Chapter 484: You’re Certainly Flexible

It took Arabella Donovan a moment to realize who he was talking about, and her expression changed slightly.

“How did he die? The cause of death was…”

This Yuri Quincy was the wealthy heir from the protagonist group. In an attempt to curry favor with Julian Spencer, he had also become one of the main accomplices who conspired with Terence Lewis to harm her third brother.

According to the original plot, there should have been about six months until Yuri Quincy died after being accidentally infected by his journalist girlfriend. But now… ‘He’s dead!’

“The specific cause of death is still unclear. Our people have already sealed off the scene, and everyone who entered his home took basic protective measures. I’m sure we’ll have results soon.”

Since her last talk with Ron Cole and the others, everyone Arabella had specifically named in her notebook was under close surveillance by the relevant departments.

This was especially true for the members of the protagonist group. Anyone who had recently come into contact with them had been discreetly screened to ensure nothing was missed. Now, Yuri Quincy’s death was a signal—a sign that war was about to break out, and it put everyone on high alert.

Hearing his reassurance and knowing that Ron Cole and his team had made arrangements in advance, Arabella’s anxiety eased slightly.

After some thought, she decided to call Ron Cole herself to ask about the situation with Yuri Quincy. She asked him to be sure to inform her of any new developments and also reminded him to increase surveillance on the other members of the protagonist group.

Yuri Quincy’s death was likely just the beginning. The other members of the protagonist group would soon suffer the same fate, especially the lawyer. According to the script, he was supposed to be the second to die, right after Yuri Quincy.

Ron Cole was receptive to her advice and trusted her words. That very day, he assigned more personnel to watch those individuals.

Perhaps because they were already prepared, the cause of Yuri Quincy’s death was determined quickly.

He had died from a previously unknown virus. After infection, the body’s surface showed no abnormalities. There weren’t even symptoms like fever, coughing, dizziness, or a cold.

However, the viral clusters it produced would slowly corrode all the patient’s organs from the inside out. By the time it was discovered, it was too late. The victim would dissolve into a pool of pus, becoming completely unrecognizable, much like the effects of the corpse-dissolving liquids used to destroy evidence in old martial arts films.

Ron Cole’s people could only confirm the victim’s identity by the clothes left behind and through DNA comparison with the remaining residue.

Listening to the report from Ron Cole, the last of Arabella’s hope died.

The wealthy heir’s manner of death was identical to how it was described in the original plot.

This meant the real challenge was now upon them, but that wasn’t what worried Arabella the most at this moment.

Yuri Quincy’s sudden death meant her earlier ominous premonition had come true. Not only had the plotline concerning Guinevere Rhodes accelerated, but it seemed the storylines for others had been affected as well.

Especially after meeting Summer Vance, she increasingly felt that something was spiraling out of control. And at a time like this, the unknown meant terrifying danger!

Because of this sudden development, Aurora Donovan was urgently recalled to the research institute to develop a way to suppress this type of virus.

Arabella also returned to Dennis Donovan’s house to think about how to deal with these events.

And just as she was at her wit’s end, her heart heavy with worry, her master, who had been missing for several months, finally resurfaced online.

TranquilMind: So, it’s finally come to this. A little faster than I expected, though.

Arabella froze. Above this message was a long stream of rants and questions she had sent her master after discovering she was in a “ghost marriage” with Caspian Rhodes in the book, and more recently, after learning that her family could hear her thoughts.

Connecting his reply to her previous messages, Arabella smelled a rat.

SpareTheRod: ?

SpareTheRod: What do you mean? It sounds like you know everything. Fess up. Have you been hiding something from me?

Her master didn’t answer directly, instead changing the subject.

TranquilMind: You went to Imperia? You met that unusual girl, didn’t you? Things over there are probably about to get messy, right?

SpareTheRod: !!!

SpareTheRod: How do you even know that? Don’t tell me you divined it all yourself. We lived together for over a decade. You think I don’t know what you’re capable of?

Arabella’s merciless jab almost made a certain someone, thousands of miles away, recoil in anger and want to just up and quit right then and there.

TranquilMind: Oh, since you have such a low opinion of me, I suppose you don’t need this half-baked master of yours to clear up your confusion. This annoying old man should probably just continue his travels and stay out of you young folks’ way. Say another word and I’ll just be called a nag.

Arabella jumped in alarm and quickly tried to coax him.

SpareTheRod: Master~~~ I was wrong, I was really wrong! I was blind to your greatness and offended you! Please be the bigger person and forgive me this once. I promise I’ll never run my mouth again! [FranticallyKowtowing.jpg]

TranquilMind: …

TranquilMind: You’re certainly flexible.

Arabella could tell her master was placated. After a moment’s thought, she decided to video call him.

The call was answered quickly. On the other end of the screen was a white-bearded old man in his sixties or seventies, dressed in a black and white Daoist robe with his hair in a topknot. With the beautiful landscape behind him, he really did have an air of otherworldly wisdom.

But the thought of this “immortal” spending his days glued to his phone—scrolling through videos, novels, and gossip, and pulling all-nighters to play games as his form of “cultivation”—made that wise aura diminish considerably.

Arabella didn’t bother asking where he was. The moment the call connected, she got straight to the point. “What is going on? Before I left the mountain, didn’t you tell me there were no such things as gods or ghosts in this world? So what’s the deal with Summer Vance? How can one body contain two souls? And what is that thing that talks to itself in her head? It’s not human and not a ghost. It’s like…”

“A hallucination.”

“What?”

“An ordinary person encountering something like this would first assume it’s a visual or auditory hallucination. Someone more psychologically fragile might even think the voice represents their own shameful, hidden thoughts. In short, a psychological suggestion.”

Arabella: “…” ‘What is this? Did we just switch from the supernatural channel to a science documentary?’

“In fact, it’s something similar. It has nothing to do with her inner thoughts, though. It’s mainly due to outside guidance.”

“Outside? So you’re saying it does involve…”

Before Arabella could finish, he cut her off. “No. In this world, there are indeed no gods or ghosts.”

Arabella frowned. “Then…”

“There may be no gods or ghosts, but there is The Providence.”