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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Leading them to a relatively empty corner, the young soldier who guided them stopped apologetically and said to the three, "Sorry, because more survivors rushed in now, some relief tents and engineering tents have been set up outside on the vacant grounds. There aren't any extras; we'll have to make do with sleeping on the floor."
Tang Xuhai placed the things in his hand down and slapped the shoulder of the young soldier confidently, "No worries, we're indoors, right? Not having a tent is no big deal! We've got our own sleeping bags."
The young soldier breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and bid farewell to the three. For this person who saved the platoon leader and his friends, their unit felt an immense debt of gratitude. They were determined to assist them within their capabilities.
Fu Shiwu placed his sleeping bag on the ground, adjusted his glasses, straightened his mouth, and coldly scanned the bustling warehouse.
Observing Fu Shiwu's stern expression, Tang Xuhai curiously asked, "What are you looking at?"
Fu Shiwu's voice carried a touch of emotion as he said, "It feels like I've finally returned to humanity."
"..." Tang Xuhai paused.
"..." Wen Zhaoming froze.
How could your icy, cold expression show any sign of being moved?! Clearly, it's more like 'foolish mortals, get out of my sight' kind of aloofness! Tang Xuhai ground his teeth, wiped his face with a hand, and reluctantly squatted down to open his sleeping bag, ignoring Fu Shiwu.
Wen Zhaoming, holding a camping multi-layered food container, sighed. Fu Shiwu was indeed an enigmatic person; forgiving him for his incomprehensible mindset seemed necessary.
After a short rest, Fu Shiwu, pressing Tang Xuhai, forcefully disinfected the wounds on his hand. Succumbing to Fu Shiwu's temporary role as a medical aide, Tang Xuhai had to comply, extending his hand for Fu Shiwu to dab it with disinfectant using a cotton swab. Regrettably, when Fu Shiwu suggested bandaging the wound, Tang Xuhai resisted and ran away.
Seeing him escape, Fu Shiwu turned his attention to Wen Zhaoming, who raised his palms in compliance.
The cut on Wen Zhaoming's palm was much more severe than the scraped back of Tang Xuhai's hand, so Fu Shiwu also dabbed it with disinfectant. Similarly, Wen Zhaoming politely declined Fu Shiwu's offer to bandage, mentioning that in such hot weather, it's better to let it breathe as wrapping it might not be beneficial.
Tang Xuhai went outside for a stroll, returning with a few thin wooden boards and some sticks. Holding a hammer and nails, he scornfully addressed the two, "Go outside, don't hinder me here!"
Fu Shiwu, being shooed away, touched his nose and followed Wen Zhaoming's wheelchair out of the warehouse.
At this moment, Wen Zhaoming spoke up, "Shiwu, my wheelchair is running out of battery. Could you ask the officer from earlier if we could find a place to charge it?"
Wen Zhaoming's electric wheelchair was extremely convenient to use but required frequent charging. Whenever it wasn't used for a week, Wen Zhaoming would turn off the power. Despite this, the already discontented battery was running low.
"Sure, let's find that young soldier from before," Fu Shiwu nodded, walking alongside Wen Zhaoming.
Similar to Tang Xuhai's stubbornness, Wen Zhaoming also possessed a proud self-esteem. He was extremely reluctant to let anyone push his wheelchair, as it would remind him too vividly of his physical disability.
Understanding this sentiment through Tang Xuhai's stubbornness, Fu Shiwu usually walked beside Wen Zhaoming during ordinary times, refraining from pushing his wheelchair.
Wen Zhaoming's electric wheelchair was a foldable type, relatively pricey, and hailed as one of the lightest in the world.
Due to its design, the rear wheels were much smaller than those of ordinary wheelchairs, lacking the ability for manual propulsion when out of power. This made Wen Zhaoming entirely dependent on others in such situations.
Wen Zhaoming was unwilling to find himself in such an embarrassing position.
Fu Shiwu arrived at the bustling military encampment.
Since they were temporarily housed in the storage center alongside municipal department officials and survivors, the military camp here wasn't as tightly secured as usual, allowing a flow of people transferring information between various departments. Fu Shiwu and Wen Zhaoming's arrival attracted curious gazes but didn't raise any alarms.
Fu Shiwu remembered that the young soldier who brought them here was instructed by their former platoon leader to take care of their needs; he was a communications soldier.
Navigating through the chaos, Fu Shiwu soon spotted an engineering tent specifically for electronic equipment. Wen Zhaoming noted, "I see that soldier."
Fu Shiwu grunted and walked over.
The young soldier was relatively young, in his early twenties, with a dark complexion and bright, spirited round eyes. Seeing them approach, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, "What's up? Need something?"
The young soldier was particularly eager to assist them.
He squatted down to inspect the charging port type and battery voltage of Wen Zhaoming's electric wheelchair, reassuring them it wouldn't be a problem.
