The morning sun streamed through the holes in the warehouse roof. The air, still tinged with the smell of gasoline and scorched material, served as a stark reminder of last night's brief but fierce confrontation.
Chen Shouzhou stretched, feeling a sense of well-being spread through his body. The physical boost from the system's upgrade had swept away days of fatigue and weakness. Though his stomach was still growling with hunger, his spirits were higher than ever.
He glanced at Su Wan'er, who was quietly tidying up. She had already cleaned a section of the warehouse and had even fashioned a simple partition out of broken wooden planks, seemingly intending to claim it as her "bedroom."
"Not bad, Comrade Tenant, you're pretty handy," Chen Shouzhou said, sidling over with a grin. "But this partition of yours looks like it'll fall over in a strong breeze. Its structural integrity is on par with a paper lantern. Don't you worry. Once your landlord strikes it rich, I'll upgrade you to alloy steel plates with a password lock."
Su Wan'er stopped her work, looked at him, and then walked over, pointing at a half-foot-long gash on his arm. He'd gotten it from a piece of sheet metal while smashing the cage lock last night. Although the system upgrade had stopped the bleeding, the wound was gaping and looked rather nasty.
From a small first-aid kit she carried, she took out a notepad and pen, quickly scribbled a line, and showed it to him.
"You need a check-up. The wound needs to be treated, or it could get infected."
Chen Shouzhou stared at the note, then looked at her in shock. "Holy crap, you can treat people?" He sized her up, her clothes, though tattered, still vaguely recognizable as a doctor's uniform. "You're a real doctor? Not just a cosplay enthusiast?"
Su Wan'er was rendered a little speechless by his ridiculous question. She simply nodded and wrote on her notepad again: "Before the virus outbreak, I was a surgeon at Luocheng First People's Hospital."
A wave of profound respect washed over Chen Shouzhou. The way he looked at Su Wan'er completely changed.
He hadn't just picked up a tenant! He had stumbled upon a goddamn treasure! A walking, talking mobile medical station! In a post-apocalyptic world starved of doctors and medicine, an experienced surgeon was worth more than a chest of gold.
"My deepest apologies! An honor to meet you!" Chen Shouzhou immediately switched to a fawning grin. "Dr. Su, please, have a seat. Would you like some water… oh, right, no water. Well, then just rest. If there's any hard labor to be done, just command your humble servant!"
Seeing his 180-degree attitude shift, Su Wan'er couldn't help but let the corner of her mouth twitch upwards again. She gestured for Chen Shouzhou to sit down, then opened her first-aid kit, which, though small, was surprisingly well-stocked.
Alcohol swabs, suture needles, surgical thread, bandages… it had a full range of medical supplies, clearly a collection she had protected with her life on her journey.
She began by carefully cleaning Chen Shouzhou's wound with an alcohol swab. The cold alcohol touched his flesh, sending a sharp, fiery sting through him.
"Hiss—" Chen Shouzhou grimaced, his face scrunching up in pain, but he couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Dr. Su, your technique is harsher than my old high school head teacher! Even when she threw chalk at me, it didn't hurt this much!"
Su Wan'er ignored his theatrics, her movements remaining gentle and focused. Her hands, holding the tweezers, were as steady as if they were welded in place, without the slightest tremor. Soon, the wound was clean. Next, she took out a suture needle and thread, preparing to stitch it up.
Seeing the needle glinting coldly in the sunlight, Chen Shouzhou felt his scalp tingle. "Uh… Dr. Su, can we maybe use some anesthesia? A local would be fine."
Su Wan'er looked up at him, her eyes saying, What do you think? before she lowered her head and began to thread the needle.
For the next few minutes, the warehouse echoed with Chen Shouzhou's suppressed gasps and a variety of bizarre descriptions.
"Ouch… easy, easy, I feel like you're stitching my soul into my skin…"
"Dr. Su, were you a tailor in a past life? This stitch work is impeccable!"
During the suturing, Su Wan'er noticed Chen Shouzhou studying the medicines in her kit with a strange gaze. Whenever his eyes fell on a bottle, he would pause for a moment, as if he could see right through it. Curious, after she finished with the wound, she wrote on her notepad: "Can you read these labels?"
Chen Shouzhou, who was still wincing in pain, immediately perked up. He leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "I know a thing or two. This bottle, for example," he said, pointing to a bottle of antibiotics, "[Amoxicillin capsules, Condition: Slightly damp, 70% effective, Utility Value: High]."
He was reciting the results from his [Resource Appraisal] skill directly.
