I'd like to thank our new Patreon Diamond member, "melonpan," for recommending this novel for translation. I've read up to chapter 50, and it's a truly engaging read. It boasts a 4.4 rating on NovelUpdates. So you know it's going to be good.
Thank you again, Melonpan, for the sponsorship
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Wen Zhaoming caught a cold from the chill, without any inflammation. How did he end up with a fever?
Fu Shiwu, who didn't have much medical knowledge, couldn't figure out how Wen Zhaoming developed a fever.
He had thought before whether it was due to contamination leading to an illness, but Wen Zhaoming's condition was different from those affected. Although he had a fever, he didn't experience vomiting or diarrhea. Similar to Tang Xuhai, his temperature soared continuously, reaching 40°C by the evening!
Now, Fu Shiwu couldn't remain calm. Both Wen Zhaoming and Tang Xuhai began sweating profusely, unresponsive even when called, unable to take in water.
With no other choice, Fu Shiwu treated Wen Zhaoming the same as Tang Xuhai, hooking him up to an IV drip to prevent dehydration. Then, he administered fever-reducing injections and antibiotics.
Dealing with two patients with unrelenting high fevers, Fu Shiwu had no mood to cook noodles. He directly consumed emergency rations prepared by Tang Xuhai, dry and compressed.
The food Tang Xuhai had prepared seemed to be the legendary compressed rations, high in calories and rich in nutrients, but not meant for excessive consumption.
After nibbling a small piece and drinking some water, he felt moderately satiated.
Throughout the day, he administered two IV drips and medication to Tang Xuhai in the morning and evening, totaling 1000 milliliters of saline solution. As for Wen Zhaoming, who developed a fever in the afternoon, Fu Shiwu administered 500 milliliters of saline solution and one round of medication.
Fu Shiwu looked at the fluids he had brought back in his backpack and started to worry. He had grabbed around 250 milliliters of saline solution, thinking it would suffice for Tang Xuhai alone. But with Wen Zhaoming falling ill unexpectedly, if both continued with unrelenting fevers, the fluids wouldn't last long.
Now, he could only hope that at least one of them recovered, reducing his current stress.
Fu Shiwu lay on his bed, eyes occasionally fixated on the fluids. He could only rest once both of them finished receiving their IV drips.
Unable to sleep in the darkness of the air-raid shelter, Fu Shiwu, without any source of light, couldn't see anything but relied on the sound of the two men breathing to reassure himself he wasn't alone.
What if both of them didn't recover? What if they succumbed to the fever? What if he ended up being the only one left?
At noon, just outside the compound, he had made a firm resolution, but now, thinking about being the only survivor, could he still hold onto that resolve?
Various thoughts swirled in his mind, leaving Fu Shiwu restless and uneasy as he drifted off into an unsound sleep.
In the early morning at around 4 o'clock, Tang Xuhai, who had been unconscious for a whole day and night, opened his eyes.
All he could see was darkness. Tang Xuhai's head was still spinning, momentarily unsure of his surroundings until he heard the breathing of two other people, making him realize he was inside the air-raid shelter.
He raised his hand, turning on the illumination button on his wristwatch, suddenly illuminating the darkness with a bright, piercing light.
Tang Xuhai closed his eyes momentarily, adjusting to the brightness.
Glancing at his watch, it showed 4:33. Then, he noticed that the date was wrong!
He blinked, feeling as though someone had adjusted his watch or he had indeed slept for a whole day.
Using the watch's light, he looked at the two people beside him. Fu Shiwu was sleeping in the middle, his face creased with concern, and Wen Zhaoming was not visible, but he could hear his heavy breathing.
As his watch's light moved, it disturbed the uneasy sleep of Fu Shiwu.
He opened his eyes, seeing a light moving around. Swiftly getting up, he exclaimed in excitement, "Tang Xuhai! You're awake?!"
"Uh," Tang Xuhai grunted coolly. He was still a bit disoriented, unsure whether someone had tampered with his watch or if he had genuinely lost consciousness for a day and night—finding it hard to believe it was true.
Fu Shiwu, unaware of his confusion, rushed from his bed over to Tang Xuhai, reaching out to feel his forehead.
Tang Xuhai was terribly slow to react and got his forehead touched directly.
"It's still quite hot," muttered Fu Shiwu to himself. Then, he turned on his flashlight, put on his shoes, and switched on the lamp.
The bright light made Tang Xuhai cover his eyes. Fu Shiwu, holding a thermometer, handed it over. "Let's check your temperature again."
"How long have I been feverish? How long was I unconscious?" Tang Xuhai took the thermometer and placed it under his armpit.
"Well, you had a fierce fever the night before last, and yesterday in the early morning, you couldn't be roused," Fu Shiwu said happily, sitting down beside him.
Because he had just gotten up, Fu Shiwu was used to the blurry vision. Without his glasses, his face came close to Tang Xuhai's.
Fu Shiwu with and without glasses were like two different people!
Without glasses, Fu Shiwu looked like a naive freshman in college, eyes sparkling with an innocent radiance, lips slightly puckered, exuding a vivid sense of joy.
Tang Xuhai had always treated him like an adversary, and this sudden transformation made him feel like he'd been hit hard.
Damn! This guy is actually this young?!
