

Richard thought to himself, "There really are people at OCME selling corpses."

Several other people were standing next to Martin, looking relaxed, clearly indicating that this wasn't the first time they had done something like this.

Everyone's gotten used to it; it's very relaxing and comfortable.

Richard activated his desire sensory ability.

The flames of desire flicker above everyone's head.

This magic is like a living radar at night, like a health bar; nothing can hide from it.

The two sides argued fiercely, but neither was in a hurry and didn't seem afraid of being discovered by others at OCME. It seems that OCME's senior management was also involved, otherwise they wouldn't have been so unhurried, like picking out canned goods at a supermarket.

Richard recalled the extra income that the team occasionally sent out and finally understood where it came from.

They even said it was "the money given by the family when they claim the body," but that's only a few dollars. It turns out they made their money by selling corpses!

OCME is utterly awful, Richard thought.

It's better to be a little bad.

If the management wasn't so bad, how could a middle school student like him have the opportunity to go up on stage to perform dissections and sutures?

Richard didn't care and just stood at the window watching with interest.

The other party in the transaction doesn't hide from others, so what is he afraid of?

People who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water. It's not surprising that people at OCME eat corpses.

Just then, someone suddenly rushed out of the OCME building.

It's Kyrie Irving!

With flames of anger and disappointment burning above his head, Irving yelled, "What are you doing?!"

Richard quickly went downstairs.

Kyrie Irving is being far too naive.

He's the only reliable support player who can consistently make up for missed shots; he can't afford to have anything go wrong.

Everyone at the scene was startled.

Martin's face instantly turned ugly when he saw it was Irving.

"It's nothing." He patted Alex on the shoulder and whispered, "You go first, we'll talk about the price later."

"Okay." Alex realized something was wrong and tried to drive away, but Irving blocked the car with his arms outstretched.

Irving shouted, "You're a body collector? Who do you work for?! Don't you know that buying and selling corpses is illegal at OCME?!"

Alex's face turned dark.

This guy is clearly wearing an OCME uniform and is obviously one of the beneficiaries, so why is he causing trouble?

He questioned Martin: "Bro, are you setting a honey trap?"

"Of course not!" Martin's face turned ashen. Although Alex was just a small buyer, if their reputation was ruined, how would they sell corpses in the future?

He yelled, "Irving! What are you doing?! This is everyone's business, you're involved too! Don't cause trouble!"

Irving paused for a moment, then said firmly, "No! I've never taken that kind of dirty money!"

"Everyone gets a share!" Martin snapped. "90% of your side income comes from here. You don't really expect those poor families to pay to claim the bodies, do you?"

Irving was stunned.

Martin yelled, "Get out of the way!"

When Richard ran downstairs, Martin and the others had already surrounded Irving with hostile looks.

Alex was surprised to see Richard.

Richard gave him a wink, signaling him to hurry up, then grabbed Irving and dragged him out of the crowd.

Alex took the opportunity to drive away.

Irving struggled and shouted, "Don't go! I'm calling the police! Richard! Let me go! How could you let him go? Damn it, these are corpses to be burned! You can't sell them!!"

He then realized that Richard was incredibly strong and he couldn't break free at all.

Richard whispered, "Owen, calm down, calm down."

Martin snapped angrily, "Enough! Irving! This is a treat for everyone! Do you want to ruin it?"

Irving glared and shouted, "No! This isn't a benefit! This is a crime!"

Just then, Fountain's voice came from behind: "Hey, Irving, calm down. Let's go inside and talk."

Irving froze. He slowly turned around, looking at Fu Nong in disbelief: "You knew about it too?"

Fu Nong shrugged: "They're just some unwanted corpses; burning them would be a waste. We've always been very careful; don't take it too seriously."

Martin protested, feeling wronged: "Exactly! I've been doing this for over ten years and never had a problem. I've investigated all these bodies; most are illegal immigrants who have been smuggling goods, and a small number have absolutely no family members. Nobody would investigate these."

More than a decade! Irving fell silent instantly.

This extended period of time means that almost everyone was involved, except for Irving himself.

He also took the money, but the source of the money is unknown.

Richard saw Irving's shoulders slump and felt like he aged 10 years in an instant. A flame of despair burned fiercely above his head, and for a moment, he felt as if he were dead.

Richard released Irving and patted him on the shoulder.

