Chapter 323: Cancer?

Chapter 323: Chapter 323: Cancer?

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t reach out to take what the old woman was offering.

Instead, she asked, "Please, don’t worry. First, tell me the details. I need to see what the situation is. I also need to make it clear beforehand that I’m not a real doctor. I just gained some healing-type abilities after becoming a Player, so I can’t handle every kind of injury or illness."

Seeing that Seraphina Sullivan hadn’t rejected her outright and was willing to take a look, the hope in Michelle Morgan’s eyes grew stronger.

She nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course! Doctor Sullivan, it’s an immense kindness for you just to be willing to take a look! My son... sigh, you’ll understand when you see him."

Seraphina Sullivan nodded and prepared to leave with Michelle Morgan.

Before she left, she glanced over and saw Freya Lynn squatting alone by the door of her RV, listlessly fiddling with a somewhat worn-out stuffed doll in her small hands.

"Freya, why are you here all alone? Hasn’t your sister come back yet?"

Seraphina Sullivan walked over and patted the little girl’s head.

Freya Lynn looked up, her little face etched with worry.

Her eyes were a little red. "Yeah... My sister went out with Dexter Luther’s team yesterday morning to look for supplies. She said she’d be back by evening... but it’s already the afternoon of the next day, and she’s still not back... Sullivan, my sister will be okay, right?"

Seraphina Sullivan’s heart skipped a beat. ’Crystal Lynn and Dexter Luther’s team still hasn’t returned?’

But she didn’t let it show on her face, only comforting her gently, "Don’t worry too much, Freya. The snow is heavy outside, making the roads difficult. They might have just been delayed. Dexter Luther’s team is experienced, and your sister is very capable too. Maybe they found a lot of good things and just can’t haul it all back in one go. Let’s wait a little longer, okay?"

"Okay..." Freya Lynn nodded obediently, but the worry in her eyes didn’t completely disappear.

Seraphina Sullivan made a mental note of it, deciding to ask about the movements of Dexter Luther’s team after she dealt with Michelle Morgan’s situation.

Afterward, she followed Michelle Morgan to the area of the safe zone where most of the survivors lived.

It was Seraphina Sullivan’s first time venturing deep into this area.

She immediately felt the immense disparity in living conditions within the safe zone.

Perhaps because the RV area where she lived was occupied by capable individuals, the conditions there were still relatively decent.

But this place was completely different.

Far more people lived here, with entire families crammed together.

Michelle Morgan led Seraphina Sullivan to a doorway. She pulled back a heavy curtain, and a stuffy odor, a mixture of medicine and staleness, washed over them.

"Doctor Sullivan, my son... is in here."

Michelle Morgan’s voice choked with a sob as she bent down and ducked inside.

Seraphina Sullivan also lowered her head and stepped into the small, oppressive space.

But what Seraphina Sullivan saw was a family of four.

And the old woman’s son was a middle-aged man in his forties.

Lying on a simple bed, covered with a worn but clean quilt, was a middle-aged man who looked exceptionally gaunt, his hair sparse.

His eyes were squeezed shut, his brow furrowed in pain, and his breathing was faint and labored.

At the bedside, an equally haggard, hollow-eyed middle-aged woman was wiping his forehead with a damp cloth.

Standing nearby were two tall, thin young men who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen. Their faces were nearly identical and filled with anxiety.

When they saw Michelle Morgan lead Seraphina Sullivan in, the three people by the bed immediately stood up.

"Mom, you’re back," the middle-aged woman said, her voice hoarse.

"Grandma," the two young men said in unison, their gazes quickly falling on Seraphina Sullivan.

Michelle Morgan nodded and said to Seraphina Sullivan, "Doctor Sullivan, this is my son, Leo Ross. Please, take a look. Can he... can he still be saved?"

Her voice trembled with a final, desperate sliver of hope.

The moment Seraphina Sullivan entered the space, she was hit by the strong, bitter scent of traditional herbs mixed with disinfectant.

Her gaze swept over Leo Ross on the bed, and her brow furrowed slightly.

There were no external injuries on his body, but he seemed to be in a state of depletion, as if his Life Energy was being rapidly drained from within. The pain was clearly internal.

Without asking any more questions, she focused her mind. The [Eye of Resume] activated silently, scanning the man on the sickbed.

[Name: Leo Ross]

[Gender: Male]

[Professional Skills: Firearms Shooting]

[Weaknesses: Late-stage multiple malignant tumors. Cancer cells have widely metastasized to the liver, lungs, and bones. Vital signs are failing.]

Cancer!

Late-stage, metastasized throughout his entire body!

Seeing those words and the cold description, Seraphina Sullivan understood instantly.

This wasn’t an infection from an injury, nor was it poisoning. This was a terminal illness.

The cataclysm hadn’t killed him directly, but the apocalyptic environment had undoubtedly accelerated the process.

Seraphina Sullivan just said calmly, "I’ll try."

With that, she took a step forward, held her hands over Leo Ross’s body, and activated her Skill—[Flower Therapy].

A soft white light gathered in her palms. Several translucent, pure white flowers materialized from thin air and floated above Leo Ross’s body, showering down specks of healing light that merged into his form.

This miraculous scene made everyone else in the cramped dwelling hold their breath.

Michelle Morgan’s daughter-in-law covered her mouth, her eyes welling with tears.

The twin young men, River Ross and Hayden Ross, stared without blinking, their eyes filled with an indescribable mix of envy and longing.

’If only we could have such a miraculous Power, couldn’t we save our father and protect this crumbling family?’

Under the continuous healing of [Flower Therapy], the color in Leo Ross’s face improved at a visible rate.

His sallow complexion gained a faint touch of color.

Leo Ross’s tightly knitted brow seemed to relax slightly, and his breathing became a little steadier and stronger.

He even slowly opened his eyes. He looked around in a daze, his gaze finally landing on Seraphina Sullivan.

"Dad! Dad, are you feeling better?" the twins couldn’t help but lean in closer.

"Leo! How are you feeling?" Michelle Morgan’s daughter-in-law also asked eagerly.

"Better... I think... the pain isn’t as bad..." Leo Ross’s voice was as thin as a thread, but it definitely had more life in it than before.

The family’s faces instantly lit up with relieved joy. They looked at Seraphina Sullivan with gazes full of gratitude, as if they were looking at a savior.

However, only Seraphina Sullivan knew that the situation was far from being as optimistic as it appeared.

Her [Eye of Resume] had been active the entire time.

The entry under [Weaknesses: Late-stage multiple malignant tumors...] in Leo Ross’s information panel hadn’t changed in the slightest. It was still glaringly present.

The effect of [Flower Therapy] was, in essence, to heal injuries and replenish Life Energy.

Applying the Life Energy from her [Flower Therapy] Skill to Leo Ross was like pouring a small ladle of water into a bucket that was riddled with holes at the bottom and leaking rapidly.

It temporarily alleviated the crisis of the "water about to run out," causing the water level in the bucket to rise just a little.

But the fatal leaks—the cancer—still existed, and they were constantly growing larger.

Once the infused energy was depleted, or if the "leaking" outpaced the replenishment, the outcome would remain unchanged.