Chapter 139 The Last Land
In Zhicheng Hospital, the area for housing and treating ichthyosis patients is completely separated from the ordinary wards. Although the ichthyosis ward is not completely closed, the patients' symptoms are horrific after all. In addition, in accordance with the principles of low-key and confidential treatment, mobile phones cannot be used casually after entering the ward, for fear that someone may take pictures of the patients' appearance when they are sick and post them online.
This was also the reason why Zheng Feifei failed to respond in time when Shu Fu initially contacted her.
After Mr. Zheng took medicine for several times without any improvement, he was moved from the ichthyosis intensive treatment area to the general ichthyosis ward by the hospital, saying that he was recuperating in the hospital. But in fact, Zheng Feifei and Zheng's mother both knew that the country had given up on treatment, and that his hospitalization was just to give Mr. Zheng the illusion that he was still receiving treatment before he died.
Neither Zheng's mother nor Zheng Feifei could accept this reality. Everything happened too fast, and they could not accept the fact that their loved ones were about to die.
Therefore, a few days later, when a strange phone call came in and said that they could help her cure her father for free as long as she cooperated, Zheng Feifei did not refuse at the first time.
She was not stupid. She sensed something was wrong from the first time the other party called.
Their family was just ordinary people. It took only a week from the time her father was diagnosed with ichthyosis to the time the hospital declared the medication ineffective. Because Zheng's father had been receiving low-key treatment in the hospital, even their neighbors didn't know what had happened to their family.
But why did this stranger know this? And after the call was connected, he went straight to the point and threw out what she needed most, leaving her with no time to even say anything to refuse.
Who is the other party?
Her father's medicine has been declared ineffective, so why would the other party give her such a promise?
Since they don’t want money and supplies, what is their purpose?
…
Late at night, after comforting her grieving mother to sleep, Zheng Feifei leaned there and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Her first reaction was to wonder if her identity had been exposed, but she hadn't even told her mother about this, and had never used this ability in public, so the other party couldn't possibly know.
Moreover, rather than asking for her cooperation, it would be more accurate to say that the other party is asking for the cooperation of Zheng's father.
Therefore, the focus is still on Zheng's father.
Doubt and worry made her feel suffocated, but she kept repeating the other person's words in her mind - "We can help you cure your father." She knew there was a problem, but in the abyss of despair, that was the only hope she could grasp.
She lied to Shu Fu. Her family did not move to Shacheng by themselves through connections. She had not even left Zhicheng at that time.
She didn't know how the person on the other end of the phone did it, but after she agreed, the hospital quickly arranged for them to be transferred.
Shortly after they were transferred to another private hospital, someone showed up and arranged all the things for her to do in Sand City. The other person was a man in his thirties, with an ordinary appearance. He did not have the temperament of a superior or important person, and looked like an ordinary receptionist.
It seemed that before their family, he had also handled such cross-city treatment matters for many families of ichthyosis patients.
At that time, her father had already lost consciousness, his pupils began to dilate and turn bloodshot, his speech ability deteriorated, and his reaction was extremely slow. Zheng's mother did not agree to leave the safety of her family to such a complete stranger. The conditions of the vehicle arranged for them to transfer were too good, so good that she was afraid.
Zheng's mother understood that there is no free lunch in the world. The other party was a stranger to their family, so why would they help them treat Zheng's father for free? What's more, even the hospital has declared that Zheng's father's physical condition is special and the treatment drugs are ineffective. What else can they do?
But when people are in desperate situations, they always hope that a miracle will happen.
Just like Zheng Feifei told her, she didn't believe them. This matter was definitely not that simple. But if they chose to continue staying in Zhicheng Hospital, Zheng's father would have only one ending, which was death.
He would fall ill, suffer extreme pain during the illness, and die after suffering greatly, or even... be neither dead nor alive.
But if she chose to go to an unknown hospital in Sand City with those people, Zheng's father would still have a glimmer of hope. For this glimmer of hope, she was willing to take a risk and give it a try. She couldn't guarantee whether Zheng's mother would keep her mouth shut, so she still didn't tell her about the appearance of supernatural powers, but privately, she made a lot of preparations.
She has a backpack that can carry all the water and valuables in the house, and can also hide some knives and sharp objects as self-defense weapons. As long as there are supplies around, no matter what happens later, at least they will not be passive or starve to death.
