While Gong Xiangyi was confused, Gong Lixin had heard the doctor’s explanation of Chief’s Gong’s condition, who had been feeling warm since he’d cultivated, suddenly felt cold to the bones.

  In his last life, he had always imagined life if he had a father. Would he teach him how to practice calligraphy and martial arts, would he warm him when he was cold, would he reprimand him gently when he made a mistake and teach him the correct way instead of acting like Xiao Lin? In that way, he tortured himself every day. In this life, Father Gong satisfied these beautiful hopes and dreams one by one, so that he really knew how precious, warm and heavy was a father’s love. However, this father’s love would be stolen, taken away by illness in less than two years. A feeling of sorrow occupied his heart, making him suddenly want to cry.

  As soon as his eyes became flushed, Gong Lixin immediately raised his head and forced back his tears that were about to come out. He couldn’t cry, he couldn’t show the slightest weakness and timidity, let alone panic and despair and let his father realize the truth.

  Having settled down, he resumed his usual calmness, as if the moment of weakness was just an illusion. Looking at the frowning doctor, he asked in a serious tone, "How do we treat gastric cancer? Tell me any medicines and equipment you need, I’ll do to the city immediately."

  The military doctor thought for a moment before he said, "To treat gastric cancer, we need some examination equipment first. A gastroscopy is available in the infirmary, but gastroscopy can only diagnose the condition of the chief. To locate the specific location of the cancer cells and its spread, I need barium, double-contrast angiography and CT machine. The inspection equipment aside, once the lesion has been confirmed, a full set of surgical tools, such as an operating table, shadowless lamp, ventilator, monitor……"

  Gong Lixin nodded and frequently and carefully wrote down the names of the devices.

  At this point, Gong Xiangyi finally returned to reality and happily said, "I have all the equipment, so there’s no need to look for them." She prepared corresponding medical equipment for Father Gong’s condition before the apocalypse, just to prevent the arrival of this moment.

  The military doctor was confused but didn’t ask much about it. The anxiety on his face continued to increase and he slowly added, "The equipment only solves a small part of the problem. It’s more difficult to find a professional doctor who could perform the surgery. I’m only an internal medicine doctor and I’ve never been at the side of an operating table before. If you leave the chief to me, I wouldn’t be able to help at all. Removal of gastric cancer is a major operation and just a single doctor isn’t enough. He has to have a team, including a surgeon, an instrument technician and an anesthesiologist and one or two assistants. Now the world is in chaos and these kinds of talents are dying. I’m afraid……" He couldn’t bear to say the words to bring this pair of sister and brother to despair.

  Gong Xiangyi froze for a moment, almost losing her balance. Gong Lixin frowned and firmly said, "If it’s hard to find, then I’ll first search Long Snake Island. If there aren’t any on Long Snake Island, I’ll go to another base to search."

  "I don’t believe it’s that easy." The doctor nodded and sighed.

  Having said that, silence filled the air between the three and a sombre and gloomy atmosphere enveloped them. When Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran arrived, they immediately sensed the sadness in the air and they felt suffocated by it.

  "What’s wrong with Uncle Gong?" Song Haoran’s voice held a trace of worry.

  Lin Wenbo seemed to sense something and his face sank like water.

  Before waiting for the medical doctor to speak, Gong Xiangyi dropped all pride and restraint and threw herself into Lin Wenbo’s arms, weeping. The sound of her weeping was very light and thin but showed her endless despair and sadness. In her last life, it was because of Lin Wenbo’s affectionate comfort that she passed through difficulties again and again. In this life, she couldn’t help but want to rely on his warm and broad chest that had once belonged to her as she searched for a touch of comfort.

  "Wenbo, Dad is ill. He had stomach cancer." She grabbed onto Lin Wenbo’s shirt tightly as tears streamed down and stained Lin Wenbo’s chest, bringing a bit of coolness with the moisture.

  If it was in the past, this coolness filled with endless sorrow would definitely make Lin Wenbo’s heart go soft and make him unbearable to tolerant it. However, with the passage of time, he looked down at Gong Xiangyi’s delicate face with tears streaming down but felt that there was nothing left in his heart, not even a ripple.

  He didn’t push Gong Xiangyi away, but he didn’t hug her within his arm. He only stood stiffly, with his arms on his side and a blank expression on his face. He looked at the military doctor and asked, "Is Uncle Gong’s illness in the early or late stage?"

  "Early or late can only be determined during surgery, but with the current level of medical treatment, it will be difficult to cure. You have to be mentally prepared for the worst." After debating, the military doctor decided to give the people present his honest opinion. During the apocalypse, if you had cancer, there was no other choice but to wait for death, unless Da Luo Jinxian’s alive.

  Gong Lixin, who had been silent this whole time, closed his eyes and held back his dizziness. Song Haoran immediately noticed his strangeness and gently held him in his arms and patted him on his back.

  Gong Lixin’s team members who came afterwards crowded the corridor and were afraid to step forward. There seemed to be a major event happening there.

