I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 97 The Amazing Flesh and Blood Puppet (10K long chapter, please vote and subscribe)

"I know her." Marvel looked Talia up and down, from her shoulders to her waist, and from her waist to her back.

Every time his gaze lingered on her skin, Talia's palms sweated, fearing he would say, "What's wrong with your skin?"

Fortunately, Marvel didn't say anything.

Because in his eyes, the skin was very smooth, with nothing on it, and there were only a few red marks, probably from the evening dress, but that didn't matter.

"Turn around," Marvel commanded bluntly.

The seemingly untouchable Talia turned away obediently like a little girl.

Her dress had a very low back, almost reaching her hips, revealing her waist dimples.

Her skin was smooth and firm under the lights, and her perfect figure in her twenties was on full display for the men.

The short, stocky man next to her had eyes like a snake—cold and slippery. He looked at Talia as if she were his prey, which sent chills down Talia's spine.

But she didn't have the right to say no.

"Talia, I was actually quite unhappy when Mr. Williamson sent you to see me," Marvel said calmly. "You came before, but you were too fat and didn't meet the female lead's requirements. Now you look like you've lost at least 10 pounds, especially around your waist, so you should be able to fit into the dress West specially made for the female lead."

Talia's heart began to race. She had heard a glimmer of good news and was so incredulous that she stood frozen in place.

Vincent gave her a gentle nudge, and she snapped out of it, quickly stepping forward to say, "Mr. Stanton, I started losing weight after learning about this role. Although Trish is the best choice, yes, I know, but even if there's only a 1% chance, I'll still try."

Marvel-Stanton waved his hand impatiently. He'd heard that kind of platitude too many times. He didn't care what method Talia used to lose weight quickly, as long as she met the requirements for the role: "Fine, I like hardworking girls."

Talia clearly noticed that when she said "Tracy," the short, stocky man next to her, who was less than 1.7 meters tall, showed a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

Who is this person?

She didn't know, and she didn't dare to ask.

Marvel stood up and looked him up and down carefully again: "Very good, I like hardworking people. But we might need to take another look at what kind of clothes would be appropriate."

Talia replied without hesitation, "It's alright, I can wear it for you right now. Vincent has already brought all the props and costumes."

Vincent smiled ingratiatingly: "The clothes are all in the car, I'll go get them right away."

This surprised Marvel: "You guys are really thoughtful."

Hollywood talent agencies often use a package deal, selling all on-screen and behind-the-scenes personnel to the production team together, including actors, directors, cinematographers, and screenwriters.

The production crew can assemble a team very quickly.

Brokerage firms can advocate for greater benefits for practitioners.

The same applies to the "Shadow Tides" production team, with Williamson's UTB agency handling most of the staff.

Under these circumstances, Williamson could not escape the crew's watchful eye on anything they did.

Therefore, even though the production team issued a gag order immediately, Williamson still obtained crucial information and passed it on to Vincent.

UTB even got a copy of all the props and costumes from the stylist and made a new set in the shortest time possible, tailored to Talia's body shape.

Marvell, however, had a smile in his eyes.

Everyone likes a proactive and beautiful woman.

He extended his wrist, and Talia excitedly took his arm.

Marvel made no promises.

She understood that whether she could succeed depended on her performance tonight.

She clung tightly to Marvel's arm, her 20-something breasts rubbing against his 50-something arm.

Even though she felt like vomiting, there wasn't a trace of dissatisfaction on her face. Instead, she showed an envious and admiring look, just like a young girl in love.

For a professional actor, this is not difficult.

Everything has a price.

Marvel extended an invitation to David Hart: "Want to come watch her change? She's a beautiful woman with a great figure. She wasn't chosen before because she was a little chubby, but she looks much better now."

95

David Hart also stood up with a laugh.

Talia was still wearing high heels, and David Hart only reached Talia's shoulder when he stood up.

Marvel gave a hint and patted her arm.

Talia immediately understood that this was the most important person, and she quickly sidled up to him.

Marvel explained, "Mr. David Hart, chairman of NYN News Corporation and a major shareholder of ours, invested a large sum of money in 'Shadow Tides.' He's your and my boss, and he's the most powerful person in this production team."

Talia immediately looked at him with admiration: "I admire Mr. Hart the most—a businessman who commands respect. The New York Post is fair and impartial; it's a beacon of light in the media!"

