Monica continued, “Let’s go upstairs to drop off our luggage and get ready to head into the mountains.”
Leo nodded, looking eager to go up the mountain immediately to find the virus host and cure Willow.
The group then entered the hotel.
As soon as they stepped into the lobby, they saw four or five blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners in hiking gear sitting in the lounge area, eating breakfast and discussing something.
Leo glanced at them, feeling puzzled. With the current situation in the mountains, the locals were fleeing, so why were these foreigners here to hike?
When the foreigners saw Monica and her group, their expressions changed. They immediately stood up and walked over, shouting, “Hey, Monica, you’re finally here!”
Monica’s face also changed when she saw the foreigners in hiking gear. She seemed surprised to see them here.
She gave them a cold look and didn’t speak, turning instead to continue checking in.
“Monica, are you that unhappy to see me? I’m very happy to see you!” said one of the foreigners, a handsome man with blond hair and deep green eyes. He leaned against the counter and gave Monica a roguish smile.
“Mr. Dante, could you please stay away from me?” Monica said with a tone of disgust as she took her room key.
Monica’s bodyguard immediately stepped forward and said coldly to Dante, “Mr. Dante, please stay away from Miss Monica.”
Dante smiled indifferently and stepped aside.
As Monica turned away, he said with a smile, “Monica, I will crack this virus before you do!”
Monica didn’t look back and led her group towards the elevator.
Seeing an Atrarian following Monica, Dante sneered, “Monica, why did you bring an Atrarian? To use as a test subject?”
In Western medicine, there were many volunteers willing to sacrifice themselves for medical research due to poverty or terminal illness.
So when Dante saw Leo, his first thought was that Leo was a volunteer Monica had found.
“He’s my friend, a great Atrarian traditional doctor!” Monica turned around and replied coldly.
“Atrarian traditional doctor?” Dante was taken aback, then mocked, “Monica, are you relying on an Atrarian traditional doctor? Their practices are just tricks, and you believe in them?”
Monica’s voice turned stern, “Don’t flaunt your ignorance in front of me. The wonders of Atrarian traditional medicine far exceed your imagination!”
With that, Monica ignored him and pressed the elevator button once her group was inside.
“Dr. Bloomer, don’t mind him. That guy is crazy!” Monica said to Leo after shaking off her gloomy expression.
Leo smiled and didn’t care much about Dante’s words. He asked curiously, “Who are they? Are they here for the virus too?”
Monica nodded, “Yes. Have you heard of Clotho Syndicate?”
“Clotho Syndicate?” Leo thought for a moment and shook his head.
“Clotho Syndicate is a well-known medical laboratory in the United States specializing in virus research,” Monica explained. “I expected them to come but not this early.”
Leo smiled, “It’s good to have another medical organization helping with the research.”
Having another medical organization increased the chances of overcoming the virus, so Leo saw it as a good thing.
“A good thing!?” Monica’s assistant frowned. “It might be good for you, but if they find a cure first, House Rothschild’s reward will go to them!”
“Yes, that’s one billion dollars!” Another member of the United States Medical Association couldn’t help but exclaim.
One billion dollars!
No wonder Monica ignored Dante earlier. Such a large sum could turn even the best partners against each other, let alone organizations with no prior relationship like the United States Medical Association and Clotho Syndicate!
“I thought House Rothschild had only entrusted this matter to your organization,” Leo said to Monica with a smile.
“Rich families like that would never put all their hopes on one organization or person!”
“Dr. Bloomer, there might be more medical organizations coming besides Clotho. I heard that the European Medical Association is also here. But I’m confident that House Rothschild’s reward will end up in our pockets!” Monica said confidently.
Leo shook his head, “I’m not interested in money.”
After settling into their hotel rooms, Monica called Leo and the others downstairs to head into the mountains for an initial survey.
When they got downstairs, Dante and his group were already gone, likely having headed up the mountain first.
Once in the car, they drove directly towards the mountainous area where the virus first broke out.
The mountainous terrain was complex with winding roads requiring slow speeds for safe passage.
By the time their off-road vehicle entered the deep mountains, it was already afternoon.
Fortunately, they had prepared dry food and drinking water in advance.
After driving for another ten minutes, the road ahead suddenly widened.
A temporary checkpoint had been set up by the roadside with a roadblock in place. Next to it was a military-green truck with two soldiers standing beside it. Seeing Monica’s convoy approaching, one soldier signaled them to stop.
Monica rolled down her window and showed a picture on her phone to the soldier before handing over her work ID.
The soldier carefully checked Monica’s phone and ID before returning them to her.
He then instructed his comrades to move the roadblock aside and signaled that he would lead them.
“Monica, you’re more impressive than I thought,” Leo said with a smile.
“Of course, Dr. Bloomer. There are many things about me that will surprise you!” Monica replied playfully.
“Where is that soldier taking us?”
“To the military camp first. I found out yesterday that there’s a doctor there who treated some of the first patients infected with this virus.”
Following the soldier’s lead, Monica’s convoy soon arrived at the military camp.
In front of them was an open area surrounded by sturdy iron fences.