Chapter 271
One of the women argued, “But all our meals were delivered contactless to our doorstep! We always waited several minutes before picking them up. How could we possibly be infected?”
Winston said with guilt, “It must’ve been me who infected you all. I’m so sorry, ladies.”
Aria paused thoughtfully, then said gently, “Perhaps the source wasn’t you, Mr. Morton. It might have been livestock and poultry”
Winston shuddered violently. “Wasn’t Violet the source of the infection?”
Aria explained, “Violet was most likely infected as well. While human to human transmission of this virus is possible, the likelihood is relatively low with proper protective measures, routine contact usually won’t lead to infection.”
That was the conclusion Aria had reached through her observations and research over this period.
Winston wanted to ask why she hadn’t spoken up sooner, but he bit back the words. Given how dismissive everyone had been before, they likely wouldn’t have believed her anyway.
Aria had long advised them to wear full protective gear when handling the livestock, but they failed to comply. The same went for herbal preventive treatments…
Winston’s face was etched with remorse as he hung his head, his voice heavy with guilt. “There were just too many livestock, and the demand for medicinal herbs was overwhelming. I’m sorry. I didn’t follow your instructions.”
The cost of medicinal materials far exceeded the value of livestock and poultry.
Without concrete proof, the villagers wouldn’t risk spending heavily on medicinal herbs just to save their livestock.
“Madelyn, thank goodness you insisted on centralized management of the livestock beforehand. Otherwise, the infection would have spread to so many more people,” Winston said, his voice thick with emotion. “I… I truly can’t thank you enough.”
She had never benefited from Jamelan, yet she was the one who gave the most.
Tears welled up in Winston’s eyes.
He had conveyed all of Aria’s instructions to everyone, word for word.
No wonder infections kept rising in other villages, while Jamelan, the initial epicenter, saw little growth in new cases.
At first, they assumed the low infection rate was because the main research efforts were concentrated in Jamelan. Only then did it dawn on them that the real reason was that the source of infection had been kept away from them.
Winston looked at Madelyn and said earnestly, “Go ahead and treat me. I’ll volunteer as one of your samples.”
The women nearby, who had been keeping a close eye on the outbreak situation, all nodded firmly in unison when they learned that Betty had fully recovered. “We’ll volunteer too!”
If even someone as elderly as Betty could recover, they were sure they’d get better soon too.
Aria nodded. “I’ll send a car here for you guys.”
Aria sent a text message. When the car arrived, two volunteers stepped out and handed her protective suits. “Ms. Saxon, we’ll go in with you.”
Aria shook her head. “I can handle it alone. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing More and more infected people will be coming to the medical center soon. It’s going to get busy.”
One of the volunteers said, “Take care, Ms. Saxon.”
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Chapter 271
After the two got in the car, Aria noticed Owen was still standing there. She frowned. “Why are you still here?”
Owen replied casually, “I’m no doctor–just decent at cooking. Since lunch is over, I’ll stick around and help out.”
He helped with data collection and compilation, logistics coordination, supply transport and management, crowd control, disinfection procedures.
He’d been working tirelessly behind the scenes, but then, he just casually mentioned cooking, as if that were all he’d done.
Aria said, “You’re really downplaying yourself.”
The volunteers who overheard their exchange were stunned.
‘Ms. Saxon is seriously blunt,‘ the volunteers thought.
Owen couldn’t help but chuckle, then turned to the volunteers for a protective suit.
As they handed him the items, both volunteers lowered their voices and said, “Mr. Shaw, Ms. Saxon denies you’re pursuing her. This is your perfect chance to impress her. Don’t waste it.”
They’d all seen how devoted Owen was and would be more than happy to see him be with Aria.
That was why everyone called him “Mr. Shaw” instead of “Owen“-using a term like that would not match with Ms. Saxon.
Owen chuckled quietly and said, “I’ll do my best.”
‘Just not right now,‘ Owen thought to himself.
The volunteers cheered, “Go for it, Mr. Shaw! Go for Aria!”
A
