Chapter 270
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270
The accident was hushed up . The public was only told that Tristan had been admitted to a sanatorium for health reasons .
Owen noticed the restrained emotions in Aria’s eyes . He said gently , “ Betty has recovered . This outbreak will be over soon , ”
Aria thought once the outbreak was over , she’d finally be able to visit Tristan .
“ Mm . ” Aria replied softly , composing herself .
The car sped down the road , and before long , they arrived at the pig farm .
Jamelan’s main income came from their pig farm until swine fever forced its closure .
With compensation from the government and under the leadership of the village community , everyone shifted to growing crops .
Following Aria’s proposal to centralize livestock and poultry management , the village chief promptly repurposed the disused pig farm .
The village head , Winston , was already waiting at the gate . Spotting them , he hurried forward and handed over the veterinary needles he had prepared . “ Here are the needles you asked for , ” he said .
Now that Betty was safe and sound , Aria could finally go there with peace of mind .
Winston asked , “ Madelyn , I heard Betty tested negative and had recovered , right ? ”
Aria nodded . “ Yeah . Unfortunately , we don’t have enough samples . If more people recovered , we could collect blood samples to isolate antibodies and develop effective treatments or even a vaccine for those infected . ”
Her words made it clear that with enough samples , the research would succeed .
Winston paused briefly , then remarked casually , “ Those young interns are still just students . It must be quite challenging for you to work alone . Madelyn , why not join the medical team instead? ”
Aria looked up , her gaze lingering on Winston’s face for two seconds . “ What I need is absolute obedience . The team can’t provide that , nor would they
trust me either .
“ Otherwise , they wouldn’t be questioning the medical equipment I / donated . ”
“ You’re right , ” Winston agreed .
They even doubt the equipment , let alone her medical skills .
Aria continued , “ Those kids are all bright students , but what they lack is practical , real – world experience . Back when we were all on equal footing in the team , anyone could speak up freely with their ideas , and we’d work together to solve any problem .
“ But once things get too hierarchical , only the higher – ups get to decide what’s right . If the experts really knew what they were doing , maybe that would work , but sadly , that’s just not how it is … ”
Aria paused briefly before continuing , “ Cyril was already difficult enough to deal with , and now , we’ve got Culver to contend with too . ”
Winston had also heard about what happened to Giana . His eyes lit up with understanding as he smiled and said , “ I get it now . Madelyn , you’re absolutely right . ”
Owen listened quietly .
Before bed the previous night , he’d found out what had happened .
Despite Culver’s best efforts to conceal it , Owen had long noticed that his patients fell into only two categories : the wealthy and the powerful .
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Culver wasn’t the kind of person who would come to Jamelan just to treat the infected . His real reason for coming was Aria ,
Owen suspected that Culver believed the National Doctor’s Seal was with Aria .
Aria tumed to Winston and said gently , “ Mr. Morton , let me take your pulse . ”
Winston’s eyes darkened as he suppressed the turmoil within , then extended his hand .
Aria gently placed her fingertips on Winston’s wrist to check his pulse . After a moment , she said solemnly , “ You’re infected .”
Winston had suspected he might be infected even before Madelyn offered to check his pulse , so he wasn’t all that surprised . He managed a wry smile and asked , “ Madelyn , can you really tell if someone’s infected just by looking at their face ? ”
Given how swamped he was with village affairs , constantly on the go without protective gear , he had long been mentally prepared for getting infected .
Aria nodded . “ Infected individuals show subtle changes in their eyes and complexion .”
Aria asked , “ Are the caretakers here ? ”
Winston nodded . “ They’re in the livestock barn . I’ll call them over now . ”
Moments later , four women hurried over , wearing medical masks but no protective suits .
Aria examined them one by one , her brow furrowing deeper and deeper . “ You’re all infected ,” she said gravely . “ Go get a full medical screening immediately . ”
The four women stared at Aria in disbelief , unable to process what they’d just heard .
One of the women exclaimed in disbelief , “ But we haven’t been near anyone else . How could we have gotten infected ? ”