Corpse Retrieval Specialist

At the age of 21, I got into a fight with someone over a girl and was sentenced to three years in prison.

The other party came from a wealthy family, and they turned the brawl into intentional harm.

So, I ended up with a three-year prison term.

As someone once said, money is also a form of power, so I accepted my fate.

The key was that for the girl I fought for, upon seeing the other party's wealth and influence, she came forward as a witness and claimed that I had sexually harassed her. According to her, that's why we fought, and the other party was merely acting in defense.

Due to her statement, I was disheartened for a while.

My parents, even more so, went around seeking help, their faces washed in tears every day.

At that point, I had resigned myself to the situation, thinking that revenge could wait. After I got out, I'd settle the score with that guy.

However, the very next morning, someone came to the detention center to see me.

The man was a few years older than me, around 24 or 25.

The first thing he said upon seeing me was, "He Yongheng, your grandfather asked me to take you away."

"But I can't do this for free. It'll cost you 100,000 yuan for the arrangement. Your grandfather's idea is that you caused this trouble, so you should earn the money yourself."

"Of course, considering you have no money, I can arrange a job for you."

"A base salary of 5,000 yuan per month, the work is a bit dirty, and you'll be on the night shift every day."

"If you agree, change your clothes and come with me."

Without hesitation, I agreed.

After all, no one wants to carry a criminal record around in society.

Back then, I didn't even think about how much power it took to get a person who had already been sentenced out of the detention center.

His name was Zhang Sanfen, but people just called him Zhang San.

At the time, I was quite curious about what kind of job Zhang San had arranged for me. It was only when he drove me straight to the funeral parlor that I realized what he meant by "a bit dirty."

Dealing with bodies every day, how could that not be ominous?

Zhang Sanfen told me that this funeral parlor was privately contracted, responsible for ordering coffins, funeral items, and offering a complete range of services, including preparing the body and selling burial plots.

At first, I was displeased. Five thousand yuan a month – couldn't I earn that much working anywhere else? Did I really have to deal with bodies every day?

With a job like this, I wouldn't even be able to find a girlfriend if I tried.

But my father had always told me to repay kindness with gratitude.

Zhang Sanfen pulled me out of the detention center, which was a great kindness. If I promised to work for him, going back on my word would be ungrateful.

So, even though the job was tough, I had to do it.

According to Zhang Sanfen, my job was quite simple – the night shift.

At the time, I was still wondering why a funeral parlor needed a night shift. Could it be that people steal bodies or something?

Later, I learned that this place had its own stories.

The funeral parlor was much like a hospital, full of the ups and downs of life.

Some fought over inheritances and ended up in bloody brawls at the funeral parlor, all dignity lost.

Some were extremely indifferent, their faces showing relief and even disdain when faced with the deceased.

At times, the police would even bring in bodies with gruesome injuries, handing them over to the funeral parlor.

These were the unclaimed victims of certain murder cases, and as the cases concluded, they couldn't remain in police custody for long.

But what surprised me was that the funeral parlor was far more lively at night than during the day.

Zhang Sanfen was rather impatient with me, quickly getting me started and handing me a manual on nighttime management, then leaving without much fanfare.

The funeral parlor manager, on the other hand, was patient in explaining to me. He said that the night shift job was quite relaxed, requiring nothing more than courage.

We hadn't spoken for long when a noisy commotion erupted from outside.

I went out to take a look and saw a woman in her forties sitting on the ground in the funeral hall, wailing.

After listening for a while, I quickly understood the situation.

In essence, her mother-in-law had passed away, and her husband wanted to buy an 8,000-yuan urn for the remains.

However, the woman disagreed, thinking that a 500-yuan one would suffice. Money was already tight at home, and they needed to save up for their child's college education.

Maybe her words were harsh, hurting her husband's pride.

So, her husband slapped her, accusing her of being unfilial.

With pent-up grievances pouring out, the woman's anger erupted.

She talked about how she had cared for her mother-in-law when she was alive, tending to her needs even when it came to hygiene. She even quit her job for it.

As for her husband, he idled around all day, living recklessly.

He never cared for the household, never contributed a dime. He never bothered about her mother when she was alive, yet now that she was gone, he wanted an expensive urn to save face.

After listening for a while, I couldn't take it any longer. What use was this man?

The manager, Mr. Gu, was skilled in dealing with such situations. As the crowd grew, he managed to mediate and calm the woman down.

I wasn't interested in these affairs, so I headed to my dorm to freshen up.

However, someone suddenly grabbed me and said, "Young man, interested in collecting bodies? 500 yuan for each!"

I was taken aback. Who the hell was this?

Dealing in bodies was illegal! How could this guy blatantly ask me if I wanted to collect bodies?

He even set a price!

Seeing my shocked expression, the man chuckled and said, "Where were you lost in thought?"

"We're not dealing in bodies, we're not involved in that."

"Over in the north part of town, there's a busted brick factory. A lot of abducted black laborers died there. These bodies have no owners, and they're all mentally challenged. No one has claimed them."

"According to the norm, these bodies have to be kept for seven days before they can be cremated together, if no one claims them."

Suddenly, it clicked for me. The conscience of those brick factory owners had vanished. They abducted mentally challenged individuals and ruthlessly exploited them.

These laborers worked fifteen to sixteen hours every day, hardly resting except for eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom.

It was all strenuous physical labor.

They were being treated like livestock.

The worst part was that these laborers had intellectual disabilities, lacking the ability to resist even the slightest.

Some died from exhaustion, buried in a pit. Some tried to escape, only to have their legs broken and be made examples of in front of others.

By the time the police solved the case, these crazed criminals had buried all the laborers alive, destroying the evidence.

After the case was cracked

, the criminals were rightly punished, but the bodies of those unfortunate laborers remained unclaimed.

Since they were all mentally challenged, their families probably gave up on them.

Legally, these bodies had to be stored for seven days until the claim period was over, after which they could be cremated together.

But during these seven days, someone had to look after seven or eight bodies.

And so, this man came to the funeral parlor, asking if I collected bodies.

At the time, I was puzzled, saying, "I'm just a night shift manager. You need to talk to Director Gu about this."

The man blinked and said, "Director Gu handles daytime matters. You handle the night shift."

"Aren't you the night shift manager?"

I was taken aback. Did the night shift manager have this kind of authority?