Chapter 58
After finishing the feast of whole fish, Tang Xuhai and a few others began organizing the medical room's equipment and medicines. They also brought a small van used by the resort for transportation.
This resort was far from the town, necessitating the purchase of daily supplies and vegetables. Hence, they had a box truck.
"Will everything fit?" Fu Shiwu, uncertain, looked at the open back of the small truck.
"The larger items go on this truck. If the smaller ones don't fit, we'll put them on the roof rack of our vehicle," Tang Xuhai pondered and said.
Their modified vehicle had roof racks where they could accommodate these things with some modification using their abilities.
The medical room in the resort was well-equipped. Apart from the expensive equipment, some less outstanding items were abandoned—including that birthing bed that had deeply affected Tang Xuhai...
The medical room in the resort was remarkably advanced, and even some equipment was nearly new, purchased within recent years.
Several larger pieces such as dental comprehensive treatment machines, color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic equipment, monitors, electrocardiographs, microwave physiotherapy devices, were gingerly loaded onto the truck by everyone. The smaller items like blood testing, urine testing, and heat therapy lamps were arranged without the need for the modified roof, placing these devices securely.
For safety, they brought numerous curtains and blankets to stuff every nook and cranny. Without proper packaging or foam for protection, any bumps along the way could cause damage.
Sorting through medicinal herbs, they took only the more valuable traditional Chinese medicines, leaving behind the common ones. Regarding Western medicine, some that required constant refrigeration had spoiled due to the power outage, leaving only certain drug compounds.
These seemingly insignificant items accumulated into several large boxes. Eventually, they had to use a resort minivan specifically for these pharmaceuticals.
"That should be about it," Fu Shiwu wiped the sweat off his forehead, relaxing his body.
Wen Zhaoming stood nearby, silently calculating the value of these items. Considering the scarcity of resources in the post-apocalyptic world, the value of medical equipment and drugs had significantly increased. Even if the military base struggled with resources, it wouldn't be a problem to exchange these for a secure position for their group.
Neither Fu Shiwu nor Tang Xuhai was suited for bargaining in such matters, so they left it to Wen Zhaoming. He was already calculating how to leverage these items to maximize their benefits for their people.
With their tasks completed here, it was nearing evening.
At that moment, someone from the Pingnan side hurried over.
Tang Xuhai had met this person yesterday, a wind-based ability user named Shao Le.
He gasped for breath, saying, "It's bad! You guys need to see this. A huge bird flew near Shuijing Lake!"
Tang Xuhai calmly responded, "Slow down. Has anyone been harmed? Does the bird have a tendency to attack?"
Shao Le caught his breath and said, "No, not yet. A large bird suddenly appeared—it's about a meter long with a wingspan of nearly two meters. Its beak looks very much like that of an eagle. Because those rabbits that Mr. Tang and Mr. Fu caught before were left there without moving, the bird suddenly swooped down and grabbed several of them."
"Oh?" Tang Xuhai raised an eyebrow.
Wen Zhaoming, pondering for a moment, said, "Is the bird still there?"
Shao Le replied, "It flew away just now, but it returned shortly and has been circling in the sky."
"Let's go have a look," Tang Xuhai headed towards the lake.
The resort was a distance from Shuijing Lake. By the time they arrived, the bird was still soaring in the sky.
Everyone was surprised by the size of the bird.
Perhaps there were giant eagles that could carry people, but that wasn't a reality in existence now, if it ever existed.
Tang Xuhai furrowed his brow, instructing Miao Jia with a serious expression. Miao Jia nodded solemnly and hurried off.
After a while, Miao Jia returned holding her small computer, handing a pair of binoculars to Tang Xuhai from their modified vehicle.
These binoculars were scavenged by Tang Xuhai from a luxurious library in Shi Zheng's possession and were kept in their modified vehicle.
Tang Xuhai took a look, passing the binoculars around for others to see.
"This bird doesn't seem like a domestic species," Tang Xuhai mused.
