There was a small, inconspicuous inn on White Dove Street not far from where the homicide urred.
The first and most of the second floor was a bistro that offered a wide range of beers. In all honesty, though, all its vours were mediocre. The cook was a part-timer who wasnt very good at cooking and even had to return to his home every other day.r9xRcO
When the cook wasnt around, the store only had sausages and beer, as well as an extremely unenthused bossdy.
The boss and his wifes bedroom upied half of the second floor, and the third and fourth floors were partitioned into ten pigeon-hole-like rooms to provide lodging. The square footage of the rooms in this inn was worlds apart from the rooms in Hanjin Garden Hotel, just a block away. It was tragic.
Please support our trantors at chrysanthemumgarden (dot)
Yet, this was one of the few shops on White Dove Street that could sustain itself. As the room prices were low, there were always people stopping over De Carma who required cheap amodation like this.
The reporter duo, Bens and Hersey, were making inquiries with thedy boss when they unexpectedly discovered that the inn had a good view. When sitting at the booth by the windows on the bistros second floor, they could glimpse the lobby entrance of Hanjin Garden Hotel through a gap in a short building opposite, and if they headed to the third and fourth floors, there would be even less blocking their view.uz1Ogq
Bens wasnt especially keen on feeding the bugs in the bushes at Hanjin Garden Hotels entrance. After all, there wouldnt be any business tycoons swaggering out and about during the night, let alone coincidentally swaggering into his lens.
But he still wanted to be able to keep an eye on the hotel entrance at all times.
Taking that into ount, this inn was actually a pretty decent choice.
After polishing off a te of sausagesst night, Bens took a look around the third and fourth floors. While the pigeon-hole rooms were small, they were clean. So, he held his nose and booked two rooms, nning to temporarily stay with Hersey for the night, and to head over after seeing from the window that guests were heading out of Hanjin Garden Hotel.
p1mEJ7
Little did he expect to open his eyes in the morning to a raging rainstorm obscuring everything outside the window.
No matter if it was the windows of the room or the ss balcony door, they were shuddering in the storm, blurred with streaming rainwater. It was impossible to tell animals and humans apart from a ten-metre distance away, not to mention Hanjin Garden Hotel, which was even further off.
Let me tell you a joke: the view here is excellent, Bens said mockingly.
Hersey, The weather forecast says that it wontst long. It should end by evening.I94LTk
If the weather forecast was reliable, would we still be holed up here? Bens, probably crazed from anger, cursed everything that moved.
De Carmas hurricanes are supposed to be different from others. Its notoriously hard to predict Hersey poured a ss of beer for him in constion, then buried his head back into his food.
This was irrefutable. After all, if De Carmas hurricanes could be forecasted, then Southcross Law Firm wouldnt have chosen to risk organising an event in this weather, lest they incurred losses from upsetting the guests.
Bens knew this, naturally, so he red at him irritably, Is your tongue getting sharp at this time again?1dUv7J
In fact, during this period, Hersey had be more verbose than before. He was no longer as shy, possibly because he had been taken on quite a few trips and had formed ideas of his own. Sometimes asionally, he would talk back a bit, or initiate some suggestions
After Hersey finished his food, he hedged, Right, teacher, speaking of Southcross Law Firm
Mm, what about it? Bens took arge gulp of beer, grunting vaguely.
During thest time we went to Tian Qin, we metjdiZeJ
Vtea eq. Pw cba ilrafclcu, sbegf obgylvvfc ogbw wfcalbclcu, Dfcr rijwwfv tlr yffg weu vbkc, kjgclcu t tlr mtlc peaafv bea.
Po sbe vjgf ab ygfjx atja uijrr, Pii tjnf atlr ybaaif xlrr sbeg gbis-qbis tfjv.
Story tranted by Chrysanthemum Garden.
Dfcr,
Coafg j wbwfca bo rlifcmf, Lfgrfs aglfv ab qgbqbrf jujlc. Ktf ijksfg jcv tlr lcafgc ijra alwf kfgf ogbw Vbeatmgbrr. Cmaejiis, kf mjc64FM2J
We cant. Bens had his beer mug raised, but, upon glimpsing the menacing re thedy boss shot him, he awkwardly set it down lightly.
Do you have amnesia? Have you forgotten how upset everyone got?! The resentment was deeply etched on Bens face. I refuse to deal with them a second time in my life.
They should be quite reasonable people said Hersey, not giving up.
Oh Bens pulled a face even longer than a donkeys, drawling. Then do you mean that Im being unreasonable?Zy3fjR
Otherwise?
Hersey didnt make a sound, silently drinking his beer.
Im telling you, even if I suffocate to death over here, I will never attempt to contact them to ask for information, neverever! So what if theyre insiders? So what if theyve got information? Bens was steely. Ive got a backbone, Ive got my pride. So dont waste your breath. Its no use. Keep dreaming.
The rainstorm continued to wreak havoc, without signs of abating.RY15Mw
Bens showed a frosty look and straightened his neck. This backbonested for about ten minutes, before he silently lowered his head, fishing out his smart device.
The two mansions of Hanjin Garden Hotel nked a garden restaurant that waspletely enclosed by a wide ss dome. The fierce gales and heavy rain were barricaded outside, sounding muffled due to the noise instion.
The ssy and rxing music was neither too loud nor too quiet, perfectly setting the ambience.2qUIn5
There werent many people dining out. In this weather, most people chose to stay in their rooms like Young Master Joe.
