Chapter 335: Chapter 335

She had covered her whole body with snails, enduring the discomfort and stinging sensation of their crawling on her skin, all because she wanted to improve her skin, to become more beautiful.

But one day, she suddenly discovered that her skin was starting to turn blue.

Thinking something else was wrong, she added a few more snails and switched to doing it once a day!

Instead, the blue patches did not disappear but multiplied, and the color grew even darker.

Only then did she realize that the snails might be the problem. After rushing to the hospital for a check-up, the doctor said that her body cells had been infected by a type of fungus.

This fungus was very stubborn and highly contagious.

Frightened by the doctor’s alarmed reaction, she quit her job and went back to the countryside.

Even though she tightened her belt, the little money she had saved while working in Kyoto quickly ran out.

It was when she had no way out that she received a call from Matsumoto Pharmaceutical.

They said they could take her to Z Country for treatment. They also said that Traditional Chinese Medicine in Z Country was very powerful.

It wasn’t until she arrived there that she realized Matsumoto Pharmaceutical had used her as a case study to challenge the doctors in Z Country.

Looking at her two companions—one with cancer and the other a pregnant woman infected with HIV—she knew her disease was likely incurable.

She had already prepared herself for death.

Because she had signed a contract with Matsumoto Pharmaceutical: if she was cured, she wouldn’t have to pay a cent, but if the treatment failed, they expected her to commit suicide during the treatment period!

That way, the Matsumoto Group would take care of all her posthumous affairs and even provide a subsidy to her family. Fresh chapters posted on novel⸺fire.net

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Wada Sakurako’s body slowly slid downwards...

"Dead?" Watching the live broadcast, Matsumoto Mina suddenly sat upright. Her deliberately raised voice was clearly transmitted through the live broadcast camera.

"Could it be that some medication in the herbal bath triggered the fungus in Sakurako’s body to go rampant?"

The assistant chimed in, "That’s very likely. The fungus inside Miss Sakurako’s body thrives in high-temperature environments, especially between thirty-seven and forty-two degrees Celsius, where it reproduces fastest and is most active."

"How could An Yan’s team let Miss Wada Sakurako take a hot bath? We were always so careful to keep her body temperature below thirty-seven degrees!"

"It’s their mistake that led to Miss Wada’s death!"

Meanwhile, the group was discussing heatedly. The netizens watching the live broadcast were also stirred up:

[No way? Did someone die just as the competition started?]

[What are An Yan and her team doing? Why aren’t they rushing to save her?]

Suppressing the joy in her heart, Matsumoto Mina said with an urgent expression, "Quickly, someone go tell them about this situation! Have them seize the golden hour for rescue."

A staff member from Matsumoto Mina’s team ran out.

Inside Wada Sakurako’s hospital room.

When Wen Ya saw her sliding down, she had already grabbed a pole and propped her up under the armpits.

Wen Ya hadn’t thought much of it at first. After all, whether the person was dead or alive, she was the closest and could see most clearly.

But just then, a staff member from the Matsumoto team knocked on the door, saying, "Miss An Yan, our captain said the fungus in Miss Wada’s body thrives in warm water between thirty and forty degrees Celsius. She needs urgent medical attention right now! Please begin resuscitation immediately!"

Wen Ya suddenly panicked. "Miss, she, she..."

An Yan said, "She’s fine, just asleep. She must be under immense mental stress. Looking at her, she hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in at least a month."

"But the representatives from Country R say she needs to be rescued now," Wen Ya reminded her.

She was worried An Yan hadn’t recognized the voice of the person outside.

An Yan thought for a moment, then went to open the door and said to the staff member outside, "Who said Miss Wada Sakurako has a problem?"

The staff member exclaimed, "She’s in shock! Miss An Yan, we saw her go into shock! Please administer first aid to the patient immediately. Otherwise, we’ll appeal to the organizing committee and demand that you, Miss An Yan, take full responsibility for Miss Wada Sakurako’s death!"

An Yan asked sternly, "You knew all along that a warm bath would worsen her condition?"

"Then why didn’t anyone warn us while we were preparing her herbal bath?"

"Why should we remind you? It’s your fault you couldn’t detect it or identify it in your tests. Now that an incident has occurred, for the sake of Miss Wada’s life, our reminding you to perform emergency treatment is already an act of mercy on our part."

"Well, thank you so much for that! However, you’re mistaken. Wada Sakurako simply fell asleep!" With that, An Yan closed the door, not wasting any more words on him.

The staff member’s eyes widened with discontent. He absolutely believed Matsumoto Mina’s judgment. If Miss Meina said someone was about to die, then they were surely near death. As for An Yan saying she was just asleep, he didn’t believe it for a second.

So he knocked on the door again. "Miss An Yan, if you claim Miss Wada Sakurako is fine, then have her say something!"

Just then, several people from Matsumoto Mina’s team came over. "Miss An Yan, Miss Wada Sakurako is a citizen of our Country R. If anything happens to her, please inform us."

"Yes! Hiding it and not telling us is disrespectful to Miss Wada Sakurako herself!"

"Miss Wada Sakurako still has a flicker of vitality! If you don’t try to save her, then you must bear the responsibility."

Just as they were clamoring incessantly, on the big screen, Wada Sakurako opened her eyes. "What’s going on?" she asked.

The simultaneous interpretation system amplified her voice, broadcasting it through the screen.

Her voice instantly silenced the venue.

Especially those who had been knocking on the door; they all turned their heads in unison to look at Matsumoto Mina. Wasn’t she supposed to be dead? How could she still speak?

Matsumoto Mina was also stunned. Impossible.

She had thoroughly researched Wada Sakurako’s condition; that fungus was extremely active in warm water at the right temperature.

The reason Wada Sakurako’s entire skin was infected was precisely because she had initially tried to wash off the contaminants with warm water.

Moreover, she had confirmed that the amount of fungus on Wada Sakurako’s body had reached a critical point. Any more, and a toxic reaction was certain to set in!

Why was she not only unharmed, but actually seemed to have improved?

Could An Yan have Dong Xuelian?

Matsumoto Mina grabbed her phone and dialed a number. "Check something for me—find out if the Dong Xuelian we sold to the Royal Family of Country Y has been used."

A dozen minutes later, the reply came: "The Dong Xuelian held by the Royal Family of Country Y has not been sold."

Not sold? Then how could Wada Sakurako possibly be fine? Matsumoto Mina’s expression turned exceedingly grim; she was convinced the Royal Family of Country Y must have sold the Dong Xuelian!

An Yan herself might not have that much influence, but what if Ono had stepped in?

The Royal Family of Country Y was actually helping to conceal this? No, it’s more likely that Country R’s intelligence system simply couldn’t infiltrate the Royal Family of Country Y at all!

In any case, either possibility was incredibly frustrating for her!

An Yan, An Yan, one Dong Xuelian only has seven petals. Wada Sakurako needs at least two petals for a single herbal bath. I’d like to see how many days you can keep this up with just one flower! Heh.

In a corner of the conference room, Ono Eishi noticed her rapidly shifting expression and quietly stood up.