Chapter 347 The makeshift infirmary The infirmary of Battalion No. 3 was more like a slightly larger storeroom than an infirmary, with whitewashed walls and a few creaking wooden beds.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of rust, sweat, and the unique, slightly sweet and fishy odor of mercurochrome, all mixed together to create a stench that made one feel dizzy and lightheaded.
Inside and outside the house, "wounded soldiers" lay scattered all over the place.
"Ouch... my back... it's broken... I can't use my strength..."
"My legs... I can't feel my legs... Someone pinch me and see if they're still there..."
"Medic! Can I have some water? My throat is parched, like I swallowed a handful of sand!"
The only medic, a young man in his early twenties with a pockmarked face, was currently surrounded by this group of burly men who were howling like ghosts, and was busy like a spinning top.
He only had two "magic weapons" in his hands—a bottle of mercurochrome, a bottle of iodine, and a few rolls of yellowed gauze.
"Quiet down! Line up! One at a time!" the medic yelled, his voice hoarse from talking so much. "If your arms and legs aren't broken, just bear with it! If you have a scrape, just use a cotton swab to apply some mercurochrome! It's just a tiny injury, and you're screaming like you're about to give birth! People who don't know better will think our Third Battalion is a women's battalion!"
Amidst the chaos, a figure suddenly squeezed in, carrying with him a burning anger.
"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!"
Gao Kai, like a bull, smashed through the people blocking his way and rushed to the medic. His usually proud and handsome face was now filled with unprecedented anxiety and panic.
"Medic! Quick! Give me the best medicine! Something to stop the bleeding, reduce bruising, and prevent scarring! Hurry!" He grabbed the medic's arm, his voice loud and urgent.
The medic was startled and then hurt from Gao Kai's grip, instantly becoming furious. He flung Gao Kai's hand away and yelled irritably, "What best medicine? Do you think this is a top hospital in Beijing? I only have mercurochrome and iodine here. Want some? If not, get lost and don't delay me from treating others!"
"Red medicine? Iodine?" Gao Kai's eyes widened instantly; he could hardly believe his ears.
He turned his head and glanced outside the door. Su Tang was sitting quietly in the corner, with Wang Xiaoya and Chen Xiaocao on either side of her. Both girls' eyes were red and swollen from crying.
On Su Tang's fair arm, a patch of bluish-purple bruises, almost black, stood out starkly in the dim light. How could such a delicate skin be treated with something like this? What if it leaves a scar?
Thinking of this, Gao Kai felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by a large hand, both painful and suffocating.
"No! Absolutely not!" He turned around, almost roaring at the medic, "Do you know how irritating that stuff is? How can you give it to a woman? Don't you have Yunnan Baiyao here? Or any other good ointment will do! I'll pay any price if you have it!"
"Yunnan Baiyao?" The medic was amused and exasperated. He put his hands behind his back and looked at Gao Kai with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot. "I say, are you new here, comrade? Yunnan Baiyao? Who's that for? It's for heroes who are about to die on the battlefield! You guys just got some scrapes during training and you want Yunnan Baiyao? How dare you be so arrogant? I'll say it again, we don't have any! Treat it or don't! Which soldier doesn't have a few scars? You think you're so special!"
After saying that, the medic ignored him completely, snorted, and turned to treat the wound of another grimacing soldier, muttering under his breath, "Where did this greenhorn come from, really..."
Gao Kai was publicly rebuked and left speechless, frozen in place.
He, Gao Kai, was a figure in the Beijing police force. When had he ever been so pathetic? For a mere bottle of medicine, he was being pointed at and cursed at.
"Pfft..."
A suppressed chuckle came from the doorway; the sound wasn't loud, but it was incredibly jarring at that moment.
It was Zhang Kui's gang.
Zhang Kui himself wasn't in much better shape, lying on the ground by the door groaning. His companions, who weren't seriously injured, were gathered together, pointing and whispering about Gao Kai, their faces full of schadenfreude.
"Hey, look, isn't that our Kai-ge? A gun genius, how come he can't even get a good bottle of medicine?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
