Chapter 39

After each cockroach swarm, the area around the safety shield was littered with corpses and blood. There were animal carcasses, human carcasses, and many injured people.

At this point, everyone must carefully search for their fellow human beings among the piles of corpses and wreckage. If they are injured, everyone must carefully bandage them and then quickly get them to the ambulances behind them.

Whether the superhuman will be infected again, a third time, or a fourth time, is uncertain.

At this point, what everyone needs to do is get them to the largest hospital in the safe zone, where professionals will examine and treat them.

The current treatment technology is actually much more advanced than Chen Nan's memories from her previous life. If everyone can find the injured, and quickly locate their torn or bitten hands, arms, thighs, ankles, fingers and toes, freeze them quickly and send them to the hospital together, it is possible to reattach them.

So in such situations, while people are looking for living people, they also help them find parts of their bodies.

Chen Nan had just arrived and couldn't directly confront the swarms of cockroaches and monsters. So, naturally, she started doing logistical work. After the battle, she worked with the many nurses to search for survivors and recover parts of their bodies.

"My hand, my hand is right here, please help me find it!"

"Mommy, Mommy, I want to go back!"

"Brother, brother, beautiful lady, have you seen my brother?"

"Quick, quick, he's still alive!!"

"This one's still alive! He's still breathing!!"

"Nurse, nurse!!"

As Chen Nan stood in the crowd, searching for survivors among the mutated animal carcasses and struggling to pull out the dead soldiers, she suddenly spotted Guo Ying in a white nurse's uniform. In that instant, Guo Ying also noticed her.

The two women, separated by the crowd and the pile of mutated corpses, suddenly made eye contact. But they quickly looked away and continued with their work.

After Chen Nan arrived here and encountered the biggest mutation wave, she learned that Guo Ying's master had used his connections three months earlier to transfer Guo Ying to the border hospital.

"In our country, it might be a little difficult to go to other places. But if someone, especially a medical worker, wants to apply for a transfer to the border, the higher authorities will almost never stop them. Not only will they not stop them, but the hospital and the higher authorities will even indirectly encourage and support them. So not long after we left Beijing, she applied to come to this hospital. Her mentor made a pledge to the higher authorities, guaranteeing that they would take good care of her. So the higher authorities did not hesitate and let them come. She only came two months later than us, and now she has been here for three months."

As Chen Nan sat on a chair outside the hospital, Sister He came over with her phone and told Chen Nan about the things Chen Nan had asked her to look up.

"Thank you, Sister He!" Sister He was the wife of the curly-bearded man who sat diagonally opposite Chen Nan and Tang Ke when they flew here last time. She and her curly-bearded husband were both scientists, researching the latest anti-cockroach drug.

Because their residence was right next to Chen Nan's, Chen Nan gradually became familiar with them. After seeing Guo Ying this time, Chen Nan asked them to investigate.

In this place, besides military officers like Tang Ke, various scientists and researchers also wield considerable power and authority. Therefore, when it was inconvenient to contact Tang Ke, Chen Nan prioritized contacting him.

"It's alright, it's nothing. Is Mr. Tang alright?"

He Lin's lab was right next to the hospital. After answering Chen Nan's question, she didn't rush back. Instead, she leaned back in her hospital chair and subconsciously asked about Tang Ke's condition.

"His internal organs are likely injured, and his right hand may also be fractured. Other injuries are the same as last time, such as weakness and scratches. The main purpose of letting him in is to administer prophylactic medication to prevent reinfection."

Although reinfection might upgrade one's abilities, just like the first infection, it could also turn a perfectly healthy superhuman into a mindless, cockroach-like monster.

Since those who have already become superpowered are unwilling to take risks again.

Therefore, in this area, once anyone comes into contact with the cockroach monster or the mutated monster, they all go to the hospital for injections and medication to prevent infection. Moreover, even though Tang Ke, who was at the forefront, protected them well, mostly using guns, he still suffered scratches, bumps, and stomps. Anyway, like everyone else, he also had to report to the hospital after the battle.

"Hang in there for a while. Once we develop a new drug, you won't have to go through all this trouble every time. Maybe once we succeed, one pill or one injection will be enough to last for six months or even a year or two."

Seeing Chen Nan rubbing her arm in a pained expression, He Lin revealed to Chen Nan the focus of their research.

Chen Nan knew they were researching blocking drugs, and upon hearing this, she immediately said happily, "Okay, then I'll wait for the day you develop a new drug."

The two chatted briefly in the hospital corridor, but Sister He, busy with her research, hurried back home.

After checking on Tang Ke's condition, Chen Nan learned that the doctor had given him a tranquilizer and saline solution to help him overcome severe weakness and dehydration.

Chen Nan glanced at the ward door, then went out to get busy.

Chen Nan's position here is a little awkward; she came as Tang Ke's secretary.

Although she held the position of secretary to the security officer of the safe zone, Chen Nan essentially worked as a skirmisher every day. She either trained with the regular troops or waited with the special skirmishers under the safety shield for the few cockroach monsters.

But now, because they've already experienced several large-scale cockroach infestations, they know what the people around Tang Ke are doing and what Tang Ke needs to do after she wakes up.

Chen Nan was no longer at a loss as before. Instead, she went out to find the other party's real secretary and took on the task of compiling a list of the wounded.

