Chapter 369 Arrival at Red Star Farm!

Commander Zheng tapped the table and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Comrade Su Yue is right. This is both a mission and an order. Now, let's begin roll call. Raise your hand if you'd like to volunteer."

Su Yue was the first to raise her hand.

“If I don’t go, who will?” She stood up, her gaze sweeping over everyone present. “This letter was sent to me, so the cause and effect are on me. Moreover, I have experience dealing with the complex complications caused by this suspected heavy metal poisoning.”

Director Liao sighed and raised his hand as well: "I'm an old man, but I can't bear to see such tragedies. Count me in."

Immediately afterwards, several key staff members from the internal medicine, dermatology, and laboratory departments raised their hands.

Commander Zheng watched this scene, a hint of relief appearing on his serious face. He stood up and gave everyone a standard military salute.

"Good! As expected of soldiers from Hainan Island! Submit the medical team roster immediately. Tomorrow morning, a military special plane will fly directly to Lanzhou, and then they will be transported by car to Hongxing Farm!"

After the meeting, Su Yue walked out of the office building and bumped into Gu Beichen, who was smoking downstairs.

He was wearing his training uniform, and a small pile of cigarette butts had already accumulated at his feet. When he saw Su Yue come out, he immediately stubbed out his cigarette and strode over to greet her.

"Is it settled?" Gu Beichen asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"Okay. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning." Su Yue looked at him. "What about you? Why haven't you gone back to headquarters yet?"

Gu Beichen didn't say anything, but took out a transfer order from his pocket and stuffed it into Su Yue's hand.

Su Yue unfolded it and was stunned.

Order regarding the organization of the 1st Battalion of the Special Operations Regiment to conduct high-altitude field training and security missions in the Northwest region.

"You're going on a training exercise?" Su Yue raised an eyebrow. "What a coincidence?"

"Unfortunately." Gu Beichen tidied her bangs that had been ruffled by the wind. "This place is chaotic, and I'm worried about it. Luckily, the regiment already had a plan for high-altitude acclimatization training, so I applied to the commander to change the location to Gansu Province. I can also act as your bodyguard while I'm at it."

"On the way?" Su Yue poked his hard pectoral muscles. "Chief of Staff Gu, isn't this considered abusing public power for private gain?"

“This is making good use of resources.” Gu Beichen held her fingers and kissed them. “Besides, I also need to go and see which blind fool dares to run wild on my wife’s turf.”

Back home, Su Yue's biggest worry was the elderly man and the two children.

To everyone's surprise, after hearing Su Yue's decision, Zhang Huilan not only did not stop her, but turned around and went into the house, bringing out a jar of pickled vegetables she had made herself and two large bags of dried beef.

"Go ahead, all of you." Zhang Huilan stuffed things into Su Yue's suitcase. "Saving people is a great act of merit. I'll take care of things at home, I'll keep an eye on things. If anyone dares to cause trouble, I'll beat them out with a big broom."

"Mom..." Su Yue's eyes welled up with tears.

"Stop dawdling." Zhang Huilan waved her hand. "The wind and sand are strong in the Northwest, so bring plenty of moisturizing oil. Also, take good care of yourself, or your man will have to carry you back, which would be embarrassing."

The next morning, before dawn.

Two dark green military transport planes roared on the runway.

Su Yue boarded the plane wearing a white lab coat and a military overcoat, carrying a medicine box.

Gu Beichen, accompanied by a team of fully armed soldiers, sat in the cabin on the other side.

The plane took off and passed through the clouds.

There was no air conditioning in the cabin, and the noise was deafening, making my eardrums hurt.

Several young nurses, experiencing this type of flight for the first time, turned pale and vomited profusely while clutching garbage bags.

Su Yue unbuckled her seatbelt and walked to the middle of the cabin.

"Lift your heads up." She took out a box of medicated oil and applied some to everyone's temples. "The altitude in the Northwest is high. If you've vomited everything up now, you'll feel even worse when you get there. Take a deep breath and chew a couple of slices of ginger."

She took a handful of ginger candy from her pocket and handed it out.

“The place we’re going to this time is called Red Star Farm. It has a typical desert and Gobi climate, with large temperature differences between day and night and strong ultraviolet radiation.” Su Yue handed out candy while “lecturing” the team members, “The most common problems are not altitude sickness, but dehydration and sunburn.”

"In addition, everyone should be mentally prepared for this strange illness. This is not an ordinary skin disease; it may very well involve chemical pollution. Once you arrive at the destination, no one should drink untreated local water or eat food of unknown origin, and everyone must wear masks and gloves."

Su Yue's voice was calm and professional, like a tranquilizer that quickly calmed the panicked medical team down.

After an eight-hour flight and more than ten hours of bumpy driving, the convoy finally entered a region of endless yellow sand.

There is no road here, only deep ruts made by wheels.

The strong wind whipped up sand and gravel that lashed against the car windows, making a crackling sound, and visibility was less than ten meters.

"arrive."

The soldier driving the car shouted.

Through the dusty windshield, Su Yue saw rows of low adobe houses and several towering chimneys in the distance.

Those chimneys no longer emit smoke, like a few withered fingers pointing straight to the sky.

Red Star Farm.

As soon as the convoy came to a stop, a group of people surrounded it.

Most of them wore old gray-blue work clothes, their faces covered with headscarves, revealing only pairs of terrified yet expectant eyes.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group, wearing a faded Zhongshan suit and with a weathered face, rushed up to Gu Beichen as soon as he saw him jump out of the car, grabbed his hand, and wouldn't let go.

"Commander Gu! We've been waiting for you!" The man's voice choked with emotion, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. "I am Yu Ming, formerly a soldier under Qin's father!"

Gu Beichen patted Yu Ming on the shoulder: "Old squad leader, don't get agitated. How's the situation?"

"It's bad, really bad." Yu Ming wiped his face. "Another one passed away last night. He was a young man, only twenty years old, also a sent-down youth from Hainan Island. His whole body was rotting away, and in the end, he couldn't even breathe..."

Su Yue walked over carrying a medicine box: "Where's the body?"

“Bury it.” Yu Ming sighed. “According to the rules, those who die from this kind of disease must be buried deep to prevent infection.”

"Take me to see the patient." Su Yue didn't waste any words.

Yu Ming glanced at the young and beautiful female doctor, and hesitated for a moment: "Dr. Su, that scene... was a bit scary. Why don't you rest for a while?"

"I'm here to rescue people, not for tourism." Su Yue put on a mask and gloves, her eyes sharp. "Lead the way."

The patients were housed in the farm's large warehouse.

Before we even went inside, a nauseating stench wafted out.

Su Yue pushed open the door.

Dozens of people lay densely packed in the dimly lit warehouse.

Some were groaning, while others had already fallen silent.

She walked to the bed closest to the door.

The person lying on it was a young girl. Where there should have been skin on her face, there was now a thick layer of black scabs, with yellow fluid oozing from the edges.

Su Yue reached out and gently pressed the girl's arm. The skin was not only ulcerated, but had also hardened like a shell, losing its elasticity.

"Does it hurt?" Su Yue asked.