Chapter 89: Medical Reform, Uncle Dong’s Letter!

After leaving the community, Cheng Ye took out the defense communication device and took a look.

The medical application was indeed approved by the checkpoint and a dedicated medical clinic was assigned to me.

'Happiness' Medical Clinic.

Click on the location, it is just on the southern outskirts of the buffer zone, not far from the southern checkpoint.

“There are currently eight medical clinics still operating in the buffer zone.”

Jiang Chuan quickly followed to explain, and the two of them understood each other and did not reveal what had just happened.

With this tacit understanding, he now really regarded himself as a clerk sent by the checkpoint to escort someone, and his tone was familiar and confident.

Cheng Ye was not polite either. Having someone who knew the situation leading the way would probably save him a lot of trouble.

The conversation became more natural.

"Besides the five external medical clinics, the other three are for internal use, belonging to the three major legions, one for each legion." Jiang Chuan said as he walked, "The checkpoint uses the medical clinic of the Happiness Legion. Their soldiers rarely get injured. If they do get injured, they will go to the inner city for treatment instead of coming to the buffer zone, so this place is relatively empty."

"How will the medical expenses be calculated? Will it be in contribution points or happiness coins?"

"Medical expenses?"

Jiang Chuan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "Prosecutor Cheng is lucky. It seems he's never been to a clinic. In our Happy City, whether it's the inner city or the buffer zone, all clinics are free. As long as you have a resident ID, you can get treatment."

"The whole trip is free?"

"right."

"So if I'm aggressive and get slashed in a fight, can I still get it for free?"

"Any situation is acceptable, and all expenses will be borne by Xingfu City."

Good job.

I didn’t expect that Idealist not only waived all electricity bills, but also waived all medical expenses.

wrong.

Suddenly, what Zhu Xiang said two days ago flashed through his mind. Cheng Ye frowned slightly and then asked, "Will I be able to get treatment immediately after I go there?"

"Score situation, if there is an empty bed, it's ok, if not..."

“Can I buy medicine myself if I don’t have a bed?”

"No." Jiang Chuan shook his head. "Medical supplies are controlled items. Only the field convoys at the checkpoints can purchase them according to their quotas. Well, foreign caravans can buy them, but the prices are ridiculously high, especially those special medicines infused with mutant crystals. They are the foundation of each sanctuary city, so how can they be easily leaked out?"

“There are no beds, and even medicine cannot be bought.”

Cheng Ye was secretly shocked, and then he understood why Zhu Xiang had the idea of promoting private medical care.

If the injury is serious and there is no empty bed, won’t he just have to wait to die outside?

In addition, since medical care is free for all, the income of the medical clinic can only rely on funding from higher authorities.

Progress in the medical field relies on continuous investment in scientific research to update technology, and a single funding model is obviously unable to support these long-term costs.

Over time, it is no wonder that the development of corresponding drugs for the source of infection has been abandoned.

Just as they were thinking about it, a big Jinbei stopped in front of them. It was the bus from the checkpoint.

The driver got out of the car and said with a respectful smile, "The buses to the North and South Stations have been completely occupied by migrants these past two days. Inspector Cheng, the stationmaster has granted you special permission to use the bus. You will be available on call during your medical treatment."

"That's really convenient."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping over Jiang Chuan beside him inconspicuously.

The latter looked normal, without any sign of abnormality.

Ding Yishan’s people?

After getting in the car, Cheng Ye leaned back in his chair and thought to himself.

The only people who could be sent over during this time period could not be Westerners. Even if they were Westerners, they would not send an Eastern clerk.

Could it be that Ding Yishan knew that I was invested in by Idealist and sent someone to test me?

After thinking about it, Cheng Ye shook his head indifferently and quickly put these unfounded speculations behind him.

After all, it is because the horned starfish is too confident.

Even if he really had to get involved in the factional struggle within the checkpoint, he would not be afraid at all, at least he would not be afraid of these secret tactics.

