America: The Cremator

One day later, at noon.

In the lobby of Harbourview Medical Centre, the smell of disinfectant mingled with the greasy odor of fast-food pizza, creating an unsettling combination.

Su Long leaned back in a cold plastic row of chairs, a bill printed from the nurses' station between his fingers.

It was a very long sheet of paper, densely listed with various charges, from "basic emergency room occupancy fee" to "disposable paper cups," each line clearly marked with a staggering figure.

The various strange charges piled up, eventually forming a total of $81,452.37 at the end of the list.

He looked away from the number, took out his phone, and dialed UnitedHealth Insurance Company's customer service hotline.

After a long wait with music playing and several transfers, a female voice finally came through the receiver.

"I'm sorry, sir, after our investigation, your injury does not fall under the category of a typical accident."

"The police report clearly states that the incident was caused by a mysterious entity, which is explicitly covered under the exclusion clause of the basic health insurance agreement."

Su Long moved the phone away from his ear to avoid being exposed to the other person's emotionless tone.

"So you mean, all the premiums I pay every month are just for fun by exploiting your exclusion clauses?"

"Sir, we regret this, but an agreement is an agreement. If needed, our company can recommend an upgraded package of 'Strange Accident Insurance' and 'Strange Medical Insurance,' with a 10% discount for first-time purchases."

Suron felt his blood pressure rising.

"FUCK YOU".

"FUCK United Health Insurance Company"

"Let me tell you, if you do business like this, be careful that in a few years your CEO will get his head blown off by a shotgun on the street."

The woman on the other end of the phone paused for two seconds before replying in the same icy tone.

"Sir, your threatening remarks have been recorded, and we reserve the right to pursue legal action. We wish you a pleasant life."

The call was cut off, and all that could be heard from the receiver was a busy tone.

Su Long put his phone back in his pocket and looked at the long bill again.

Simply waiting won't work.

He stood up, folded the paper in half, stuffed it into his pocket, and walked toward the sign that read "Finance and Billing Office".

In the United States, it is common for patients to negotiate prices with hospital finance departments, and most of the time they can get some kind of reduction.

This is not due to the hospital's compassion, but because the vast majority of medical bills are unbelievably inflated.

The CFO's office was behind a frosted glass door; the space inside was small and filled with filing cabinets.

A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was typing something on a computer screen.

Su Long handed over his bills and medical records, explaining his purpose directly.

"Sir, I believe there is something unreasonable about the amount on this bill. The prices of some medical supplies are far above the market average. I request that the fees be reviewed and reduced."

The CFO took the document, glanced at it, and then pushed it back.

"Sir, you only say it's unreasonable, but you don't specify which items are unreasonable, which makes things difficult for me."

He adjusted his glasses and tapped his finger on the table.

"Here's a suggestion... You can go to the experimental center on the top floor and find Professor Stella. She often helps patients in need to review their bills and find out any unreasonable charges."

Su Long took back the bill, nodded to the man who was quite adept at passing the buck, turned and left the office, taking the elevator to the top floor.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a quiet corridor covered with a gray carpet.

At the end of the corridor, a security guard in a black uniform and fully armed stood in front of a heavy metal door, with the grip of a Glock pistol protruding from the holster on his waist.

Su Long stepped forward and explained that he was there to find Professor Stella.

The security guard confirmed the information via his walkie-talkie, then turned to the side and pointed to an office deep in the corridor.

Sulong arrived at the door with the "Stella Green" nameplate and knocked twice.

"Please come in."

A young woman's voice came from inside the door.

He pushed open the door and found that the space inside was much larger than he had imagined, seemingly a combination of a standard office and a small medical area.

A faint aroma of coffee wafted through the air.

A young woman was standing at the coffee table by the window, adjusting the coffee machine.

She had long, straight, chestnut-brown hair and wore a pair of exquisite gold-rimmed glasses. Behind the lenses were clear, bright eyes that, combined with her high nose bridge, created a face full of intellectual beauty.

Even more striking than her delicate face is her figure.

