Chapter 380 Fake Resurrection

• Darius Harrington can bring the dead back? The troublemakers didn’t buy it. The crowd didn’t buy it. The reporters didn’t buy it. Even Lenora Nelson didn’t buy it. Come on—total nonsense! Once someone’s gone, unless you’re The Eternal Judge Hall himself, no doctor can drag them back. Lenora grabbed Darius in a hurry: “Honey! How could you agree to something that insane?” Lately, Lenora had expanded her herb business and sunk a lot of money into it. Right now, the company’s books showed only 7.5 million dollars. Where were they supposed to whip out 1.5 billion? “Hey, don’t you dare back out! He said it—if my dad can’t be saved, you owe us 1.5 billion! Everyone heard that, right?” the big guy snapped. “We heard!” The others shouted in unison. The reporters chimed in too: “Relax. We’ll testify for you.” Lenora went blank. They’d just backed Darius into the fire. No room to walk it back. She started regretting calling him over. She’d forgotten her husband loved to talk big. From inside the house, a furious roar blasted out: “Darius, what the hell are you doing? How could a dead man be saved? Are you screwing with us—teamed up with these people to scam the Harringtons?” “I’m telling you, if he can’t be saved, Lenora pays!” The one cussing was Kael Harrington. Darius said, calm and sure, “No problem.” Then he patted Lenora’s shoulder and smiled. “Babe, trust me, okay?” Lenora sighed, beat down: “What good is not trusting you now? The reporters are already livestreaming.” Darius ruffled her hair with a grin, then turned, lifted his hand, and ordered, all swagger: “Strip the old man’s clothes. Lay him on the floor.” “You looking for death? Trying to humiliate my father? Over my dead body!” A heavyset woman jumped out, cursing. “Sis, listen to him,” the son of the deceased pulled her back and urged, “Don’t forget—1.5 billion.” The woman hesitated forever, then grunted: “Fine. I’ll listen to you, big bro.” The two stripped the dead man and set him down in front of Darius. Darius tipped his chin to the sky and angled the old man so his head faced direct sunlight while everything below the waist lay in shade. Everyone stared, baffled. Darius’s right hand held several silver needles. He drove them into the Sun, Governor Vessel, and Upper Star points. His left hand pierced the Conception Vessel, Wuli, and Qichong points. Then he slammed both palms down on the old man’s chest. Smack, smack, smack! Seven strikes in a row! A pattern like the Big Dipper bloomed on the old man’s chest. A torrent of vital energy surged into his body. The sun’s force above and the earth’s yin below, guided by Darius’s Big Dipper energy, looped into a cycle inside the old man. The needles locked it top and bottom so the loop wouldn’t break. Right then, everyone held their breath, so tense they could hear each other’s lungs and heartbeats. Five minutes later, Darius drew back his hands. The son sneered: “My dad didn’t wake up! 1.5 billion. You said it. Pay up.” The daughter grabbed a hammer, cursing: “Pay! Or I smash this clinic—and your head with it!” Others chimed in: “Damn, he’s a con!” “Bringing the dead back? He’s bluffing!” “Pay up!” The reporters stirred the pot too: “Ms. Nelson, what do you think of your husband fooling people like this?” “Isn’t this insulting the deceased?” “Ms. Nelson, are you really paying the family 1.5 billion?” A wall of mics crowded Lenora’s mouth. Her head felt like it would blow. Right then— A thunderous shout: “Wake up!” Darius yanked out the needles, top and bottom. A miracle hit. The old man’s eyes slowly opened. He awkwardly pushed himself up from the floor, mumbling, “What’s going on? Where… where am I? Where are my clothes?” Boom!!! Everyone’s mind went nuclear. A dead man came back? This guy actually pulled it off?! The place went corpse-still. You could hear a pin drop. “You… I… this…” The daughter stammered at Darius, totally lost. The son muttered, stunned, “No way… impossible… I had the doctor check before I came… this… can’t be…” “Honey, how did you bring a dead man back?” Lenora gasped. “I’ll tell you later.” Then Darius turned to the son: “Your father didn’t die from pills. He choked while eating and slipped into a deathlike state. I smoothed that breath through him and drew the sun’s force and the earth’s yin to restart him.” “Per our deal, take your people and go.” The son’s face went pig-liver purple, twisted up with frustration. You could tell he hated to leave like this. “And look, stripping the old man—yeah, it was disrespectful. You came a long way and spent money. I’m willing to give you 15 thousand dollars for travel costs.” Darius shot Lenora a look. Lenora frowned: “If this isn’t on the Nelson Clinic, why pay?” Darius bent to whisper in her ear: “I didn’t actually save him. He’s in a fake resurrection. Give it a little time—the breath inside him disperses, and he dies.” “Then… what happens when he dies and they come back to make trouble?” Lenora felt a cold sweat break. Darius was playing a dirty trick. Darius said, “Trust me. Put up the 15 thousand. Steady the scene, calm them down, leave a good impression with the reporters. Whatever the reason, letting this drag on is bad for the Nelsons and for you. If we prove their condition had nothing to do with our herbs, it helps the clinic. That’s the kind of publicity you can’t buy even with 1.5 billion.” Lenora nodded. “Okay! 15 thousand. I’ll pay.” “No way! Fifteen grand is too little! We brought a ton of people. Everyone gets 15 grand!” “Yeah! Pay each of us 15 grand and we’ll go!” The group snarled. “Honey, this… what do we do?” Lenora was rattled. The old man’s family brought more than a hundred people. At 15 grand each, that’s a fortune. “Just 15 grand. Or we call the cops. Your dad got in trouble—you didn’t rush him to a hospital. You hauled him here first to extort money. Sounds like you’re the problem.” The big guy’s family deflated instantly. Darius was right. They only wanted to use the old man to squeeze cash. Who cared about his life? If he were truly dead, they could make a ruckus in front of the patrol and feel justified. But he wasn’t dead. That changes everything. Push too hard, and they might get busted for fraud. The crowd started pointing fingers too. “The kid’s right. Even if he was dead, first stop is a hospital. Why haul him here with a whole mob? That’s extortion.” “And he’s not even dead!” “Take the win and leave. The clinic’s already being generous. If it were me, I wouldn’t pay a cent—I’d sue you for blackmail.” Hearing that, the big guy caved fast: “Fine. I agree. Fifteen grand. Cash.” Darius nodded to Lenora: “Babe, go get the money.” Soon, Lenora came back with a plastic bag full of cash. The man reached to grab it. Darius pulled out a contract: “Sign this, and the money’s yours. I don’t want you coming back for more.” “No way. I’m not signing that!” the man refused. Darius took the cash back and, right in front of him, dialed 110: “Hello, this is the Nelson Clinic. We’ve got a medical mob trying to extort us. Please come right away…” “Hey, hey, hey! Don’t! I’ll sign! I’ll sign right now!” Drenched in sweat, the man rushed up, snatched the contract, and scribbled his name. “Whatever happens to your dad later has nothing to do with the Nelson Clinic. Go.” Darius waved him off. The group looked at each other, sighed, and led the old man in fake resurrection away. They had no idea that the breath inside him would only hold till tomorrow morning. Lenora wiped her forehead. That move was a real gamble. Thank God the big guy signed—otherwise they’d be back for more drama.