Fountain gave Martin a wink and pulled Irving aside, saying, "Come on, Irving, you're a great lad, but we need to talk."

Irving offered no further resistance and silently followed Fungon away.

Martin cursed, "Fuck! Idiot! Does he really think he's a saint? Richard, well done! Thank goodness you stopped him, otherwise it would have been even more troublesome today."

The others laughed and joked, not taking Irving's situation seriously.

Richard smiled and said, "Won't there be any problems?"

"Don't worry, the paperwork is spotless, everyone who was supposed to get their money has received it." Martin winked and pulled ten 20-yuan bills from his pocket.

He handed Richard a dollar bill: "Dr. Dong! This is a reward! You did a great job today! I like clever kids like you."

If Richard hadn't dragged Irving away, they might have gotten into a fight, which would have caused even more trouble.

"Did you take it all?" Richard looked down at the roll of banknotes in his hand, then glanced at Irving not far away.

Fu Nong was saying something to him.

Irving stood in the shadows, head down, as if swallowed by the boundless darkness.

Martin and the others chuckled and discussed without restraint how much they could earn by selling corpses this month.

As Martin said, this is a line that has been running for more than a decade, and everyone on the line has taken their share.

Everyone will shut up; a young Irving can't cause any trouble.

Martin picked up his phone and called Alex again: "Come back! Continue trading!"

Alex's voice was tinged with fear: "Did you MF set me up?"

"If this was a setup, how did you manage to leave? Come back right now! If you don't, I'll contact your boss."

A dozen minutes later, Alex cautiously drove back, peeked around for a while, and when he saw Richard was also there, he carefully walked over: "Are you sure everything's alright?"

Richard nodded: "It's done."

So the transaction continued.

The three bodies were eventually sold for $7000.

Martin was very particular about his work; once he got the money, he handed it over to a thin woman.

Richard recognized her; she was an employee in OCME's finance department, responsible for bookkeeping, and she could guarantee that the money was clean.

Sure enough, everyone online got a share.

After a busy night, everyone dispersed with smiles.

Richard asked, "Alex, why are you still doing this? It's too dangerous. If you get caught, you'll definitely be deported, and you might even end up in jail."

Alex sighed. "I know, but I can't help it. My professor takes good care of me, but someone has to do the dirty work. I'm being taken care of, so I have to do the dirty work. You know, everything comes at a price."

Richard understood.

Come to think of it, a student at the University of Tokyo, being taken care of by a professor at the Lighthouse, can make money while also writing papers and getting a guaranteed graduation. How could they possibly let you leave with nothing?

Alex scratched his head: "With my skill level, I couldn't learn that. Those idiots in the lab are on smart drugs every day, they're literally taking handfuls at a time. Holy crap, they're risking their lives! I want to live a few more years. Let them get away with it, as long as I get my professor's job done, get my degree, and maybe even make some money on the side. Why not? Anyway, I'll go home after I get my degree!"

Richard nodded.

Alex was a poor student to begin with.

"Alright, just be careful."

Alex has been in the gray industry for so long, and although he's a bit reckless, he should be quite shrewd.

Alex chuckled as he closed the car door: "What are you doing here again?"

Richard said, half-jokingly, "Last time I saved Brian Anderson, he helped me get a letter of recommendation, which got me into Princeton. My advisor also arranged for me to intern at OCME to get some experience and learn some forensic knowledge."

"Princeton? Aren't you only in 11th grade?" Alex's eyes widened.

"Yes, I got into summer school."

"Summer school? Don't you need to listen to what you're saying? Christmas is coming up soon, and you're saying you've got a summer school? Are you kidding me?" Alex looked at him suspiciously. "Who's your advisor? Is he really a professor from Princeton? Are you trying to trick me into working illegally at OCME?"

"Christina Shepard".

"Christina..." Alex's expression froze halfway through his sentence: "Christina Shepard? The Nobel laureate?"

Richard nodded: "It's her."

"She brought you to summer school?"

"Yes, I'm in her cell lab now."

"I hate you idiot academic geniuses the most!" Alex grinned.

Richard laughed and said, "I was surprised too."

"What a surprise!" Alex exclaimed, his face contorted with resentment. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Don't forget your good fortune, bro!"

"I suspect you're insulting me..." Richard's lips twitched. "What good will this do you?"

