Chapter 199
The inflatable boat had already come into view.
Suzy spotted Leonard and Jason sitting across from one another, deeply engrossed in conversation about something.
Neither of them noticed Suzy and Thomas returning.
Only when Suzy stepped within a couple of meters did the two finally react and look up.
"Suzy, you’re back!" Leonard called out. "How did it go? Did you find everything you needed?"
"No." Suzy sighed softly.
Her gaze shifted between the two of them. "What are you guys talking about?"
They looked so absorbed that they had not even noticed her and Thomas approaching.
"We were just talking about this!" Leonard pointed at Jason beside him. "This kid’s injured and didn’t even mention it earlier."
"Injured?"
"Yeah. I only just found out." Leonard frowned. "There’s a pharmacy nearby. We should stop there and look for medicine. It looks pretty serious."
Because of Suzy, Leonard already had a favorable impression of Jason. After Suzy and Thomas went inside the market, Leonard stayed behind chatting with him. The two had been talking normally when Jason’s expression suddenly changed, his face twisting in pain.
After pressing him for answers, Leonard discovered he was injured.
What had started as a small wound became infected after accidentally coming into contact with acid rain. Since it had gone untreated for too long, the injury had worsened considerably.
This trip out to search for supplies had also been Jason’s attempt to find medicine for himself.
Suzy and Thomas quickly climbed aboard the inflatable boat.
"Where are you hurt?" Suzy asked immediately. "Why didn’t you say something sooner?"
Jason looked embarrassed. "I was too excited earlier... I honestly forgot."
"Let me see it. Hurry."
Carefully, Jason rolled up his pant leg. The injury was on his calf.
The moment the fabric lifted, all three of them saw the infected wound.
Suzy sucked in a sharp breath. "Damn... how did this happen?"
It looked horrifying.
The wound itself was not large, but the flesh had already begun to rot and ooze with infection. The surrounding skin was covered in burn-like blisters, densely packed together in a way that made anyone’s scalp crawl just from looking at it.
Even Leonard had been startled when he first saw it.
He had trypophobia, and after one glance, he immediately looked away, rubbing the goosebumps rising along his arms.
Suzy stared at Jason’s injured leg, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Was this caused by the acid rain?" she asked quietly.
Jason looked stunned. "How did you know?!"
The injury really had been caused by the acid rain. He had accidentally come into contact with residual acid rain left behind after the storm.
At first, Jason did not think much of it. After all, his body felt completely normal, with no discomfort whatsoever.
It was only several days later that the pain gradually appeared. When he finally checked the wound carefully, it had already begun deteriorating. Only then did he realize how serious it was.
Oddly enough, Jason’s explanation made Suzy relax a little.
"If it’s from the acid rain, then it’s fine. Nothing too serious," Suzy said reassuringly, patting his shoulder gently. "I have medicine."
Jason blinked, convinced he had misheard her.
She already had medicine?
At this point, he truly felt like he had stumbled into outrageous luck. Not only had he encountered his senior at the perfect moment and been rescued from disaster, she could even treat his acid rain infection...
Suzy really was his guardian angel. The whole situation felt unreal, like a dream.
"This works really well." Suzy pulled out a small jar of ointment from her backpack.
She had initially thought Jason might have some severe illness. Who would have guessed it was merely an acid rain infection?
For someone like Suzy, who possessed spirit spring water, treating acid rain contamination was incredibly simple.
All she needed to do was apply the specially prepared spirit spring ointment directly onto the wound. The effects would appear almost instantly, and the injury would fully recover before long.
The ointment itself had been formulated by the system for her.
Diluted spirit spring water mixed with moisturizing lotion created the perfect medicinal balm, much easier to use than liquid medicine.
Suzy twisted open the lid.
A refreshing fragrance immediately drifted into the air, crisp and soothing, making everyone feel more alert.
"It smells amazing." Jason inhaled deeply, his eyes instantly brightening.
Suzy smiled faintly and scooped out some of the ointment, gently spreading it over his wound.
The cool cream touched the exposed flesh, and Jason’s entire body instantly stiffened. He shivered sharply.
Seeing his rigid posture, Suzy softened her movements.
"How does it feel?" she asked.
Jason carefully sensed the changes, and gradually, his eyes lit up.
"It’s cool... really comfortable."
Ever since the infection began, the wound had tormented him constantly.
The pain came in waves, unpredictable and sudden. One moment he would feel fine, and the next, agony would flare up without warning.
Whenever it happened, it hurt so badly he could barely endure it.
He had never found any way to suppress the pain except gritting his teeth and suffering through it.
In fact, the reason he had been ambushed so easily earlier was that the wound had suddenly flared up during his search for supplies. The pain had weakened him enough for those men to overpower him and drag him onto the boat.
"Suzy, this ointment is incredible," Jason could not help saying in amazement.
The moment the medicine was applied, the cooling sensation quickly drove away the strange burning pain around the wound.
Suzy carefully coated the entire injured area before pulling her hand back.
"That should do it. You’ll recover soon."
Jason gently lowered his pant leg again. "Thank you, Suz."
Suzy put the ointment away. "You don’t need to keep thanking me."
Back in university, Jason had helped her countless times. Now that they had unexpectedly reunited in the apocalypse, it felt like fate. Suzy did not mind helping him out.
"Oh right, Suzy." Jason suddenly remembered something from her earlier conversation with Leonard. "What exactly are you guys looking for?"
"Cement." Suzy sighed regretfully. "Unfortunately, the entire first floor is underwater."
"Cement..." Leonard frowned. "Are there any other places around here that sell cement?"
"I’m not sure. Let me check."
Suzy pulled out her phone and opened the map.
This entire district revolved around construction and industrial businesses. If they searched carefully enough, they should be able to find another source. The only question was whether it had been flooded.
"Cement? I know a place with cement." Jason suddenly cut into the conversation.
Suzy snapped her head toward him. "You know one?"
"Yeah. There’s a cement factory nearby. The land there is elevated." Jason thought for a moment before continuing. "I passed by it yesterday. The flooding wasn’t too bad, so there should still be a lot of cement left."
"Where exactly?"
"Uh... let me think." He actually did not know the precise address. He only knew it was somewhere nearby.
Meanwhile, Suzy had already begun searching the map herself.
Very quickly, she located a possible spot.
Turning the screen toward Jason, she asked, "Is it this one? Here?"
Jason glanced at it and immediately nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! That’s the place!"
With a new destination confirmed, the group set off again.