Chapter 1476: Chapter 1448: We Must Find Her Quickly
Kiara’s eting had co to a temporary conclusion. Although there was no solid evidence to prove that the deceased had definitely played the Death Ga, his death was undoubtedly linked to it.
After the eting, Mario Yuno straightened out Kiara’s clothes, “You take your daughter ho first, I might have to work late.”
Kiara had long been accustod to him working overti whenever there was work; after telling him to take care of himself, she went to look for Wendy.
While she and Mario Yuno were in the eting, Wendy had been left in Arlong’s care, who was at the mont entertaining her by playing with the poultry in the Cooking Squad.
Seeing so many small animals, Wendy seed very interested, pointing at the pigs and giggling.
Arlong, holding her, watched as Wendy persistently reached through the fence, straining towards the animals. If the little girl could walk, Arlong had no doubt she would climb right in and try to ride a pig.
When Kiara arrived, Wendy had already nearly driven Arlong mad.
“Hey, sis, I think taking care of my niece is even more brain-taxing than shooting. I can’t understand how soone who looks like a little angel can have so many bizarre ideas in her head… not a minute goes by when she’s well-behaved.”
Kiara calmly took her daughter, “She wasn’t like this before; it’s probably because she spent a few days with Grandpa Griffin, and his way of looking after children must have led her astray.”
Dad’s way of educating children was indeed astonishing, and Kiara was impressed. She couldn’t think of everything so comprehensively. Apparently, Dad had conducted so sort of test specifically for the child, and then tailored the education based on the data to aid Wendy’s brain developnt, which was undoubtedly beneficial. But this personality…
“Nyah~~” Wendy, relentless, pointed inside at the pigs, wanting to ride!
Kiara held her forehead, thinking that if her daughter grew up to be a reckless tomboy, her dad would certainly have played a major role.
That night Kiara fell asleep without waiting for Mario Yuno to return. Just before dawn, in a daze, she felt a shadow standing at the foot of her bed. Sitting up, the shadow beat her to it by turning on the light.
Mario Yuno looked at her grimly.
“What’s wrong?” Kiara yawned; what was this guy doing watching her instead of going straight to sleep?
“There’s so bad news I need to tell you.”
“What?” Kiara reached for her glasses, “Has there been a breakthrough in the case that requires my assistance for a while?”
She had already braced herself for it.
If that was the case, the child could either stay with Dad or with Mum. Personally, she was inclined to leave her with Dad, despite the occasional slip in his judgnt.
“That’s one reason—but there’s sothing more serious. Using technical thods, we’ve found that the deceased indeed joined a suicide ga. This ga has only recently started infiltrating our society, and so people are already addicted to it, including soone we both know.”
“Know?!” Kiara instantly beca alert.
Out of the people she knew, who else could have fallen for this trap?
Except for her mum, who was incredibly gullible, Kiara couldn’t think of anyone else around her who could have been brainwashed.
“To be precise, this person is closely related to Arlong.”
“Arlong—wait, could it be… Flora Jim?!”
Kiara suddenly understood.
Mario Yuno nodded, it was her.
The news couldn’t be more shocking.
Kiara only then realized why Flora Jim had been acting so strangely at alti. How had she not thought of it sooner? Flora must have been brainwashed already, right?!
“How could she play such a ga? Given her ‘goldfish’ nature, it doesn’t seem right…” Kiara was baffled.
The more selfish a person is, the less susceptible they are to suggestions, especially soone like Flora Jim, who was adept at forgetting all others for her own pleasure, how could she have been easily lured by this?
“I didn’t believe it at first either, until the technicians brought up so of her recent behavior. We have ample evidence to prove that she indeed joined the suicide ga.”
Mario Yuno never expected that after all the twists and turns, it would involve his own family.
Kiara pondered for a mont and finally ca to a conclusion.
“I was oversimplifying the problem. After getting ashore, Flora must have found it difficult to escape the shadows of her past. Even in a new city, she couldn’t shake off her previous label. Once marginalized by society, what she must have wanted the most was a sense of belonging, and that’s when the ga took its opportunity.”
To Mario, this sounded utterly inconceivable.
“Didn’t she use to party every night?”
It made no sense for her to feel a lack of belonging after going straight.
“It’s different. What may seem unbearable to us was the most favorable environnt for her survival. In that milieu, she could do as she pleased without anyone criticizing her. But once she left that behind, everything beca distorted. Outside, no one could understand her life.”
“Hmm, now that you ntion it, I kind of understand. Is it like the movie ‘Wicked Courtesan’?” Mario had a flash of inspiration, thinking of the Island Nation movie he had seen.
Kiara squinted, “That movie was just released not long ago. When did you watch it behind my back? Heh, isn’t Anna Tsuchiya beautiful?”
Mario Yuno stated earnestly, “I was really focused on the plot.”
Kiara scoffed, “Hmph, n.”
“Ignoring the pale legs part, Flora indeed fits the ‘goldfish’ theory promoted in the movie; a goldfish can only survive in a bowl just like Flora could only live within a certain setting. Perhaps she dreamt of a beautiful future when she left, but the future turned out to be crueler than she thought.”
Just as Kiara had said, how could one’s past be so easily erased? How could the deeds she had done be negated by a re ‘I know this is wrong’? Arlong was often at the company, having little chance to make calls. Alone, Flora could easily develop a discomfort with life, allowing the ga to find its way in during her vulnerability.
“The investigation team found a massive collection of horror movies and dark music in Flora’s house. She sent her sister Emily to the Boarding School, and recently she was on her own. According to our assessnt, she was already showing signs of suicidal tendencies.”
“If she’s been brainwashed for so ti, coupled with the biological clock disruption caused by her irregular routine, then Flora’s current condition is indeed worrying. We have to find her fast. As long as she hasn’t reached the final step, I still have the confidence that we can pull her back.”
Kiara disliked Flora, especially her relationship with her brother, but she wasn’t twisted enough to stand by and watch her die without helping. That’s just how a doctor’s job is.
“We want to find her too… but unfortunately, Kiara, I have bad news for you. Flora Jim has disappeared.”
“Disappeared? How is that possible, we just had dinner together yesterday.”
“Right after dinner with you, she vanished. Our experts speculate she might have co to see the most important person in her life one last ti, and after that, she could set off on her final journey with peace of mind…”
If Flora had died, it would be detrintal to the entire case and would put Arlong in a difficult position. If she died like that, Arlong would undoubtedly carry a heavy psychological burden for the rest of his life. Thinking of this made Kiara trendously upset.
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