“You boss doesn’t know about this,” Thor immediately replied. “We haven’t informed him about your condition. He probably thinks you’re still helping us calibrate the machines.”

After a pause, Thor continued, “Actually, the person we truly want to hire isn’t Miss Jenkins, but you.”

Chapter 9: The Lifeline in the Abyss

The door was pushed open and a group of doctors came in for their rounds. One doctor, wearing a look of regret, spoke gently, “Young man, how can we contact your family? We need to discuss your condition with them.”

David Carter was all too familiar with this routine. He cautiously sought confirmation: “Do I need surgery? Do I need a family member to accompany me? How much money does my family need to prepare?”

The doctor glanced at Thor and Alfred by the door, then shook his head lightly. “Your medical bills have already been paid, but I think if you continue treatment, the costs could be very high. I suggest you recuperate for a while and then get discharged. As for further treatment plans, I’ll need to discuss them with your family…”

Lost in sorrow, David Carter didn’t know what the doctor said, nor when the doctor left. After a long while, he noticed the concerned look in Thor’s eyes. He shook his head gently and said, “Most doctors will come to this diagnosis, but their imagination is too limited—or rather, their understanding is shackled by last century’s medical concepts.”

With a thud, David Carter felt his heart settle back into place, as if a lifeline had been lowered from above the abyss. He looked at this rope with wild joy and relief, even feeling as if he had been reborn after a brush with death. In some mysterious way, it felt like his father was watching over him and his mother. He stared at Thor and asked, “Your lab… No, I mean, if I get examined and diagnosed in your lab, and it’s confirmed that I’m seriously ill, would you still be willing to hire me? Of course, I can understand you hiring Miss Jenkins—she’s smart, capable, and has a unique perspective. But I’m just a recent college graduate with no special work experience. What would you hire me to do? You’re not going to use me as a test subject in your lab, are you?”

At the door, Alfred suddenly interjected, “You’ve already run out of options.”

Thor nodded. “Indeed, most doctors would treat your condition as a type of cancer, but we’re different. Your only way out is to accept our offer. Otherwise, your illness could flare up at any time, and you’ll be trapped forever in fear and pain, with enormous medical bills pushing you to the brink. But if you accept our offer, you’ll get a satisfactory salary, and with our help, you can get your health back on track—we’re absolutely not asking you to test drugs. We want to hire you as a ‘pipeline cleaner’…”

David Carter’s heartbeat steadied and he became calm. He understood that it was either an early death or a desperate gamble for survival. If there was even a sliver of hope, then even if it was a minefield ahead, it was worth a try—he had to try! He asked solemnly, “In that case, I need to be clear—what exactly does a pipeline cleaner do? Can you be more specific? The more details, the better!”

Thor pointed to the Chinese man by the door and introduced, “You can call him ‘Poison’. This time, he’s here for business. The business is: two privileged young men got into a conflict, one of them suffered a loss. The victim doesn’t want to call the police, but the word ‘endure’ doesn’t exist in his dictionary. So his father hired us on his behalf, asking us to find a way—to ruin the reputation of the perpetrator’s father.”

David Carter was completely confused. “What kind of business is this…? It’s a strange request. Is this also considered ‘pipeline cleaning’? What exactly are you cleaning? Can you be even clearer?”

Thor nodded. “It is a strange request, but for us, it’s just a regular job. The grudges here are tangled and can’t be explained in a few words. If I could add some background information, maybe you’d understand. But according to the rules, we can’t investigate the client’s situation. As long as the other party pays and makes a request, we fulfill it, and the deal is done. So I can only give you this explanation for now…

However, I can make a guess: both young men involved in the conflict live very lavishly, and such a lifestyle must be funded by their parents. The client’s odd request is probably meant to cut off the perpetrator’s financial support.”

Is this upholding justice? No, this is probably just a case of “rich kids” or “official’s kids” fighting among themselves. David Carter felt a bit of a “big shot” complex, with a sense of heroic redistribution of wealth, and a feeling of satisfaction and relief.

“This job… haha, interesting. To be honest, I feel both happy and confused about your offer. I’m happy because I’ll have money for treatment and access to cutting-edge medical advances… But getting paid means I have to work, and I’m not sure what exactly I’ll be doing… That makes me confused. This job, is it dangerous? Will I be living on the edge, like a rat every day…?”

To be a big shot, you need a strong gallbladder—courage big enough to sleep in a graveyard without fearing ghosts. David Carter thought of himself as just an ordinary poor guy, not wanting to escape one abyss only to fall into another trap.