Chapter 111 - 103: The Little Slob
Li Yu stepped forward and reached out to touch the back of his hand against Second Uncle's forehead. It was burning up; he must have a high fever.
Then he tore open the cloth that was bandaging the chest wound, revealing a terrifying injury—a seven- to eight-centimeter long gash with the skin on both sides peeled back, exposing the tender flesh beneath.
Because Li Yu had pulled it open, some fresh blood began to seep out again, and some of the flesh inside was starting to decay, indicating an infection.
Now with Second Uncle unconscious from the fever, Li Yu felt an urgency in his heart. He must send Second Uncle back to the base as soon as possible.
In the base, he had built a medical facility before the apocalypse. This facility was equipped with many types of equipment and medications, including interferons, antibiotics, and more, available on the market.
On top of that, his cousin Li Yuan, who was a third-year medical student yet to start her internship, would be a bit better than staying here for sure.
They had to get back to the base urgently.
He looked around and, seeing no one else, Li Yu asked, "Where are uncle and the others?"
As soon as uncle was mentioned, the younger aunt behind him couldn't hold back, speaking with a sob, "On the way back, he fought against zombies to let us go ahead. He was bitten by a zombie, and then Qiqi also...."
Qiqi, the image of a cute little girl flashed through Li Yu's mind. She was the younger aunt's daughter, and it seemed now she also...
Suddenly, two people, one adult and one child, came out of another small room.
It was Second Uncle's young daughter and younger aunt's son. They were both under ten.
The two of them had a sallow complexion, with disheveled appearances, and their skinny bodies seemed to lack any flesh, holding two sticks in their hands, they looked at Li Yu and the others with some fear.
On the road, they had encountered too many zombies and too many bad people. Now, their fathers, one dead from zombies, the other lying unconscious.
But life had to go on, and at such a young age, they had already learned to use weapons to protect themselves.
However, when Li Yu turned his head to look at them, the two children widened their eyes, filled with disbelief.
In their eyes, Li Yu, holding a flashlight shining ahead, with Li Hang behind him shining another flashlight on his back, seemed to emanate a glowing halo!
He was their older cousin!
Their own!
Tears filled their eyes, and they rushed towards Li Yu as if crazed.
"Big cousin!"
"Big cousin!"
Li Yu embraced the two children, his heart aching more than ever, and was relieved he had come.
Otherwise, he couldn't imagine how tough life would have been just on the younger aunt and Second Aunt, the two women without any adult men.
Li Yu grabbed the hands of the two children, then turned to the workers behind him and said, "Ding Jiu, you three, carry Second Uncle to the car first,
then go straight to Yugu Platform and move the stuff. After meeting up with us later, we'll leave immediately."
"Be quick!"
Ding Jiu nodded at the words and quickly stepped forward with a few workers. They searched the room, cobbled together a makeshift stretcher, and carried Second Uncle out.
Li Yu looked at Second Aunt following beside him and then said to Li Hang, "Go with them, tell Ding Jiu to move slower. Be careful."
Looking up to Captain Lv, seeing that he and the others were still there, he exchanged glances with Li Tie and Li Gang, conveying his intentions through his eyes. The two men understood immediately.
Big brother never trusted anyone when doing things. Now that they were taking Second Uncle away, he also had to be cautious that these people might turn hostile at any moment.
So Li Gang and Li Tie stepped outside the door, each choosing an optimal position from which they could see Li Yu's room, as well as Ding Jiu and others carrying Second Uncle.
Li Hang wasn't lifting; instead, he guarded with a submachine gun, looking around vigilantly. Influenced by his older brothers, he suffered from severe paranoia, believing that aside from family and some friends, everyone else was a bad person.
When dealing with bad people, he never hesitated to be ruthless. As long as they made a move, he would open fire instantly!
Seeing that Second Aunt and Second Uncle had left, Li Yu then said to his younger aunt, "Let's go too!"
Attracting many onlookers due to Li Yu's party, she scanned the crowd but didn't seem to find the person she was looking for. Then, she turned to Li Yu and asked, "Do you remember that sloppy kid who once visited our home when we were younger?"
Li Yu was slightly puzzled. Sloppy kid?
The one who as a child aspired to grow up wandering the streets, picking up trash?
He nodded and replied, "I have some impression. Why, is she here too?"
His aunt said, "That sloppy girl, thank goodness for her. The reason we could get in is that she traded some food for our chance to enter.
Otherwise, think about it, your uncle isn't here, and your Second Uncle is injured. How could they possibly have let us in?
During this time, your Second Uncle has been in a coma, and Xiao Chi and I have been scavenging supplies outside. According to their rules here, ninety percent of the found supplies must be handed over, or else we can't stay.
We were hoping to save some food to trade for anti-inflammatory drugs, but it's not even enough for just us to eat. If it weren't for that sloppy girl helping us, we probably wouldn't have made it in, and our lives would be even harder than they are now."
Li Yu glanced meaningfully at Director Zhang upon hearing this,
but Director Zhang had an incredulous look on his face, listening to the aunt's words!
He had explicitly stated before: anyone could join their group, young or old, and supplies should be distributed fairly, with a thirty-seventy split. After going out, one only needed to hand over thirty percent of the scavenged supplies; the rest belonged to themselves.
But now hearing Li Yu's aunt, it was an eighty-ten split!
Director Zhang's face turned red with anger; he had just said they saved Li Yu's aunt and her party.
But in reality now, the aunt had only received a house in exchange for food, and they still had so little supplies left.
Li Yu remained silent, for he had seen too much of this kind of situation. Policies from above were distorted by the time they reached those imposing them, turning good politics bad.
Even with a few hundred people, even a slight difference in levels could drastically alter the transmission of information.
Li Yu asked, "Where is that sloppy kid now?"
The aunt was also puzzled. Based on her understanding of the sloppy girl, she should be the type who loved joining in on the excitement.
So she led Li Yu out the door and walked towards the next building.
But before Li Yu and his party got close, an adorable yet explosively fierce voice came from the room:
"Wu, I'm telling you, today! You have to trade this anti-inflammatory drug with me, even if you don't want to."
"..."
"What, these supplies are not enough? You think you're getting peaches?"
"..."
"It must be traded. What? Louder! I can't hear. You're looking for Brother Liu?
"It's useless to look for anyone. You have to trade even if you don't, because I say so!"
Whack!
A shoe was hurled, piercing through the window glass and shattering it!
And flew out!