She inspected several counties and towns in the suburbs around Shacheng, and finally decided to use Zhashui County as their retreat. There is an inland river near Zhashui County, which meanders southeast and flows through several counties.
If any problems arise, they will flee to Zhashui County. She has a raft and can travel by water. As long as the raft has power, it can move smoothly on the water even in bad weather conditions.
The room they lived in Zhicheng was rather cramped, and she never had the chance to launch a raft, but there was a lot of information about people with special powers on the Internet.
She knew what a raft looked like. Ever since she discovered that she had golden fingers and was different from ordinary people with special powers a few months ago, she had secretly stockpiled a lot of things in her backpack.
For example, fuel, tarpaulin and ropes that can be made into sails, and boat motors, many of which are not easy to obtain, were all collected bit by bit by her over a long period of time.
She had not expected the current situation at that time, but since she had become a superpower, she subconsciously felt that she should do something.
She began to look up information about Shacheng and Shacheng Hospital on the Internet, recalling everything about the private hospital, and then searching the Internet for clues.
She downloaded maps of Shacheng and nearby suburbs, especially the map of Zhashui County. She checked them carefully and figured out how to find a place to stay without leaving any personal information, where to buy water and other supplies without being cheated, figured out some street shortcuts, and simulated several routes from Zhashui County to the river...
Every time when she felt uneasy and afraid, she would think over and over again about how Shu Fu had helped her analyze in a clear and organized manner whether to go to the hotel opposite to avoid the water when they were first in Suicheng, and how he had calmly taught her word by word how to resist the thugs later in Louyuncheng.
The most important thing is to stay calm, and then have a plan. If there is something you can't understand just by thinking about it, write it down, review it repeatedly, and fill in the gaps later.
Then, solve them one by one.
After everything was ready, she called Shu Fu. She contacted her at that time, firstly, because she didn't want her to continue to worry, and secondly, she wanted to hear her voice again before leaving, as if this would give her more courage.
Afterwards, they were quickly taken to Sand City - strictly speaking, it should be the suburbs of Sand City. It was not deserted, and many safe houses were newly built nearby. After one or two years of development, there were also supporting communities and shops.
They were taken to a hospital some distance away from the construction area. The hospital was large and looked like a sanatorium from the outside. Zheng's father entered the ward, and she and Zheng's mother were also arranged to stay in a building.
It was forbidden to contact the outside world there, so all the communication tools of their family were searched away. But it didn't matter, her real communication tools were actually placed in the backpack compartment, and what she handed over was just a second-hand spare mobile phone.
They were staying at someone else's place, and even the room might not be safe, so she was very cautious and didn't take her cell phone out of her backpack.
Later she found out that throughout the hospital, all areas where family members like them could move around were cut off from the Internet. Not only could they not go online, they couldn't even make phone calls.
It is said that this is to ensure the safe operation of certain medical devices. Of course, their mobile phones are only temporarily kept in the hospital. If they want to contact the outside world, they can report it first, and then they will take them to several specific areas with signals, and then return the phones to them for them to use there.
Zheng Feifei was not surprised by this. Mobile phones can take photos and record videos. If the news here could spread, why could she hardly find any information about this nursing home on the Internet before?
So she guessed at that time that these devices would be disabled here.
They must be being watched, but she could endure all of this as long as they could save her father.
But in the end, she still lost her father. When Zheng's mother cried and almost fainted in the treatment room, she knew it was time for them to go.
She pretended that she couldn't accept it all, complained that the hospital didn't try hard to save her, and said that she trusted them so much, half of it was acting, and half of it was her real emotions. She said she wanted to calm down, and ran out of the sanatorium heartbroken. Zheng's mother was worried about her and naturally chased her out.
Probably because neither of them had a cell phone with them at the time, the hospital staff did not stop them from leaving.
After leaving, Zheng Feifei and her mother quickly found a bathroom outside, changed their clothes, put on a wig, and then left the vicinity of the nursing home as soon as possible.
In the eyes of the other party, they had nothing and were in a strange city. Where could they go?
But in fact, Zheng Feifei had already made all the preparations, and now she was just moving forward step by step according to her plan.
