Chapter 113 - 106: Day 22 Settlement
Zhao Pu carefully went over the various precautions.
𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Mr. Qin, your constitution is better than the average person’s. As long as you follow my instructions and take the medicine, you’ll recover. Don’t worry."
"I hope you’re right. But I thought I was supposed to drink Honeysuckle and dandelion tea? Cephalosporin works too?"
Zhao Pu said, "Initially, yes, we used those two. But later, some people tried cephalosporin and found it more effective. At first, we were unsure of the specific illness, and different bacterial infections require different antibiotics. We also weren’t sure about potential side effects or long-term consequences. Now that they’ve tried it, we know cephalosporin is indeed better. The only downside is that our supply is limited. Every pill taken is one less we have."
After Zhao Pu left, Qin Ziwu looked at his older brother with concern.
"It’s not a terminal illness. I’ll be fine. I’ll just stay in the bedroom for the next few days and won’t come out, so I don’t infect you guys."
He clapped his younger brother on the shoulder, returned to his room, and moved the Beaked Eagle’s nest out of the bedroom.
The Beaked Eagle was a little shocked. ’Why was my home kicked out?’
"You get out too." Qin Ziwen pushed the Beaked Eagle out of the bedroom.
After being driven out, the Beaked Eagle stubbornly squatted by the door.
Sitting on the bed, Qin Ziwen recalled what Zhao Pu had said yesterday. The mortality rate for infected healthy adults was about 25%. A one-in-four chance. Not exactly high, but not low either.
’Twenty-five percent is a statistic on the macro level; for an individual, it’s either zero or one hundred percent.’
He said to his brother, "I’ll stay in the bedroom for the next few days and won’t go out. Tomorrow, you, Du Yu, and Deng Guang should go to the stream."
Qin Ziwu shook his head, refusing. "Big Bro, I don’t think I should go. I’ll stay home with you."
"What are you going to do, keep me company?"
"I can boil water for you and wash your towels."
"I don’t need you to do it. There are other people in the house. Do as I say." Qin Ziwen’s voice grew stern.
Qin Ziwu looked like he wanted to say something but held back, ultimately just nodding silently.
Qin Ziwen returned to the bedroom, first swapping in a new trash can, then lay down on the soft mattress.
"Big Bro, this is the cephalosporin Dr. Zhao just brought over." Qin Ziwu knocked on the door.
He got up, opened the door, and took the medicine through the crack. It was an unopened box of cephalosporin.
Qin Ziwen said gravely, "Alright, go and do your own thing. Have someone else deliver it next time."
After saying that, he inspected the medicine, and once he confirmed it was fine, he took it with some warm water.
He had also used an Expansion Card on the area outside his master bedroom window, creating a completely empty 20x20 meter expanded zone. At four hundred square meters, it was four times the original size of the house.
So, staying in the bedroom didn’t feel cramped.
Not long after taking the medicine, Qin Ziwen drifted off into a groggy sleep.
「You have successfully survived in the wilderness for twenty-two days. Your subordinate retrieved a Marvel from the Salt Well. You have obtained some seeds... Comprehensive Score: 68」
「Rewards Obtained: [Enhancement Card] Human Physique Enhancement Card (One Star) x1, telescope x1, [Building Card] Level 1 Farmland x1」
The next day, Qin Ziwen was woken by his own coughing.
His condition seemed to have worsened. He felt like there was a furnace inside his body.
His immune cells were firing on all cylinders, going on a rampage.
He yawned, put on a mask, opened the door, and went to the porridge shed to cook a pot of porridge.
As the newcomers arrived, Qin Ziwen waved to Liu San. "Liu San."
Liu San hurried over. "My lord."
"You’re getting on in years. You don’t have to do this work anymore."
Hearing this, Liu San’s face changed, and he immediately begged, "My lord, this old man can still work."
"Stop. What I mean is, you don’t have to do the work yourself. Just be in charge of supervising."
Plunged into despair and then lifted back up, Liu San felt his back break out in a cold sweat, his heart filled with relief.
Not only had he not lost his job, but his lord had shown him consideration and even promoted him to a supervisory role. For a moment, Liu San was moved to tears of gratitude.
"In a bit, you’ll supervise the newcomers. Boil a pot of water every two hours and bring it to my room. I need a constant supply of hot water in my room. Also, the Mint... boil a pot of it first and keep it warm..." Qin Ziwen instructed carefully.
Liu San listened intently, not daring to miss a single word.
Finally, as he was about to leave, Qin Ziwen encouraged him, "I trust you to handle things. Keep up the good work."
Back in his bedroom, he looked at the new rewards he had obtained.
He’d finally gotten another Human Physique Enhancement Card.
He used it on himself without hesitation.
With an enhanced physique, his immunity would increase.
As the green Card dissolved into motes of light and merged into his body, Qin Ziwen felt his body inflate, his strength and constitution growing rapidly.
Soon, the sensation of enhancement came to an abrupt stop.
Qin Ziwen felt the itchiness in his throat lessen, and it seemed as if a burden had been lifted from his body.
’I wonder what my star rating is now.’
The Home system rated a normal human’s physical attributes on a scale of One to Five Stars. He had been a strong, healthy adult male with a regular workout routine before all this; surely he wasn’t at the lowest level of One Star.
Now that he had used two Enhancement Cards, he felt his physical attributes must have reached a very high level.
During the day, Qin Ziwen stayed in his bedroom and took two more doses of medicine.
In the evening, the sound of the main door opening came from outside his room.
The door had just been closed when Qin Ziwu’s excited shouts rang out.
"Big Bro, we’re back!"
"Big Bro, let me tell you, Du Yu was so damn incredible today! After we set up the Earth Cage, we caught some stream crabs. Then, this afternoon, Du Yu shot a black deer in the jungle from dozens of paces away!"
Hearing his brother’s voice, Qin Ziwen smiled and praised, "That’s amazing. Looks like it doesn’t make much of a difference whether I’m there or not."
"Hahaha, no way! You’re the backbone of this family. By the way, Big Bro, how are you feeling now?"
"Not bad. Much better." Qin Ziwen touched his chest. After two more doses of medicine, plus the boost to his physique from the Enhancement Card, he could feel his condition had clearly improved.
However, to ensure a full recovery, he needed to take the medicine for a couple more days and completely eradicate the source of the illness. Otherwise, a relapse could turn it into a chronic condition with lasting effects, which would be a huge problem.
"That’s great!"
"Okay, Big Bro, we’re going to process the deer now. We’ll save the antlers and the pizzle for you. You can use them to build up your strength when you’re better."
Qin Ziwen laughed and retorted, "I don’t need it. You should save it for yourself."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
A knock came from the main door.
His brother shouted, "Who is it?"
A moment later, the door closed again.
Qin Ziwu came to the outside of the bedroom door. "Bro, Dr. Zhao just came up to ask how you were doing. He said Zou Jianghe from the Alliance Association asked him today if he could meet with you."
"Zou Jianghe wants to talk to me?" Qin Ziwen’s brow instantly furrowed, his tone tinged with a subtle, almost imperceptible surprise.
They hadn’t been in contact since their last meeting. For him to suddenly show up now felt off, no matter how you looked at it.
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