She had no idea what NYN News Corporation did, but she had vaguely heard that the New York Post was a newspaper under the NYN Corporation.

This is a media mogul!

"Hahaha!" David Hart laughed heartily.

Vincent smiled ingratiatingly, "I'll go get the props and costumes from the car and deliver them right away!"

Talia spent a difficult night screaming and in pain.

Her efforts and hard work were worthwhile.

Early in the morning, a contract was placed in front of her.

"Sign it. You're the leading lady now."

Talia's exhaustion and pain vanished instantly. She lunged at Marvel, wanting to kiss him: "OMG! Mr. Stanton, I want to thank you, you're my savior!"

Marvel's face was icy cold. He grabbed Talia's head hard, pulling her hair back, and said emotionlessly, "Listen! I didn't want to choose you, but Trish is an idiot, so from now on, you're the leading lady."

"Remember, no dating, no scandals, and especially no saying anything you shouldn't, you know what I mean. I don't want you to make the same stupid mistakes that Trish made."

"Talia, I hope you don't mess this up. $1.8 million investment—this is Columbia Pictures' most important project this year. If you mess it up, I'll send you to hell before I'm in trouble! Understand?"

Talia's heart raced, feeling no anger or shame, only immense excitement: "No problem! Don't worry, Mr. Marvel, I'm very obedient. I'll do whatever you say."

From a third-tier actress to the leading lady in a top-tier production, this is a huge leap.

Sign it, get it done, and once it's released, you'll become a top-tier leading lady, and a bright future awaits you!

Even though Marvel withheld her salary, giving her a paltry 200 million, it was completely unbecoming of the leading lady's status.

(Tracey's salary was a whopping 1200 million, while Talia's was only a fraction of that.)

However, Talia believes that if "Shadow Tides" is a big hit, her salary for her next movie will increase significantly!

Moreover, $200 million is a lot for Talia; in her nearly 10-year acting career, she hasn't even earned $50.

"I hope so."

UTB Brokers are very fast.

Marvel was also very cooperative, as he was very worried that the Columbia Pictures executives would pull some tricks again and replace the lead actress with someone even more amazing than Tracy.

With both parties interested, they quickly finalized Talia's contract before noon.

The moment Talia signed the contract, various press releases were issued.

"Talia lost 10 pounds in a month for the role! Inspirational goddess talks about the sweat and perseverance behind the casting of 'Shadow Tides'"

""

"Relying solely on hard work, not connections: Talia reveals she works out for 4 hours every day, earning praise from the director..."

'

From obscurity to the leading lady's throne: Talia's road to victory...

'

Daphne elegantly served afternoon tea, but her eyes were filled with anger.

She was still wearing her shapewear, while that bitch Talia was already in the producer's bed in a backless evening gown!

How could she possibly tolerate this?

She carefully lifted the corner of the shapewear to take a look, and saw that her skin was red and swollen.

Fk!

Daphne sent Spencer a message with a gloomy expression: "Go online and check, Talia only had liposuction three days ago."

Spencer opened his phone, saw the news about Talia, and his expression changed rapidly.

Damn!

How exactly did Daniel do it?

He simply couldn't understand it.

3 days!

How could it possibly recover in just 3 days!

But reality is right before our eyes.

Talia had also visited his clinic, but the girl was too poor, so Spencer gave up on her.

He finally understood: Daniel had been hiding his true abilities at the hospital!

Daniel's surgical technique was indeed not standard, but his talent was exceptional.

This is also very common; some people have a tremendous talent for a particular skill.

But why? He's only trained for 5 years, while I've trained for 18!

When faced with Daphne's question, Spencer was speechless.

3 pm.

Katrina Clinic, Upper East Side.

Catherine reviewed the drawings provided by the designer and found that the store's style was still not up to par, which generally dissatisfied high-end customers.

She needs to figure out how to improve the clinic's renovation in the fastest and cheapest way possible.

Richard sat quietly to the side, studying professional English.

Each course has its own specialized English language.

Systemic Anatomy English, Physiology English, Biochemistry English, Pathology English, Pharmacology English, Forensic Medicine English

Medical literature in English...

English as a language is simply utterly hopeless!

Even though Richard's brain has reached the pinnacle of human capabilities, he still has to memorize words one by one.

Debbie had no classes today and was strolling around the new store; it was her first time there.

This clinic is much better than the old one; Catherine must have made a fortune!