**
At this moment, the mother and daughter have settled down in an inconspicuous short-term rental house in Zhashui County.
Zhashui County is very close to Shacheng and is a very mediocre county among the many counties surrounding Shacheng. Zheng Feifei plans to stay here for one or two days, pay attention to the wind outside, and then go into the water in the evening when it is almost dark.
She didn't know who was the person in charge of the sanatorium. The only thing she was sure of was that they were not official, but there must be a huge organizational force behind them.
Otherwise, the other party would not have a sanatorium in Sand City that can study ichthyosis patients.
In addition to her father, there were many other ichthyosis patients there, and the building where they lived also housed family members of other ichthyosis patients.
The nursing home arranges some courses for the patients' families every day, claiming that the courses are to teach them how to communicate with the patients and how to understand the meaning of some of the patients' behaviors...
These courses are not forced upon everyone, but are based on the principle of voluntariness. Only when a person wants to learn how to communicate with patients can he or she really calm down and learn.
Zheng Feifei had never thought about going, but luckily they had just arrived and others would not find it strange even if they did not go.
I heard that some people in the family building have lived here for a month or two. When some of them talked about the patients, they showed happy expressions, saying that their family members were getting better, and they also took classes seriously...
After she and her mother disappeared, the other party must have noticed it, but to the entire sanatorium, they were not important people at all. Even if they wanted to find them, it would not be possible to make a big fuss and spend too much manpower and resources.
What's more, according to normal logical thinking, ordinary people will leave the entire Shacheng area as soon as possible after escaping. Zhashui County is only a 40-minute drive from Shacheng, which is a dark area under the light and is easy to be overlooked.
Although Zheng Feifei did not tell Shu Fu directly that she had become a superpower and possessed a raft and a golden finger, she did not deliberately avoid the topic.
Shu Fu didn't say anything before because of the situation at the time. It wouldn't help her. But now it was different. They also had to find a place to take shelter. Instead of drifting to an unknown place on a raft, it would be better to come and join her.
What's more, Chen Fa and the others are in Zhashui County, and they are about to leave in the next few days, so they can actually go together.
So she said to the other party: "Fei Fei, do you still remember the message I sent you more than a month ago?"
"You asked me if I had ever thought about living somewhere else?"
"Yes, actually I wanted to tell you before that I have not settled on any land. I have been living on the water for a long time. Do you want to come and live with me?" Zheng Feifei is a cautious person, so Shu Fu asked very cautiously, but this sentence was almost a clear indication.
Zheng Feifei understood. She called out briefly on the other end of the phone, as if she was afraid of waking up her mother who was still sleeping: "Shu Fu——"
"It's just what you understand. In addition to you and me, I have other companions. We don't have any big ambitions. We just want to live a good life in this apocalypse and protect our own little family." Shu Fu paused and asked again, "So... Feifei, do you want to join us?"
The answer, of course, is yes.
Especially at this stage, what could be more surprising than knowing that her most trusted friend is also a companion?
Before the two ended the call, Shu Fu gave Zheng Feifei Chen Fa's satellite phone number, and said that if the other party did not answer, she could just send her a message with the words "See you later, Fafa" written on the message, and the other party would naturally call her back.
Zheng Feifei agreed seriously and said that she would contact the other party after dawn. After all, most people would be resting at this time. Since they were all companions and would be living together in the future, she didn't want to leave a bad impression on the other party.
"Don't worry, I'll send her a message first." Shu Fu couldn't help but remind her before hanging up the phone, "Recently... the situation is not very good. Zhashui County is in the inland area of the Fengshang Plateau and is far away from the water, so you all need to be careful. The premise of transferring and reuniting is to ensure your own safety."
"I understand. Thank you, Shu Fu. See you later too!"
**
Naturally, there was no need to worry so much between Shu Fu and Chen Fa, so she left a message directly to Chen Fa.
The message contained Zheng Feifei's number and a brief statement that the other party was in Zhashui County and was a companion. She would call her and meet up with her, indicating that they could travel together.
Now that the news was settled, she could finally sleep peacefully.
She still didn't set her satellite phone to vibrate mode, in case she fell into a deep sleep and missed the call when a message came in.
As a result, I slept extremely soundly. When I woke up, it was already noon. On the satellite phone, there was a reply from Chen Fa, which was sent at around seven in the morning.
