After swiftly finishing his meal, Roland conveyed, "Valerie just called. Brook and the others were discharged from the hospital this morning. She and Keith have been frequenting the hospital, but it seems the number of patients has surged in the last two or three days."

Eric and Sylvia exchanged worried frowns. All their friends and family resided in Salt City.

Roland shared the same predicament. He had gone to great lengths to escort Valerie out of Dortmund City to shield her from infection. However, the virus outpaced their expectations. If one person in a city was infected, a widespread outbreak would be inevitable within ten days or half a month.

Eric's heightened concern stemmed from Melinda's recent recovery, a little over a year ago. If she contracted the virus in Salt City, it could lead to complications.

"Go ahead and eat. I'll make a call," Sylvia said.

This information had to be credible—something significant was unfolding. After all, Dortmund City and Salt City were ap