Alex stared wide-eyed: "Don't your lab need to buy corpses? I can sell them to you!"

Richard was speechless: "Okay, I'll ask around for you. The lab director's name is Evelyn Shaw, here's her contact information. You can say I introduced you, it should be able to get you some business."

"I've hit the jackpot!" Alex happily accepted the number.

For a cell lab of this size, even a little bit of liquid or liquid coming out is enough for Alex to make a fortune.

Richard asked, "You're busy collecting corpses every day, how much do you actually earn in a month?"

"It's probably a few thousand dollars. Don't be fooled by the fact that this one order sold for 7000; I'm just a deliveryman earning a pittance."

"Alright, alright, stop complaining about being poor to me. I know you're broke."

"Brother, once you've made it big, don't forget your brother. I don't ask for anything fancy, just find me a lucrative and easy job at a public hospital."

"Didn't you want to go back to China?"

"With a brother as awesome as you, why would I ever want to go back to my country!"

"I don't have the ability to get you into the hospital."

"You don't have it, but your senior and junior brothers do. They don't need Dr. Shepard to help."

Richard chatted with Alex in Chinese for a few minutes, which made him feel much more relaxed.

"Let's go." Alex got into the car.

Richard patted the car door: "I've seen the video you posted online, and I still think you need to be careful."

"Don't worry, I only post these domestically, so it won't affect this area. I'm just earning some pocket money."

"Just how desperate for money are you?"

"I fucking have a girlfriend!"

"My girlfriend asked me how much dowry I want?"

"What kind of dowry does a white man want?"

Are you showing off to me?

"What a load of bragging. Don't even mention it. My white girlfriend has a ton of problems too, I want to break up with her."

Richard, too lazy to care about Alex's love life gossip, waved goodbye to Alex, then returned to his office and couldn't find Owen: "Funnon, where's Owen?"

"Irving's in a bad mood, so I sent him home to rest." Seeing Richard, Fu Nong comforted him, "Don't worry, similar situations have happened before, nothing bad will happen. I'll tell Martin to add $100 to your extra income from now on, don't worry about it."

Funong gave him a few special instructions; he wouldn't treat Richard as just an ordinary part-time worker.

Christina's academic successor was specifically designated by Director Marlowe to be his protégé.

The future is likely to be a big, thick leg!

This is a good opportunity to offer some benefits and build a closer relationship.

Richard naturally accepted it with a smile.

Since he made money selling American corpses anyway, he felt no moral remorse whatsoever.

"What exactly happened to Kyrie Irving?"

"Oh, what an innocent child," Fu Nong sighed.

Speaking of Irving, he wasn't angry at all, but rather somewhat sentimental: "Irving comes from a harmonious family; both his parents are devout Christians. After growing up, he joined the army and became a medic, serving in Afghanistan and Iraq."

"Later, because he couldn't stand the military killing civilians, he reported his colleagues and superiors. As a result, the military police found a pretext to punish him. His equipment was stolen and sold by his colleagues, and the military court ordered him to retire for 'losing important military equipment.' When he was discharged, his salary was deducted, and he even owed the military tens of thousands of dollars for equipment."

"You can owe the military money?" Richard wondered.

Fu Nong replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. Uniforms, firearms, night vision goggles, communication equipment, backpacks, water bottles, and even small tools all require a signed receipt and must be returned in full upon retirement. His night vision goggles were stolen, and he had to pay several thousand dollars in compensation, along with some other items. It seems he ended up owing the military over $2, which his parents helped him pay off."

Wow! Richard was truly impressed by the military's actions.

Fu Nong sighed, "After that, Irving changed jobs a few more times before finally arriving at OCME. His skills were decent, but in the beginning, he always offered opinions on autopsies, acting like he was speaking up for the dead. The forensic doctors generally didn't like him. Irving was too naive, thinking that examining corpses at OCME could fight evil... It's really..."

Richard understood.

This is a typical upright and decent young man, a devout believer, who even genuinely believes that the military, the beacon of justice, is righteous and that the law is just.

It's normal for such people to experience frequent setbacks in real life.

"Will he report Martin?" Richard asked.

Fu Nong said with a headache, "I'm friends with his father, Paul. I'll go to his house in a bit and talk to him again. This is not something Irving can touch; it will only destroy him."

Richard nodded.

