Chapter 553 - 562: Gordon Ford is Missing

Chapter 553: Chapter 562: Gordon Ford is Missing

If this goes on, more people are going to die.

Even if they could eventually resolve the situation, they would suffer catastrophic losses.

Ethan Young nodded and left without delay.

Mr. Magnus looked at Stella Sterling. "Sterling, I know you were telling the truth, but don’t say things like that again. Especially not around Ethan Young. He’s fiercely loyal to Chief Ford. If you weren’t his friend, he probably would have put a bullet in you the second you said it!"

Stella Sterling’s words could indeed be easily misunderstood.

Even knowing her intentions were good, some people just wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Stella Sterling said, "It was just a suggestion. I meant nothing else by it. What you do is up to you."

"Besides, in his condition, if there’s no other way, the end result is still death. Killing him sooner would be a release for him. Knowing the Chief’s character, I believe he would rather die than become a grotesque monster and harm others."

When Stella Sterling said this, she had already considered the consequences. She was just speaking the plain truth; it was necessary to make them understand the gravity of the situation. If they couldn’t accept it, there was nothing she could do.

’Even if Ethan Young wanted to kill me, I’m not afraid. He’d have to have the skill to do it, first!’

’We’re fairly good friends, and I know that from his perspective, attacking me after what I said would be understandable...’

But that didn’t mean Stella Sterling would just let him attack her without a fight.

Stella Sterling’s voice was calm and detached. Mr. Magnus stared at her in shock, thinking that the mental fortitude of the young woman before him was terrifying.

Even though he knew everything she said was true, hearing her say it so bluntly still left him with an indescribable sense of shock.

He said, "Aren’t you afraid that kid Gordon Ford will hold it against you when he finds out? You have to understand, the human heart is complex. Facts are facts, but saying them out loud is a different matter entirely!"

Mr. Magnus was on very good terms with Chief Ford. Others might not know, but he knew a little: this girl and the Chief’s son had a connection.

Chief Ford had mentioned Stella Sterling to him many times, and the pride in his eyes had been impossible to hide.

If things had gone differently, the Chief might very well have become her father-in-law.

Yet in a situation like this, how could she state such a fact so calmly?

Hearing this, Stella Sterling’s expression flickered for a moment before she quickly regained her composure. "I’ll say it again: I’m only stating the facts. If he can’t accept it, then there’s nothing more for me to say. He’s free to blame me if he wants."

Having lived through this once before, Stella Sterling knew better than anyone how terrible this thing was. In her past life, everyone had researched it for so long, but they hadn’t found a thing.

Other than killing the infected, there was no way to return them to normal.

Keeping them alive only prolonged their suffering.

Many of them didn’t even want to be this way; they just couldn’t control their actions.

If Gordon Ford really couldn’t accept it and blamed her, then there was nothing she could do.

Hearing Stella Sterling’s response, Mr. Magnus was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

He marveled again at the girl’s frighteningly strong will. She was too rational.

More rational than an old man like him who had lived for so many years. He couldn’t even compare to a young woman in her twenties.

Finally, he shook his head again. "Alright, I can’t win an argument with you, Sterling. But you were right about one thing. Knowing Chief Ford’s character, he wouldn’t want to live like this. His last order was for us to kill him, but how could we possibly do that!"

"And I believe there must be a way. There has to be a way!"

By the end, Mr. Magnus didn’t know if he was trying to convince Stella Sterling or just comforting himself as he started muttering.

Stella Sterling paid him no more mind and took two steps forward to examine Chief Ford’s body.

On the surface, he still looked mostly human, but his mind was no longer his own.

She shook her head. ’I really don’t have a solution for this. I haven’t done much research on viruses; my expertise lies more in treating external trauma.’

However, she didn’t say any more discouraging words. Maybe there really was another way.

Besides, she remembered her ’space’ had given her many good things before. Maybe when she had a moment, she could rummage through the treasures in her space. She might find something useful.

After all, the things her space had given her had all sorts of strange and wondrous effects. It was possible one of them was specifically for dealing with this kind of problem.

Although she had already prepared for the worst, she didn’t want to give up until the very last moment.

She didn’t want the man to die—not for Gordon Ford’s sake, and not for Chief Ford’s own.

After a while, Stella Sterling asked, "Where’s Basil Xavier? He had someone tell me to find him the moment I returned, but he’s not here."

"Basil Xavier had to take care of something!" Mr. Magnus said. A shadow of worry passed through him. ’That boy has been gone for several days now, and he still hasn’t returned. I wonder how he’s doing.’

’And Gordon Ford, too...’

Hearing this, Stella Sterling frowned. Knowing Basil Xavier, if he said he wanted her to find him here upon her return, he would have definitely been here waiting for her.

But he was gone when she arrived. Unless he had encountered an emergency, he would never have done this.

’And Gordon Ford... with something like this happening to his father, I still haven’t seen him. That’s not right!’

After thinking for a moment, Stella Sterling asked, "Then what about Gordon Ford? With something like this happening to his father, why isn’t he here?"

At Stella Sterling’s question, Mr. Magnus’s expression changed again. Thinking of her relationship with Gordon Ford, he didn’t hide it. "That kid, Gordon Ford... he’s been missing for a month."

Hearing this, Stella Sterling’s expression changed dramatically.

Mr. Magnus continued, "A month ago, Gordon Ford came down with an illness. After he recovered, he started acting strangely, almost as if he’d lost his mind. Then he said he needed to go confirm something and disappeared without telling anyone. Our people and the people from Crescentia Base have been searching for him, but there’s been no news. We have no idea where he is."