Chapter 397
Too lazy to type and with her food still not served, Shermaine shot off a video call to Joshua. But the moment his surroundings came into view, she ended the call immediately.
The very next second, Joshua called back. He stood up and told everyone, “Let’s take a ten-minute break.”
Since Shermaine didn’t put her earphones back on, Joshua’s deep, magnetic voice faintly escaped from her phone’s speaker. Bruce glanced up, his expression unreadable, then casually went back to drinking his juice like nothing had happened.
“You can finish your meeting first,” Shermaine said.
“No meeting’s more important than you, Sheary,” Joshua said.
Shermaine smiled slightly. Outside, a light rain pattered against the windows. The restaurant was a little cold, but with that quiet warmth in her eyes, Shermaine didn’t feel it at all.
Ten minutes later, the food was finally served, and it was worth the wait. Shermaine hung up the video call and finished her food. Once she was done, she headed back to the city and plunged straight back into her lab work.
As evening fell, a helicopter soared over the city skyline of Horington.
Steve received a call and immediately drove over, where the helicopter’s pilot handed him an exquisitely crafted four-tiered lunch box. He had to admit he was practically green with envy.
Steve couldn’t help but think, ‘Seriously, when a filthy-rich guy spoils his wife rotten, it’s just unfair to the rest of us–he flaunts his wealth in the most outrageous way imaginable.’
She returned to the lab, held the lunchbox out with a dramatic flair, and announced, “Dr. Jean, your gourmet delivery from Basterel has arrived!”
Shermaine was taken aback.
Steve said, “Mr. York had this specially flown in by helicopter from Basterel just for you.”
A quiet laugh escaped Shermaine as a smile slowly spread across her face. She thought, ‘Did Joshua really have this specially delivered just because I casually mentioned that I crave his cooking?’
She opened the lunchbox, and a wave of savory steam drifted up from the still-piping-hot food and soup. One sip of the broth, and her smile deepened—it was unmistakably Joshua’s cooking. That flavor had his signature all over it.
Steve, lucky enough to share the meal, was practically moved to tears. “This is insane. Who is this chef? Everything tastes amazing.”
Shermaine replied casually, “My man made it.”
Steve fell silent. The way long-distance couples flex their love was unbelievable to him.
Three days later, Shermaine’s serum was finally ready. The ordinary infected patients—most of whom had been terminally ill and tricked into becoming test subjects—began to recover once they were treated. But even with their conditions stabilized, they didn’t have long to live.
Meanwhile, those running the operation behind the scenes had already been arrested. Unless something dramatic changed, they were looking at life in prison or the death penalty.
But for patients with mutated strains, the serum was useless. Worse, it triggered severe side effects. They would get waves of unbearable pain that lasted until the serum’s effects wore off. Even the test mice in the lab couldn’t make it.
Just then, Shermaine got a call from General Hospital. To be exact, it was a call from Jameson’s attending doctor. Thanks to the medicine Shermaine had prescribed earlier, Jameson’s condition had improved enough for him to finally undergo heart surgery.
“Dr. Jean, will you be performing the surgery yourself?” the doctor asked.
“Yes,” Shermaine replied. “Have you set the time?”
“When are you available?” asked the doctor.
Shermaine replied, “Tomorrow works for me.”
Jameson was over the moon when he heard Shermaine would be the one in charge of his surgery. With her in charge, the fear of dying no longer weighed so heavily on his mind.
Later that night, a new headline quietly crept into the trending topics: [Horington Dumping Ground Dismemberment Case]
Netizens flooded the comment section quickly. [A dismemberment case? How many died? One or three?]
[I saw the photos and videos from the crime scene. Seriously, I nearly puked my guts out. It’s absolutely horrifying and gory.]
[If you’re thinking of watching the footage or looking at the photos, don’t. It’ll haunt your dreams. I’m seriously regretting it.]
[The killer is brutal. I hope the police catch them soon.]
[What’s going on in Horington lately? The whole city’s on edge.]
In the reeking sewer beneath General Hospital, Natalie crept through the filth, staying hidden after committing another murder. She was after the nurse—the one who had lured her into that cursed lab.
Natalie thought bitterly, ‘It’s all her fault. She’s the reason I became… this. And Jameson, that heartless bastard, treated me so cruelly. I’ll make sure he dies too.’
Early the next morning, Shermaine arrived at the hospital an hour early for her pre-op preparations. The corridors were unusually quiet, with only the janitorial staff going about their cleaning routines.
Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from one of the upper floors. At that exact moment, Shermaine’s phone blared with an urgent alert: [Target spotted. Target spotted.]