She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 52 Old Stories

In the spacious study, Anastasia and Bill Montague had a very pleasant conversation, getting along very well and even feeling like they had known each other for a long time.

Bill is a talkative man, and he has a strong ability to be compatible with both upward and downward trends.

His gentlemanly manners make him considerate of others' feelings, and his wit and humor prevent his words from being dull and boring, making people want to keep listening.

The readily available allusions and the humorous yet polite jokes all give people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze, making people want to relax and chat with him.

Anastasia is also a talkative person, although she can be sarcastic and barbed at times, but most of the time she is a very polite person.

In addition, she has a great advantage: she is never stage-frightened.

No matter the occasion or the person she's facing, she can speak fluently, confidently, and calmly.

Anastasia possesses knowledge far exceeding that of ordinary people, capable of conversing with people from outer space to the uterus, and she will never let the other person fall silent if she wants to talk.

Besides, in her eyes, Bill was just a middle-aged version of Mike, only more knowledgeable and experienced. What was there to be afraid of? So what if he was a famous tycoon? They could just chat!

During her conversation with Bill Montague, Anastasia learned a great deal about Montague's past and Gloria's past.

More than a hundred years ago, Gloria was not the metropolis it is today, nor even a small town, but an unclaimed wasteland waiting to be developed by humans.

Until an adventurer set foot on this land, he panned for gold in this water-rich land—he found a gold mine.

Thus, a gold rush began, and a large number of people poured into this wasteland, and houses sprang up everywhere.

The adventurers who discovered the gold mine named the newly established town "Gloria," meaning: everyone forges their own glory with their hardworking hands.

More and more gold prospectors, dreaming of getting rich, flocked to the town, and gold mines were built one after another. The town grew larger and larger, and its infrastructure became more and more complete, with hotels, hospitals, shops, and all kinds of facilities available.

In just ten years, what was once an abandoned wasteland has become a sizable city, a city that relies on gold mines for its operation.

However, no matter how abundant the underground mineral veins are, they will eventually be exhausted. Those with foresight began to try to transform their businesses, using the first pot of gold they earned to open factories.

Thanks to its advantageous geographical location, Gloria enjoys excellent transportation access, whether by land or water.

Most importantly, Gloria is a coastal city with a wonderfully advantageous harbor; it would be a shame not to build a seaport and develop maritime transport.

Thus, under the leadership of a group of insightful individuals, Gloria successfully transformed itself, riding the wave of industrialization and setting sail from a small, neglected boat into a mighty warship that braves the wind and waves.

Today, Gloria is one of the world's leading metropolitan areas and one of the world's most economically developed regions.

The Montague family were gold prospectors back then, but they weren't so lucky. They didn't make their first fortune through gold mining and could only try to make money off the gold prospectors.

If luck isn't on your side, hard work will make up for it. Through the tireless efforts of several generations, by Bill's father's generation, the Montague family had established themselves in Gloria and owned their own hotels and factories.

This is an inspiring entrepreneurial story, but it's still a long way from becoming a legend.

The person who truly propelled the Montague family into the upper class was Bill, who single-handedly created Montague's glory, transforming them from a small factory owner into a business tycoon.

Bill Montagu was the one who created the glory, and he was also the one who brought about the downfall.

If they can survive this crisis of destruction, Bill Montagu will become a legend in Gloria, and his family will become unshakeable.

If they fail to survive this crisis of destruction, the Montague family will slide into the abyss and never recover. People will gradually forget Bill Montague and this loser.

In the spacious study, after Bill Montagu finished recounting his family's rise to prominence, he picked up his teacup and moistened his throat.

Anastasia watched Bill's resolute back. Although Bill's account was mostly glossed over, she could still imagine the hardships and difficulties he had endured.

However, Anastasia wasn't particularly interested in Montague's success. Everyone's success is hard to replicate. Anastasia was more interested in what Bill had messed up that would put Montague in such a precarious situation.

"Mr. Montague, shouldn't we now tell you the story of you and Mrs. Montague?" Anastasia said. "I think that's what Mike is most concerned about."

Although the crisis of Montague's demise was more pressing, Anastasia wanted to hear about Madame Montague first.

Upon hearing this, Bill looked at Mike, who remained silent.

Mike had already sat up straight, and the father and son's eyes met in mid-air.

"When I met Olivia, I was very young, even younger than Mike is now," Bill said slowly. "Back then, my parents had just passed away."

Bill Montague and Olivia Montague's first encounter was anything but romantic and beautiful; instead, it was filled with sadness.

At that time, Bill's parents went to inspect a factory that was about to be sold in order to expand their business. However, the factory was accidentally exploded, and both of Bill's parents died.