She said she received it and understood it, and also told her that they would plan to leave in about one to two days, because the weather forecast showed that the heavy rain in Zhashui County would subside slightly in a day or two. She would give her more news when they left Zhashui County.
Everything was going on in an orderly manner. Shu Fu woke up and felt refreshed. After washing up, he reopened the function screen and shortened the distance between the drifting island house and the two towing rafts behind.
Lu Zheng, Yao Ruoyun and the others had probably been paying attention to her situation. When they saw that the Drifting Island House had shortened the distance between itself and their raft, they all walked out of the house and waved to her.
However, they did not rush to visit each other just because the two sides were able to travel together again. In the first few days of towing, they had not seen each other for a long time, and coupled with the novelty of the drifting island houses and towing rafts, they did visit each other more often.
But now, everything has returned to daily life. Whether it is the hotel or the plantation house, everyone has their own busy work and daily life to go on.
Especially during the two days that Shu Fu was alone, Lu Zheng and Yao Ruoyun had already communicated privately that there were many things they could not help her with, so at the current stage, they could only try their best to do the job of their respective rafts, carefully study the various functions and details in the "upgrade kit", and strive to upgrade it as soon as possible.
As for everyone else, there are also many details in daily life that require a little planning.
For example, for the three meals a day, the big guy Longsheng is better at cooking. Qiu Wang with a pigtail has a job as a cleaner every day and cannot cook on time when the raft has electricity, so he leaves the meals with Longsheng. When the other party cooks, he will make an extra portion for him, and he will pay him a certain amount of raft points.
Jiang Dai would go to the plantation house to help at a fixed time. After a day's work, in addition to the corresponding raft points, she would also receive food from Hua Qiong. However, such food was fine if it was only once or twice, but if it was too much, Jiang Dai would feel embarrassed to accept it, so she directly refused.
But because of these two feedings, Jiang Dai was amazed by Hua Qiong's cooking skills, especially the bubble wontons and fresh meat dumplings she made, which were simply amazing.
"That's right. My mother used to run a small wonton shop in Suicheng. It was quite famous! My senior sister is a frequent customer of my house!" Food is the primary need of the people. Moreover, in today's world of disasters, nothing can avoid the word "food".
Jiang Dai also heard that the raft might have other functions in the future, such as a snack bar, but it was obviously not possible to open it in the short term, so Jiang Dai suggested that Hua Qiong could try to set up a mobile stall on the raft.
This is actually very easy because now everyone's home and activity area is on the raft, and the stall can be set up on the deck - next to the glass greenhouse, just put a table and a few chairs.
The stall is right at the doorstep, so there is no need to move out the pots and pans. All Hua Qiong needs to do is prepare a simple menu. She can cook the wontons and rice balls in her own kitchen and serve them directly to the customers.
As long as the raft's protective cover is open, the deck becomes a natural open-air restaurant! It's also a first-line mobile sea view restaurant!
Such food stalls are very popular! After all, no matter how delicious a person's cooking is, there will always be times when he or she is too lazy to cook, or when he or she is craving for something different.
Hua Qiong liked Jiang Dai's suggestion very much. Now that Jiang Dai came to help, and Yao Ruoyun was also very well-behaved every day and helped Yao Guofan manage the plantation house seriously, she actually had a lot of free time.
She also has a backpack grid. The food in the snack bar is simple, with only a few types. She can even prepare a dozen servings of each type and put them in the backpack grid when she is free, and just take them out when customers come.
As for the supply of goods, she and Yao Ruoyun had stockpiled a lot of food supplies before. In addition, there are fewer people now and only a few bowls can be sold every day, so there is no need to worry for the time being.
Although there are not many people on the raft, and the raft points earned are limited, the significance of this event itself is greater than the income of raft points, just like slowly regaining the life before the end of the world. Those are the ordinary, busy, yet down-to-earth days full of fireworks that I have missed countless times in my dreams at midnight.
So, when Shu Fu leisurely had brunch in the Drifting Island house, spent 40 minutes watching a movie on the spinning bike, lay on the sofa listening to music and reading a novel for two hours, and finally opened the door of the back house to visit the two rafts at the back, she was surprised to find that within two days, many changes had quietly appeared on the rafts at the back.
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