Chapter 148: Storm Emergency: The Rush for Medicine

The rainproof tarp was thick. If you left it on all the time, it would block out light and trap heat, making it tough for the plants inside to grow.

The easiest solution was to take it down after using it and only put it back up fast if something unexpected happened.

Not counting the small sheds for redlight peanut, wild grape, and pasture grass, there were seven big greenhouses in Territory Three. To get all seven rainproof tarps up in ten minutes would take twenty-one strong workers.

But Xia Qing was alone. She had to figure out a way for one person—and a sheep—to install the tarps quickly.

As Xia Qing squatted by a greenhouse, racking her brain over the problem, Yuan Yan’s frantic plea broke through on the channel: “Third Brother, are you there? Anyone from Territory Seven on?”

A stranger replied, “The Lord of Territory Seven has already left.”

Yuan Yan didn’t hesitate. “Hello, could I trade for a little bag of that wound-stopping medicine Territory Seven used to exchange? Dr. Chang says Old Qi caught some kind of bacteria that caused a blood clotting problem. The sterilizing medicines from Azure Dragon Unit just aren’t as good as Third Brother’s.”

Someone from Territory Seven answered, “Sorry, I don’t know which medicine you’re talking about, and I don’t have permission to go get anything from inside. I’ll apply to the Lord now.”

Zhang San had left by helicopter, and the signal was spotty, so reaching him wasn’t guaranteed. Even if they did, the people in Territory Seven probably wouldn’t be able to find the medicine right away.

After thanking them, Yuan Yan turned to the other Lords for help: “Does any neighbor still have some of the wound medicine they traded with Third Brother? I’m willing to trade anything for a little.”

Not hearing anyone else respond, Xia Qing pressed her button. “Sis, I’ve got a bit left. I’ll head home for it now and meet you at the sign by Plot Five.”

“Thank you!” Yuan Yan’s voice cracked and nearly broke. “You don’t need to run out for me! I’ll come meet you right away.”

“We’ll meet in the middle,” Xia Qing said, racing home. She grabbed the medicine and rushed outside.

As soon as she exited Territory Three, she spotted Yuan Yan limping toward her from the east.

The protective mask Yuan Yan wore was dented and cracked from hail. When she saw Xia Qing she lit up, hope shining in her red-rimmed eyes. She tried to hurry across the muddy road but stumbled and fell face-first in the muck.

Xia Qing rushed over and hauled Yuan Yan up. “Are you okay, Sis?”

Yuan Yan, her gloves caked with mud, clung to Xia Qing’s arm. Her hands were trembling. “I’m fine… Dr. Chang says your Qi Ge is in bad shape. We have to get him the medicine, please…”

“I’ve got it with me. Let’s go,” Xia Qing said, scooping Yuan Yan into her arms and sprinting toward Plot Five.

Folks from Territory Two and Territory Four came out to watch. When they saw Xia Qing carrying a full-grown adult and still running at top speed, their jaws dropped. Mud splattered everywhere and they stood stunned.

Xia Qing charged up to the sign by Plot Five. “Sis, can I head in?”

Yuan Yan, grateful to be carried princess-style, nodded immediately. “I’m heavy—put me down, please. If you go straight for 200 meters and turn right, you’ll see it.”

A hundred pounds meant nothing to Xia Qing, but she didn’t show off. She set Yuan Yan down and dashed into Plot Five, sprinting straight into Qi Fu’s courtyard.

It was easy to spot—the front gate was guarded by two people, both covered head to toe in mud.

The gatekeepers, seeing Xia Qing, shouted, “The Lord of Territory Three is here! Everyone make way!”

Xia Qing burst into the house and saw Qi Fu lying on the bed, his head bloody, an IV in his arm. She turned to Chang Li right away. “Dr. Chang, my hands are dirty. The medicine is in my top right pocket.”

Chang Li quickly reached into the pocket she pointed out, pulled out a small vacuum bag of powdered medicine, and tore it open for a sniff. “Perfect, this is the wound disinfectant we need! Lin Jing, call people in to hold the patient. Yanzi, get the bandages ready.”

Hearing the call for muscle, Xia Qing stepped back to make space. Three burly guys from inside came in—one pinned Qi Fu’s legs, another his torso, and the third held his head still.

“I’ve got him,” Chang Li said, pressing a gauze pad full of medicine to the wound at the top of Qi Fu’s bleeding head.

After about thirty seconds, Qi Fu’s arms and legs twitched, then he started convulsing hard, thrashing and growling like a madman.

“Ah—ah—!”

Not expecting such a violent reaction, Chang Li called out for help from the Strength Evolvers present. “Miss Xia, you hold his head! Hua Qing, keep his lower body down, quick!”

Xia Qing didn’t have time to wash her hands; she wiped her gloves on someone’s clothes and jumped in, pinning Qi Fu’s face with one hand, holding down his collarbone and neck with the other.

Hua Qing from Azure Dragon Unit joined in, holding fast to Qi Fu’s waist. The others weren’t idle either, grabbing his arms and legs as needed, finally getting him under control.

Mud-stained Yuan Yan staggered in, saw her husband in agony, and blurted out, “Dr. Chang, can’t we use a calming capsule?”

“No. His brain’s already infected. The side effects of calming capsules are too much.” Chang Li expertly wrapped Qi Fu’s head wound and calmly added, “We’ve done all we can. It’s up to his body to fight now. Anyone else hurt?”

Chang Li went to see other patients, while Xia Qing and Hua Yang kept pinning down Qi Fu, who was still fighting and shouting.

Qi Fu was just a regular guy. No matter how much he thrashed, there was no breaking free from a Strength Evolver.

Three minutes later, Qi Fu finally stopped, passing out again.

After treating two other wounded who didn’t have the mutated infection, Chang Li came back to check on Qi Fu, adding two small vials of medicine to his IV. She left some instructions with Yuan Yan then hurried off to Territory Four.

Xia Qing headed out with her, Yuan Yan thanking them over and over at the gate.

As Xia Qing walked out beside Chang Li, she remembered the pocket watch she’d just found. She fished it out to show Chang Li. “Dr. Chang, have you ever seen the person in this photo?”

Chang Li and the others took a look, but none of them recognized the face. “This must be from before the disaster. It’s been ten years—people have changed a lot. Hard to find anyone now. Is this a relative of yours, Miss Xia?”

Before the disaster, no one worried about food or clothing and everyone looked healthy and full of spirit. Since the disaster, barely anyone could eat their fill, and death was always near. Most people looked completely different, some didn’t even have faces left.

Trying to track someone down now, using a pre-disaster photo, was basically impossible.

Xia Qing shook her head. “No, I found it on the mountain today. Thought maybe it belonged to someone from your squad.”

“That’s possible. I’ll ask around.” Chang Li knew Xia Qing meant Mountain 49. Only three types of people ever went up there: Xia Qing, Shi Du, and the Azure Dragon Unit.

After Chang Li and her team entered Territory Four, Xia Qing headed home to tidy up the greenhouses.

About an hour later, Xia Qing actually got a call from Hu Zifeng. When she answered, it was Chang Li’s voice on the other end.

“Miss Xia, the pocket watch you found—it belongs to the Lord of Plot Eight.”