Medical Center.
Hospital ward.
"Que Sha Sheli, thirty-one."
"Megan Sheli, twenty-seven."
"Michael Sheli, twenty-three."
Shorty briefed Adam on the patients. "Genetic testing showed that all three carry the CDH1 gene, which can cause Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer."
"Carter, explain."
Adam gestured to Carter.
"In other words, they each have a seventy-five percent chance of developing gastric cancer."
Carter picked up the explanation.
"Every tumor in the previous generation was removed."
The eldest sister, Que Sha, spoke. "But unfortunately, this cancer is too aggressive. The tumors grow incredibly fast.
By the time they were removed, it had already been passed down to the next generation."
The three siblings fell silent.
"The medical records say your Uncle Bud as well?"
Adam asked.
"Dead!"
Michael, the youngest and only boy in the Sheli family, raised his brows.
"What about your Aunt Helen?"
Adam asked again.
"Dead."
The eldest sister Que Sha continued, "My mother and my grandfather are both dead. They all died from this terrible disease!
There are only the three of us left in the whole family."
"That's not true!"
The second sister, Megan, said hopefully, "We still have a distant relative in Minnesota... Although they're locked away in a sanatorium, at least they're not dead, right?"
"What's the difference?"
Michael grumbled. "While we still have time, we should enjoy life as much as we can. What exactly did we come here for?"
"We came to eliminate the danger lurking inside us before it happens."
Que Sha said, "We made an agreement. We said we'd stick together through this!
We're family—the last family we have.
Dr. Duncan is the best surgeon I could find. He can minimize the aftereffects!"
At that, she looked at Adam. "Dr. Duncan, please remove all our stomachs!
Without stomachs, the CDH1 gene will be useless, right?"