With this confidence, and the fact that he is apparently Cheng Long's only heir, although the Cheng family has brought waves of "damage" to the checkpoint, there are also countless people who owe the Cheng family favors.

To be honest, who dares to touch him openly?

The car headed south, and by this time in the afternoon, there were far fewer migrants on the road.

Because it will be dark as soon as we go out, it is too dangerous.

Most migrants set out in the dark, walking from night to dawn. Few dare to set out at night.

"Prosecutor Cheng, this is the first time I've seen someone so respected and loved by the community."

Seeing that Cheng Ye didn't say anything, Jiang Chuan did not forget his "original intention" and tried again.

However, what surprised him was that Cheng Ye didn't seem to be hiding anything at all, and he said directly:

"Yes, on the night the infection broke out, I led them into a few rounds of fighting. I earned the Third Class Merit for Happiness. How could they not be grateful to me?"

"Um?"

Jiang Chuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly wrote down the information, "So you're not in danger?"

"How is that possible? I encountered three fusions, two at the primary level and one at the advanced level."

It's that simple to test each other.

Cheng Ye slowed down his speech, his eyes fell on Jiang Chuan's face, and he saw the surprise on his face.

Hey, doesn’t the checkpoint know what happened that night?

In just a moment, Cheng Ye's mind was working rapidly. If he didn't come to test me because he knew I was an idealist, could it be that he was trying to win me over?

That's good news.

From the moment Liu Bi called back, Ding Yishan had already started showing goodwill.

But it seemed that because of the Cheng family, the release of this goodwill was very slow.

Jiang Chuan's arrival now just proves his judgment.

With this in mind, he feigned relief and said, "Luckily, the command center in the inner city contacted me and provided me with enough information support, so I was able to defeat that advanced infected body."

"Command center?"

Jiang Chuan was stunned again, this time very obviously, and it took him two full seconds to come back to his senses.

Realizing that Cheng Ye was staring at him, he quickly forced a smile: "High-level infected bodies are not easy to deal with. Prosecutor Cheng is really good."

"I've only had three months of serious training, so I'm definitely not as good as you masters."

Cheng Ye shook his head.

In this wasteland, strength and brains are not the same thing, especially for those who have practiced martial arts to the extreme, most of them have relatively "simple" minds.

Although Jiang Chuan is slightly stronger than Liu Bi, he is not much stronger.

Now that he knew his purpose, Cheng Ye simply continued to talk. "Moreover, the command center saw that I performed well and the Tianyuan Community also cooperated well, so they specially rewarded the community with 20,000 contribution points of construction funds. I was in charge of supervising and responsible for the development of Area B-7. You should have seen it when you went there."

"Look, I see."

Jiang Chuan nodded, not even noticing a slight stutter in his voice.

"Don't tell anyone when you get back to the checkpoint. I'm telling you this because we're destined to be together."

Cheng Ye grinned and changed the subject, "Actually, it's not that those people respect me, it's that I can bring them benefits. Only when we all benefit from each other can we continue."

He slightly emphasized the concept of mutual benefit.

Jiang Chuan was startled when he heard this, and a hint of understanding flashed across his face, but he quickly calmed down and just nodded slightly.

He was not stupid. Having followed Ding Yishan for so many years, he naturally understood the hidden meaning in Cheng Ye's words.

These smart people will always hide their true purpose in their words so that you can understand.

If you can't understand it, that's the literal meaning, but if you can understand it, it has a completely different meaning.

No conversation along the way.

Cheng Ye tilted his head to look at the street scene passing by outside the window, while Jiang Chuan repeatedly pondered what he had seen in the afternoon, thinking about how to report it to Ding Yishan.

He has been in the buffer zone for three months and there are many places he has not been to.

The medical clinic is one of them.

Not long after the car drove out of the city, a group of buildings appeared not far away.

Three six-story buildings are surrounded by a mottled wall, with signs reading "Outpatient Clinic," "Inpatient Clinic," and "Emergency Care" hung on the buildings.