"Can't believe I've been at odds with such a little guy for so long?!"
Unbelieving in how his principles plummeted at some unknown time, Tang Xuhai struggled to ask, "Fu Shiwu, how old are you?"
"Hmm?" Jumping to a different topic, but Fu Shiwu obediently replied, "I'm twenty-six this year."
"Phew..." Tang Xuhai sighed with relief. Just a year younger, and his integrity was intact.
"Do you want some water?" Fu Shiwu asked, attentive.
Having been awake alone for half a day, Tang Xuhai's awakening excited Fu Shiwu so much that he couldn't control his urge to do something for Tang Xuhai.
With company, Fu Shiwu immediately perked up.
"No, thanks," Tang Xuhai's face darkened a bit. "Actually, I need to go relieve myself."
Fu Shiwu was puzzled. "Just a pee? Or something else?"
Struggling to sit up, Tang Xuhai declined Fu Shiwu's help.
Unfazed, Fu Shiwu wasn't surprised by this guy's stubbornness; it wasn't the first time he had experienced it.
"Just a pee!" Tang Xuhai handed him the thermometer and got up.
"Head to the corridor, at the corner outside the air-raid shelter, there's a temporary toilet," Fu Shiwu said without turning around, checking the thermometer under the light.
"39.2°C, still a fever, but at least it's below 40°C," Fu Shiwu loudly announced.
After a while, Tang Xuhai returned, swaying his arms. Seeing him walk straight towards him, Fu Shiwu frowned, "Wipe your hands."
Tang Xuhai stopped, looking at Fu Shiwu's serious face. Reluctantly, he turned and grabbed a tissue from the bucket to wipe his hands.
"Take your medicine, and I'll give you another IV drip when it gets light; it'll speed up your recovery," Fu Shiwu optimistically suggested.
Tang Xuhai stayed silent, poured himself some water, and took the medicine Fu Shiwu handed him.
"Rest a bit more; it's still early," Fu Shiwu said to Tang Xuhai, noticing it was not yet 5 o'clock.
Tang Xuhai had slept so long that he wasn't sleepy now, but he knew he wouldn't fall asleep. Meanwhile, Fu Shiwu was about to sleep, so he lay down directly.
Turning off the light, Fu Shiwu couldn't resist talking to Tang Xuhai about how he suddenly developed such a high fever, how helpless they were, and then going to fetch medicine for him. Eventually, Wen Zhaoming fell ill again, leaving him alone, feeling helpless and stressed, fearing for their lives if he was the only survivor.
Both their faces were in the dark, and this was the first time Fu Shiwu had said so much in his life.
If not for the darkness, Fu Shiwu might have never spoken about his anxiety at that time.
As he spoke, Fu Shiwu fell asleep. Tang Xuhai gazed towards his direction for a long time.
He never expected this turn of events, and Fu Shiwu's behavior was truly unexpected.
Fu Shiwu was very different from what he had thought.
He believed this seemingly elite guy would panic in situations, be useless. Earlier, Fu Shiwu seemed cowardly and afraid of corpses, which fit that image.
However, Fu Shiwu displayed exceptional courage and decisiveness, taking care of him and the sick Wen Zhaoming without wavering. This was beyond his imagination.
Thinking about Fu Shiwu's contradictory behavior, Tang Xuhai unwittingly fell asleep.
After all, he was still a patient, and his sleep was deep. When he opened his eyes again, it was already 8 o'clock.
Fu Shiwu had woken up earlier, feeling lively due to Tang Xuhai's signs of recovery. He slept again for two hours and then got up spiritedly.
With slightly messy hair, Fu Shiwu diligently squatted by the alcohol stove, persisting that thin soup was better for the sick.
Tang Xuhai sat up; his and Wen Zhaoming's beds were close to the edge, so he leaned against the wall.
Glancing around, Wen Zhaoming seemed to have a severe fever, wrapped in several layers of clothes.
Tang Xuhai reached for his cigarette case, took one out, placed it in his mouth, and said to Fu Shiwu, "Cover Wen Zhaoming with this blanket."
Covering someone with a blanket instead of clothing, what a conversation!
But Fu Shiwu glanced at him, disregarding his words. "You're just slightly better. Don't act up. Why make it worse for yourself?"
Tang Xuhai was rarely caught off guard by him and felt a bit disgruntled with the cigarette in his mouth.
"Wait till your temperature drops to 37 degrees before being modest," Fu Shiwu bluntly remarked.
Looking at Fu Shiwu's earnest eyes and the lecture, it lacked persuasion.
Touching the lighter, Tang Xuhai, puzzled, asked, "What's your eyeglass prescription?"
"300 degrees. Why?" Fu Shiwu was puzzled.
"Nothing." Just a 300-degree eyeglass could make such a difference? It wasn't even a high degree causing distortion.
As he mentioned the eyeglass power, Fu Shiwu remembered he wasn't wearing his glasses. He walked over to fetch them, instantly exuding a sharp aura upon wearing them. He turned to Tang Xuhai, about to light his cigarette, and sternly said, "No smoking! You're not fully recovered. Why smoke?"
His sharp gaze resembled Tang Xuhai's former disciplinary instructor's demeanor. Tang Xuhai, with the cigarette in his mouth, froze like a student caught breaking school rules.
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