I was the most unnoticeable janitor at the company. I was so ordinary that no one even knew my name. Still, no one would ever guess. I only took this job to hide my real identity.

I was a modern-day corpse herder. By day, I help the living erase traces of the dead. By night, I help the dead carry on their bloodline.

I originally planned to retire after saving up $ 15,000.

That night, I received a big order of $7500.

——

Seeing the numbers, I was half-asleep and practically shot out of bed.

$7500!

After this job, I could immediately retire and completely kick back.

Thinking of this, I was excited to accept the order.

My logic kicked in when I was about to press the confirmation button.

Something unusual must be suspicious.

This price was suddenly more than ten times higher than usual. It was definitely fishy. So, I cautiously asked for more details.

The reply came quickly.

[The situation here is a bit special. The deceased's family is heartbroken and can't bear to move the body.]

[So, you'll need to help the deceased leave an heir at the death scene first, then clean up.]

I frowned and replied, [I don't do risky jobs.]

I'd worked tirelessly for years to save up $15000.

I wasn't about to lose everything before I even enjoyed it.

Seeing my hesitation, the other party grew anxious.

After less than three minutes of deliberation, they revealed the truth. They told me the deceased was Marc Hernandez, the only son of the wealthiest man in the city's elite circle.

Marc had committed suicide by slitting his wrists at home, driven by unrequited love.

The scene was particularly gruesome.

Elena Hernandez, who doted on her son, fainted just from one look.

Meanwhile, Flynn Hernandez was worried the news would get out and affect the company's stock price. He also concerned about who would inherit the Hernandezs' fortune.

That's why he thought of me to solve this problem.

[Of course, we're not just throwing money at you for nothing.]

[Besides ensuring a 100% success rate, you must agree to a body search to ensure no information is leaked.]

I quickly thought it over.

In this line of work, reputation was everything.

Second only to secrecy.

I would retire right after completing this order anyway. The fewer people who knew about this, the better.

Thinking of this, I agreed immediately.

The Hernandez Family were indeed the richest in the city.

It was less than half an hour after the order was confirmed.

A helicopter landed on the lawn below my apartment building to pick me up.

When I arrived at the Hernandez residence, I was even more fascinated by the magnificent manor.

I couldn't help but calculate in my mind.

At a few dollars of a janitor's salary.

I couldn't afford a luxurious house like this even if I didn't eat or drink for several lifetimes.

Just as I was thinking this, Elena's weeping interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up.

The Western-style living room was decked out with traditional wedding decorations.

Bright red double-happiness symbols were plastered across a pitch-black coffin.

In the dead of night, the scene looked especially eerie and disturbing.

Flynn burst into tears as soon as he saw me.

"Miss, you must help us. We worked hard for half our lives and we only have this one son."

"Now, to bury our child before our own time. If we don't even have something to hold onto, his mother and I might as well give up on life."

The older man before me had graying temples and a haggard face. He starkly contrasted the spirited Flynn Hernandez I'd seen on television.

I remembered the reports about him. He lost his father in childhood and started from scratch.

Now, in old age, he'd lost his only child and had no one to carry on the legacy.

A truly tragic story.

Seeing the couple's unbearable grief, I …

I couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It turned out that even rich people had problems money couldn't fix.

Thinking this, my demeanor softened considerably.

"How about this, add another $7500 and I'll do my best to get you a grandson."

Flynn paused, then joyfully agreed.

After receiving half the deposit, I followed the usual procedure and asked for Marc's birth chart.

I was just about to draw the talisman when I froze. Something was wrong with this chart.

I looked at it again and again. I was still unwilling to accept the answer in my heart.

I could only let the Hernandezs take me to Marc's room first.

As soon as Elena reached the doorway and saw the dried bloodstains covering the walls, she collapsed into tears again.

Flynn managed to maintain some composure.

Still, tears still streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks.

"Miss, please don't be offended."

"Marc, he really ... died such a tragic death."

I glanced inside the room. Marc lay stiffly on the bed. The dim lighting obscured his face. But it illuminated the shocking bloodstains within the room.

An artery sprayed blood up to two meters high. The million-dollar vases and crystal chandeliers in the room were all splattered with blood. Looking up, everything was a horrific crimson.

Trying to perform a spirit marriage or posthumous conception ritual in a place like this? It wasn't comforting.

No wonder the Hernandez Family offered $7500 right off the bat.

I looked around the room and frowned.

"How do you expect me to work in a place like this? I'll need more."

"Look, I won't make it hard on you, add another five hundred, make it an even eight. Let's keep the luck on our side."

Flynn gave me a suspicious look.

"You're so young, yet so capable, Miss."

"But … you're not quite what I imagined a corpse herder to be."

Traditionally, corpse-herders were responsible for moving bodies and ensuring spirits could rest in peace.

However, times had changed and transport methods were more advanced now.