On the side of the building near the outside, the old marks of the word "hospital" can be faintly seen where the wall paint has peeled off.

"Was this a hospital before?"

Cheng Ye looked at it curiously, feeling a little puzzled.

"Yes!" Jiang Chuan came back to his senses and explained, "There used to be no medical clinic in the buffer zone. There were only two hospitals. One was called Xingfu Hospital, which served the local residents, and the other was called Lefu Hospital, which served the residents. Later, because the treatment efficiency was too low, the Medical Bureau split it up and reorganized it into the current medical clinics, allowing them to compete with each other."

"But if we don't charge fees and only rely on funding from above, won't efficiency just get lower and lower?"

"Huh?" Jiang Chuan was stunned for a moment, but eventually nodded. "That's exactly the truth. Initially, the higher-ups only looked at cure rates. Then, major medical clinics discovered that as the number of patients increased, the cure rate dropped. So, they began deliberately extending treatment cycles, only allowing patients to be discharged en masse when the statistics were settled."

"Later, the indicators were changed to include patient numbers, satisfaction scores, and cost control. However, this change caused doctors to become fatigued due to heavy workloads and low rewards. Gradually, they began to provide perfunctory treatment and shirk their responsibilities."

"So you don't plan to change it?"

"We've been talking about changes for a while now. According to the higher-ups, they're going to have three core medical stations and dozens or even hundreds of mobile medical locations. The core stations will be responsible for treating critical cases, while the mobile locations will handle minor injuries and common illnesses, and they'll also screen and send critically ill patients there."

Jiang Chuan didn't seem to have any hope for this.

"The core medical stations will continue to use the current free medical model, but the mobile medical points below will change to a combination of paid and free medical services."

He paused, then explained in more detail, "Simply put, medicine is free, but medical services are charged. Each mobile medical site has a fixed quota of medicine, and once a month's supply is used up, it's gone. The service fees collected can be used to develop our own medical sites, train new personnel, purchase equipment, and so on."

"There's also a scoring system based on indicators like patient satisfaction and cure rates. A higher score can help you upgrade your medical point. The higher the level, the more medicine you get, and you can apply for more funding."

Medical centers competing with each other?

When Cheng Ye heard this, he immediately noticed the obvious drawbacks of this model.

Although the core medical stations provide a cover for critically ill patients, only those with mild illnesses are left at the medical points.

But there are also differences between mild cases.

If treatment is charged and medicines are limited, will medical centers only accept patients who can definitely be cured or those who can pay higher fees in order to earn more income and get higher ratings?

"Also, medical sites need community sponsorship to be established. I don't know what the higher-ups are trying to accomplish with this change."

"claim?"

Cheng Ye was slightly stunned, and vaguely grasped the thread of the idealistic reform buffer zone.

Both community management and the medical point recognition system seem to be pushing the buffer zone to an extreme.

However, this thread of thought had not yet been sorted out, and as the car stopped steadily in front of the outpatient department, he temporarily kept it in his mind.

"Here we are. I'll help you get admitted to the hospital."

"Trouble."

It’s better to have tacit understanding. After testing each other, Jiang Chuan no longer puts on a show.

Otherwise, we would have to take him to see a bunch of doctors, and after a series of examinations and analyses, we could finally decide on his hospitalization.

After waiting for about four or five minutes, Jiang Chuan came out with an envelope and handed it over.

Cheng Ye glanced down and saw that the envelope was written with "Room 505, 5th Floor, Inpatient Department". When he opened it, he saw several receipts and a card inside.

"Inspector Cheng, this card serves as both your room key and your spending card. While your medical expenses are free, you will still be charged for meals and the use of some facilities. You can use this card to pay for all of these, and the costs will be covered by the inspection station."

hiss.

Once again experiencing the convenience of privilege, Cheng Ye was filled with emotion.

The idealists have indeed raised the status of prosecutors to an infinitely high level. If they had not embarked on the path of fighting for power and profit, there might really be prosecutors who would work hard for these privileges.