The young soldier went to fetch a transformer and power cable, while Fu Shiwu and Wen Zhaoming were completely engrossed in the LCD television placed nearby.
The national television schedules were in disarray; many provincial stations were offline, leaving only Huaxia News Channel faithfully delivering crucial information to the public.
The current broadcast showcased the latest research from the Academy of Sciences.
The relationship between superpowers and the celestial phenomenon, Heaven's Canopy!
The research indicated that this canopy had introduced a contaminant into the atmospheric water sources, causing widespread fatal illnesses among humans. This contaminant was termed "foreign" molecules by experts, abbreviated to "source" molecules (you want to skip one word?!).
It was these source molecules that initially triggered widespread fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and eventual organ failure leading to death during the earlier red sky phenomenon worldwide.
These source molecules had now permeated every corner of the Earth, differing only in their concentration.
However, the absence of illness in previously healthy individuals didn't mean they hadn't been contaminated by source molecules!
These individuals were in their prime or had robust health, temporarily suppressing the source molecules. But a week later, as the red haze turned into the canopy and the concentration of source molecules increased in the atmosphere, these healthy individuals couldn't resist any longer.
Thankfully, humans possessed a robust immune system. This immunity led to three outcomes for those who absorbed the source molecules: first, immunity failure resulting in sustained high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and eventual organ failure leading to death; second, immune suppression, exhibiting no apparent changes; third, immune assimilation, where individuals experienced fever initially but, after subsiding, unexpectedly gained superpowers!
Immunity failure, which emerged first, resulted in the early hospitalizations leading to deaths. Immune suppression meant the immune system was robust enough to withstand illness but might slightly enhance physical capabilities. As for immune assimilation, it wasn't clear whether it was a success or failure; these individuals had undergone alterations within their bodies, mutating genes previously unseen in human history.
This immune mechanism hadn't been standardized yet, determining who would be immune or not was unpredictable, and the outcomes were varied with no accurate probability.
Until now, the majority either experienced immunity failure or immune suppression, with only a small fraction displaying immune assimilation.
However, the process of immune assimilation caused excessive sweating. Prolonged durations could damage the brain, resulting in waking up as a vegetable. The only substance found to expedite the conclusion of this process, as indicated by current experiments, was antibiotics!
"Antibiotics?!" Fu Shiwu and Wen Zhaoming exclaimed simultaneously.
During Tang Xuhai and Wen Zhaoming's illness, Fu Shiwu had used a considerable amount of antibiotics for both. Though later, Tang Xuhai claimed it was reckless treatment, leaving Fu Shiwu somewhat uneasy. Nevertheless, it turned out to be effective!
Currently, many in the storage center had high fevers. Despite following the conventional procedures to cool them down and provide intravenous fluids, the dosage of antibiotics used was only half for Tang Xuhai and Wen Zhaoming, and for some, only a third due to insufficient medication.
As for why antibiotics had this effect, scientists were conducting further research.
Fu Shiwu and Wen Zhaoming found this discussion captivating, while the young soldier found the suitable transformer and power cable.
Since the battery required a lengthy charging time, Wen Zhaoming couldn't stay there for so long. Ultimately, they had to detach the battery and leave it behind, allowing Fu Shiwu to push him back.
To ease Wen Zhaoming's discomfort, Fu Shiwu engaged him in a discussion about source molecules along the way.
When the two returned to their spot in the warehouse, they were stunned.
Tang Xuhai had constructed a makeshift barrier using those wooden boards and sticks, isolating the cluttered view and environment from the outside.
"Tang Xuhai! You're so capable!" Fu Shiwu exclaimed.
This small space was less than 20 square meters, incomparable to the air-raid shelter they previously occupied, yet much better than cohabiting with these strangers.
At least Fu Shiwu was content.
Tang Xuhai, proudly lifting his chin, biting the cigarette butt, exhaled smoke, saying, "Just tell me my name, can't you recognize me? Of course, I'm capable!"
The smoke blew towards Fu Shiwu, who wrinkled his brow, "It smells awful!"
Tang Xuhai froze, then awkwardly stamped out the cigarette butt on the ground repeatedly.
Only then did Fu Shiwu realize he misspoke, remorsefully saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stop you from smoking."
Tang Xuhai, feeling gloomy, sat on the sleeping bag, looking somewhat pitiful, "I know this cigarette isn't good, but the brand I used to smoke is no longer available."
Fu Shiwu felt helpless. He didn't know what brand Tang Xuhai used to smoke, but the one he encountered Tang Xuhai smoking emitted a sweet fragrance that smelled pleasant. Yet this cigarette had a nauseating and harsh smell. Tang Xuhai was merely satisfying his nicotine craving by smoking this, even though it was so unpleasant, it wasn't worth it!
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