Given Irving's personality, Fung wouldn't have taken care of him unless they were family friends.

Its daybreak.

Helen is not on duty today.

Richard drove home alone.

The sun rises as usual.

The skyscrapers of New York cast huge red and black shadows on the ground.

The vehicles weaved through the shadows, the light and darkness alternating, as if driving through a bizarre and cannibalistic forest.

Daniel had been busy all night and finally finished his night shift. He collapsed on the hospital bed in the break room, pondering how to please his new junior colleague, Richard.

He finally understood Richard's position: Christina Shepard's academic successor, treated like a son.

This is dying.

In any case, we must not offend him; we must flatter this junior brother!

Moreover, if Richard's business develops in the future, he will also benefit.

Daniel was well aware of his academic abilities; he simply wasn't cut out for it.

Building relationships is what he excels at.

Unfortunately, he didn't know Richard well enough. He'd have to find a way to talk to him more in the future to figure out what Richard needed.

Daniel scrolled through TikTok with a blank stare, and came across another AI-modified video from the "Starling Saintess" incident.

A flock of birds attacked a reporter to protect a little girl. The girl radiated a holy light, and with the background music playing, she really looked like a saint.

Since the last starling incident, there have been many such modified videos.

This video is well edited; it has received many likes and comments.

Daniel grinned foolishly as he typed in a comment, but suddenly froze halfway through. He quickly undoed it, dragged the video progress bar, and froze the frame on one screen.

Behind Debbie stood an Asian man, subtly protecting her.

The man's face seems to be Richard's.

Daniel immediately found the original video of the previous starling incident.

There were a lot of people at the scene, and there are videos from all sorts of angles.

Most of the video focuses on the reporter and Debbie who were attacked by the starlings, with the man in the background appearing only briefly in the background.

Daniel scrolled through dozens of videos before finally finding one shot from the side.

The photographer seemed a bit short, and the scene was chaotic, so he could barely capture the starlings attacking the reporter and instead pointed the camera at Debbie and started snapping away.

Video title: "Debbie looks so good".

The comments below look like they're all from a bunch of idiots.

The video quality is too poor, and it only has a few thousand views.

In this video, the face of the man in the background is captured very clearly, and it is indeed Richard!

Richard seems to be protecting Debbie.

"Are Richard and Debbie really that close?"

Daniel scrolled through the video comments and saw one with a picture: "What saint? She's just a bus cheerleader!"

This netizen posted a picture of Debbie drunk and laughing outside a bar, with Richard still holding her.

Although the church is still engaged in a protracted debate over whether Debbie can be canonized, some onlookers online have already bestowed the title of saint upon Debbie, as if it were a nickname.

This photo is much clearer. Daniel concludes, "Richard and Debbie are very close. Both times they appeared in front of the camera, Richard was hugging Debbie. Could they really be boyfriend and girlfriend?"

A yellow man and a white woman—this kind of combination is relatively rare in the United States. Daniel started searching for Debbie online.

After Debbie became famous, a lot of information about her was unearthed, and there is a lot of information on the Internet: her boyfriend seems to be Asian, her father is Sheriff Mike, whose death is known to the whole city, and her mother is named Catherine, who runs a private cosmetic surgery clinic.

My Asian boyfriend must be Richard!

It turns out that Richard's girlfriend was Debbie, the Starling Saint.

Debbie's mother, Catherine, opened a cosmetic surgery clinic.

Daniel's eyes lit up.

That's where I can get involved!

At noon, after making all the necessary preparations, he called Richard: "Hey! Richard!"

Richard had slept all morning and was in high spirits, reading a book. He answered the phone: "Daniel."

"There's a profitable business opportunity, would you like to take it?"

Richard was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"The Queens hospital is scrapping a batch of cosmetic surgery equipment. Aren't you staying at the home of that cosmetic surgery businesswoman named Catherine? Does she need the equipment? If you can introduce me to her, I can give you a $10,000 kickback."

Scrapped equipment? Richard's interest was piqued; he had indeed heard Catherine mention that buying equipment would take a long time.

"Can scrapped equipment still be used?"

"Of course!" Daniel's eyes lit up as he walked to a corner and explained in a low voice.

"Every year, Queens hospitals scrap $500 million to $1000 million worth of equipment. This is a mandatory requirement for public hospitals, and there are annual quotas for new equipment procurement. This has become an opportunity for hospital executives to make money."