"Inspector Cheng, if you need a car, please contact the inspection station's official account directly."

"Okay, thank you."

After sending off the big golden cup, the two walked towards the inpatient building, one in front and the other behind.

There is an elevator in the building, and although it looks very old, it still functions normally.

When they reached the fifth floor, Cheng Ye stopped as soon as he stepped out of the elevator.

Not far away, someone saw him appear and was also stunned.

interesting.

He turned his head and looked at Jiang Chuan, who was still smiling with no change in expression.

Want to see my attitude towards Westerners?

Cheng Ye smiled and walked over openly, but to his surprise, Garcia also smiled a little and even spoke first:

"Prosecutor Cheng, are you also here to be hospitalized?"

"Yeah, I got hurt a little, so I have to stay here for a few days to recuperate."

"That's great! I'm really bored living alone, and you two could be good companions."

As they spoke back and forth, the two of them spoke as familiarly as old friends, without any sense of strangeness at all.

Even when Cheng Ye used the card to swipe the door of the next room, the smile on Garcia's face remained unchanged.

It is indeed not simple for a person to get to the top by standing in a group.

In the past, Cheng Ye might have been wary of someone who was smiling but had a dagger hidden behind his smile.

But now, it is just a roadside path. It will take some time to gather the four forces and fill the muscle gap.

If you dare to jump, I’ll kick you to death!

"This environment is really nice. I didn't expect it to look ordinary on the outside but be so big inside!"

The door opened and Cheng Ye walked into the room.

I thought it would be an ordinary ward, similar to the tube-shaped building he lived in, but the actual situation was completely the opposite.

This ward actually has a living room and a bathroom, and further inside is the bedroom. There is a 1.8-meter-long bed by the window.

The sunlight shines on the white bedding, and there is a small yellow flower on the bedside table.

It makes people feel a little dazed, as if they have returned to the modern era.

"This is a private ward specially prepared for the inspector. If you need anything, just press the button at the head of the bed."

Jiang Chuan brought in the luggage with a smile, and while introducing it, he placed the books one by one into the locker beside the bed.

Suddenly when I picked up one of the books, an envelope fell out of it.

"Prosecutor Cheng, there seems to be a letter for you here?"

"Yeah?"

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment and took the envelope.

On the envelope were written a few large characters: 'From Cheng Ye, Xia Dongliu.'

Is it Uncle Dong?

He turned to look at the remaining books and vaguely saw that there were things stuck in some of them.

"Well, you can put these books here. I'll arrange them myself later."

"Okay, if there's nothing else you need, I'll be leaving first. I still have some things to do at the station."

"OK."

Cheng Ye nodded and took out the defense communication card from his waist. "Leave me a number?"

"mine?"

Jiang Chuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "998899, my number is easy to remember."

"It's really easy to remember. I'll keep in touch with you in the future."

After saving the number in the phone book, Cheng Ye waved his hand, and Jiang Chuan quickly retreated, closing the door gently.

I stood by the window and watched him quickly get into the big golden cup waiting on the curb, after the car drove out of sight.

Only then did Cheng Ye sit down on the bed, took a long breath, and picked up the letter left by Uncle Dong.

Without strong support, participating in factional struggles is indeed like walking on thin ice.

But now, he was just looking forward to seeing how Ding Yishan would react after hearing these things.

The envelope was opened, revealing several thick pages of paper.

"Luckily I brought all the books up that night. If I had forgotten, the letter would have been soaked in water!"

Uncle Dong did not give the letter to him directly, but hid it here.

Cheng Ye was a little curious, so he opened the book and started reading from the first page word by word.

Cheng Ye, by the time you read this letter, I'll probably be a long way from Happy City. Unfortunately, even though they all urged me to say goodbye to you formally, I ultimately held back. For many, traveling to other provinces by truck is a life-or-death experience, but for me, Xia Dong, the 02-level Green Dragon Captain, it's no big deal, haha!

