Sickly Cannon Fodder: Spoiled by the Powerful Apocalypse Bosses

Chapter 321: Chapter 321

[Host, don’t forget, you have the spiritual spring!] The system reminded her.

[The spring’s healing properties can neutralize the fruit’s negative side effects to the greatest extent possible. With its assistance, the actual risk of consuming the fruit drops to well below fifteen percent. That leaves you with an eighty-five percent chance of awakening an ability. Host, how does that sound to you?]

Suzy fell silent. Resting the fruit in her palm, she slowly traced her thumb over its smooth skin. The fruit felt slightly warmer than her own body temperature, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic throb against her hand.

"What kind of ability would I awaken?" she asked.

[I cannot determine that either. It could be offensive, defensive, or perhaps a support type. The nature of the ability ultimately depends on your own latent potential.]

Suzy understood. "So, in short, it’s entirely up to fate."

[More or less. But regardless of the type, any ability would be an advantage for you, wouldn’t it?]

Suzy supposed that made sense. Having an ability was undoubtedly better than having none at all. Who knew? Maybe whatever she awakened would become her ultimate trump card for a future turnaround. Truthfully, an 85% success rate was incredibly high, and she was sorely tempted.

"System, you really pulled through with another treasure for me," Suzy said with a smile.

After a few more words with the system, she stowed the fruit away into her space. She didn’t plan on eating it to awaken an ability just yet. Even though an 85% success rate was high, that still left a 15% chance of failure. To be honest, she didn’t dare risk it. She had always felt her luck was rather subpar, so it was better to err on the side of caution.

It would be best if she could find a way to bump the success rate up to 100%, or at least above 95%. Once she could guarantee those odds, she could consume it without any psychological burden.

With that, all four of her accumulated rewards had been successfully claimed.

Just as she was about to chat further with the system, a faint click echoed from the bedroom door, and it was gently pushed open. Suzy looked over to see Derek entering the room.

The moment his eyes landed on her, the dim, anxious look in his eyes instantly ignited into a brilliant gleam.

"Suzy, you’re awake!" Overjoyed, he hurried over to her bedside.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, scanning her from head to toe. Seeing that she looked alert and well, he finally let out a massive sigh of relief.

When Suzy had suddenly collapsed downstairs earlier, it had nearly frightened the life out of everyone. Fortunately, after Bill examined her, they learned she was fine—it was just a fainting spell brought on by utter physical exhaustion, and she just needed some rest.

Only then did the group breathe a sigh of relief, quickly carrying her back to the safe house so she could sleep it off. Luckily, it hadn’t been long before she woke up, and she seemed to be in good spirits, meaning she was likely out of the woods.

"Are you the only one home?" Suzy asked curiously.

"No, Uncle and the others are here too," Derek replied. He was now calling Leonard "Uncle" with complete ease.

"Where are they?" she pressed.

"In the living room," Derek said. "He’s hosting Liam and Noah. The two of them were worried about you and came over to check on your condition, but Uncle didn’t let them back into the bedroom."

The fact that Leonard was willing to let the Austen brothers through the front door at all was already exceptionally high courtesy. Under normal circumstances, he would never allow outsiders into the safe house. Even though they had grown quite close to Liam, Leonard still preferred not to expose the internal layout and resources of their sanctuary.

He didn’t dare gamble on human nature, nor was he willing to try.

"Are they still in the living room?" Suzy asked.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, they’re still here."

Suzy fell into deep thought. Liam... Liam.

Now that she had successfully maxed out his route, it meant Liam was entirely on her side and would never betray her. That being the case, there was no longer any need to keep the safe house a secret from him. As far as trustworthiness went, Liam was now in the same league as Derek, Thomas, and Leonard. As for little Noah... she was more than willing to place her faith in the kid.

"Suzy, what are you thinking about?" Derek asked, noticing her sudden silence.

Suzy looked up, meeting his expectant gaze, and said softly, "Derek, go call Liam in. I have something I need to say to him."

Derek froze, the bright light in his eyes dimming slightly. He pressed his lips together, looking as if he wanted to object, but ultimately swallowed his words and gave a quiet nod.

"Are you sure?" he couldn’t help but ask right before turning to leave.

"Yes, I’m sure. Go bring him in," Suzy replied firmly.

Seeing her resolve, Derek pressed no further and turned on his heel.

Left alone, Suzy glanced around the room, fully understanding what had driven Derek’s hesitation. A bright light illuminated the space, and the room was perfectly warm and cozy—the safe house’s climate control system was running at full blast. The moment Liam stepped inside, all of this would be laid bare before him. That was exactly what Derek had been worried about.

However, seeing how resolute she was, Derek had clearly picked up on something. Though he felt a bit of a sting in his chest, he didn’t let it show. He had already noticed a shift a short while ago—he had detected a strange, familiar vibe radiating from Liam. It was the exact same sensation he felt around Leonard and Thomas.

An inexplicable, deep-rooted connection.

After Derek left, Suzy waited in bed. Before long, she heard rustling outside the door. Her chest tightened slightly.

But the noise stopped just outside. Liam seemed to be lingering at the threshold, hesitating to enter.

"Liam?" Suzy called out softly.

Finally, the handle turned. The door was gently pushed open, and Liam stepped inside. Noah wasn’t with him; he had come in alone.

Suzy leaned against the headboard, watching him silently. After a few seconds of quiet, she spoke again. "Liam?"

Liam’s eyelashes fluttered before he finally lifted his gaze.

"Come on in," Suzy said, waving him over. "What are you standing there frozen for?"

Looking uncharacteristically flustered, Liam awkwardly made his way toward her bed. It was the first time Suzy had ever seen him look so out of his element, and she found it rather amusing.

"Don’t be so tense. It’s not like I’m going to eat you," she teased.

"No... I’m not," Liam managed a stiff reply.

"Where’s Noah?" she asked. "Derek told me he came over too."

"He’s outside." Mentioning his little brother finally helped Liam relax a fraction. "In the living room. He fell asleep."

Saying this made Liam look a bit embarrassed. Suzy’s home was significantly warmer than theirs; Noah had started dozing off shortly after sitting down and had passed out before they knew it.

"I see... Well, he did have a massive scare today," Suzy murmured.

The moment the words left her mouth, she felt Liam’s intense, burning gaze lock onto her.