The Unspeakable Secret

Chapter 111 The Unspeakable Secret

Cherries took the stack of checks.

Flip them open one by one.

The check does indeed contain elements such as the drawer, payee, payment amount, and date of issue.

However—the handwriting was entirely handwritten, not printed.

Judging from the neat but still somewhat crooked handwriting, these were probably "high-quality counterfeit checks" made by children in the family who knew a little about business.

Whether it was a genuine attempt to pay off the girl for doing her homework or just a petty trick to bully her.

In short—the little girl's hopes were dashed.

She didn't know that the money she had painstakingly saved for so long was actually just a pile of worthless paper.

At this moment, she was looking at Cherries with expectant eyes that had been washed clean by tears.

"Anya, what is this—where did you get this?"

Upon hearing her mother's question, Anya's large eyes flashed with obvious panic.

She pouted and answered softly, "The teacher assigns a lot of difficult homework every day. Some students haven't learned it but don't want to be criticized, so they ask Anya for help—"

"But if you take their money, it's not just about helping them anymore."

The mother directly called out Anya's explanation.

"Alright, now is not the time to talk about this."

Cherries sighed and interrupted the mother who wanted to educate her daughter.

He held the stack of checks and looked back at Jack.

The adults behind him all saw these hand-drawn tickets.

However, everyone was aware of the family's situation, and no one could offer a reasonable solution.

Luca whispered, "Captain, my family has prepared a lot of wealth for me. This money is just sitting there anyway, I can contribute—"

Upon hearing this...

Chalice glanced at him and explained, "It's not about the money—the main thing is that his condition is beyond the reach of normal medical treatment."

"Even if I find an extraordinary person with the right means to keep him alive, I'll have to burn money every day just to keep him alive."

"I just don't want to be a bad person, but I'm not exactly a compassionate good person either. Perhaps leaving the money to him, to his family..."

The future is a better choice —

The woman covered her face and sobbed.

She and her husband met when they were both struggling, supported each other through thick and thin, built their family, and had a daughter.

Emotionally—

She couldn't bring herself to take her husband's life.

On a rational level —

She also knew that Cherries was right.

She had to watch helplessly as her husband died in agony.

She can't do it—she really can't—

The man lying on the bed saw everything.

He didn't complain, nor did he hesitate. He simply tugged at his wife's sleeve and grasped her calloused hands, which were worn from sewing all day long.

They were only in their early twenties—yet the wife's hands were already as tired as those of a woman in her forties or fifties.

This man, who lost half a leg to a corpse shark and was severely injured by gangsters who broke into his home last night, made his own way.

decision.

"Captain, please do me one last favor."

"Please look after them for me, and just come to see them occasionally."

The man pleaded in a lighthearted tone, "I won't get treatment anymore, I won't get treatment anymore—keep the money for them, don't waste it on me—"

The woman's tears broke down again, and her sobs turned into a wail as she hugged the man.

The little girl, full of anticipation, looked at her mother, then at her father, and finally at her silent older brother. She instinctively realized that her savings did not seem to solve the problem.

But she didn't know what was wrong, and for a moment she could only frantically cling to her mother, clutching her father's hand, hoping to hold him back—

Maguire and Susanna remained silent.

Although they also felt sorry for the family, they were also well aware that the sailor needed the help of an extraordinary person and was dependent on life support equipment to survive.

This is undoubtedly an astronomical figure.

They couldn't offer any advice, because in the end, it was Cherries who would have to pay.

Both logically and emotionally.

In fact, Chillis provided compensation and resolved the problem.

We have already done more than enough for this family.

Compared to other captains, Cherry's generous compensation alone surpassed that of almost 99% of the ships in their current situation.

Nobody wants to see this —

Everyone was waiting for Cheryl's decision.

The young man, who had been radiant with inner strength due to his promotion and whose spirit had been awakened by actual combat, was now in a state of silent depression.

However, this time...

His sailors displayed greater decisiveness and determination than Cherries.

"captain----"

The man smiled with relief, "I know you're a good person, so I can't let a good person like you end up in a dilemma—"

"I'm not getting treatment—that's my decision. If you insist on treating me, I will commit suicide—"

"You—don't say that—"

Chalice opened his mouth, his expression conflicted and struggling.

"Captain, good people deserve good rewards—I know you're reluctant to spend money on yourself, and you've suffered so much to get to where you are today—"

The man's severely injured chest cavity resembled a bellows with a hole in it.

"I saw it—everyone saw it—you have important things to do, your money shouldn't be spent on me—even if I can no longer help you, I can't be a burden to you—"

Chalice's face was as cold and hard as iron.

He wanted to say something, but faced with the sailor's heartfelt words...

He couldn't say anything more.

These years —

Chalice had contact with many sailors.

Many have died and many have retired.

Everyone is busy with their lives.

Few sailors open up and share their innermost thoughts.

Especially when he became the captain of the Homecoming, the sailors all needed to make a living under his command, so no sailor dared to joke around and get close to him.

Perhaps it is true that people speak good words when they are about to die.

This sailor, whom Cherissa was somewhat familiar with.

As life enters its final countdown, I choose to speak like a man, saying things that only men say.

Maguire's expression held not only a hint of pity but also a rare touch of respect.

He never hid his contempt and discrimination against these people living in slums, and didn't even consider them his "compatriots".

But today, this dying guy has earned Maguire's respect.

Although it's just a little respect in my heart —

"alright."

Jack patted Cheryl on the shoulder. "Don't be so eager to die, and don't be so dejected."

His gaze shifted from the sailor to Cherries, his admiration impossible to conceal.

"Let me offer a solution!"

Jack said confidently, "Professor Herrens's lab does life science experiments. You've dealt with them before, so you should know something about it."

"I can arrange for him to be used as 'material' (a sample of his research), undergoing a treatment plan that is not yet fully developed, with uncertain outcomes, but the process will be free."

Chalice looked up abruptly. "A lab? Can this really work?"

Whether it works or not is not up to you to decide —

Jack frankly stated, "Besides—unless we find someone with a mid-sequence extraordinary ability, we can only keep going by burning money."

"Alright!"

Two flames seemed to ignite in Chalice's eyes.

"Director Jack, please help me make contact."

"certainly!"

Jack patted Chris on the shoulder.

"In my opinion, even if someone is capable, they don't value loyalty and friendship. The fact that you're conflicted shows that you have feelings for them, and that's enough."

"No—not enough—"

Chalice stood up and, amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, said softly, "The price some people have paid is far from enough—"

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