  "Lixin, Xiangyi, Mr. Gong woke up and wants to see you." Father Lin stepped out of the ward and beckoned the two over. Once the two passed, he reached out to stop Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran, who also wanted to enter the room and shook his head. How could Yuanhang not know his own physical condition? I’m afraid he’s about to say his last words right then. I thought that I was going to pass before him, but I didn’t expect……Grandfather Lin felt a weight on his back and felt like he grew several years older.

  Before the door opened, the brother and sister who had already parted ways had a tacit understanding for the first time. They both showed their most natural and pleasant smile and walked to Father Gong’s bed before sitting side by side.

  "Dad, are you feeling better?" Gong Lixin touched Father Gong’s head covered with silver hair as he asked softly.

  "I’m better." Father Gong smiled and took his pale hand in his and patted it with his own hand.

  Gong Xiangyi couldn’t intervene, the interaction between the two held the gentle feelings of a father and son pair. Her eyes dimmed for a moment, showing a trace of sadness, but she quickly hid it.

  Noticing her unnatural expression, Father Gong sighed and asked her, "What’s the diagnosing?"

  "Stomach disease, but not too serious. The doctor said that as long as you pay attention to your health, you should slowly get better." After seeing Gong Lixin lips close, not speaking for a long time as he didn’t want to tell a lie, Gong Xiangyi quickly came to the rescue.

  "Stomach disease?" Father Gong waved his hand with a bitter smile. "Don’t hide it from me. Stomach disease is unlikely to make me throw up blood. Is it stomach cancer?" As soon as he said the words, he saw his children’s sudden change in complexion and knew it in his heart that it was true.

  "Dad, you already knew your physical condition? Why did you hide it from us?" Tears collected in Gong Xiangyi’s eyes as she tugged Father Gong’s hand in blame.

  "What’s the use in telling you? It’s the apocalypse. I can’t even get cold medication when I have a cold. Where can I get treatment for cancer? You know there’s nothing that can be done. It’s better to bear it." He sighed and turned to look at his frowning son with a pale face and steeled his heart, "Lixin, father doesn’t know how long he can be with you, but I have a request. I don’t know if you could fulfill it for me."

  "Dad, you just say. I will satisfy it for you as much as I can." Gong Lixin pursed his lips, his clear eyes filling with a layer of watery mist.

  "Good!" Father Gong smiled, patted his son’s shoulder and cautiously instructed him, "My wish is not difficult. I just hope that after I leave, you can take care of your sister for me. Although she did something wrong to you before, she will be your only remaining family in the future. One of you has space ability and the ability to predict the future, the other has multiple abilities. If you two can work together during these apocalyptic days, then I can rest assured when I leave."

  Gong Lixin glanced at Gong Xiangyi with a stunned expression, nodded and said honestly, "Dad, I promise you. I can’t work together with Gong Xiangyi and I don’t believe her, but I can guarantee that as long as I live, I will definitely not let her die. Also, I will definitely find someone to treat you. You should sleep and eat and not worry about it."

  "Okay, okay……" Father Gong numbly repeated the word ’Okay’ several times, showing that he was completely relieved. He knew his son’s temperament well. He always did what he said and did what he did. He never deceived him and never will.

  Gong Xiangyi covered her face, crying. Big drops of tears overflowed from her slender fingers and landed on the white sheet. She knew that without her father, Gong Lixin would surely protect her from death, but that was no life. From then on, no one would care about her anger and sorrows and no one would soothe her sorrows and loneliness. She had finally become a real lonely widow, living alone and struggling to survive. Thinking of difficult Gong Lixin’s situation was after their father had left in her last life, the hatred in her heart suddenly dissipated quite a bit. It turned out that all tragedies stemmed from her indifference and negligence and she really shouldn’t blame others.

  "Don’t cry, your father’s stomach will hurt more." Father Gong sighed and patted her daughter’s head as he joked.

  Gong Xiangyi immediately stopped crying and said with a hoarse voice. "Dad, I was wrong before. I will get along with my brother and we will support each other. You can rest assured."

  "Good, that’s good!" Father Gong smiled and reassured her before he raised his hand, "Go out and call Wenbo and Haoran in. I have something to say to them."

  The brother and sister nodded and called out Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran, who had been waiting anxiously.

  Standing in the crowded corridor, Gong Lixin felt his chest was in pain and that he could hardly breathe. He walked past the crowd and stood on the empty training ground outside of the prison building, looking up at the sky that had gradually been engulfed by the night, with a sorrowful expression. For the first time in his two lives, he felt so weak.

  Dou Heng, who had returned from a long day’s work at the seaside salt farm, saw the teenager’s reddish eyes and a rare fragile expression as his dark irises overflowed with a hint of anxiety. He stopped, hesitating to step forward to comfort him. When he finally made up his mind, he ignored the fierce leather whip swung at him by the guard and took a step in the teenager’s direction. But suddenly, a woman ran out of the building and held the youth’s shoulder as she whispered to him in a low voice.

  It was the older sister. Her eyes were red and swollen and her expression was also sad. Did something happen? Dou Heng’s heart burned and he debated for a whole five minutes, staring blankly the whole time. Finally, he took a few steps back and stepped back among the group of ragged slaves. What qualifications did he have to ask? And even if he asked, what ability did he have to help the teenager? Thinking of it like that, Dou Heng was filled with an unprecedented intensity and unwillingness.