Debbie felt she could ask for more pocket money.

At that moment, a refined-looking man walked in.

The receptionist politely asked, "Sir, do you have an appointment?"

"I'm looking for your boss."

The receptionist looked at Catherine.

Catherine approached and politely asked, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

The man said, "I need to talk to you. We'd better find a quiet room."

Catherine frowned.

Richard also raised his head. He saw that there was no hostility above the person's head, only anxiety, tension, and worry. He then lowered his head again to study the words.

Catherine asked, "Why?"

"Talia."

Catherine glanced at Richard; her master was right, he had indeed arrived.

"Okay, this way please."

She led Vincent to a private drawing room and closed the door.

The receptionist can't hear.

But Richard could hear it.

"I'm Vincent, Talia's agent." He produced a document and said coldly, "Talia has lost ten pounds in a month through tireless effort. She's never been here before. This is a confidentiality agreement; you must keep quiet about the surgery, or you will be responsible for any losses incurred. Sign it."

Catherine glanced at it and calmly said, "This is not the attitude for negotiation."

When Vincent realized that pressure was ineffective, he immediately changed his tune and tempted, "$2, as a fee for signing a confidentiality agreement."

He only found out at noon today that Talia, that idiot, hadn't signed a confidentiality agreement with the cosmetic clinic. He felt like the sky was falling!

Cosmetic surgery is a big no-no for celebrities, especially liposuction.

All the news reports say that Talia lost weight through her own tireless efforts, so he had to clean up the mess.

If Williamson finds out that his work has such a big blunder, he won't be able to keep Talia's position as her agent!

Seeing Talia poised for meteoric success, he couldn't afford to lose this client; he had no idea how many competitors were eyeing Talia.

The power dynamic between actors and agents is not fixed.

Minor actors naturally have to curry favor with their agents, but major stars are the ones agents have to curry favor with.

So he had no choice but to run over and wipe Talia's butt.

Catherine remained unfazed.

If it were at the old clinic, she would have considered this a good income.

However, after 12 surgeries this month, she received more than $6. Although she still had to pay taxes, it was still a considerable income, which made her unfazed by the prospect of $2.

"2? You're kidding," Catherine said sarcastically. "Talia's a big star. If I sell her to a reporter, I'll definitely get a lot of money."

Vincent was furious: "If you spread this around, no celebrity will ever come to you for liposuction again. A cosmetic clinic that can't keep its clients' secrets won't gain the trust of celebrity clients!"

Catherine crossed her legs and said without changing her expression, "I don't need celebrities. I only do business with wealthy women, and that's enough for me."

"Fine, what exactly do you need?" Vincent was furious.

He was too passive. Even if Talia had told him before signing with Shadow Tide, he wouldn't have been so passive.

It's too late now.

Talia is that idiot!

Of course, he would never admit that he hadn't realized last night that Talia had undergone liposuction.

He had no choice but to let Catherine set the price.

"I need celebrity clients," Catherine chuckled.

Vincent was furious: "Damn it, didn't you say you didn't need celebrities?"

"If you can, why not do it?" Catherine said without changing her expression.

"I can recommend three more actor clients to you, the newest ones, of course. This place is too shabby. Big stars don't trust this place. If you want to do business with celebrities, this place at least needs to be renovated and improved."

Catherine remained unfazed: "Words are no proof; I need it written in the contract."

She completely ignored the other party's suppression and used various means to undermine the confidence of her negotiating opponent in order to gain an advantage—a very basic tactic.

"And I need to set a time limit; you must introduce me to three people within one month."

"One month is impossible, six months is not. Celebrities can't have their time limited, and not every celebrity needs liposuction. I've looked at your equipment, and only the liposuction function is passable. Don't bring out the rest of that junk; it will only embarrass you. Sell it quickly."

"No problem," Catherine said without changing her expression. "We'll be adding autologous fat grafting equipment soon, and the renovations will be completed within three months."

"In that case, I can promise you three months. Besides, your store is too small; big stars won't come. It'll only be TV drama stars or something else."

Catherine calmly replied, "At least the TV series must have already aired; those who haven't debuted yet don't count."

The two argued fiercely over the definition of "minor star," and finally agreed that one must have appeared in at least one released TV series, or be an actor who has appeared in three music videos, or a model who has won some awards.

The hush money was $5.

The two parties finally reached an agreement and signed a confidentiality agreement.

