Geoffrey dispatched a team to the Arctic to retrieve samples when he heard of the mysterious illness. Back in the lab, they discovered the virus spread through the bloodstream, initially targeting white blood cells and causing the immune system to collapse. Its pathogenesis was very similar to that of HIV, but this was an acute infection with a latency period of just half a day.
"The patients all have knife wounds. They must have got infected during their injuries," the doctor explained.
Aurelia clenched her teeth. The assailants had laced their blades with the virus.
"But how do we treat it? Can we use the therapies developed for HIV?" she asked.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSkyler spoke softly, "HIV's targeted drugs might alleviate ssymptoms and barely keep the sickness at bay, but they can't eradicate the virus." A sudden chill gripped Aurelia's heart. "Do you have a cure?" Skyler recounted, "Geoffrey first experimented with the virus on monkeys. All injected with the virus perished except for one albino monkey, which miraculously survived due to a genetic mutation that produced antibodies against the virus. Injecting its blood into other infected monkeys cleared the virus from their systems." Aurelia understood. "So, the AK Group has a cure, a serum?" "Exactly." Skyler nodded.
Aurelia's mood turned grim. She turned and glanced at Guardian Leopold. "They cfor me. It's not enough that I've been infected with a superbug. They also wanted to infectwith this ancient virus." A dark glint flickered in Leopold's eyes. They must have deduced that he had already found the antibiotic, and they were aiming at Aurelia again to use her as leverage against him.
But he had an ace up his sleeve.
In a secret basement in Aberystone, Tanya, in disguise, had cto see the child.
"The little master has been asleep since last night, not crying or asking for food. He's a good baby," the caregiver reported.
Tanya was shocked. It was not right.
She quickly pulled back the child's blanket and saw his tiny stomach move with shallow breaths.
Pulling the pacifier from his mouth, the child remained motionless.
She scooped him up and gently pinched his face.
Suddenly, the child's eyes snapped open, and he burst into tears. "Daddy, I've been infected with a virus from the Arctic, an ancient one. Getthe serum quickly, or I'll die. I'll die..." His cries turned ghastly, echoing like a specter.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmA violent shiver ran through Tanya, and she flung the child from her arms in horror.
It was no child but a lifelike high-tech robot, remotely controlled! Her location was exposed. She scrambled through a secret tunnel, more flustered than she'd ever been in her life.
"Madam, it's possible they've injected the child with the svirus. Should we hand over the serum?" her assistant asked, worried.
Tanya was livid.
"You useless idiots! You couldn't even tell the child was fake." The assistant replied, "The robot was incredibly lifelike with warmth and breath. It's hard to tell without a close look." Tanya gritted her teeth. "The child is their only bargaining chip. They won't let him die. We must keep calm. Leopold will compromise to save Aurelia." The assistant swallowed nervously before speaking, "The woman who clast night wasn't Aurelia, just a body double." "What?" Tanya was shocked. She had underestimated the power of high-tech. Leopold's Sovereign Elite Group had access to the world's most advanced technology.
"You are all fools. You are good for nothing but failure!" The assistant trembled slightly. "Leopold is much craftier than we anticipated."