Fu Shiwu nodded in agreement, "Right, its characteristics are so distinct. If it were a domestic species, it should have appeared in the science and education channels. At least, I haven't seen it in the programs I've watched so far."
Tang Xuhai mulled over Fu Shiwu's words, finding it somewhat odd.
This guy actually liked watching educational programs?
Although he himself enjoyed military channels, at least watching movies and TV shows, he just didn't like noisy variety programs.
Miao Jia's thoughts shifted quickly. With this location being just two hours away from H Province's capital, Peicheng, and a day's walk away, a bird this large so close by might have information about it on the local forums.
Sure enough, Miao Jia quickly found information about this large bird on the forum where various military establishments were listed.
"Boss Hai! It's an ability bird, a Philippine Eagle!" Miao Jia called out, "This eagle is formidable, it has an electric attribute!"
"A Philippine Eagle?" Tang Xuhai and Fu Shiwu exchanged looks.
Wen Zhaoming furrowed his brow, "How did a Philippine Eagle end up in our country?"
Miao Jia sighed, "The Philippine Eagle is an endangered species, very precious, almost on par with our country's giant pandas. It was sent to Beijing Zoo during a period of friendly exchanges between the two countries."
Through meticulous care and breeding, these birds' population had gradually increased, leading to other major cities' zoos importing them back.
In the Peicheng Zoo, these large birds lived in areas akin to small hills, but despite the luxury and comfort, they were still caged birds. Once no one fed them, this awakened ability giant eagle broke through the enclosure and flew out.
"The Philippine Eagle..." Tang Xuhai walked over, lowering his head to look at the pictures on Miao Jia's computer.
This eagle was also known as the Monkey-eating Eagle. It was extremely large, aggressive, even daring to catch monkeys as food. It had spear-shaped or willow-shaped crest feathers around its face, resembling the feather adornments worn by chiefs of indigenous tribes. Its face and beak were black, the back and wings deep brown, while the chest and abdomen were white. Its legs were robust, and its talons were sturdy.
"It seems that after escaping from the zoo, it considered this place its territory," Fu Shiwu remarked.
"The world's largest eagle, now possessing an electric attribute ability," Wen Zhaoming chuckled bitterly.
This wasn't like dealing with a corn king or an ability giant bull. They had confidence in ground combat, but when the opponent had the advantage of the sky and an ability they hadn't encountered before, it posed a different challenge.
Fu Shiwu considered, "Let's not get into unnecessary trouble, especially when we have many ordinary people here."
Tang Xuhai nodded in understanding, immediately ordering everyone to move away from the pile of rabbits and setting up a perimeter line nearby for guards, ensuring no one crossed it.
The Philippine Eagle, now dubbed the Thunder Eagle, had multiple threads about it on the forum. This giant eagle had a strong territorial awareness, seeing all animals on its turf as potential food.
However, initially, it didn't attack humans. It was only when humans threatened its habitat and took its prey that conflicts arose.
This Thunder Eagle, though formidable, was also within the sights of the mutants. Being a large target, it naturally fell into the mutants' menu, leading to a natural antagonism between the two sides.
Yet, the mutants couldn't reach it in the sky, and the giant eagle wouldn't attack other animals if unprovoked.
Now, it was soaring in the sky because it had been drawn by the wild rabbits on the ground.
Tang Xuhai instructed everyone to keep their distance. Suddenly, the Thunder Eagle accelerated like a bullet, creating a hurricane as it descended, swiftly changing direction just before hitting the ground. Its claws grabbed several rabbits, flapping its wings and returning to the sky.
"Okay, everyone stay away. Don't provoke this giant eagle," Tang Xuhai commanded.
The Pingnan people were curious about the ability giant eagle, but due to the oppressive power of Shi Zheng, they were hesitant. Knowing their lives were at stake, they obediently stayed in their respective areas, safely passing the night.
The next morning, not a single rabbit remained.
Liu Peiqi was still regretful, hoping to roast some for the journey ahead.
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