"Hospitals decide which equipment to scrap. This leaves a lot of room for manipulation. Executives often falsely report new equipment that they've bought less than a year ago as five or six years old and then sell it off, while keeping the real old equipment for continued use."

"Each year, equipment worth 500 to 1000 million yuan is scrapped, and the entire hospital can salvage 1 to 200 million US dollars from top to bottom."

"We happen to have a batch of medical aesthetic equipment this year, with a total value of around 250 million yuan. A small portion has already been ordered by our existing clients, leaving 140 million yuan worth of equipment unsold. Catherine can choose whatever she likes."

"Let me give you a sneak peek. This batch of new equipment is worth at least 600 million yuan on the market. It's all brand new equipment that was purchased last year. However, in order to make it easier to sell, those big shots at the top haven't used this batch of equipment even once after it was accepted. The hospital has been using the old equipment all along."

"Buying new ones would take a long time, but buying this batch means you can get your hands on the goods and make money immediately. What do you think?"

It's just a public hospital; how could it possibly provide patients with the best equipment?

As long as it's good enough for treatment, that's fine.

Daniel revealed all the hospital's secrets.

He certainly wouldn't have said that if it were anyone else.

However, his eagerness to restore his relationship with Richard made him somewhat anxious.

In any case, Richard was Christina's chosen academic successor. Even if he didn't buy it, he wouldn't sell himself off, would he?

Good heavens, are public hospitals really this reckless? Richard hesitated for a moment: "Won't this cause problems?"

"Don't worry!" Daniel said confidently.

Seeing that Richard was still a little worried, he lowered his voice: "The total price of this batch of equipment, new, is around 600 million, and the selling price should be between 120 million and 140 million. I can help you get it down to the lowest price of 120 million. However, Catherine will have to give you an extra kickback."

"If we buy 25 worth of equipment, how much of a rebate will we get?" Richard asked.

He knew that Catherine did want to purchase a batch of equipment, but she didn't have much money at the moment, around 20 to 30.

Daniel did the math: "The equipment costs 25, and new stock costs about 125 million. As for kickbacks, the hospital director gets 12, the head of the equipment department gets 5, the head of the cosmetic surgery department gets 5, and I get 3 for referrals, but I can give you 15000!"

In other words, you can buy a nearly new product worth 125 million for 250,000, and get a rebate of 250,000, which is more than half the price, and you can get the goods immediately!

"I can introduce you to Catherine, and you two can talk it over."

OK!

Upper East Side.

Catherine's newly acquired store.

Richard, Catherine, and Daniel met up here.

After a brief introduction, Catherine looked at the equipment list that Daniel had brought.

"These are the pieces of equipment that will be scrapped this year. You can choose whichever you like," Daniel said to Catherine, his words perfectly clear.

.

Richard also looked at the list.

The equipment is categorized in detail according to its function.

Liposuction related equipment includes: tumescent fluid infusion system, negative pressure suction unit, liposuction cannula, VASER ultrasonic liposuction system, and radiofrequency-assisted liposuction machine.

'

Richard's eyes lit up.

Liposuction?

If I were to perform liposuction on the patient, wouldn't the source of fresh blood and flesh be solved?

He has already tried live fish and live birds.

Fish and birds can provide fresh flesh and blood, but in very small quantities.

After two hours of fussing over 20 five-pound fish, only a tiny piece of fresh flesh, no bigger than a sesame seed, could be extracted.

I wonder how much time and how many fish I'll need to kill to fill up the [Blood Box].

Then we'll have to try humans.

Richard asked, "Catherine, do you perform liposuction here?"

Liposuction? Since Richard brought it up, Catherine wouldn't refuse. Following Richard's line of thought, she analyzed, "It's a bit difficult. The operating room isn't a problem; the previous owner invested heavily in it, and the temperature control, ventilation, area, and disinfection all meet the standards. Even if we buy equipment from Daniel, we still lack doctors; experienced liposuction surgeons are hard to find."

'

Daniel immediately replied, "I got my plastic surgery residency license last year, so I can perform plastic surgeries independently. If you acquire this equipment, I can perform surgeries here."

Daniel just bought a big house and is under huge mortgage pressure. He also hasn't finished paying off his student loans, so he won't miss any opportunity to earn extra money.

