Chapter 149
On the other end of the line, Reginald sat on his private jet. Hearing her voice steady and calm, the tension he'd been carrying finally eased.
"Should I have someone send food over to you? What do you feel like eating?"
Lucinda couldn't help but smile. "No need. I've already eaten."
Her fingers tapped lightly on the table. "How are things on your end? Going smoothly?"
"Smoothly." Reginald's reply was quick. "Just… I miss you a little."
Lucinda rubbed her temple. A whole group of subordinates was still watching her. She really didn't want to continue this conversation. "Once I'm done here, I'll head back. Stop calling so much. I've got a lot going on—I can't always pick up."
The line went quiet for two seconds. Then came a low reply. "All right. Take care of yourself."
"I will."
She hung up, pocketed her phone, and continued toward the meeting room.
On the other end, Reginald set down his phone. He didn't call back.
He knew she was hiding something from him. But as long as she was safe, that was enough.
He slowly turned his gaze toward the window. The plane was cutting through the night sky, headed toward the same destination.
Meanwhile, Lucinda had just finished a meeting and was about to push open the conference room door when someone came running over in a hurry.
"Boss!" The man's expression was frantic, his forehead slick with sweat. His voice was urgent. "We've got a problem!"
Lucinda stopped in her tracks. Her eyes turned cold. "Talk."
"Two more infected cases were just discovered at the base."
The air went still.
Elijah's face shifted. "Didn't we already lock it down?"
The man's voice was tight. "We did, but we were still a step too late. The confirmed count of people infected with L-Toxin has now reached seven."
At the mention of that name, everyone's expressions darkened.
Over the past two weeks, all of Sylvanor had been shrouded by a strange, insidious virus.
At first, the infected only experienced fever and coughing. Then red spots began appearing on their skin. After that came ulceration and necrosis.
Within seven days, victims would die in excruciating agony.
Worst of all, the toxin was airborne.
Because of this virus, many factions in Sylvanor were living in fear.
Lucinda's gaze darkened. "What about the research lab?"
Someone nearby immediately answered. "They're still trying, but progress has been minimal. The experimental equipment keeps failing in the final calibration phase."
A flicker of anger crossed the speaker's eyes.
"If we could get the Crimson Star Crystal back, the pharmaceutical machinery could be fully optimized. Then the antidote development speed would increase several times over. But right now, both the materials and Ms. Lancaster are in the hands of the Black Wolf Crew."
The meeting room fell silent. Everyone's faces were grim.
They all knew—the longer this dragged on, the more dangerous it became.
Lucinda said nothing. She simply turned and headed toward the medical ward.
Elijah quickly followed, flipping through the files in his hand as he walked. "Boss, the area's been quarantined, but… the infection risk is still very high."
Lucinda didn't slow down. Her voice was firm. "Prepare a hazmat suit."
Those simple words instantly put everyone at ease.
As long as the boss was here, there would be a solution.
A few minutes later, at the medical ward, the heavy isolation door slowly opened.
Seven people lay in the room. Every one of them looked awful. The exposed skin on their bodies was covered in large red patches. Some areas had already started ulcerating.
One young man clutched the bedsheet, veins bulging on his forehead, his body trembling violently from the pain.
"Itchy… so itchy…"
The doctors nearby had red-rimmed eyes, but they were powerless.
They'd tried everything.
Painkillers didn't work. Sedatives didn't work. Even the most advanced medications couldn't stop the condition from worsening.
Just then, the door to the ward opened.
Everyone instinctively looked up. When they saw that familiar figure, their eyes lit up.
"Boss!"
Lucinda entered wearing protective gear. Her gaze swept over the patients on the beds. Her expression was calm, but somehow, everyone's emotions settled.
Seeing Lucinda walk in, several of the patients struggled to sit up, their voices garbled and unclear.
The young man closest to the door lifted his hand. His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "Boss… why did you come in… it's dangerous here…"
"Don't move." Lucinda walked over, bent down, and lifted his eyelid to check. Then she examined the ulcerated wound on his arm. Her frown deepened.
The symptoms were worse than she'd anticipated.
The L-Toxin was spreading nearly twice as fast as the lab data suggested. Based on their current condition, these seven people had four days left at most.
A few minutes later, she checked the others as well.
The entire ward was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was waiting.
After a moment, Lucinda took several small transparent vials from the silver medical case she carried.
This was a broad-spectrum antitoxin she'd spent three years developing, using the rarest materials. Every drop was worth a fortune.
Elijah froze. "Boss, this is—"
Lucinda didn't explain. She simply handed the vials to the doctor nearby. "Have them drink it."
The doctor nodded and immediately complied.
Everyone in the room held their breath.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Ten minutes later, the young man who'd been trembling in pain suddenly froze.
"I… I'm not itchy anymore."
His voice was weak, but filled with disbelief.
The person next to him whipped around to look at him. "Really?"
The man looked down at his own hands. His eyes instantly reddened. "Really. It doesn't hurt anymore. It doesn't itch."
The others on the beds also showed expressions of shock.
"Me too!"
"The pain's lessening!"
"I feel so much better!"
The entire ward erupted.
The attending doctor was so moved his hands were shaking. He hurried to check the instrument readings.
The next second, he froze completely.
"The toxicity index is dropping! It's continuing to drop!"
"My God… it's actually working!"
The other doctors crowded around, staring at the shifting data in stunned silence.
They'd been researching the virus for half a month with zero progress.
But Lucinda had been here less than half an hour, and the situation was already improving.
Outside the ward, many crew members rushed over after hearing the news. They peered through the glass at the scene inside, their eyes filled with excitement and reverence.
"I knew it!"
"The boss always has a way!"
"With the boss here, they'll be fine!"
Inside the ward, the older doctor stared at the instruments, his eyes red with emotion.
He turned to Lucinda. His voice even trembled slightly.
"Boss, could I… study under you? Even if it's just as an assistant. Please, give me a chance."
The other doctors quickly nodded in agreement.
Over the years, they'd seen plenty of medical geniuses. But they'd never seen anyone like Lucinda.
It was as if any difficult or complex illness became simple the moment it reached her hands.
It was as if no matter how impossible the problem, it became simple in her hands.