Chapter 352
After a moment of silence, Ophelia said, “Find an opportunity to tell me all the details. I’ll make some time to go back for a few days. As for those cunning brats, don’t worry about them for now. I’ll deal with them.”
Ophelia thought, ‘Kenneth often uses extreme measures, but that approach won’t suit Mark. Those cunning brats knew Mark wouldn’t dare to act that way, so they behaved recklessly. I go back and handle it myself!
“Okay,” Mark could only agree.
He knew Kenneth was going to have surgery since he had mentioned it when they had drinks before Kenneth left for Milagia.
After hanging up, Ophelia looked at Kenneth lying in the bed. She sat beside him, held his hand and said, “Kennie, I’m going back to Dellanex for a few days. Don’t be mad at me, okay? Even if you do, you can’t do much about it since you’re still not awake.”
She leaned her face closer and rested it in his palm. “If you miss me, just wake up and come back to meet me. Honestly, I think this matter is not as simple as it seems. What do you think
Without hearing a response, she continued, “I can’t tell why. But there are a lot of people looking to stir things up you’re not around. It’s either someone within the company or…
Ophelia sneered as someone appeared in her mind.
while
She thought, ‘It’s either that during Kenneth’s two–month absence, people within the company have been colluding with outsiders, or someone already knows about Kenneth’s surgery!‘
Her sneer grew wider. “Don’t worry, Kennie. I’ll make sure to keep Sinclair Group safe for you.”
It was, what he valued, and she was determined to protect it for him.
That night, Ophelia booked a flight back home.
Before leaving, she went to Ronin. She would be gone for at most two weeks, and if anything happened with Kenneth, she needed Ronin to inform her immediately.
Ronin said, “Alright, don’t worry. I’ll contact you if anything comes up.”
*****
On this trip back, Ophelia only brought Eric and Ray with her.
Due to the sudden decision, she flew on a commercial flight.
After a twelve–hour flight, she arrived in Dellanex.
It was evening in Dellanex when she arrived.
As soon as Ophelia landed, there was an urgent news report on the airport’s large screen.
“News from our station. Recent cases of suspected unusual influenza have been identified in Dellanex. Several offshore anglers have been quarantined in the hospital, and experts are currently consulting…”
Ophelia paused and looked up at the large screen.
Eric and Ray looked up at the screen as well.
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One asked, “What’s wrong, Mrs. Sinclair? Getting the flu is quite tommon, right? Since it’s the change of seasons and it’s getting colder, it’s not surprising.”
Ophelia nodded, and the news had already finished broadcasting
However, the content kept replaying in her mind. On her way to Sinclair Group, she casually searched for more information.
The viral flu was already on the top three trending topics with hashtags: [Viral Flu in Dellanex] and [Early Symptoms of AOKR 27 Years Ago].
Ophelia’s hand trembled for a second, and then she frowned.
Currently, there were already 25 people infected with this newly emerged unusual flu.
The early symptoms were remarkably similar to those of AOKR which was a viral respiratory pneumonia. Up to now, two elderly anglers over sixty had been admitted to the ICU due to respiratory failure.
Because of this news, all the people in Dellanex were in a panic.
Someone commented under the two trending posts: [Did those offshore anglers go to the Gloomhaven?]
[One of them is my neighbor. He often goes fishing at the Gloomhaven.]
[Did someone from the Gloomhaven slums spread this virus?]
Don’t you know that? There’s a rumor that the government is planning to redevelop that area.]
[What? Redevelop the slums? That’s ridiculous!]
[I see. They must have released the virus while redeveloping the slums.]
[…]
More and more similar comments appeared, connecting the redevelopment of the slums to the viral flu.
Meanwhile, the director of the Dellanex Urban Development Bureau, Trent Louis, also noticed this news.
He was as anxious, and the landline in his office kept ringing.
But soon, the second news report about the AOKR virus disappeared and was replaced by a celebrity scandal from the entertainment industry.
It seemed to be covering something.
Ophelia stopped watching the news and called Cody.
M
The line was busy for quite a while before it finally went through and before Ophelia could say anything, Cody said anxiously, “Ophelia, the Urban Development Bureau is asking us to stop the development of the slums.”
Ophelia wasn’t surprised to hear that at all.
With news like this to avoid deeper scrutiny, they would definitely stop the project.
Cody said, “And also…”
Sensing Cody’s hesitance, Ophelia frowned tighter and said, “Just say it. I’m already in Dellanex.”
Hearing her say this, Cody felt a bit more at ease.
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He said, “Ophelia, we… we already have three construction workers in the hospital with infections…”
He was really scared since he had been in contact with those workers a few days ago.
He was frightened. He had heard from his elders about the disaster in Dellanex years ago.
Many people died back then.
80%1
He had been there before as well, so he didn’t know if it would happen to him as well. His voice was even trembling as he spoke, “Ophelia, those offshore anglers got infected near the slums as well.”
He didn’t get why Ophelia was so bent on developing the slums.
Ophelia realized that now everyone agreed that this viral flu outbreak was related to the development of the slums.
Even she was starting to have doubts.
“Make a list of all construction workers and outline their activities, keep an eye on your physical changes, and seek medical help in time if necessary,” she instructed.
All these things were making her restless.
She couldn’t quite explain it, but she felt like an invisible net was closing in on her.
The call hadn’t even ended when Chloe’s call came through.
Chloe said, “Elia…”
Ophelia said, “I’ve already heard of it. I’m in Dellanex now.”
+5
Chloe said, “That’s good. The political figures have already shut down the slum project. More and more people are gathering at the hospital, all waiting for the results from the experts‘ consultation.
“I just hacked into the medical system’s website. Actually… there have already been deaths, but they haven’t been disclosed yet. Also, the number of people admitted is far more than we imagined.”
Ophelia’s fingers turned pale as she gripped her phone tight, and then she took a deep breath.
She thought, ‘How did everything suddenly become like this? The severity of this issue is far beyond what I expected. Was I really wrong? I really shouldn’t have insisted on redeveloping the slums?”
Her palm rested against her forehead. First, there were some problems with Sinclair Group, and now such a major issue with redeveloping the slums came up.
She felt that these matters were not that simple.
She was the one who wanted to redevelop the slums back then. Now that things had turned out this way, she had no reason to avoid responsibility.
She didn’t know much about the disaster back then, but this time, she wanted to find out everything about it.
She wanted to find out whether there was really a problem with the waters near the slums, or whether there was another
reason.
