“I will try my best,” replied the doctor. They had truly run out of options.
“I don't care what you have to do. Please give us more time,” said Tristan to the doctors.
The doctors were aware that he was the one and only Mr. Tristan. How could they afford to be negligent and not follow orders?
“However, Old Mr. Tanner is only going to suffer if this continues.” If things were going to be like this, there was no point in keeping him alive.
This was quite torturous to the old man.
“You needn't worry about all that. He has someone he still wants to see, after all. I only ask that you give me a bit more time,” replied Tristan.
Given how sensitive the situation was, Tristan could not just bring Sophie here.
“Yes, sir.”
The doctors left, and Morgan sighed.
“Where is Ms. Tanner?” murmured Morgan worriedly. He knew Sophie well enough. She was not the type of person who would ignore the fact that her grandfather was in critical condition.
Since she is not here, did something happen to her?
“Morgan, stop asking questions. I'm going to see Old Mr. Tanner, and I will bring Sophie back,” said Tristan tersely. Since Josiah could not be saved, all Tristan could do was fulfill the man's dying wish.
Morgan grew even more anxious.
Since the situation was already so dire, there was nothing that could be done.
However, in the grand scheme of things, this was just the circle of life.
When Tristan entered the ward, Josiah could hear the door move. Josiah angled his gaze up to look for the source of the noise, but he seemed crestfallen when he saw that it wasn't Sophie.
He had been holding on, hoping to see Sophie get married, but he never thought that this would happen.
However, he did wish to see her a final time before passing away.
Tristan noticed his expression and reached out to hold Josiah's hand.
“You must hold on, Old Mr. Tanner. Sophie has urgent matters to deal with and cannot leave just yet. She will rush over the moment she's done. In fact, I'll personally bring her here. You must hold on, okay?” Tristan did not dare tell Josiah what Sophie was up to.
As such, he tried to sound as neutral as possible.
Josiah merely blinked when he heard this, signaling that he had heard every word.
With labored breaths, Josiah squeezed Tristan's hand.
“Don't worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Regardless of what happens, I'll take good care of Sophie. I won't let anything happen to her.”
Tristan knew what the old man needed to hear and thus tried his best to assuage Josiah's fears.
“I will try my best,” replied the doctor. They had truly run out of options.
Hearing this made tears fall from Josiah's eyes. He did not wish to cry. After all, death was not a scary thing. However, he was afraid of leaving Sophie behind on her own with no one to support her.
If he left too, then she had nobody left in the Tanner family to rely on.
Sophie's gloomy future made Josiah so sad that he could not bear thinking about it.
“Don't worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Don't cry. If Sophie knows you've been crying, then she will be very sad too.” Sophie was actually quite empathetic.
As expected, Josiah promptly stopped crying after hearing this.
Tristan then gave the old man's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Tristan was not someone new to experiencing the death of others, but he was truly heartbroken this time.
After speaking to Josiah a little more, Tristan finally emerged from the ward. Felix had been waiting outside for him.
“What do we do?” Felix had never experienced such a conundrum before. If Sophie came back and saw Josiah in this state, she was going to be utterly despondent.
How are we going to solve this dilemma?
“Have we managed to contact anyone from Central Hospital?” queried Tristan.
“Not yet. As of now, Central Hospital is being surrounded by the army.” Ever since Sophie had entered the premises, she could not be reached via phone. After all, this concerned Chanaea's national security.
“We need to find a way. Otherwise, I'll make a trip there personally.” All Tristan needed was access to the hospital.
“Mr. Tristan, the virus is infectious. I'd strongly advise against entering the hospital,” said Felix urgently, holding Tristan back. “This is a scheme from Anglandur. Therefore—”
“I know that,” replied Tristan brusquely. “But before we handle this matter, I have to make sure Sophie is okay.” It looks like I need to make a trip to Anglandur.
“Are you...” Felix then sighed. Why doesn't he get it after I've spent so much time and saliva explaining?
“Assign a few people to keep watch over Old Mr. Tanner. Make sure nobody does anything fishy!” There was nobody in the Tanner family who could be trusted.
Given Josiah's current state, there was nothing to stop them from resorting to dirty tricks, especially given Charmaine and Willow's attitude earlier.
“We have a team here standing by,” said Felix reassuringly. Nobody could do anything to hurt Josiah as long as he was kept under their watchful eyes.
Meanwhile, at Central Hospital, both Arius and Sophie had tried multiple methods but to no avail.
As such, they were running on fumes.
Sophie was especially tired. She had just finished a battle with several hackers and had no time to rest before rushing over to the hospital.
“What's wrong? Are you tired? If you are, you should rest for a bit. I can hold the fort for a while.” Arius noticed that Sophie was exhausted, which made his heart ache.
Sophie merely shook her head.
“Arius, it's not that simple this time. I'd just helped Eustace capture S,” said Sophie. “This virus might be the machinations of foreign powers or criminal organizations abroad.” Shaken by Chanaea's progress, the foreigners had resorted to dirty tricks to undermine them.
Arius nodded in understanding.
“Yes. I also think someone personally had a hand in spreading this. Given the sensitivity of the issue, we need to find a solution. Otherwise, the virus will mutate and infect the people of Chanaea while the others swoop down like birds of prey when we are weak.”
As Chanaeans, how could they let other countries undermine their nation's sovereignty?
“Where is Mr. Smith? Have you managed to contact him?” asked Sophie. Hasn't he always wanted to come to Chanaea? Our progress might be faster if he could be here.
“I've not been able to reach him.”
There was a possibility that the Anglandur forces were keeping watch on Barney. Why would they let him leave the country at such a critical moment?
Sophie sighed.
“Did your phone get confiscated too?” asked Sophie. Since the case was a matter of national security, their phones were confiscated the moment they entered the premises.
“I still have mine.” Due to Arius' position, he managed to retain his phone.
“Give it to me.”
Sophie sensed that something was not right and was worried about Tristan.
Arius handed his phone to her, and she instantly dialed Tristan's number.
“Arius? Are you with Sophie now?” asked Tristan immediately after picking up.
“Tristan, it's me. I'm currently at Central Hospital, but I don't think I'll be able to leave anytime soon. Is everything okay?”
“I'm okay. Don't worry! Do take care of yourself while you're in there!” At the moment, Tristan dearly wished to take her away. After all, he was not concerned about the lives of others. What did they have to do with him?
“It's good to know that you're okay. Can you please keep an eye on my grandpa? My eye is twitching uncontrollably. I fear that something has happened.”
Upon hearing Sophie say that, Tristan felt his heart sink.
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