Then, Catherine took out a photo of herself helping Talia remove her shapewear.

In the photo, Talia is lying on the control panel, her head turned, clearly showing her face, and she is wearing a shapewear garment.

Catherine asked, "How much are you planning to spend to buy the exclusive rights to this photograph?"

Vincent glanced at it, then clutched his head in anguish: "OMG! That bitch is such an idiot!"

He began to feel that being Talia's agent might turn into a disaster.

Debbie nestled curiously on Richard's shoulder: "What is Mommy talking to that person about?"

Richard felt the softness behind him and chuckled, "He's giving Catherine money. Look, that check."

Debbie wasn't particularly interested in making money; she felt a little dizzy.

Her long-term dieting caused her to experience some symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Richard touched her hand; it was a little cold. "You don't eat enough."

Debbie's face was full of determination: "I'm going to be selected as a Super Bowl cheerleader! I'm going to be the Super Bowl cheerleader captain! How about it? Aren't you happy to be my girlfriend?"

Richard glanced at her: "Don't be so presumptuous. I never agreed to that."

"I know what you men are like. You won't admit it even after you've slept with me, ha, men!" Despite saying that, she remained close to Richard without moving, only pinching his chest with her finger: "Wow! I didn't realize you had such firm muscles. Let me see."

She playfully teased and joked with Richard.

The newly hired receptionist noticed this.

The boss tacitly approves of his daughter being with this Asian boy; it seems either the two families are old friends or she is very satisfied with the boyfriend.

She naturally had to maintain respect for Richard.

Seven days have passed.

Daphne took off her clothes in front of the full-length mirror, peeling off her shapewear little by little.

After Talia landed the lead role in "Shadow Tides," she was so busy that she never had time to come to this little girls' salon again.

It is said that Talia has flown to Hollywood to begin pursuing her glamorous life.

Daphne looked at herself in the mirror.

The bruising has subsided, but the skin tissue remains uneven, the wound has scabbed over, and there are dark red healing marks around it.

"Damn it!" Daphne angrily smashed the dressing chair against the mirror.

Whoosh!

The mirror shattered on the floor.

On my phone, news about Talia is everywhere: an inspirational goddess, natural beauty, and health.

But Daphne knew that the bitch had actually had liposuction.

However, no matter how closely Daphne examined the photos, she couldn't see any swelling, unevenness, or scars. There was nothing there, as if she had never had surgery.

It's been 7 days for me, and I'm still swollen with an unsightly scar!

In any case, it's impossible to recover after 3 days.

Daphne took out the bikini she had prepared for a long time, put it on, and her body covered in unhealed scars made her look like an ugly monster!

Daphne angrily threw the bikini into the trash can.

She picked up the phone and called Spencer: "You told me it would be a week! It's day 7 now, and I still have scars, the swelling hasn't gone down, and I'm still all bumpy. Talia slept with the producer after only 3 days! I can't even wear a bikini after 7 days, and that bitch who started a day later is already slutting on the red carpet!"

Spencer explained with difficulty: "Everyone's constitution is different—"

This situation is indeed quite normal, but comparisons are always a risk.

Daphne's voice turned cold: "Did she do it with Daniel?"

Spencer remained silent for a long time before saying, "I don't know much about her; she's not my customer."

"Spencer—" Daphne's voice calmed down: "I spent $45,000 and waited in line for three months because I believed in you. You said you were the best, and now it seems..."

...You are not.

*Click*, the phone hung up.

Daphne sent Nakia a private message: "Send me the address of the clinic where Daniel had his surgery."

"OK!" Nakia quickly sent the address, smiling brightly.

Spencer stared silently at the phone that had been hung up, remaining motionless for a long time.

The assistant brought in two messages: "Dr. Herman, we just received two cancellation requests."

So fast?

Spencer looked at the reasons for canceling the appointments, and they were all very simple: changes in schedule.

He knew that Daphne had already spread the bad news within her inner circle.

There's a place that does liposuction, and you can recover in just three or four days after the procedure, plus it's cheaper.

However, it takes 10 days for me. Any normal person would know what to choose.

Faster recovery not only means smaller wounds, but also the ability to attend various events more quickly.

For older women in particular, a faster recovery time is very important, and it is less likely to leave scars.

This is very attractive to women.

Spencer sat in the room for a long time, remaining silent.

He knew this was just the beginning: "Daniel!"

Daniel is working the night shift at the hospital.

