Three days later, in a rather shabby room at a scrap yard, a gaunt old man carrying a child on his back slowly stepped out.
Though the old man's body trembled uncontrollably, his expression was one of relief.
Watching the old man's retreating figure, Jake turned to Monet beside him and asked.
"How much of the drug did you administer? Are you sure it's safe?"
"Relax, it was just a tiny dose. At most, he'll feel dizzy for a while, but he'll be fine afterward."
Jake nodded, then sighed and added.
"Running low on sleeping pills, huh? Looks like we'll have to ask Binz to bring more. I didn't expect people here to agree without hesitation, even at the cost of a kidney."
Monet also sighed softly and said.
"After all, apart from us, they have no other options. But Jake, don't push yourself too hard. These days, the number of times you've used Healing Prayer daily is nearing your limit. If this continues, your own body won't hold up."
Jake shook his head and smiled.
"It's fine. The physical toll can be restored with a single Healing Prayer for myself. The mental strain is still manageable. The method of mixing sleeping pills into water to knock out both the patient and their family before treating them is exhausting, though. Let's hope those black-market scumbags come looking for us today."
Monet looked puzzled and asked Jake.
"Why do we have to wait for them to make the first move? If they never come, are we just supposed to stay here forever?"
"The party who acts first will naturally be suspected of having ulterior motives, while the passive side tends to hold the dominant position in the relationship. What we need is the trust of the black market and the pirate crew, so we can destroy their base in one fell swoop and possibly save this country from disaster at the same time."
"If we're too proactive, building trust will take a long time. We only have half a month. Of course, if the other party doesn't come over, we'll have to consider forcibly defeating the pirate crew from the front and abandon the plan to change this country."
Just as Monet was about to respond, a healthy and hearty laugh suddenly came from outside the door.
"Is the doctor in? We're employees of 'Happy Home.' We came today to discuss something with you. Is it convenient to talk now?"
Hearing the voice outside, Jake calmly put on the plague doctor-like bird-beak mask and donned a wig.
Glancing at the equally unrecognizable Monet beside him, he said in a low voice.
"If it's about human organs, you may come in. Otherwise, I'm not interested in other matters and have no desire to speak with you further."
Upon hearing this, the last trace of doubt about Jake's identity in the outsiders' minds vanished.
After all, if Jake had truly come here with ulterior motives, he wouldn't have spoken to them in such a manner.
The door was pushed open and two tall, lean men entered.
Dressed in black suits, their bulging muscles seemed on the verge of bursting the fabric.
Yet, they approached Jake with impeccable manners, though the strong scent of medical alcohol made it hard for them to keep their eyes open.
"Ahem, doctor, since we've been allowed in, it means our proposal aligns with your interests. The purpose of our visit is to discuss cooperation regarding human organs. We have a major surgery that requires your expertise, but before that, we need to assess your medical skills. Once the surgery is successful, you'll receive a substantial reward."
Faced with their pitch, Jake's voice remained flat and icy.
"What's the reward? I need to know in advance."
"What do you need?"
"I have no interest in testing your sincerity here! Nor do I have the patience to play guessing games with you!"
When someone asks you such a question, no matter how you answer, they already have a baseline of what you might accept in mind.
It's a basic negotiation tactic.
Hearing Jake's slightly angry and impatient tone, the man offered an apologetic smile before slowly replying.
"You can have all the fresh human organs currently available in the entire black market."
"How many do you have?"
"313 people. 182 elderly, the rest are children. All very fresh."
"Fine, I accept. But I need them alive. No preservation technique can match the human body's natural storage."
Even the man who long devoid of humanity, felt a twinge of fear at Jake's words.
But he said nothing, merely standing up and addressing Jake.
"If it's convenient for you doctor, could you come with us now? There's a surgery that requires your assistance. You understand—we also need some assurances."
To this, Jake replied indifferently.
"After the surgery succeeds, you'll pay a 30% deposit—100 children. If you can manage that, I'll go."
Hearing these words, the two men in black showed a conflicted expression on their faces.
After exchanging glances, they seemed to finally agree with Jake's suggestion and nodded slowly, saying.
"As long as it succeeds, we can agree to all your conditions."
Without responding to them, Jake simply stood up and said to Monet beside him.
"Pack our things, we're leaving. You two step outside now. I need to gather some medicine—the names of the drugs are my personal privacy."
Understanding Jake's words, the two men nodded and then walked out the door.
The slightly shorter man in black asked the other.
"Can he really do it? Should we verify it somehow? Like bringing one of his former patients here for dissection?"
"Not yet. If he truly has the ability, he might turn against us over this. After the surgery succeeds, we'll take him aboard the ship and casually grab a couple of his past patients to dissect and check for adverse effects. That way, we can avoid any strange drugs he might use."
As he spoke, the man lit a cigarette and sighed.
"The boss's condition is serious. If we don't get fresh replacements soon, it'll be troublesome. Luckily, the king of this country has very suitable organs."
The shorter man pressed further.
"What about the Marines? I heard this country has already sent a request for reinforcements to Marine Headquarters."
"Intercept them—just kill them. They'd never expect that with our combined bounty of 90 million, we're actually on par with the great pirates of the New World!"
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