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Seeing Tang Xuhai's hand freeze while holding the lighter, Fu Shiwu nodded in satisfaction.
"Wait till you're feeling better before smoking." Fu Shiwu walked over, gently taking the cigarette from his mouth and confiscating the pack placed beside him.
During this time, Tang Xuhai surprisingly didn't utter a word.
Witnessing his unusual obedience, Fu Shiwu softened his tone, conceding, "You can smoke once your temperature drops a bit."
Caught in the whirlwind of these two contrasting styles, Tang Xuhai, hearing what seemed like consolation but more like a reward, was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
However, with the cigarettes already in the "enemy's" hands, Tang Xuhai no longer found it worthwhile to be stubborn.
Fu Shiwu cooked a pot of rib-flavored instant noodles, rehydrating a bunch of dehydrated vegetables until the metal cup overflowed.
"Tang Xuhai, let's eat." Fu Shiwu held the scalding metal cup with his clothes and brought it over to Tang Xuhai.
"So much!" Tang Xuhai looked at the brimming cup of noodles, a hint of reluctance on his face. "I can't finish this."
"Go on, you haven't eaten in over a day. You'll definitely manage, your lack of appetite now is because your stomach isn't awake yet. Once you take a bite, it'll be fine," Fu Shiwu said in a gentle tone.
Though his words were persuasive, his eyes said otherwise!
Understanding Fu Shiwu's peculiar contrast, witnessing his somewhat threatening gaze, Tang Xuhai swallowed hard, feeling a bit overwhelmed!
Taking the fork - one he had brought himself - Tang Xuhai began to eat from the metal cup.
Just as Fu Shiwu had suggested, after a couple of bites, the flavors stimulated his taste buds, prompting his dormant stomach to start working after more than a day's rest.
As his appetite returned, Tang Xuhai slurped down the cup of noodles, finishing the soup to the last drop.
Setting the cup down, Tang Xuhai felt satisfied, never before realizing that even instant noodles could taste this good.
However, understanding the virtue of moderation, he didn't ask for seconds but handed the cup back to Fu Shiwu.
Observing Fu Shiwu starting to cook a second cup, Tang Xuhai felt it was quite wasteful, but considering Fu Shiwu's lack of basic survival skills like carrying water while wearing office shoes, Tang Xuhai chose to be accommodating.
Anyway, he was almost healed; he could fetch water himself. This was a trivial matter.
Boosted by his newly regained spirit under Fu Shiwu's watchful eyes, Tang Xuhai felt inclined to converse.
"Tell me more about your situation yesterday, the details before and after encountering the alien," he asked.
Furrowing his brows, Fu Shiwu maintained a poker face, flattening his lips. He felt a bit embarrassed recalling his uncontrollable outpouring from the previous night.
Understanding the necessity for Tang Xuhai to know this information, despite feeling awkward, Fu Shiwu reluctantly recounted every detail about his outing yesterday to Tang Xuhai. Except for concealing the faint sound he heard from the alien's mouth apparatus - that part felt too unbelievable, almost like a hallucination.
As Fu Shiwu cooked and spoke, Tang Xuhai fell into deep thought. Fu Shiwu was eating particularly earnestly, and Tang Xuhai remained silent for a while, completely absorbed in eating. It wasn't until he finished the meal, drank the soup, wiped the cup clean that he realized Tang Xuhai hadn't spoken a word for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Fu Shiwu looked at him puzzled.
"Nothing, I'm analyzing the alien's behavior based on the details of your encounter," Tang Xuhai looked up at him.
"Oh?!" Fu Shiwu widened his eyes, trying to contain his excitement. He raised his chin, "Tell me."
Seeing Fu Shiwu's calm and composed face, Tang Xuhai wasn't entirely sure of his conclusions.
So, in a slightly lowered tone, he said, "Based on the alien's behavior, this creature walks upright, with lower limbs similar to humans, but its upper limbs are tentacles capable of attacking, equipped with barbs, unsuitable for close combat without proper gear. Additionally, its visual, auditory, and olfactory senses don't show any exceptional performance, initially presumed to be similar to humans. Its food source is human brains; currently unsure whether it targets solely humans or includes all living beings. Moreover, as you mentioned, even when it's satiated, the alien still attacks humans, indicating its inherently ferocious nature."
Tang Xuhai's gaze turned icy as he recalled the scene at the attack site that day. "They exhibit cooperation, only commencing eating once they've overcome all prey."
Listening to Tang Xuhai's analysis, Fu Shiwu took in a sharp breath.
"They display evident social behavior, they're an intelligent species, extremely dangerous!" Tang Xuhai said with a frosty expression.