Some sculptors hope to find a pure and holy archetype like Undine in the mortal world: eyes as bright as dewdrops; breasts as firm as mountains; abdomen as soft as clouds on a sunny day; and thighs that are full and plump—only women who maintain a proper diet and exercise can maintain such a perfect figure.

If they came here, they would find that Stella possessed this innate nobility: the contours of her face and the lines of her figure were as soft and smooth as the horizon where water meets the sky, compelling one to gaze upon her.

Surong reluctantly looked away and placed his bill and medical report on the large coffee table. "Um... Professor Stella, could you please take a look at the bill?"

Professor Stella looked away from the coffee machine, reached for the long bill, and slowly slid her slender fingers down the list of items.

"Intravenous catheter kit, $350...that's twice the price."

"The concussion observation and care fee is $800 per hour. They calculated it for you for 12 hours, but your medical records show that you were only unconscious for less than 7 hours."

"And this, 'Prepaid Trauma Counseling,' $2500. Did someone actually provide you with counseling?"

She quickly identified seven or eight obviously unreasonable charges, then put the bill aside and picked up Su Long's medical report.

Soon, her gaze lingered on several key blood test results for a long time, her brows furrowing slightly: "Interesting."

She raised her head, her sharp, watery eyes looking at Su Long.

"Your medical record shows that your kidney function indicators were at a dangerous level of stage 3 uremia a week ago, but the test results after your admission yesterday showed that your creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels have improved significantly, almost returning to the range of stage 2 kidney disease."

"Mr. Surong, have you been doing anything special lately? Like high-intensity physical exercise, or strictly following some special healthy lifestyle and diet plan?"

Su Long crossed his arms and thought carefully for a moment: "On the contrary, I haven't been exercising much lately, I've been sleeping very late, and my diet has been terrible."

Stella's curiosity deepened: "What caused your condition to suddenly improve?"

Su Long grew impatient with her probing gaze and blurted out, "Maybe it's because he was chased halfway down the street by a C-level anomaly the night before last, Professor, why don't you give it a try?"

The moment he finished speaking, Stella's eyes lit up.

Su Long felt that the woman's gaze wasn't directed at a patient, but rather at an SCI paper.

"It's a coincidence, Mr. Suron, my research field is precisely the impact of supernatural forces on human health."

"If your uremia condition has indeed improved significantly after being subjected to a strange chase, then the possibility that supernatural forces have influenced your health cannot be ruled out."

She leaned forward slightly, her tone carrying an undisguised academic enthusiasm.

"I cordially invite you to participate in my research program, we..."

"I refuse to enter any laboratory," Surong interrupted her directly.

Stella's enthusiasm froze for a moment, but she didn't give up. Instead, she pushed the $8 bill toward Suron.

"Mr. Suron, I understand your concerns... but you also need to understand your situation."

"If you are willing to cooperate with me, I can apply for the maximum amount of bill reduction for you, and I can even try to get you internal discounts for your subsequent dialysis costs."

Su Long's heart skipped a beat.

He stared at the piece of paper that would determine his fate for the next few months, or even years, and fell silent.

He needs money and a stable environment to heal his body and continue exploring how to survive in this messed-up world.

A moment later, he raised his head again, his gaze passing through his glasses and looking directly into Stella's eyes.

"I will never set foot in your laboratory, much less become a guinea pig lying on the operating table."

"Therefore, the maximum cooperation I can accept is selling my blood."

Stella's eyes lit up again, and she agreed almost without hesitation.

"make a deal."

"Based on the highest price for special blood samples on the black market, I'll pay you $5000 for 300cc of venous blood."

Su Long shook his head: "Sorry, I don't want to be charged based on health points."

Stella raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"Then press what?"

"By time," Suron held up one finger, "starting the timer from when the needle pierces my vein, one minute, $1000."

"You can keep smoking until you reach 300cc."

Stella's confusion deepened, and she even couldn't help but laugh, as if she felt that Surong had proposed a pricing method that was extremely disadvantageous to her.

"Mr. Su, are you sure? A standard venous blood draw usually involves about 80cc of blood per minute."

"It only takes about 4 minutes to drain 300cc of blood, so it seems like you're losing out quite a bit~"

Su Long's face remained unwavering: "I'm sure."