A pretty new nurse leaned against the table next to him, her curves accentuated. "Hey, Daniel, your surgery was perfect! That last client recovered completely in just three or four days? Wow! Our textbooks always said the fastest recovery time for liposuction is five days. How did you manage that?"

Daniel poached several customers from Queens hospitals, and these customers are now gradually recovering.

Their incredibly fast recovery in just three or four days shocked them, and the news inevitably reached the Queens Hospital.

Daniel was extremely embarrassed.

How would I know how they did it!

"Perhaps this customer has a better constitution?"

"Haha, Daniel, you're joking. Does that mean all your customers are in good health?"

"hehe."

Just then, a plastic surgeon walked by and said, "Daniel, you might be promoted to attending physician in two or three years. Well done!"

He can fool nurses, but he can't fool his colleagues.

Everyone assumed this was Daniel's proprietary technique and was unwilling to share it.

Daniel could only experience both pain and pleasure.

"Contact me again." The pretty nurse winked her big eyes, made a phone call gesture with her hand to her ear, and left with a smile.

After a period of liposuction, Richard finally collected 4 units of fresh flesh and blood and began his first flesh and blood puppet experiment.

He made some modifications to one of the secondary bedrooms, moving in the fish tanks and other equipment that had been used for testing.

Turn on the small shadowless lamp, and its snow-white light shines on the cold stainless steel tabletop.

A dead octopus lies in a petri dish.

Richard gently touched the octopus with his finger, and the [Box of Blood and Bones] opened. Fresh flesh and blood gushed out from his fingertip like liquid, enveloping the octopus's body and forming a bright red blood membrane.

After one unit was released, the octopus suddenly twisted strangely, and the [Blood Box] automatically closed.

The blood membrane, like a living liquid, wriggles on the octopus's surface, slowly enveloping the entire octopus before gently seeping into its body.

The octopus's tentacles began to twitch rapidly, stretching and curling in an unnatural manner.

Then it started to move, not in the octopus's original way of moving, but in a more mechanical and stiff way, as if it were being pulled by invisible threads.

Richard observed carefully.

It tried to swim, but its movements were strange, its tentacles intertwining and then unwinding, as if it were learning how to control this unfamiliar body.

About ten seconds later, the octopus returned to normal, lying motionless in the petri dish, staring at Richard.

From the outside, the puppet octopus is no different from a regular octopus.

Richard could feel a mysterious connection between it and himself, and he could vaguely control it.

Richard reached out and touched the octopus, wanting to see if the texture was different from that of a regular octopus.

Suddenly, his vision shifted abruptly, and a huge face appeared before him: it was Richard himself!

Richard across from them reached out his hand...

What happened?!

The drastic change in his field of vision caused Richard to lose his balance and nearly fall to the ground, and his vision also receded.

Just now...

Did I switch to the octopus's perspective?

wrong!

I have acquired the octopus's memories!

It's not a problem that death sensing can obtain an animal's memories, but the problem is that the octopus was already dead before it was put into the aquarium!

In other words, flesh and blood puppets are considered alive and can still generate memories.

In addition, since the Death Sense can only read the memories of a corpse, the flesh puppet is also considered dead.

A flesh and blood puppet, both dead and alive.

Goodness, Schrödinger's octopus, huh?

Furthermore, octopus vision is vastly different from human vision.

For example, octopuses only have one type of photosensitive protein, so theoretically they can only see black and white images.

For example, an octopus has a 270-degree field of vision.

Furthermore, they can see polarized light that humans cannot see, and their skin is also photosensitive, meaning that octopus skin also possesses a certain degree of vision.

However, when Richard examined the octopus's memories, he felt that its field of vision was no different from that of a human.

In other words, the vision he remembered was not human vision as he understood it, but rather a supernatural perceptual ability.

"interesting."

Richard deliberately waved in front of the octopus, then tried to touch it again.

Sure enough, I saw myself waving in the new memory.

Then he realized a huge difference.

Death Sense can read all the memories of a flesh puppet!

Unlike human corpses, which can only have a few segments read randomly.

Richard's eyes lit up.

In this way, the flesh and blood puppets become much more useful!

This is an excellent investigative method.

If you release a puppet bird, when it returns, won't it be able to see the scene on the ground?

Richard, holding the petri dish, poured the octopus into the fish tank and commanded, "Kill that green fish!"