"Goodness!" Fu Shiwu exclaimed.
Previously, given their eerie appearance, Fu Shiwu had been leaning toward considering them as wild or monstrous beasts. Yet, with Tang Xuhai's elaboration, he suddenly realized the danger posed by these creatures far surpassed what met the eye.
Having social tendencies implied that if these beings united, forming a community, humanity would be plunged into a perilous situation.
Seeing Fu Shiwu shocked, Tang Xuhai felt heavy-hearted, lacking any inclination to mock him for his reaction.
"We still don't know how many of these creatures will emerge each night, or the size of their population," Tang Xuhai sighed.
Fu Shiwu furrowed his brows for a moment, then quickly remembered that the patients needed intravenous fluids.
Tang Xuhai, momentarily diverted from his grand sentiments of concern for the nation and humanity's future, observed Fu Shiwu with a slight sense of unease and nervousness.
"Don't worry, I've already administered three doses," Fu Shiwu reassured.
Tang Xuhai watched as Fu Shiwu finished his preparations. Fu Shiwu pulled out his other arm to disinfect, the needle aimed at his elbow crease.
"Why not the back of the hand?" Tang Xuhai couldn't help but ask.
"The veins are more visible here." Fu Shiwu glanced up at him. "Don't be nervous."
But with that glance, Tang Xuhai became even more anxious!
With his head lowered, Fu Shiwu pressed above his vein, confidently jabbing the needle in at an angle.
"Huh?" Fu Shiwu exclaimed strangely. "Why isn't there any blood return?"
He had successfully done this three times yesterday, and each time, there was a blood return.
Having had numerous experiences with IVs during his hospital stays, Tang Xuhai naturally knew what was happening. "If you don't hit the vein, there won't be any blood return."
"Oh," Fu Shiwu understood. He felt a bit disheartened; this was the first time he missed. "Let me try again."
He removed the needle, pressed it with a cotton swab, waited a while, no bleeding. He shifted to the other side of the vein and tried again.
"Why isn't it hitting again!" Fu Shiwu became anxious.
"Stop trembling!" Tang Xuhai wailed.
"Sorry!" Fu Shiwu apologized.
Fu Shiwu's repeated failures signaled a bleak beginning, foretelling Tang Xuhai's unfortunate fate. After five attempts, he finally succeeded in inserting the needle.
"I think it's because you're awake and moving that I can't do it. It was fine when I did it yesterday!" Fu Shiwu said with a lack of confidence.
Tang Xuhai, full of misery, sorrowfully muttered, "Should I pretend to sleep?!"
Sheepishly, Fu Shiwu applied a band-aid. "Maybe it's because you're awake that I'm nervous?"
"So, I should pretend to sleep?!" Tang Xuhai rolled his eyes.
Not daring to argue further, Fu Shiwu instructed him not to move his arm and went to prepare an IV for the sedated Wen Zhaoming.
Tang Xuhai lifted his head, looking around, somewhat seeking a companion to share the suffering with.
However, to his surprise, Fu Shiwu successfully inserted the IV for Wen Zhaoming!
"This isn't fair! Why does he get it with one try!" Tang Xuhai growled furiously.
"I told you it's because you were moving!" Fu Shiwu sounded confident this time, turning away and muttering, "It's all your fault!"
"Why weren't you nervous when facing the conscious patient?" Tang Xuhai immediately retorted.
"It's all because you were awake that this happened!" Fu Shiwu fumed, preparing the syringe.
With Tang Xuhai still running a fever, he soon felt powerless and lacked the strength to argue further.
"In that case, let's wait until you fall asleep next time." Tang Xuhai said in despair, then quickly realized, "I don't want the IV, I'll take the medicine myself!"
At that time, his situation was dire; he couldn't ingest medicine or water, necessitating the IV. But now that he was awake, why should he still have the IV? Those pricks were truly unjust!
"..." Fu Shiwu momentarily didn't know what to say, injecting the fever-reducing medication into the drip.
After a while, seeing Tang Xuhai's pitiful state, Fu Shiwu said, "Let's do the IV after all. It's quicker that way. The sooner you recover, the better. It's stronger than anything else."
Tang Xuhai fell silent upon hearing this. Yes, he couldn't afford to be ill now. The IV might work faster than taking medicine, ensuring their safety as a trio.
Tang Xuhai straightened his body, bent over, using the arm without the needle to pull up his pants.
"My leg seems fine now." Tang Xuhai marveled at his completely deflated and now normal-looking calf.
"Is it?" Fu Shiwu lowered his head. "I sprayed medicine on it yesterday; it must be the anti-inflammatory effect."
"Probably." Tang Xuhai lifted his leg; it didn't hurt at all!
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