After each large-scale cockroach infestation, everyone needs to find the injured and register their names. They also need to find the dead and confirm the list of casualties. Additionally, they need to quickly transport energy stones in large quantities, repair the safety shield, and dispose of animal carcasses outside, among other things.

These jobs all require a lot of people.

So when Chen Nan mentioned it, the people around Tang Ke quickly arranged a job for her.

That night, the usually dark 73 safe zone was brightly lit.

Especially under the safety shield, illuminated by countless lights, it was almost as bright as day.

Every time something like this happens, truckloads of crystals are sent from other safe zones inside.

In addition to truckloads of crystals, truckloads of superhuman soldiers were also brought in.

Watching those young people place their hands on the machine below, letting it extract their superpowers, Chen Nan felt as unsettled as she had before.

"To the finest soldiers and bravest volunteers of our country, thank you for everything you have done for us. On behalf of—"

As before, Tang Xin's projected video appeared on the safety shield.

In the past, Chen Nan would get excited whenever she saw Tang Xin's image, but this time, she, like everyone else around her, had a calm expression.

Because we've seen so many recorded clips like this, they're really nothing special anymore.

At this moment, Chen Nan just wanted to finish what she was doing and go home to sleep.

And to be honest, looking at the list in her hand and the figures lying on stretchers covered with white sheets in front of her, Chen Nan knew that this night would be another sleepless night for everyone in the city.

Just as Chen Nan was holding the form and the equipment, comparing the list one by one, a very obvious commotion suddenly came from behind her.

"It's the sheriff!"

"General!!"

"General Tang!!"

"General!!"

Tang Ke arrived suddenly in the middle of the night, dressed in a black military uniform. He was highly respected here. Many people knew him, and many had witnessed him fighting in battle.

He was the highest-ranking officer in almost all the nearby security zones that started with the number seven.

So at that moment, all the soldiers who were busy at the scene, as well as the soldiers who came to provide support, were somewhat excited to see him.

"Okay, I came over to check. Everyone, don't worry about me, keep working."

Tang Ke, who had looked very brave before, now looked somewhat pale.

Upon seeing him approach, many of the staff members who were busy nearby all ran over to report the number of casualties to him.

Holding a notebook in her hand, Chen Nan looked at the other person from afar. At this moment, she suddenly felt that she was not worthy of knowing the other person and even becoming his apprentice.

Chen Nan is not a real 21-year-old girl; in her previous life, she had been in the workforce for many years.

Years of hard work in society have transformed her into a mature adult who is neither arrogant nor self-deprecating.

But at this moment, she, who prided herself on being mature and composed, revealed some of the inferiority complexes that even young girls sometimes have.

That night, Chen Nan and her team worked until 5:30 in the morning before everything outside was finally over.

When Chen Nan arrived, she was accompanied by one of Tang Ke's secretaries.

But this time, she went back in Tang Ke's car.

"You weren't hurt this time, were you?" Tang Ke, who was sitting next to Chen Nan, asked after Chen Nan got into the car.

"I'm fine, I don't even have a small wound. And I got a shot when I took you to the hospital."

In the car, Chen Nan held up all ten of her fingers to Tang Ke, intending to show her that she was truly unharmed. But when she stretched out both hands, Chen Nan realized how dirty her hands and arms were. The problem wasn't just dust and grime, but rather the blood of humans and animals she'd picked up earlier that day while sifting through the mutated animals searching for surviving soldiers and parts of their bodies.

Chen Nan didn't feel much of a difference while she was busy day and night.

But at this moment, under the dim light inside the car, after stretching out her hands and looking at the black bloodstains on her hands and under her fingernails, Chen Nan realized what she had been doing all day.

"As long as no one is injured, that's fine!"

Chen Nan was still thinking about everything that had happened today when Tang Ke, who was sitting next to her, reached out and naturally took her hand to look at it.

The other person's movements were very natural, without any awkwardness. It was like an elder examining a child's hand, or a doctor examining a patient's hand.

His hand gently touched Chen Nan's fingers and wrist, ignoring all the dark red dirt on them, as if he were telling Chen Nan with his actions that these marks were never stains but proof that countless martyrs had once existed.

Chen Nan smiled and let the other person finish the examination before asking, "Master, weren't you resting? Why did you suddenly come back?"

"I came over because I couldn't sleep."

Tang Ke gave a brief reply, and just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang.

Then, Chen Nan saw that Tang Ke was constantly making and receiving phone calls.

Tang Xin called to offer condolences, to report the number of casualties, and to inquire about the medical department's shortage of supplies, hoping he could coordinate some assistance. Several leaders from the neighboring security zone called to inform him that supplies and personnel had already been delivered.

When Tang Ke made the phone call, Chen Nan initially listened attentively.

But as she listened, her vision began to blur.

Inside that car, Chen Nan's last memory seemed to be the partition in front going down. The driver in military uniform and the man in military uniform in the front passenger seat also began reporting to Tang Ke.

Hearing their report, Chen Nan's head lolled heavily to the side, and she eventually lost consciousness completely.

When Chen Nan woke up again, she still heard the same faint conversation as before.

Besides the sounds of conversation, Chen Nan also smelled the aroma of food.

Smelling the aroma of millet porridge and meat pies, Chen Nan hesitated for a moment before decisively getting up to wash and get ready.