The profession had nearly gone extinct.

It was on the verge of being obsolete. To revive the family business.

My grandmother used ancient methods to research a new source of income.

She used ancient techniques to extract a person's essence shortly after death, preserving it to continue the bloodline.

As for the cleanup work, that was a side job I developed myself, hoping to retire early.

After all, rich kids these days often suffer from emotional emptiness. Many of them committed suicide, like Marc. They either intended to deceive others or to cover up the truth. They often needed a trustworthy person to clean up the scene.

After listening to my explanation, Flynn nodded, half-believing.

He thought for a moment, then requested to inspect my bag.

I readily handed over my backpack filled with tools.

Flynn carefully examined it and took my phone.

"Miss, please don't be offended. The future of my company is at stake and we dare not take any risks."

"Once this matter is concluded, we will surely return your phone along with the remaining balance."

I expressed understanding and stated my own requirements.

After all, posthumous conception wasn't precisely a noble or clean job.

It was also surrounded by all sorts of taboos. Nothing could go wrong.

"I'll light a candle by the door. Until it burns out, no matter what sounds you hear, you must not come in or disturb me."

"And no watching, no recording. Keep quiet and avoid making too much noise."

Flynn agreed to each point.

As he closed the door, I still couldn't resist asking.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with the birth details you gave me?"

"A person's birth chart is fixed from the moment they're born. It's completely unique and one-of-a-kind."

"To ensure a smooth birth of your offspring, both of your charts must be written into the wedding contract, then burned and offered to the spirit medium. That's the only way to guarantee the ritual goes off without a hitch."

"If any accidents happen due to your negligence, I won't refund a single cent of the $8000."

Flynn quickly assured me, "Don't worry, Miss. The birth chart is absolutely correct."

"As for everything else, I've also instructed them according to your requirements. I guarantee there won't be any mishaps."

Seeing his sincerity, I found it hard to say anything more.

I simply took the talisman paper with Marc's birth details and shut the door behind me.

The moment the door shut. The room's temperature plummeted. Chills ran down the back of my neck.

I frowned and began inspecting the room, as usual.

Soon, I realized something was off.

To best preserve a corpse. The room's temperature and humidity must be strictly controlled within a specific range.

I was long accustomed to such a gloomy and eerie environment. But the thing that felt off was.

A pair of eyes in the room seemed to be watching me silently.

I dare not take it lightly.

Following my grandmother's methods, I began to investigate the room.

I took out my compass and activated the detector hidden inside.

Times were advancing.

Combining traditional techniques with modern technology was the best way to ensure everything went perfectly.

I carefully checked every corner of the room.

As expected, I found the problem.

A miniature camera was tucked between two books.

I pretended to accidentally knock the books over.

After confirming that there were no other monitoring devices, I felt a little relieved.

The corpse herder profession was rare and mysterious. Many clients were inquisitive about me. However, the Hernandez Family was the trickiest I'd encountered.

To make sure they couldn't spy on me again, I lit some incense and changed into my attire. This included a gilded mask that covered my entire face.

And a red bellyband designed to make a dead person's blood flow.

Once everything was ready, I strolled to Marc's bedside and softly chanted.

"Fate brought us together."

"I don't know for sure if you're the one I've been waiting for, but after tonight, we'll be husband and wife."

"I'll bear your children and you'll help me grow old in peace."

Saying such affectionate words to a corpse in a bloody room, if it were an ordinary person, they would have been scared crazy.

But after so many years in this profession, I've seen all kinds of corpses.

Compared to accident or suicide victims, Marc was at least intact.

I just couldn't figure out why the incense wouldn't light today.

After three incense sticks broke in a row, I gradually began to feel uneasy. Working at such a scarlet crime scene really affected my mood. I should not have been soft-hearted earlier. I should have added more money.

Finally, after much effort, the incense lit. I flicked it three times and burned the marriage certificate to ashes.

Despite my unease, not a single ritual step could be omitted.

After all, the dead were the hardest to fool in this world.

Now, my priority was to finish quickly and then clean up this room.

With that thought, I pulled Marc's quilt back sequentially from bottom to top.

Long legs, strong muscles.

Fair and firm skin.

It turned out the billionaire's son was really different.

Even after being dead for so long, his skin still puts ours to shame.

"My love, I'm here to serve you."

"Please, for all my hard work, make sure I successfully bear an heir for the Hernandez Family."

As I spoke, I followed our family's secret technique and started massaging from his ankles upward.

Wealthy families really did things efficiently.

Even after being dead for so long, Marc's skin was still warm and elastic. That saved me a lot of trouble.

But when I got to his chest, I suddenly froze. Right in the middle of his chest was a very familiar cinnabar mole.

My heart skipped a beat.

I quickly pulled back the blanket covering Marc's head.

The moment I clearly saw the deceased, I gasped.