Chapter 262: Meng Ci, Did Something Happen to Liang Xiu?
"Make way, make way!"
That day, Meng Ci and Shen Que exchanged their crystals for points and picked up some food to avoid drawing attention before heading home.
However, just as they reached the hospital, they saw a team of soldiers rushing over in a panic.
One soldier, covered in blood, was being carried on someone's back.
Seeing this, Meng Ci couldn't help but frown.
He understood that soldiers shared a deep bond, but wasn't this a bit reckless? What if the soldier had been bitten by a zombie?
Of course, many others had the same thought.
Some even voiced it.
"Could it be that they've carried back someone who was bitten by a zombie?"
"Hell, I'm gonna check. If that guy was really bitten, I'll burn the body myself, even if it costs me my life."
"I'm going too."
People rushed into the hospital.
Some reacted quickly and grabbed a soldier, asking if the person had been bitten by a zombie.
Even when the soldier answered that he hadn't, the person didn't believe him and insisted on hearing the truth.
The soldier, though worried about his comrade, patiently reassured the residents that there was no zombie bite and no reason to panic.
Meng Ci and Shen Que, however, didn't rush in; they were about to head home.
But just a few steps away, Meng Ci suddenly grabbed Shen Que.
"Shen Que, look at that person. Doesn't he seem like someone from Captain Lu's team?"
Shen Que looked over, his expression turning serious.
"Yes, he does."
Without delay, Meng Ci and Shen Que headed towards the hospital. After all, Lu Chen was an important figure at the West Mountain Wilderness Base, responsible for many decisions. If something happened to him, it could be bad news.
And having known Lu Chen for a few years, it felt only right to check on him.
They pushed through the crowd, ignoring the commotion, and searched floor by floor.
Finally, on the third floor, they saw a team of about a dozen people.
"Hey," Meng Ci greeted directly. "Are you guys with Captain Lu's team?"
The team recognized Meng Ci, having seen him several times before.
Their faces were grim, and their eyes were bloodshot from worry.
"That's right," answered a first lieutenant.
"It's all my fault! If the deputy commander hadn't saved me, he wouldn't have gotten hurt like this."
The lieutenant smacked himself in the face a few times as he spoke.
Meng Ci said, "Now isn't the time to blame anyone. Captain Lu wasn't bitten by a zombie, was he?"
The lieutenant, Qiao Ya, had been following Lu Chen since he joined the army. Hearing this, he shook his head.
"No!"
"The commander was stomped on by a mutated tiger."
Before the apocalypse, an adult tiger was generally about two meters long, but the mutated tiger they encountered on this mission was nearly four meters long and over 1.5 meters tall!
This mutated tiger, with its sheer size, was terrifying enough, not to mention its immense strength and aggression.
Qiao Ya said the tiger had already claimed the lives of five psionics before they even arrived.
After hearing about the mutated tiger, some others saw it as a rare opportunity.
Killing a mutated tiger could yield a large number of crystals.
Thus, they formed a team of six people and headed deep into the forest to find and attempt to kill the mutated tiger.
However, once this team entered the forest, they realized they had completely underestimated the strength of the mutated tiger.
Even with six people, they were completely outmatched by the mutated tiger.
In a fierce battle, all six psionics lost their lives to the tiger's jaws.
After hearing about this, Lu Chen led his team out.
They had thirteen people and carried various weapons, including guns, hoping to take down the terrifying mutated tiger.
At first, everything seemed to go according to plan.
At first, they managed to beat the tiger nearly to death.
But just as they were about to finish it off, the tiger—seemingly on its last legs—suddenly lunged at Qiao Ya with surprising speed.
Qiao Ya had used up most of his fire powers earlier, when they discovered the tiger was afraid of flames.
With the tiger moving so fast, there was no way to dodge.
Qiao Ya closed his eyes, bracing for death.
But just as the mutated tiger rushed forward, Lu Chen leaped in, pushing Qiao Ya aside, and fell under the tiger's claws himself.
Lu Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood as the tiger's weight crushed him.
Qiao Ya and several others rushed forward to check on Lu Chen's condition.
In the confusion, they failed to notice the tiger slipping away unnoticed.
This mission was originally supposed to eliminate the mutated tiger, but not only was it unsuccessful, it also left Lu Chen seriously injured.
Thinking of this, Qiao Ya slapped himself again, hard, consumed by guilt and regret.
About an hour later, the doctor responsible for the examination finally came out of the exam room.
His expression was serious and solemn, causing people to feel worried.
"The patient has blood in the chest cavity, broken ribs, and even a possible rupture of the liver."
"Given the current medical situation, we can't guarantee his recovery."
Although the hospital had many instruments supplied by Meng Ci, they weren't enough.
Moreover, medication was in short supply.
Qiao Ya dropped to his knees, pleading. "Please, doctor, save our camp commander!"
"It's all my fault."
As he spoke, tears were already streaming down Qiao Ya's face.
The doctor quickly helped Qiao Ya up. "Don't worry, our hospital will do everything possible to save the patient."
The doctor knew who was inside and how important he was to their base.
However, due to the shortage of supplies, they were not entirely confident.
The other soldiers also quietly wept.
Meng Ci's brow furrowed as he listened.
Lu Chen's injuries were difficult to treat even before the collapse, let alone now when resources were scarce.
"Shen Que, let's go!" Meng Ci suddenly grabbed Shen Que, and the two left the hospital.
Since the doctors couldn't help, maybe a psychic could.
Thus, the two headed directly to Zhao Jingyu's residence.
At this moment, Zhao Jingyu and Qiao Moyan were shoveling rabbit droppings, planning to make fertilizer.
Seeing Meng Ci and Shen Que rushing over, they knew something serious must have happened.
"Little Meng, Little Shen, who got into trouble?" Qiao Moyan asked.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jingyu's mind suddenly thought of Liang Xiu. Could it be that guy?
"Meng Ci, did something happen to Liang Xiu?" Zhao Jingyu hurriedly asked.
Meng Ci said, "He's fine."
"It's someone I'm close to. He was stomped on by the tiger when we were trying to kill the mutated tiger, and it's quite serious."
"So I wanted to ask, Uncle Qiao, would you be willing to heal him?"
Meng Ci thought that at this moment, only Qiao Moyan might have the ability to save Lu Chen's life.