Of the Manson brothers, Brewer Manson was absent. Instead, his assistant was hurrying about, never taking off his earpiece, constantly on thems with various people.
From his expression, he should be dealing with some work-rted matters, and the results were very satisfactory.
Now and then, he would pause and dial anotherms. Reading his lips, respectfully calling boss, he was presumably reporting his progress to Brewer Manson.uyi2UR
On the other hand, the younger of the brothers, Miller Manson, did appear in the restaurant, even tipping his ss at Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi as he passed by. Whatever he did, he always had such an abstruse smile on his lips that it was hard to tell if he was simply making a greeting or expressing some sort of subliminal provocation.
He eventually joined Cliff, the business tycoon in space shuttles. His hands were spread behind on the sofa,nguidly chatting with the other.
Please support our trantors at chrysanthemumgarden (dot)
When the waiter served theaperitifsand appetisers, Yan Suizhi swept a nce over at them, then lowered his gaze, continuing to y with his smart device.
Who are you texting? asked Gu Yan.1zPQ4p
Myndlord, said Yan Suizhi.
Gu Yan arched his eyebrows.
The esteemed Professor Yan seemed to have grown extra eyes elsewhere, correcting without even a lift of his head. Mr Mervin White, the man who almost became myndlord. Stop arching your brows, o distinguishedwyer.
The distinguishedwyers face was as it always was. He sipped his aperitif. Have you been in touch with him the past few days?xTKVuS
No, Yan Suizhis face was sincere. How can I have the mind to care about others when a mint essence has me spellbound and incapable of clear thought?
Gu Yan, ?
But he didnt contact me, either, Yan Suizhi said. Which I find quite odd.
The space shuttle was still being repaired on the emergencyne. He was a tad worried that something would happen to thendlord.ZzEKuj
His message received no response from the other side.
Yan Suizhi projected the time calctor, checking the time in the star sectors in the vicinity of the orbital route, making sure that it wasnt in the dead of the night, before straight-out calling hisndlord.
Sudden bad weather wouldnt affectmunication calls within the, but this might not be so for calls that extended outside the.
Sure enough, an alert came through the earpiece:TZkbGe
Signal is unstable. Communication device cannot be reached. Please try againter.
After three attempts to no avail, Yan Suizhi directly opened the interster news page on his smart device.
Cant connect?
Mm, Yan Suizhi nodded and started to search for the shadow of Mr Mervyn Whites figure in the news.8UZfd
Fortune of all fortunes, Mervyn White wasnt that down on his luck. Todays news was practically spammed by articles about the contagion, without touching on anything else.
No news is good news, Yan Suizhi said. Maybe hes still stuck on the road. Ill try again in a while.
Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot)
As he spoke, he skimmed the articles on the screen in passing, and an expression of surprise crossed his face. The virus has a cure.
When did that happen? Gu Yan was simrly taken aback.nQSxtK
Let me check, Yan Suizhi nced through the time stated in various articles. Theyre all saying that it was announced this morning, slightly over an hour ago, thereabout.
Hearing this, Gu Yan followed suit, opening the news page and giving a few articles a rough read.
Usually when a rampant pandemic broke out in the alliance, the research institutes affiliated with major medicalpanies would start to work overtime, racing to be the first to find the cure. Whoever could smoothly pass the Medical Boards tests would seize the initiative, getting unlimited business opportunities for a long time afterwards.
Most of the time, the first to do so would be the research institute at Spring Ivy Hospital, though it would asionally also be other, slightly smaller institutes that came out on top, such as Orchid Medical, Montigo, Westshore, etc.nei72h
In this case, the drug was produced by the one that came in fourth in the overall ranking, Westshore. Unlike Spring Ivys hospital structure, it was an independent pharmaceuticalpany, ater to the industry that was only just established twenty-odd years ago.
Some people said that in the medical field, it was only about 300,000 hospitals short of Spring Ivy.
However, Westshore didnt seem to be in a hurry to overtake anyone. Its core business was in pharmaceuticals and had never revealed ns to set up a hospital.
This time around, Westshore exceeded expectations, not only developing a drug for treatment, but also immunisation.vVddtU
Articles said that Westshore had already negotiated a business deal. Special drug distribution centres would be set up across the alliance, providing support for quarantine, testing, and treatment, preventing further spread of the virus whilst relieving the pressure on major hospitals.
Whilst reading the articles, Yan Suizhis smart device suddenly began to vibrate. Amunications request cut in.
Mr Mervyn White? Gu Yan asked.
Yan Suizhi nced at the contact name jumping on the request screen and his brows flew up, looking quite surprised. No.YFs9dy
Who is it, then?
Guess?
Gu Yan started. Its someone I know?
Is there anyone in my address book that you dont know? Yan Suizhi said. Nevermind just knowing him, youve even menaced him before.YVdGPQ
Ive done something sowless? Lawyer Gu felt that a certain someone was beginning to talk rubbish again.
Yan Suizhi turned the screen to him. Lawyer Gu swept a nce at the name and, without another word, silently started on his appetisers.
Story tranted by Chrysanthemum Garden.
The caller was none other than the reporter that was shameless to the coreBens.
No one could read what Yan Suizhi was thinking, but a gentle and elegant smile suddenly graced his face. He picked up the call.BOsYpL
Gu Yan wastoofamiliar with this smile. Every time the esteemed Professor Yan smiled like this, it implied that the other party was going to drop dead from anger.