The aquarium contains a group of angelfish, which are also used for testing.

The octopus lunged at a small green fish in the tank, twisting the fish into a pretzel shape with its tentacles.

The octopus loosened its tentacles, and the small fish sank to the bottom of the tank.

The other small fish were so frightened that they scattered and dared not approach.

"Interesting!" Richard exclaimed in amazement.

An octopus can actually understand human language and execute commands!

This clearly exceeds the intelligence level of an ordinary octopus.

Richard conducted a thorough test on the puppet octopus.

It was ultimately determined that this puppet octopus possessed all the abilities of an octopus, including abilities that humans do not have, such as the ability to change color.

This ability could never originate from human flesh and blood.

Therefore, the abilities of a flesh puppet are the same as they were before it died, and have nothing to do with its "fresh flesh and blood".

Fresh flesh and blood only provide a brief period of life.

Additionally, servant enhancement is ineffective against flesh golems.

Flesh puppets have very short lifespans and no complete self-will.

The intelligence of flesh and blood puppets should be relatively poor, far inferior to that of servants who have been resurrected from the dead, who are just normal people.

This puppet octopus won't move unless commanded, which is rather foolish.

The only advantage is that as long as there is enough flesh and magic, flesh golems can be continuously produced, and there is no limit to the number.

If he could increase the limit of the Blood and Bones Chest, he could even create a large army of flesh and blood puppets in a short period of time!

Flesh golems can play a significant role at times, but they require a large amount of fresh flesh and blood.

Fortunately, as the market among socialites and wealthy women opened up, and with the three slots provided by Talia's agent, the clinic's liposuction business gradually got on track, and Richard also had a steady stream of fresh blood and flesh.

"Could we disband early?" Richard wondered.

The puppet octopus spewed out a large amount of eerie red liquid, staining the fish tank bright red and revealing the octopus's original corpse.

A moment later, the red color vanished into thin air, and the color of the fish tank returned to normal, leaving only the octopus's corpse at the bottom of the tank.

He casually scooped the octopus's corpse out of the bathtub, intending to send it to Christina's lab to see how it differed from ordinary octopuses.

noon.

Richard drove to a pet store and bought the cheapest budgie for $14.99.

Budgerigars are very common birds sold in American pet stores. They are brightly colored, easy to keep, and reproduce quickly, making them a popular pet for many families.

Richard got into the car with the birdcage, immediately strangled the parrot, and put it in his pocket.

Hart Island, located in Long Island Sound in Brooklyn, is a wasteland with its closest point to the mainland only 2.9 kilometers away.

Richard drove to the seaside.

The wind was biting cold, the weather was chilly, and there wasn't a soul on the beach.

The midday sun was bright, and the outline of Hart Island could be vaguely seen in the distance.

2.9 kilometers sounds short, and it seems like you can easily get to the island, but in reality, it's impossible.

Both the water police and the coast guard have radar, and anyone attempting to approach will be detected and stopped.

Richard gently tapped the bird's head.

Fresh flesh and blood gushed out, consuming a full 2.5 units before stopping.

A bright red blood membrane enveloped the budgie and quickly merged into its body.

A few seconds later, the budgie flapped its wings and stood up.

"Go to that island, take a look around from the air, and then come back."

"OK! OK!" The budgie, which could already mimic human voices, actually spoke, though its speech was very unclear.

It flapped its wings and flew away; the round trip, including reconnaissance, would take about 30 minutes.

Richard sat quietly in the car and waited.

Soon, he made another discovery: he could vaguely sense the approximate location of the budgies.

It's hard to explain, it's just a mysterious feeling.

The budgie was very small and had long since disappeared from sight, but Richard could still sense that the bird was in a certain direction, and could even roughly tell how far away it was.

"It seems that flesh puppets cannot be simply understood as temporary servants; there's still much to explore about this magic!"

This phenomenon is unique to flesh puppets; Richard did not have this sensation with servants like Brian and Catherine.

Thirty-five minutes later, the budgie returned to Richard.

Richard touched the bird's head, and long stretches of memories played out; he finally saw what Hart Island looked like.

From the air, Hart Island looks like a gray whale floating on the East River in New York.

The island is mostly flat, with a small grove of trees in the center and wasteland elsewhere. There are a few scattered low, gray-white buildings in the southeast corner, with a few excavators and bulldozers parked nearby.

On the wasteland, square sections were enclosed by white fences; these were burial grounds.