I'm a bit of a braggart. You've probably gotten used to it after spending over two months with me. But you don't know, I'm actually a complete coward. I'm always full of ambition at night, but I instantly give up at dawn. Many years ago, I chose to retire early. Everyone on the team thought I foresaw the wave of infections that winter, but that wasn't the case at all. I was simply afraid. I was terrified of death. The fusion terrified me.

"For a soldier, losing courage means death is not far away. So I had no choice but to retire and return to the buffer zone to find the safest job. I didn't expect to meet you, a kid who just left the buffer zone."

Please forgive my disrespect. Everyone else reveres the prosecutor, but I was active during your grandfather's time. Back then, the prosecutor and I were comrades-in-arms, sharing life and death. There was no distinction between high and low. Although I often want to call you "Sir," the words never come out. After all, your father also called me "Brother Dong" back then, hehe.

[Back to the point, I'm really grateful for your applause that day. It made me realize I wasn't a worthless loser who no one cared about. But I'm even more grateful for you helping me regain my lost edge. Remember when you first left the inner city? You were so scared back then that you came to my shop every afternoon, and I had to comfort you for a long time before you could calm down.]

But you've grown up too fast, like a meteor streaking through the night sky, bright and dazzling. Uncle Dong, looking at you, is like seeing myself back then. Honestly, I was just as dazzling back then (I'm not bragging). From you, I've slowly regained my confidence. If a kid can stand firm on his feet, how can I, Xia Dong, not face my inner demons?

I'm leaving, following the large convoy of nearly three hundred people. All the members of the Frost Winter Squad are leaving with me, including the woman I love most. Even if I die, it's worth it! But I can't leave my belongings to others. The shop's title deed and transfer certificate are in the book. You can register them and they'll be yours. Of course, these things may not be useful to you, so you can give them away as a favor. Uncle Dong really doesn't have much to thank you for, so this is all. Please don't be offended.

[Oh, by the way, there's also Old Man Sun from the property management office. He keeps coming to my shop complaining about the unusual electricity usage in your building. Others only use a few dozen kWh a month, but you use over a thousand. He's going to report you when the free period ends (this guy doesn't know you're an inspector). I've thought about it, and I'll take care of Old Man Sun before I leave. I'll also clear your meter (I've cleared yours, don't worry). Uncle Dong may be old, but he's still very capable. He'll handle this cleanly, and you won't be implicated.]

"Well, don't think Uncle Dong was ruthless. This old man Sun is no good. For years, he's been using his connections at the Production Bureau to bully men and women. He's also repeatedly forced me to sell my shop at half price, using his connections to threaten me. I've always disliked him, and this time I've finally settled a grudge."

[That's about it, Cheng Ye. I'm so excited right now because as I write this to you, the woman I love most is sitting on my lap. I'm still as sharp as ever, haha!]

[Hope I can come back alive. I will definitely bring you some goodies that are not available in Happiness City.]

【Xia Dong, stay! 】

Eight hundred kilometers away from Xingfu City.

Moderate rain was pouring down, and the camp consisting of more than ten trucks was in chaos.

The infected creature with a giant starfish on its head wreaked havoc in the camp, chasing the humans and forcing them to flee in all directions.

Occasionally someone fired back, but with little effect. They had no idea that three fatal wounds were enough to kill someone, and they just thought the infected were immune to bullets.

What's even more troublesome is that there is a huge intermediate fusion body entrenched in the center of the camp.

It moved back and forth between the trucks, and each time it attacked, it would randomly capture a human being, with screams ringing out one after another.

But at this moment, a light came from not far away, and a head popped out of the car window and shouted:

"Get out of the way, everyone!"

Under the astonished gaze of a group of people, a truck rushed over like an arrow and slammed into the intermediate fusion body.

The huge impact force almost crushed half of the fusion body, but its ferocity did not diminish at all, and its remaining limbs were still waving wildly.

