Garrett Nordmark held the surgical knife and questioned life.
Is this corpse frozen too hard? Should I wait a bit longer for it to thaw completely? Or should I add some heat, like, set the microwave to defrost mode, and turn it on for three minutes?
Or maybe, is it because I forgot to bow to the anatomy teacher in advance?
That’s the enemy, a spy who infiltrated the laboratory to sabotage, not the anatomy teacher!
Just like in a medical school in Northeast China, the corpses used for dissection are all from the little devils of that year, and the school teachers and students never bow to them!
Even with Garrett exerting all his strength, the resistance did not diminish, showing no sign of being pierced.
Ah, indeed, it’s really hard to cut when it’s frozen stiff. How long has it been since I felt this sensation? Since I started working, I’ve only been cutting living people. I haven’t cut an anatomy teacher...
Ugh, soaking in formalin for so long, it feels really hard to cut. When I make the incision, it feels as tough as cowhide. And formalin stings the eyes, while this ice coffin is thawing, at least it doesn’t have any smell yet.
But still, not being able to cut is ultimately a problem. Garrett pondered for a while, looking left and right. If it were any other physical task, even if it were carrying a thigh or resetting bones, Bernard could do it without any problem, but dissection...
Can I entrust this delicate task to him? Entrusting it to him wouldn’t be dissection; it would be chopping meat with a big knife! Besides, dissection is a kind of work, but also a kind of enjoyment, something that cannot be entrusted to others!
He looked left and right. On both sides, the necromancers were laughing—each one was covered in protective gear, with black leather robes, shiny beaks, and a range of laughter coming from beneath the bird masks, sounding particularly eerie. Under the pale light of the shadowless lamp, Garrett reflexively shuddered:
How did I let them wear these clothes?
Why didn’t I let them wear surgical gowns?
If everyone wore surgical gowns, they wouldn’t look so scary...
...Well, first, it’s necessary to wear protective gear when dissecting a corpse carrying pathogens. Second, there aren’t the thin, light disposable protective suits made of PE+PP fabric from my previous life. What I’m wearing now is also a black leather jumpsuit...
Archmage Edgar chuckled repeatedly. Not being able to cut a corpse despite trying was something most young necromancers encountered. Whether it was cleaning up animal corpses, helping teachers clean up high-level enemy corpses, or traveling on their own and luckily killing high-level enemies...
"Little Garrett," he said, offering suggestions while laughing, "need some help? It’s indeed quite difficult to cut this corpse... He was a Level 7 thief when he was alive..."
A Level 7 thief... Garrett immediately felt discouraged. If he couldn’t cut open a Level 5 knight, let alone a Level 7 one. Even if a thief’s defense wasn’t as strong as a knight’s, they were still physical professions, and their bodies were quite sturdy!
"Any ideas...?" Garrett immediately sought help. The necromancers beside him burst into laughter, offering suggestions one after another:
"How about casting a [Decay] spell? It’s very useful when making skeleton soldiers. When the flesh rots away, the bones become easy to extract..."
Garrett shook his head rapidly. Are you kidding me? I want to perform a dissection, not bone extraction! If I wanted to extract bones, wouldn’t I use a big pot to cook them? Boil them quickly at high temperature and pressure, and it’ll be fast, and it can also kill bacteria. The orthopedics department next door is the best at it...
"Maybe the knife isn’t fast enough? How about enchanting your knife with [Magic Weapon]? Then you’ll be able to cut through..."
Good idea, why didn’t I think of that? Garrett gave a thumbs up to the necromancer who made the suggestion, raising the surgical knife in one hand and preparing to cast a spell with the other. [Magic Weapon] is a 1st-tier spell, and he had already learned it, so it wouldn’t be difficult to cast it himself...
Before he could finish casting the spell, the blade of
the surgical knife suddenly trembled in his hand.
The knife trembled more and more, and Garrett suddenly realized that the trembling of the knife was actually caused by the vibration of the air!
"Watch out!" someone cried out, but it was already too late. With a dull "bang", the corpse’s abdomen suddenly exploded, and the blood, flesh, and organs inside splattered everywhere!
Garrett cried out in shock, but there was nothing he could do. A chunk of frozen meat slammed into his face, causing him to stagger backward. He hurriedly wiped away the blood and flesh stuck to his eyes and mouth, then turned his head and retched. After vomiting for a long time, he finally recovered and looked back, only to find...
...The necromancers around him were laughing louder and louder!
"Ha ha ha ha! Little Garrett, your first dissection exploded. Don’t worry, it’s just the first time. It happened to everyone!"
"Ha ha ha ha! Looks corpse’s flesh is still quite hard. You’ll need to wait a bit longer for it to thaw before you can cut it open..."
"Ha ha ha ha! Little Garrett, you’re too naive. This is just a tiny test of the will. You’ll have to get used to it if you want to become a first-rate necromancer!"
Garrett stood frozen in place, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning. He looked at the laughing necromancers around him and finally understood...
I’m not the only one who thinks they’re scary.
I’m not the only one who thinks they’re eerie.
I’m not the only one who thinks they’re cold-blooded.
I’m not the only one who thinks they’re crazy.
I’m not the only one who thinks they’re frightening...
But... He looked around at the necromancers, and a faint smile appeared on his face. That’s right, I’m not the only one. There are others, too!
Even if the corpses explode, even if the corpses’ eyes are gouged out, even if the corpses laugh, even if the corpses cry, even if the corpses rot, even if the corpses fight back...
...I’m not the only one.
We’re all the same! We’re all necromancers!