Dominic chuckled. “Why? Don’t you miss your son? Giving him the cold shoulder, huh?”“The pandemic is worse than we imagined. Although I would take every safety measure, better be safe than sorry,” she said thoughtfully, having no mood to joke about such a matter. More accurately, she had not been in the mood to joke around recently. The spread of the virus would be unimaginable if they couldn't find a way to contain it. “Okay.” Dominic knew it, of course, and simply wanted to tease her. However, he stopped joking about it after hearing how serious she was. “Then do what you think is necessary. Actually…” After a pause, he chuckled. “Nothing. You’ll know when you’re here.” Lily was puzzled. “Be punctual, okay? Time is precious for them too!” He reminded her before hanging up. It was highly unusual, as Dominic had become somewhat arrogant after being famous in the herbal medicine field and flattered by everyone for many years.As the leading figure in the field, he rarely m
Leaving the hospital, Lily drove toward Dominic’s estate wearing a hazmat suit. Although she had taken full disinfection measures, she wanted to be safe. As Dominic was old and her son was there, she could not afford to make any mistakes. Lily did not drive fast, but she felt she was being followed not long after she departed. She did not expect that she would be tailed as she had not come back for a long time, and she had tried her best to keep her whereabouts from others. She glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw the car keeping a distance behind.She could vaguely see that the driver was a woman, but she could not see her face clearly as she was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, not to mention she was far away. ‘A woman? Could it be Rhea?’ Thinking so, she slowly sped up. The other person increased the speed as well. It was rather conspicuous, as her skill at tailing people was not good. Curling her lips, Lily narrowed her eyes and slowed down. She saw the traffic li
Lily was surprised.‘Looks like there are people who think likewise!’“Ahem…” Dominic coughed twice and said, “You’ve come at the right time. These two gentlemen are whom I want you to meet.”Catching herself, Lily quickly walked over and stood beside him.“This is the chief physician, Dr. Blanc, and Dr. Morris from the National X Department.” Dominic gestured, introducing them. “They are experienced doctors and experts in virology.”Lily was bewildered.‘X Department? What kind of department is that? I’ve even never heard of it! I’ve seen movies like X-Men and Project X. Is there an X Department in our country? Anyway, if there is, what have I got to do with it?’“Please join us.” The older man, Dr. Blanc, spoke first.They looked strange sitting together with Dominic wearing a jacket over a loose T-shirt and a pair of shorts while the other three were in hazmat suits.“Then…” Clearing his throat, Dominic spoke first to break the ice. “Let me introduce you guys. I’ve already
Based on what they said, Lily grew slightly relaxed as she felt they might not know about Alexander and had not come for that.“I’m sorry, I haven’t come in contact with the pandemic disease, so I don’t know much about it. Besides, mainstream doctors have done a more thorough and professional job researching the virus. I don’t think I can be of much help.” She smiled and spoke apologetically.Dr. Morris went straight to the point, “That’s not the case. Although we’re doctors, we don’t disregard herbal medicine. Besides, we’re here to seek cooperation. Of course, we initially wanted to ask Mr. Fike to join us, and it would be best if he could.” He looked toward Dominic. It was clear he did not take Lily seriously.Dominic said he would introduce them to his last apprentice, who could be of help, claiming she was as good as him. Therefore, they had high expectations and were surprised to discover that she was such a young woman.‘Since it’s widely known, it takes many years of expe
Lily was surprised. She was genuinely stumped, having forgotten that it was highly unusual for her to come to Dominic’s place wearing a hazmat suit.She coughed and looked toward Dominic. “Actually… he’s the one who asked me to do so.”Dominic was nonplussed. He wanted to avoid the affair and become a referrer, but it was challenging to handle these two parties. Lily seemed not to want him to enjoy his peace by cueing him so soon. “Oh?” Dr. Blanc said blandly.Lily said, “He said the pandemic is serious. Although our country is okay for now, knowing that the virus could spread fast and is hard to detect, he told me to be careful if I came here. So, the one who knows about the pandemic disease is not me but Dominic. I also feel you should help them, Dom. You shouldn’t stay out of this!”Dominic was speechless.Dr. Morris repeatedly nodded in agreement. “That’s right! Mr. Fike, you can’t continue living as a hermit. I hope you can work with our department to solve the problem! Don
“But…” Dr. Morris wanted to say something, but Dr. Blanc stopped him again. “In that case, we won’t force you, as we’re looking for a volunteer. Besides, I trust Mr. Fike’s recommendation, and I believe Mrs. Russell could work well with us.” He turned to look at Lily as he made the invitation. Lily looked at him pensively for a few seconds, then slowly said, “I look forward to working with you guys then.”“Dr. Blanc…” Dr. Morris was somewhat against it. He still felt that it was better to invite Dominic. However, the chief physician did not plan to let him speak. “Moe, show Mrs. Russell the non-disclosure agreement.” Although Dr. Morris was reluctant, he obeyed the instruction and took a non-disclosure agreement from his briefcase to hand it to her. Lily hesitated for a moment and took it, then heard Dr. Blanc say, “Due to the nature of our work, everyone who works with the X Department has to sign an agreement like this. I hope you don’t mind.”Lily browsed through the det
"I know. I knew you'd understand me," the old man said with a smile after being freed to move his body. Noticing Lily’s preoccupied face, he asked, "What's wrong? How's that silly husband of yours?""He's not looking very good." Lily shook her head and briefly recounted the situation in the past few days, including his pulse reading, condition changes, and laboratory test results.The most intriguing aspect of all of this was that the lab results were normal. She only knew Alexander's internal organs were unwell by reading his pulse. It seemed like medical instruments could not pick up the effects of this virus."How interesting!" The old man spoke thoughtfully as he listened.However, he immediately realized how bad that sounded and glanced at her before correcting his words. "I didn't mean it that way. What I'm saying is… From your description, it seems like the virus was created to avoid all these instruments. Could it be a new disease from God?""It's a man-made virus, not one
"There's nothing mysterious about the department, but I can't say it's not mysterious either!" Dominic began to beat around the bush.Lily shot him a glare before he continued, "It's quite easy to tell. They specialize in the study of strange phenomena. Besides the plague, they also looked into some strange phenomena that science couldn't explain.""You mean spiritual things?!" her eyes widened in surprise.‘Why were there still doctors studying supernatural powers?’He waved dismissively as if he could read her mind. "No, no, no. They don't just have doctors there. They have architects, special police forces, and various other jobs that you can think of. To summarize, they’re a group of elites from all backgrounds."His smile was very flattering as he said that. "Speaking of which, you're also an elite."Lily immediately rolled her eyes. "You deserve all the credit."Dominic chuckled and ignored her sarcasm as he continued, "This department and I go way back. I was probably in