Chapter 125: The Scapegoat, Sean Chandler

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: The Scapegoat, Sean Chandler

When Keith Griffith saw Seraphina Sullivan appear at Justin Brooks’s doorway covered in blood, he felt an instinctive chill and subconsciously took a half-step back.

Seeing his reaction, Seraphina Sullivan simply stepped to the side, opening up the doorway so Keith Griffith and the nosy neighbors craning their necks behind him could get a clear view of the room.

In the living room, Miss Webb lay unconscious on the sofa.

And on the floor lay Justin Brooks, covered in blood, his injuries gruesome.

Beside him, another person was currently bandaging his wounds.

They saw Sean Chandler, holding bandages he had found from who-knows-where, dressing Justin Brooks’s wounds. His movements were a little clumsy, but exceptionally steady. He, too, was stained with large patches of blood.

The large, still-wet pool of dark red blood on the floor was even more shocking.

Upon seeing Justin Brooks’s horrific condition, Keith Griffith gasped. He finally understood where the blood on Seraphina Sullivan had come from, and his face instantly paled.

"M-my god! Justin Brooks... H-how did he get hurt so badly?!" His voice was filled with disbelieving horror.

His cry of alarm attracted even more curious neighbors.

With the city besieged by floods, the power out, and communications spotty at best, everyone was going stir-crazy with boredom.

Miss Webb’s earlier wailing had already drawn their attention.

The moment they sensed some drama, they immediately swarmed over, crowding behind Keith Griffith and craning their necks to see inside.

"Whoa! Isn’t that Justin Brooks? Isn’t he supposed to be some powerful, official military Player? I just saw a video of him leading a rescue team online a few days ago. How did he end up like this?"

"Oh my god! H-he’s so badly hurt! Tsk, tsk. I guess being a Player isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The Doomsday Game is just too dangerous!"

"That’s terrifying! I used to be so jealous of Players, with their government support and Special Abilities. I even wanted my son to find a way to become one... Looking at this now, forget it. It’s better to just lie low and stay out of trouble. This is horrifying!"

A buzz of chatter filled the hallway, a mixture of shock, sympathy, secondhand fear, and a hint of unconcealable schadenfreude.

Seraphina Sullivan watched the crowd behind Keith Griffith swell until it nearly blocked the hallway, and her brow furrowed in irritation.

She hated being the center of a spectacle like this; it was nothing but trouble.

"What is everyone crowding around here for?!" Seraphina Sullivan had to raise her voice to try and disperse the ever-growing crowd.

"There’s nothing to see here! Miss Webb needs rest, and the patient needs quiet! Now break it up!"

Keith Griffith, squeezed at the very front, spoke up with false sincerity, "We just wanted to see if there was anything we could do to help..."

His real goal was simply to confirm whether Justin Brooks was about to die.

"Help?" Seraphina Sullivan shot him a sidelong glance. "Are you a doctor? Do you have a medical license? Or can you just conjure up a miracle drug on the spot?"

Keith Griffith was speechless, choked by her words, and his face darkened.

Perhaps because of the clamor at the door, Susan Webb, who was lying on the sofa, slowly began to stir.

The moment she woke, her eyes desperately searched for her son.

"My boy!" she cried out, struggling to sit up.

But then she saw the stoic young man named Sean Chandler steadily bandaging her son’s wounds.

What shocked her even more was that her son’s leg—the one that had been completely severed, which she’d seen with her own eyes and even held in her hands—was now somehow reattached. Though wrapped in thick bandages, it was perfectly whole!

The other horrifying wounds on his body had also been meticulously sutured!

The shock, followed by a wave of euphoria, quickly helped her compose herself.

As a strong woman who had raised her son to be a soldier, Susan Webb was no fool.

She immediately realized that stitching such grievous wounds and reattaching a severed limb in such a short time was far beyond the capabilities of any ordinary person!

This was something only a "Player" with a Special Ability, just like her son, could possibly achieve!

She immediately recalled going across the hall to ask Seraphina Sullivan for help right before she fainted.

Now, watching Sean Chandler at work, she naturally assumed it must have been Seraphina Sullivan’s "boyfriend" who had saved the day.

Her heart flooded with gratitude, but Susan Webb knew this wasn’t the time to express it.

She saw the crowd blocking the doorway and, suppressing her overwhelming emotions, knew she had to deal with the situation at hand.

Wiping the tear tracks from her face, she stood, walked to the door, and addressed the crowd. "Thank you for your concern, everyone. My son had a little accident, and I panicked and screamed. He’s alright now. Please, could you all leave? The boy needs to rest."

Although her voice was still a bit hoarse, she had regained her usual composure, cleverly downplaying the truth with the phrase "had a little accident."

Keith Griffith tried to crane his neck for another look, but Seraphina Sullivan simply stepped sideways, blocking his line of sight.

Taking the cue, Miss Webb said nothing more and simply closed the door, shutting out all the curious eyes.

With no more drama to watch, the neighbors outside grumbled in disappointment, gradually dispersing as they gossiped amongst themselves.

Keith Griffith’s eyes flickered, and a sharp, almost imperceptible glint flashed in their depths. As he walked away, he began to think about how he needed to contact Morton right away.

’Justin Brooks is seriously injured. This is "good news." Maybe it’s time to get some of our "operations" started again...’

Inside, the moment Susan Webb closed the door and turned around, her eyes reddened once more.

She looked as if she was about to kneel before Seraphina Sullivan and Sean Chandler. "Sullivan, thank you both so much! And especially your boyfriend... For saving his life... I..."

She assumed Sean Chandler was also a Player and that he was the one who had healed her son.

Seraphina Sullivan quickly stepped forward to catch her. "Miss Webb, please don’t!"

Hearing Miss Webb call Sean Chandler her "boyfriend" made her falter for a moment before she put a hand to her forehead.

It was true that Sean Chandler was living with her. And though he was actually her puppet, it was only natural for outsiders to assume that a young man and woman living under the same roof were a couple.

’Forget it...’

Seraphina thought with a sigh of resignation, ’He’s already shouldering the blame for one thing, might as well let him shoulder the "boyfriend" label, too. It might actually help dispel unnecessary trouble and speculation.’

She decided to go along with it. "Miss Webb, please, don’t mention it. We just gave Mr. Brooks some first aid and stopped the bleeding, but proper follow-up treatment and rehabilitation are crucial. Mr. Brooks is an official Player and a soldier, so you should contact his unit or the relevant authorities as soon as possible. They’re sure to have better medical facilities and resources to help him make a full recovery."

Her reminder snapped Susan Webb out of it. "Right, right! Look at me, I was so panicked I couldn’t even think straight. I completely forgot! I’ll find a way to contact his unit right now!"

She hurried off to find a communication device, hope finally dawning on her face once more.