From the air, you can see bare yellow soil interspersed with grass; some areas have just been turned over, and the soil is still dark brown.

Next to the building is a small dock with a rusty barge moored there.

The entire island was shrouded in a hazy mist, making even the sunlight appear dim.

There are no lights on the entire island, so there shouldn't be anyone stationed there.

It's normal that there's no one on the island. This dead island has no value, and nobody wants to stay in such an unlucky place. They only go there to bury corpses.

Throughout the budgie's flight, Richard also spotted a Coast Guard vessel patrolling the water in the distance.

With radar also involved, it was impossible to force our way into Hart Island by ship.

Unless you can swim across in one go.

However... there's no need to take that risk for now.

They could easily find a more formal way to get to the island, such as for scientific research.

Perhaps Christina can get the research permit, or secure that supervisory position at OCME.

Richard hasn't decided yet.

If he goes to the island with too many people, it will be inconvenient for him to do anything.

Richard looked at the dull-looking budgie.

This bird has barely retained some of its habits from when it was alive, such as pecking at its own feathers.

He decided to let Christina take a look.

A dead octopus and a live parrot serve as a perfect contrast.

Richard placed the bird on the seat: "Don't chirp, don't move."

The bird immediately shut its beak and remained motionless.

A pet bird certainly couldn't do that, but a puppet bird could.

Richard drove to the cell laboratory.

As Christmas approaches, Princeton is filled with groups of students.

There are all sorts of parties and fraternity events.

Many people from the cell lab went to the party, so there were far fewer people, and the place was deserted.

As Christina's academic successor, Richard also received several invitations, but he was not interested and did not attend any of them.

Richard went up to the top floor.

There was also one person who didn't go to the party.

It's Cole Barnes.

The guy sat alone at his workstation, looking rather pitiful, but seemed relieved the moment he saw Richard.

Thankfully, he wasn't the only one who wasn't invited.

Hmph, people with yellow skin can't integrate into America!

Richard ignored the guy and went straight to Christina.

Christina was indeed still working; Nobel laureates are usually the kings of paper.

Christina asked in surprise, "My lord, why have you come so suddenly?"

"I need you to conduct an experiment."

Christina immediately put down her work: "Should we keep this a secret?"

"Absolutely confidential!"

"Great!" Christina's eyes lit up as she led Richard down the elevator to the fourth basement level.

The elevator doors opened, and there was a heavily guarded door right in front of you. If you couldn't open the door, you couldn't even get out of the elevator.

Christina scanned her iris and face, and the door opened, allowing her to exit the elevator and enter.

"The entire floor is a laboratory. Only I can enter here; anyone else must be authorized by me. The network is physically isolated from other places, so no information or data will be leaked. I will be conducting some shady research here, but the BSL level is not high, so it's best not to conduct virus research."

There are many such laboratories in the United States, and many of their experiments are inhumane, especially in the biological field. Human experimentation is commonplace, and if exposed, it could cause a huge uproar, so the level of secrecy is extremely high.

Richard then took a budgie out of his pocket.

Christina asked curiously, "What's so special about it?"

"It is dead."

97

"Dead?" Christina stared blankly at the budgerigar.

"It's perfectly fine."

"I brought it back to life," Richard said hesitantly.

He couldn't figure out the budgie's current condition either.

Christina immediately became interested: "Is resurrecting it the same divine power as resurrecting me?"

Richard shook his head: "It's different. You can understand this kind of resurrection as temporary. I also want to know what the difference is between this kind of resurrection and your resurrection? Because I have evidence that proves this bird appears to be dead."

"Dead and alive at the same time! That's amazing!" Christina exclaimed excitedly. "Can I do some experiments? I mean experiments that might kill it."

"Okay," Richard said to the budgie. "Don't move."

The budgie stood frozen in place, like a model.

Christina was secretly amazed. Even birds could understand their master's commands. He really was a god!

"You can take the sample now." Richard pondered for a moment. "Also, I need to consume flesh and blood to revive it, flesh and blood extracted from living people."

"And this octopus, too." He then took out the dead octopus.

Christina paused, then looked at Richard: "Are you sure human cells can be used on birds?"

Richard pondered, "That's why I had you investigate this. I want to see if the cells inside it are human or bird cells. If they're human, why can they survive in a bird? If they're bird cells, that's even more interesting—why would human cells transform into bird cells?"

>