Chapter 552 - 561: Serious

Chapter 552: Chapter 561: Serious

After Mr. Magnus finished speaking, everyone present fell silent.

Chief Ford’s status was extraordinary. He was the backbone of Meridia Base.

If outsiders learned about his current situation, it would cause chaos and instability within Meridia Base.

And those with malicious intent would likely take this opportunity to make a move against Meridia Base.

Therefore, this matter absolutely could not get out.

Mr. Magnus looked at Stella Sterling with hope in his eyes. He had tried every method he could think of over the past several days, but he was powerless against Chief Ford’s condition.

He could only place his hopes on Stella. He’d witnessed her medical skills before, and they were truly remarkable.

That was why he hadn’t stopped Basil Xavier when he heard he was going to find her.

But as fate would have it, the girl wasn’t at her base, and no one even knew when she would return.

Meanwhile, Chief Ford’s condition had been worsening day by day.

A few days ago, Chief Ford still had moments of lucidity. But for the past two days, he’s been in a frenzied state whenever he’s awake.

He was much stronger than usual and would even instinctively attack anyone near him.

Even Mr. Magnus himself had almost fallen victim. If he hadn’t been on guard and if the people around hadn’t intervened quickly, he feared he would have been bitten and ended up just like Chief Ford.

Now, after half a month, the Chief had become like this. If they delayed any longer, there was no telling how the situation would develop.

Now, their only hope was that Stella Sterling would have a solution.

In fact, the Chief’s last order wasn’t to tie him up, but for them to kill him.

That way, he would no longer be a threat and wouldn’t accidentally harm anyone else.

But how could they do that? Left with no other choice, they had tied the Chief up instead.

’As long as... as long as we can find a way to deal with this, the Chief can return to normal.’

After listening to their description, Stella Sterling finally confirmed it. Gordon Ford’s father—his condition was indeed the same as the one she knew from her past life.

’People who have eaten human flesh develop prions. The more they eat, the more severe it gets. On top of that, in this apocalyptic world with all its pollution and filth, the virus has mutated.’

’Over a long period of accumulation, those who have consumed human flesh will eventually turn into something like the zombies from old movies.’

’It’s just not quite as exaggerated, but many of their behaviors are similar. They gradually lose their sanity and become crazed and bloodthirsty.’

’And those bitten by them will suffer the same fate, though the progression is a bit slower.’

’In my past life, this very issue caused a massive uprising.’

’Later, the major bases took action. Their methods were decisive. They solved the problem by going straight to the source of the infection. Anyone suspected of being bitten or potentially infected was forcefully eliminated.’

’Only by completely eradicating these potential sources of infection was the crisis resolved.’

’Countless people died because of it.’

’But according to the timeline of my past life, this outbreak shouldn’t have happened for at least another six months.’

’But this time, it’s early.’

Stella Sterling frowned. In this life, she had always paid close attention to this particular issue.

She had her base’s personnel keep an eye out for any abnormal individuals. She had even ordered that any such cases within their own base must be reported immediately.

But until now, she hadn’t received any reports.

Moreover, she had been away for a while and had met many people on her way back to Caeluna Base. None of the people she’d encountered showed these symptoms.

’It seems the situation hasn’t reached that severe stage yet. It must just be starting.’

She looked over at Chief Ford.

He’d been like this for over ten days and had now completely lost his mind.

No wonder Basil Xavier had been in such a hurry back then. Yet, when faced with Stephen Lawrence’s questions, he had said nothing.

Because this news absolutely could not get out, or it would cause mass chaos.

Meeting their gazes, Stella Sterling shook her head. "I have no way to treat this condition at the moment!"

After a moment’s hesitation, she added, "But my guess is that it’s contagious. The correct course of action right now is to kill him as soon as possible!"

The moment Stella Sterling spoke, Ethan Young stared at her in shock. "Miss Sterling?"

How could she say something like that? This was the leader of their Meridia Base. Her words were a provocation to their entire base.

Mr. Magnus sighed and said to Ethan Young, "Ethan, don’t be angry. What the girl said might be hard to hear, but she’s speaking the truth. From observing the Chief these past days, his condition is getting worse, and the virus in his body is spreading faster and faster. And based on what happened before, this virus is indeed contagious."

Ethan Young slowly calmed down.

Mr. Magnus spoke again. "Sterling, I understand what you’re saying, but Chief Ford’s identity is extraordinary. We can’t possibly kill him. I believe that if you give us time, we can definitely figure something out!"

Stella Sterling nodded, then continued, "I’m also saying this to warn you. Think about it. What if Chief Ford’s case isn’t the first? What if there are already many others out there, like that child? And then think about the people they’ve bitten..."

As Stella Sterling spoke, the expressions on the other two men’s faces grew uglier.

It wasn’t as if they’d never seen zombie movies before. They just hadn’t made the connection. But now, the more they thought about it, the more Chief Ford’s condition resembled it!

If that was the case, then Chief Ford was definitely not the first.

Then that meant humanity...

Ethan Young’s expression changed. He said to the other two, "Mr. Magnus, Miss Sterling, this is no small matter. I’ll leave things here to you two. I have to go deal with this, or there will be big trouble!"

Mr. Magnus knew the gravity of the situation and nodded. "Go!"

Stella Sterling called out to him, "Wait, Captain Young. Please give a message to the two people who came with me. Tell them to return to Caeluna Base. Also..."

Stella Sterling hadn’t expected the situation to be like this before she came. At the time, she had thought of bringing Zane Xavier along because he could fly a plane, which would be faster if anything came up. If something happened to her, he could also get a message back more quickly.

If these mutations had truly begun to appear, then Caeluna Base couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. They had to find and deal with the sources of infection immediately to prevent it from spreading further.