This is a common occurrence. Plastic surgeons working in hospitals only receive a salary and a small subsidy, but working in their own private clinics can earn at least half as much again.

Anyone would choose that.

In fact, many plastic surgeons in public hospitals, in order to earn more money, will poach clients from public hospitals and secretly recommend their patients to private cosmetic clinics they cooperate with.

This kind of gray business is very common.

Of course, this is all predicated on the partner being reliable.

"Are you here to perform the surgery?"

"Yes." Daniel grinned. Making money isn't shameful.

"However, I need at least one nurse to handle both equipment and rounds; that's your responsibility."

Catherine nodded: "That's no problem. I have a nurse at my old clinic who's worked with me for many years, named Claire. She's licensed and reliable. With my help, that'll be enough."

Daniel not only solved the doctor problem, but also solved a portion of his clientele.

In fact, the customer base is more important!

In the initial stages, it is extremely difficult for any cosmetic surgery clinic to attract customers.

"Where's the anesthesiologist?"

"I have already signed a contract with a licensed anesthesiologist."

"Then there's no problem."

With Richard's help, Daniel and Catherine quickly reached an agreement: Catherine bought $28 million worth of "scrap equipment" for $130, most of which was liposuction equipment, and it would arrive within a week.

In addition, Catherine will donate $28 to a charitable foundation account under the guise of a charitable donation.

After that, the specifics of how the hospital split the bills were no longer her concern.

In addition, Daniel also needs to come to the Upper East Side No. 2 store regularly for liposuction.

If Daniel is the referrer, he gets 50%, and Catherine gets 50%.

If the customers are developed by Catherine herself, Daniel will only receive 30%.

Daniel was only responsible for performing the surgery; Catherine took care of the anesthesiologist, nurses, venue, equipment, and supplies.

Each surgery is settled cleanly and efficiently.

Both parties signed a formal cooperation agreement with clear terms, compliant procedures, and no tax risks.

For the next week, Richard continued his studies during the day and went to OCME to dissect corpses at night as usual.

Daniel acted swiftly, managing to move the $1.3 million worth of equipment from the hospital into the Katrina Clinic's Upper East Side location within five days and complete all the setup.

Catherine also got all the preparations done.

Soon, Daniel successfully lured his first customer to the clinic.

The customer is lying on the operating table.

The operating room lights came on, and the surgical area had been marked out.

"Everything is normal." Anesthesiologist Oliver, having rendered the patient unconscious, sat down next to him.

He had finished his work and now all he needed to do was keep an eye on the instruments.

Daniel began the surgery.

Nurses Claire and Catherine served as instrument and circulating nurses.

Richard stood by and watched, learning from him.

Daniel began the surgery.

The swelling fluid is slowly injected under the skin to lift it up, making the procedure easier.

Daniel used a blunt liposuction cannula to penetrate the fat layer through the incision, and under negative pressure, he pushed and pulled at a constant speed to remove the excess fat.

"During the surgery, we need to constantly compare the contours on both sides and make minor adjustments to ensure the lines are symmetrical."

While performing the surgery, Daniel explained to Richard, "This surgery is quite difficult and requires a lot of skill. There are three main issues. The first is the depth."

"If the skin's texture is uneven, it will cause very noticeable bumps or sagging, which is visible to the naked eye, very unsightly, and extremely slow to heal."

"Another important point is to ensure symmetry on both sides. For example, if more fat is removed from the left side and less from the right side, the difference in body shape will be visible to the naked eye."

"Furthermore, many people are not perfectly symmetrical, and the amount of fat varies, so adjustments need to be made according to the actual situation."

"Finally, there's the issue of negative pressure control. You can't use too much force, so as not to damage a large number of capillaries and cause more hematoma and bruising."

Richard watched quietly, studying diligently.

Time passed by, second by second.

An hour later, he received a notification: "Ding! You have closely observed a clumsy necromancer apprentice handling living flesh and blood. [Flesh and Bone] Knowledge:"

89% → 90%.

Richard was secretly pleased.

It seems that improving knowledge about live human surgery is still faster.

He can hardly make any progress now when dissecting corpses; he often has to work all night to get 1% progress, which is far from the rapid progress he made at the beginning.

About two hours later, Daniel completed his first surgery.

Claire tidied up the equipment.