"Fuck, I've tried so hard, how are you still alive?"

The figure poked his head out again, holding a shotgun in his hand.

Bang, bang.

Shotgun shells spurted out one after another, and shell casings fell to the ground one after another.

The fusion body that was crushed by the truck wanted to struggle, but it couldn't push the steel behemoth weighing more than ten tons. It could only watch as the figure pointed the gun at it.

"Captain, you can't survive, but we still want to live. I'm sorry!"

Bang!

Another shotgun shell was fired, and the intermediate fusion body's head tilted. The death conditions of the seven fatal wounds were triggered, and it was completely motionless.

Without the fusion body to lead the disruption, the infected bodies in the camp were quickly killed by the convoy members who had regained their senses.

After all, we drive a big truck and have long been prepared to deal with infected people.

Moreover, the outbreak of the starfish infection is strange, but its combat capability is pitifully weak.

Half an hour later, the survivors gathered together.

Of the 276 people who set out, only less than 140 remain today.

But what was even more troublesome was that the captain and vice-captain of the Qiuyue team, one became a fusion body, and the other was torn apart by the fusion body, and the entire team completely lost its backbone.

Some people in the crowd were ready to propose dividing the supplies and disbanding.

The person who killed the fusion body stood up first.

"There are only 12 cars, not enough to go around, and the supplies we bring back are worthless!"

"But if we keep going and get to Saskatchewan, we can get ten times, no, fifty times the profit from these things."

Xia Dong raised his arms and shouted, "We've already come out here to risk our lives, are you willing to go back in disgrace?"

"The captain is dead, what should I do if I don't go back?"

Someone in the crowd asked a question, and when their eyes met Xia Dong's, Xia Dong forced a smile calmly.

"I am Xia Dong, the Level 02 Green Dragon Captain of the Happiness City Blood Dragon Legion!"

He glanced at the crowd and said, "Whoever wants to follow me, come behind me and I'll take you to eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks."

?

Is this a plan to take over the Qiuyue Fleet?

Some people in the crowd were muttering to themselves, looking at Xia Dong back and forth.

But at this moment, Yun Wei also stood up, "This is my man, he is willing to go with us, come here!"

"Is he Sister Yun's man? I wouldn't trust anyone else, but I can trust Sister Yun!"

As soon as he finished speaking, more than ten people stood up without hesitation and walked behind Xia Dong.

Seeing this, the others did not dare to hesitate any longer and stood up and followed.

At this time, the team really needs a leader to stabilize the situation.

As for whether he should really follow Xia Dong in the future, that depends on whether he has the ability to do so. If he doesn't have the ability, everyone has legs and can disband and leave at any time.

"Captain, this caravan is now ours?"

Order gradually returned to the camp, and members of the Winter Team came over, their tone still filled with disbelief.

Before setting off, everyone planned to drive trucks for two years to save enough money to form their own team.

But what they never expected was that not long after they left the city, they would directly "take" the Qiuyue team over.

"That's normal. It's like that when you're out driving a large caravan. When you encounter an infected body, it's not uncommon for the leader to change seven or eight times in a trip. What's important is the people in the team. Boss Li also bought the caravan for free from the previous captain."

Yun Wei also smiled, but what made her really happy was not taking over the fleet, but Xia Dong's appearance just now.

In a trance, the man who was once as dazzling as a meteor seemed to have returned, even more steady and sharp than before.

"Yun Wei is right. We didn't pick up the caravan because of internal strife. With so many people watching, we can withstand inspections wherever we go. But this is still a good start!"

Xia Dong grinned and said that since he decided to make a comeback, his luck has never been bad.

Could it be that after lying dormant for so many years, his luck is beginning to accumulate and burst forth?

"So after we finish the transaction, will we go back to Happy City?"

"Yes, of course."

Xia Dong nodded heavily and looked towards Xingfu City. "That's our roots. No matter how long we've been away, we have to come back."

"What's more, I still owe you a favor, Captain!"