Demons Beside You

Meow, meow.

Samuel stood around the flowers and reached out a paw.

“Humans, become my follower and I will bestow upon you endless riches and glory. Give the food in your hands to your master.”

“What a cute kitty.”

“What breed is it?”

“Good boy, eat this.”

Meow, meow, meow.

“Very good. It seems that you’ve all pledged loyalty to me. You will become my first group of followers. Go and spread my belief.”

Samuel waited until his three followers left before jumping onto Chen Zhao’s table.

Chen Zhao was sitting at the open-sky café right now. Samuel strode proudly. “Human… I mean, master, did you see? I already have three followers now. This is the first step to conquering the world.”

“Yeah, good, keep going,” Chen Zhao replied dismissively.

“If you beg me, I’ll share my food with you.” Samuel looked proudly at him.

Chen Zhao glanced at the drumstick in Samuel’s mouth. “You can enjoy it by yourself.”

“You really don’t want it? The crispy golden skin, mesmerizing fragrance, and tender taste are definitely the best experience of the human world.”

Chen Zhao didn’t doubt Samuel’s true form’s strength as a demon king. After all, he’d witnessed how strong superior demons were. As a demon king, Samuel was definitely stronger than Beelzebub Zofee and Orris.

But he was just a bit ignorant, like a total country bumpkin.

“When I rule the world, I’ll send out an order that only my followers are allowed to enjoy this thing.”

“It’s called fried chicken,” Chen Zhao reminded.

“Oh, fried chicken.”

“Finish it. We’re going to the hospital.”

…

“Tim, your son is in a quite dangerous situation.”

“He’s already in the surgery room for emergency treatment.”

“What exactly happened to Hoffman?”

“He underwent ventricular malformation correction surgery half a year ago. However, his intraventricular membrane still has its own muscle memory. This caused his membrane to not grow according to the post-surgery ventricular shape. A blockage was formed.”

“Didn’t you tell me that Hoffman’s surgery was successful? And now you’re telling me about these weird side effects?” Tim Waltz couldn’t understand at all. He just wanted to know if his son was in danger or not.

“Sir, this can’t be predicted,” the doctor explained. “No one can predict things like a muscle’s long-term memory.”

“Let me ask you this. Will Hoffman leave the surgery room safely?”

“Uh…I…I’ll try my best.”

“I don’t want your best. I want your promise.”

“I…”

“If I don’t get good news, I’ll throw you into Somalia.”

The doctor lowered his head. “I’ll go perform surgery now.”

He didn’t dare go up against Tim Waltz. He is a top billionaire in America. He even had a share of this hospital. If Tim really wanted to send someone to Somalia, no one would be able to save them.

Just then, a red-hair beauty walked over. Tim glanced at her, dissatisfaction filling his face. “Miss Reidra, you’re too late.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tim.”

“Hoffman has always been getting care under your orders, but now he’s in danger again. Can you explain?”

Reidra was troubled. “Sir, you must understand that Hoffman was born with abnormal ventricular growth. The surgery from half a year ago was a success, but he still can’t exercise like regular people. His heart was fixed artificially and is actually still weak. The treatment I gave Hoffman can only help him avoid most dangers. It isn’t absolute.”

“I pay you $20,000 per month for absolute safety.”

“No one can promise anything absolute,” Reidra said matter-of-factly. “I’m only his health consultant. I can only give suggestions instead of treating him directly. If I can be 100% sure, it won’t be only $20,000. It’ll be $200,000.”

“If you can ensure my son’s safety, so what if it’s $200,000?”

Just then, the light above the surgery room turned red.

“What does that mean?” Tim asked.

Reidra looked at the flashing red light. Her expression seemed unnatural.

Two doctors in white coats entered the room.

“Miss Reidra, what’s going on?”

“An emergency,” Reidra said, expression grave.

“How much of an emergency?”

“Critical danger. It’s very rare for an accident to happen during surgery and need the help of other doctors.”

“Are you saying that Hoffman is in danger?”

Reidra nodded. “A lot of danger.”

“Open the door! Open… I want to see Hoffman! Open the door now!”

“Tim, this will disturb the doctors from helping Hoffman.” Reidra pulled Tim back.

Tim paced anxiously outside the room. The seconds ticked by and he grew more anxious.

“Miss Reidra, so much time has passed. Hoffman should be okay, right?” Reidra didn’t answer, which pissed Tim off. “Answer me.”

“Mr. Tim, what do you want me to say? Something that can assure you? The more time that passes, the worse it means for Hoffman. A long surgery isn’t only dangerous for him. It’s also burdensome for the doctors.”

Tim was even more unsettled. “How much longer will it take?”

Reidra wasn’t the doctor. How would she know?

Finally, three hours later, the door opened. The doctors and other staff walked out.

“Doctor, how is Hoffman?”

The main doctor pulled off his mask, revealing an apologetic expression. “Mr. Tim, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I asked you, how is Hoffman?”

“My condolences.”

“You *sshole, what are you talking about! Explain!” Tim lost control and grabbed the main doctor’s collars.

“Sir, can you calm down? This is a hospital.”

“I’m the biggest shareholder! I’ll say whatever I want!” Tim roared. “I want to hear good news, so you tell me good news! How is Hoffman?!”

Everyone could see that Tim Waltz was about to go crazy.