The accidental explosion at the factory not only cost young Bill his parents, but also killed Olivia and Iniz's parents.

"After my parents died, I went to church for solace, and Father Lawrence gave me a lot of comfort," Bill continued. "That's where I met Olivia for the first time."

"Have you forgotten me?" Iniz Blatt suddenly spoke up, "I was the first person you saw in the church."

Anastasia's lips pressed into a thin line again. What was this? Her brother-in-law was fighting with his deceased sister over a man?

At this moment, Iniz Blatt looked at Anastasia and explained, "After our parents passed away, Father Lawrence, who was in charge of handling the factory explosion, adopted my brother and me, so that we wouldn't end up on the streets."

"So, the factory's accidental explosion wasn't actually an explosion, but rather an anomaly?"

Anastasia paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "If it's an unusual event, could it be a pollution outbreak?"

Father Lawrence was a veteran member of the Bureau of Anomalies, and the factory explosion he was in charge of handling could hardly have been just an accident; it was most likely an anomaly.

Given Iniz Blatt's age and his mutated power, Anastasia had reason to suspect that the so-called accidental factory explosion was actually a pollution outbreak, and that Iniz Blatt's mutation was caused by this pollution outbreak.

"I can roughly guess what 'pollution' means, but what about a pollution outbreak?" Mike asked, his understanding of these matters far from sufficient.

"Pollution outbreaks are usually caused by a catastrophe triggered by a certain pollutant, or by a transcendent being unable to control its own mutated power, thus leading to a disaster," Bill Montagu explained. "Every pollution outbreak is an irreversible disaster."

"Within the area affected by the pollution outbreak, most people would die from the pollution, and only a very small number of people would survive," Iniz Blatt said. "The pollution outbreak covered not only that factory, but also several nearby blocks, and the number of survivors was very small."

According to the Bureau of Anomalies' official records, the death toll from this pollution outbreak was 2374.

Official records are usually not very reliable, meaning the actual death toll from this pollution outbreak is likely to be more than 2374.

"Is there really absolutely no way to prevent this?" Mike asked. "I mean, is the pollution outbreak truly unstoppable?"

If every outbreak is an irreversible disaster, and if every outbreak results in the deaths of tens of thousands of people due to pollution, then pollution and those who transcend it are far too dangerous, and should be—

Mike Montagu was startled, terrified by his own sudden thought. He clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Those who transcend are simply ill; they are also victims of pollution. It is wrong to blindly call for their destruction.

"As far as I know, pollution outbreaks cannot be prevented by human intervention," Bill Montagu said.

This was a breathtaking answer. Bill was just an ordinary person, and his answer was from the perspective of an ordinary person.

For ordinary people, a pollution outbreak is a catastrophe. Let alone preventing the outbreak, even getting close to the source of pollution is a problem.

"Although I personally experienced the pollution outbreak, I was too young at the time and didn't understand anything. I haven't encountered any pollution outbreaks since I grew up. However, I later talked to a priest about this issue."

Iniz Blatt thought for a moment, then continued, "The priest said that the Bureau of Anomalies has emergency plans for dealing with pollution outbreaks, but they require human lives to be sacrificed. Usually, it involves sending several elite teams deep into the contaminated area to deal with the source of the pollution."

This is also a suffocating answer. Although the investigation bureau has contingency plans, it still cannot prevent the outbreak of pollution. It can only rely on sacrifices to minimize the losses and reduce the damage caused by the pollution outbreak.

Mike looked at Anastasia with a last glimmer of hope, hoping that the unconventional private investigator could give him a less suffocating answer.

"Theoretically speaking, preventing a pollution outbreak is virtually an impossible task," Anastasia said. "But it's not entirely hopeless; there's still a tiny bit of possibility."

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Mike's face fell, and a sense of powerlessness washed over him; upon hearing the second half, Mike's expression improved slightly, and a glimmer of hope welled up in his heart.

"Pollution outbreaks actually have warning signs. As long as we can detect these signs in advance and act quickly enough, there is still a chance to prevent a pollution outbreak."

Upon hearing Anastasia's suggestion, the hope that had just begun to rise in Mike's heart was instantly extinguished. The possibility was truly just a tiny bit!

If the Bureau of Anomalies could detect the signs of a pollution outbreak in advance, would it be necessary to risk human lives?

Iniz Blatt picked up his glass and took a big gulp.

As someone who transcends limitations, Blatt knew all too well just how impractical Anastasia's methods were.

Gloria is a megacity, and the Bureau of Anomalies cannot possibly monitor every corner of the city in real time, let alone detect signs of a pollution outbreak in advance.

If they can't even get to the first step, then forget about anything else.