35 Poisoned

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Rong Xianxian fled with the children after shaking off a gigantic monster of unknown origin. She might not necessarily have been unable to defeat it, but as a mother traveling with two young children, she was unwilling to take even the slightest risk.

The journey from the safe zone to the residential complex where Rong Xianxian had previously lived was not particularly long. However, just before reaching the complex, she came upon an intersection. The military had likely fought a large monster there at some point, because the entire road had been destroyed. A vast pit now blocked the way ahead. She had passed through only a few days earlier, yet in that short time, the road conditions had changed completely.

Rong Xianxian did not want to get out and walk with the children, nor did she want to abandon the car, so she had no choice but to take a detour.

She had arranged with Wang Lin and the others to meet at the residential complex three days later. She had no idea whether they had returned yet.

Most of the residents had already entered the safe zone with the army. Perhaps a few scattered independent hunters were still hiding in some of the vacant apartments, but such people were usually secretive and mysterious, unwilling to have contact with outsiders.

The underground parking garage was dark and gloomy, with quite a few shadowy monsters lurking inside. When the army had come to carry out the rescue, many families had demanded that the soldiers help them drive their cars out. The officer in charge at the time had looked utterly grim.

There were already plenty of vehicles parked inside the safe zone. Even if these private cars were driven there, they would only take up space. How many people would actually dare to drive out in search of supplies? Once the fuel tanks ran dry, there would be nowhere to refuel. Gasoline was a strictly controlled commodity in the safe zone.

No one knew how many dust-covered cars were sitting idle and occupying space in the safe zone. At present, the number of rescued survivors was still relatively small, but as more and more people moved in, these abandoned vehicles would eventually have to be cleared away.

Many families who had been ignored by the army did not bring their cars when fleeing to the safe zone. For one thing, they had been afraid of the monsters and unwilling to take the risk. Besides, there truly was nowhere to refuel. And compared with driving themselves, how could traveling in an army vehicle not be safer?

Rong Xianxian parked in a relatively secluded vacant space in the underground garage. There were plenty of vehicles, but very few people, so her car should not be stolen.

In only a month, the residential complex—left untended and uncleaned—had completely changed.

The neatly trimmed low hedges that had once bordered the walkways had grown wildly out of control, their branches and leaves tangled and uneven.

The red-brick paths that had once been smooth and clean were now riddled with potholes and strewn with filthy blood, broken bones, loose stones, and rotting leaves. Everything was disorderly and dilapidated.

When she returned home, Wang Lin and the others had already arrived. Despite the few days apart, they all seemed to be in good condition—except for Jiang Jie.

Jiang Jie still looked reasonably spirited, but one of his arms seemed somewhat weak.

“What happened to your arm?” Rong Xianxian asked, glancing at it.

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“It’s nothing, Sister Rong. When I came over this morning, a cat-like monster scratched me. It only broke the skin a little, but my arm feels somewhat weak.” After speaking, Jiang Jie frowned slightly.

He had not felt this way immediately after being scratched.

Rong Xianxian gestured for him to extend his arm. She rolled up his sleeve and saw four conspicuous, sinister black claw marks. The affected area was slightly raised above the skin, swollen until it gleamed.

“Ah, it didn’t look like this before.” Why did it seem worse now? Jiang Jie’s expression grew grave. He did not feel any pain, nor did he have any other discomfort. If Sister Rong had not asked, he would not even have noticed.

“What did it look like before?” Rong Xianxian asked, frowning.

“There were only four faint white marks before, with a little blood seeping from the skin. It looked like nothing more than a superficial scrape,” Cui Lie added.

“How long ago did it happen?” Rong Xianxian did not know what time they had arrived that morning. She had taken a slight detour, and it was nearly noon by now.

“It happened just before we reached the residential complex, probably around eight,” Cui Lie replied. The place where they had stayed previously was not far from the complex, so the trip had not taken long.

“The monster’s claws are poisonous. We can only let some of the poisoned blood out and see what happens.” Rong Xianxian found the medical kit and took out a three-edged needle to draw blood.

“Don’t worry. Judging by your reaction, it isn’t a virulent poison, and we discovered it early enough.” Looking at Jiang Jie’s pale face, Rong Xianxian knew that he had been frightened. Jiang Jie was the one who had previously been bitten by a wolf and had needed half a month to recover. He had come from a military background and was fairly skilled, but his cultivation of the Spirit-Drawing Art had already slowed compared with the others.

Now he was injured again, and Jiang Jie felt deeply frustrated.

She tied off both sides of the wound with a tourniquet, then made a cross-shaped incision on the side nearer the heart. A thick stream of purplish blood flowed out, followed by a powerful, rancid stench.

“What is that smell?” Wang Qirui was a straightforward boy, and the words escaped him before he could stop them.

Noticing that everyone else was staring at him, Wang Qirui belatedly realized that he sounded as though he disliked the smell. He hurriedly waved his hands. “It’s fine. It’s not that unpleasant.”

Jiang Jie stared at him speechlessly.

Wang Qirui gave him an ingratiating smile.

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Rong Xianxian drained the poisoned blood into a large glass bottle. Nearly one hundred milliliters collected inside. The skin around the wound, which had been swollen and gleaming, deflated.

Jiang Jie cried out in surprise. “I think my arm has strength again!” Delighted, he showed everyone his tightly clenched fist.

“Let go at once!” Rong Xianxian shouted, her expression changing dramatically. “Who told you to exert yourself?”

Once Rong Xianxian shifted into her role as a doctor, she was completely different from her usual good-natured self.

Cui Lie and the others instinctively straightened.

“Sister Rong, I—I thought…” Jiang Jie stammered, trying to explain himself. But when he saw the anger on Rong Xianxian’s face, he instinctively fell silent. Sister Rong was rather frightening when she lost her temper.

There was no saline solution, so Rong Xianxian used purified water to irrigate Jiang Jie’s wound. She injected syringe after syringe of purified water, drawing out the bloody fluid until the liquid being removed had turned a pale, diluted red.

Rong Xianxian placed a surgical drainage strip into the cross-shaped incision and instructed Jiang Jie to rest quietly. He was not to exert that arm.

Jiang Jie obediently agreed.

Once Rong Xianxian turned and left, Jiang Jie dramatically patted his chest.

“What is it? Is there something wrong with Jiang Jie’s wound?” Cui Lie asked, watching Rong Xianxian silently with a frown.

“It’s hard to say. In most cases, potent poisons and neurotoxins take effect very quickly. This poison is different.” As she spoke, Rong Xianxian shook her head. She hoped she was merely overthinking it.

“You four will take turns watching him tonight. Carefully record the color of the drainage, any changes around the wound, the patient’s mental state, his blood pressure, and his temperature,” Rong Xianxian instructed briskly.

But no one answered.

She turned around in displeasure and saw Cui Lie looking at her in confusion, his expression utterly innocent.

“I—I don’t really understand…”

Rong Xianxian was speechless. Damn it. There were no nurses here. Did that mean she had to monitor him herself?

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