After changing out of his disposable surgical gown and cleaning himself up, Daniel began explaining some of the technical details of the liposuction procedure to Richard.

Claire and Catherine's first collaboration with Daniel went awry, and Daniel ended up doing most of the work.

In order to save money, everything was done to the extreme.

There's no other way; if you want to make money, you have to do it this way.

Oliver also ignored the various problems that occurred during the surgery.

For example, Richard, a high school student, has no right to be in the operating room.

But Oliver said nothing. After being disciplined by the dean, he finally understood the true nature of society.

Anyway, for him, he gets paid for each case he does, so what benefit would it bring him to say these things?

Richard looked at the still unconscious patient: "How long will the recovery take?"

"It'll take 7 to 15 days, depending on how the procedure goes. The main problem is that the skin is full of capillaries, so liposuction inevitably causes bruising and swelling, resulting in a slow recovery, mainly due to the bruising. You'll also need to wear compression garments," Daniel said while writing the prescription. "One nurse isn't quite enough."

Catherine shrugged: "I'm still looking for a nurse, but it will take time."

"6

If you want to break into the high-end cosmetic surgery clinic market, you can't hire nurses like Sophia who look like sluts anymore.

High-end customers pay more money, so they naturally have higher demands for emotional value and sensory experience.

First, the nurses should be of average or above-average appearance, and should look kind. They cannot be ugly, as an ugly nurse at a cosmetic clinic will make customers doubt the clinic's competence.

But it can't be too beautiful, lest it arouse jealousy among customers.

Secondly, it's best to have both white and black people, arranged according to the client's preferences.

Finally, sufficient experience is required.

These three conditions combined make recruitment much more difficult.

Daniel took a short break, and then the second customer arrived. He had booked two appointments in total for the day.

This is a middle-aged Black woman named Mia.

Richard didn't know what she did, but her clothes were very extravagant, with all sorts of huge logos hanging on them.

As soon as Mia walked in, she said casually, "Hey, who's cooking for me today?"

Daniel smiled and said, "It's me."

"This place looks awful!" Mia looked around warily at this small clinic. "It's cheaper than a hospital in Queens, New York, right?"

Catherine chimed in, "Of course. Circumferential liposuction is $14,000. At least $20,000 at a hospital in Queens. We already agreed on that."

"Don't lie to me, I'm not someone to be trifled with!" Mia possessed the natural talent of a Black person, speaking as if she were rapping.

"No one can fool you!" Catherine smiled.

The pre-operative preparations were the same as before. After completing all the preparations, Oliver went up and gave him an injection.

"I'm telling you, I..." Mia, who had been babbling on and on, finally fell silent after fainting.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

She talks more than anyone else, and her noise gives everyone a headache.

Just as Daniel was about to operate it, Richard suddenly said, "Let me try."

Daniel was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Richard stepped forward and stood in Daniel's place: "I'll give it a try."

Daniel was stunned: "Stop messing around! This isn't OCME. If you cut a corpse a little too much or too little, the corpse won't jump up and cause you trouble. These are living people! None of these women are kind!"

Daniel's attitude was very firm; he resolutely disagreed. He felt like he was going crazy—this junior brother was too reckless! "This is no joke!"

Oliver, unconcerned, sat on the sidelines watching the spectacle.

Claire said nothing, her eyes glazed over.

Richard looked at the top of Daniel's head.

The three flames are caution, greed, and worry.

Driven by desire! A glint of gold flashed in Richard's eyes, and in an instant, his caution and worry were reduced to the minimum, while his greed was raised to the maximum.

Richard reiterated, "I'll give it a try. If anything goes wrong, Catherine will take responsibility. Also, I can give you an extra 10% of the profits from this surgery."

"Huh?" Daniel looked at Catherine, bewildered. She agreed without hesitation, "No problem."

"You're crazy too!" Daniel sensed that Catherine was also acting strangely, but his reason told him that he couldn't accept Richard's request.

This is insane! A high school student is going to perform liposuction on a patient!

But a strange voice inside me said, "It wouldn't hurt to try, after all, he's practiced on corpses for so long—damn it! Those are corpses, you can cut them up however you want. Oh, come on, I can get an extra ten percent, that's $1400!"

Daniel was extremely conflicted.

Richard raised his price again: "Twenty percent."

In an instant, Daniel's mental defenses crumbled.