Chapter 325 - 315: Eliminating the Iceborne

Meanwhile, after getting the news, Shane Rhodes and the others started to boil water.

They were certain they hadn’t been infected with the Glacier Virus. After all, the fire in their fireplace burned twenty-four hours a day, and they never ate cold food.

But after so many days, who wouldn’t want a hot shower?

It was only because the weather was cold; if it were summer, they would have started to stink long ago after so many days without a shower.

The three men washed up on the first floor, while Moira Lynch, as the only woman, went upstairs.

Moira Lynch looked at the steaming water in front of her. ’To be honest, I just washed not too long ago, but I don’t mind doing it again.’

She had been using unscented shampoo before, but this time, she wanted to make herself smell lovely.

An hour later, Moira Lynch came downstairs, feeling completely refreshed.

It was only after seeing Moira Lynch in her pajamas that one of them belatedly realized something.

"Moira, how come you don’t seem cold at all?" Kai York asked.

"Be more confident. Drop the ’seem.’ I’m really not cold."

Moira Lynch was about to explain, but Kai York suddenly yelped, "The first stage of the Glacier Virus!"

But after saying it, he realized something wasn’t right.

Moira Lynch just took a shower and never eats cold food. How could she possibly have the Glacier Virus?

"It’s not the Glacier Virus, it’s Ice Chestnuts."

Moira Lynch explained about the Ice Chestnuts, and both Kai York and Shane Rhodes couldn’t help but look at her with envy.

But soon, as if a thought struck them, the two turned to look at Hugh Finch. It was only then that they noticed that while he was dressed, he was wearing significantly less clothing than they were.

"Hugh Finch, don’t tell me you ate those Ice Chestnuts too," Shane Rhodes said.

Hugh Finch nodded. "I ate a little, but probably not as much as Moira. It just increased my Antifreeze Attribute."

Kai York looked from Hugh Finch to Moira Lynch, and finally, he shed tears of envy.

Seeing this, Moira Lynch suddenly said, "The weather on Caelus is pretty similar to Glacius’s right now. Maybe Ice Chestnuts or Snow Chestnuts will start appearing here too."

Hearing Moira say this, Kai York’s head snapped up. "For real?"

He startled her. "I only said it was a possibility. To know if it’s true, you’ll have to ask him."

Saying this, Moira Lynch turned her head to look at Hugh Finch.

"As it happens, I haven’t done my daily divination yet," Hugh Finch said, picking up the cue.

And so, the group gathered around the table.

Hugh Finch took out his divination tools. This time, he was using Copper Coins.

As he slowly closed his eyes, motes of white starlight materialized and began to circle slowly around him.

After a long moment, he slowly opened his eyes to meet their expectant gazes. "I have good news and bad news," he said. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"The good!"

"The bad!"

Moira Lynch and Kai York spoke at almost the same time.

"Then we’ll go with Moira’s choice," Hugh said. "Let’s hear the good news first."

At that, Kai York rolled his eyes. ’Don’t think I can’t tell. He was planning to share the good news first from the very beginning.’

"The good news is, Caelus does indeed have Ice Chestnuts, and Snow Chestnuts too."

"They really exist!"

Kai York was instantly ecstatic, so much so that he wanted to rush out and start looking for them right away.

During that game back on Glacius, he had found Ice Chestnuts and Snow Chestnuts too.

But back then, he hadn’t known what they were. He had mistaken them for oddly shaped snowballs and chunks of ice and had simply tossed them aside.

Knowing the truth now, Kai York was filled with regret.

But there’s no cure for regret in this world. And who could he blame? Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch just hadn’t been with him at the time.

"What’s the bad news?" Shane Rhodes asked.

He wasn’t as optimistic as Kai York. The fact that Hugh Finch chose to share the good news first suggested that the bad news was likely also about the Ice Chestnuts.

"The bad news is that they are extremely rare. The chances of us finding any are slim."

Shane Rhodes knew that when Hugh Finch said "slim," he probably meant "next to impossible."

Kai York, in contrast, was ever the optimist. As long as there was a chance, that was enough for him.

By the next day, the snow that had been falling for several days in a row had actually stopped. The sky even cleared up, and the sun came out.

At the same time, a team of people in uniform began going door-to-door. They were accompanied by a Fire Talent, and they carried flamethrowers and temperature guns.

Their mission was to find and eliminate everyone in the base who was infected with the Glacier Virus.

Soon, there was a knock on Moira Lynch’s door.

When the door opened, two fully equipped individuals stood outside. One of them held a flamethrower in one hand, poised for combat, while their other hand held a temperature gun.

Seeing this, Moira Lynch’s first thought was, ’Are they sure they won’t get their hands mixed up?’

’Like, taking someone’s temperature with the flamethrower hand.’

Moira’s group passed the test without any issues. Just as the team was about to leave, a commotion erupted nearby, followed by the sounds of a fight.

The two who had just tested Moira’s group heard the noise and immediately sprinted toward the sound.

Driven by curiosity, Moira Lynch also stepped out of the house and looked in the direction of the commotion.

It wasn’t far, so Moira Lynch had a clear view. Her next-door neighbors to the left were in a confrontation with the temperature testing team.

An old woman had let her whole family be tested but was adamantly refusing to let them test her eight-year-old grandson.

Such behavior was a clear sign she was hiding something, so the two staff members prepared to force their way inside.

They were under strict orders: no one in the late stages of infection could be left alive. They couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted and let anyone go.

Otherwise, a moment of compassion could lead to the deaths of countless others.

When the old woman saw they were about to use force, she threw herself on the ground and started making a scene, wailing that she didn’t want to live anymore.

But it was useless.

The two staff members found the little boy hidden inside a cabinet.

An eight-year-old should be at his most energetic, but this little boy’s eyes were vacant, like a doll’s.

They scanned him with the temperature gun.

Negative two degrees Celsius. The final stage of the infection. He was beyond saving.

Fortunately, Iceborne infected with the Glacier Virus are harmless during the day.

When the old woman saw that her grandson was about to be taken away and "disposed of," she scrambled up from the ground, screaming curses and preparing to fight them, but she was simply shoved back down. "Please do not interfere with our work."

Meanwhile, the old woman’s son and daughter-in-law—the boy’s parents—watched with aching hearts but didn’t dare to step forward.

Their hearts were breaking, but after watching yesterday’s video about the Iceborne, they knew their son was no longer their son.

After watching helplessly as her child was turned into a puddle of water by the flames, the grieving mother turned all her rage on her mother-in-law.

"This is all your fault, you wretched old woman! I wanted to send Shengsheng away, but you refused to let me! Now look! This is all your fault! Give me back my son! Give me back my son!"