Su Wan'er's eyes flew wide with disbelief. She picked up the bottle and examined it closely. There was no visible sign of any problem, but as a doctor, she knew that medicine becoming damp in this environment was highly likely. But him… how could he tell with just a glance? And so precisely, even down to the remaining efficacy?
She pointed to another bottle.
Chen Shouzhou understood and immediately recited, "[Povidone-iodine solution, Condition: Sealed and intact, Utility Value: High. Remark: Don't drink it, tastes terrible.]"
Su Wan'er was completely floored. She wrote: "Did you study medicine? Or are you a pharmacist?"
"Neither." Chen Shouzhou shook his head with an air of profound mystery, pointing to his own eyes. "These eyes of mine are special, gifted. They can see the essence of things. It's high-tech, a trade secret. Can't be shared."
He couldn't reveal the system's existence, of course, so he had to make something up. Fortunately, while Su Wan'er was full of doubt, she didn't press the issue, merely committing it to memory. This man seemed to have even more secrets than she'd imagined.
Just then, Chen Shouzhou's stomach let out an ill-timed growl, breaking the slightly mystical atmosphere.
He scratched his head in embarrassment. "So… Dr. Su, shouldn't we address the issue of food and shelter?"
Right on cue, a system prompt sounded in his mind.
[New Mission Issued: A Man Cannot Live on Bread Alone!]
[Mission Objective: Repair the kitchen area and provide a stable supply of hot food for the Safe House.]
[Mission Reward: Unlock crafting blueprint for 'Water Purifier (Basic)', Minor physical enhancement.]
"Perfect timing!" Chen Shouzhou's eyes lit up.
He immediately pulled Su Wan'er to another corner of the warehouse, where a pile of discarded oil drums and bricks lay. He pointed to the area and announced with great passion, "Dr. Su, our 'Safe House Central Kitchen' project is now officially underway!"
And he got straight to work. His newfound strength made moving bricks and barrels a trivial task. He directed Su Wan'er, and together they cut the top off a large oil drum, converting it into a simple stove. He used bricks to build a windscreen around it and even fashioned a makeshift chimney from an iron pipe.
Though Su Wan'er didn't understand where he got all his energy, she was infected by his enthusiasm and quietly helped him.
Half an hour later, a crude but functional cooking station was complete.
Chen Shouzhou retrieved the case of beef cans from the basement. He pried one open, and the rich, savory aroma instantly filled the air. He took out some dried noodles he had scavenged earlier, set a broken pot over the fire, and began to boil water.
Xiao Hei, dozing at the entrance, smelled the food and came trotting over, wagging its tail incessantly and practically drooling on the floor.
Soon, a steaming pot of beef stew with noodles was ready. It lacked seasoning, but in the apocalypse, this was a three-Michelin-star delicacy.
Chen Shouzhou dished out three large bowls: one for himself, one for Su Wan'er, and one on the floor for Xiao Hei.
One man, one dog, and one mute woman, gathered around a simple stove in a ruined warehouse, eating their first hot meal since the world ended.
The hot noodles and broth warmed their bodies and filled their empty stomachs. As Su Wan'er ate, her eyes began to well up with tears. She couldn't remember the last time she had tasted hot food.
Seeing her teary eyes, Chen Shouzhou smiled but said nothing, simply picking out the largest piece of beef from his own bowl and placing it in hers.
The atmosphere during their meal became light and harmonious. As he ate, Chen Shouzhou started talking about his life before the apocalypse.
"Don't judge a book by its cover. Back in the day, I was a man of culture," he boasted. "Luocheng Library, you know it? I was a librarian there. My daily job was dealing with books older than me. The most exercise I got was climbing ladders to get books. Who would've thought, when the virus hit, a weakling intellectual like me would survive this long? Isn't that hilarious?"
Su Wan'er listened quietly, a flicker in her eyes. When he finished, she picked up her notepad and wrote a sentence.
"Knowledge is the scarcest resource in the apocalypse."
Chen Shouzhou stared at the sentence for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You're damn right! Dr. Su, you're a visionary! That's why, once our safe house is big and strong, I'm going to build the largest library in the wasteland! And then… charge a pound of grain per book reading!"
Su Wan'er couldn't help but be amused by his money-grubbing act, and she finally laughed, a genuine, heartfelt laugh. There was no sound, but her eyes, curved into crescent moons, were more beautiful than any star in the sky.
Just then, in the distant sky, a series of sporadic gunshots echoed.
The shots weren't dense, but in the silence of the wasteland, they were extraordinarily clear.
The smiles on both their faces froze instantly.
Chen Shouzhou immediately stood up, staring warily in the direction of the gunfire. He knew that this seemingly peaceful wasteland was fraught with danger. The threat from Zhao Tie had not been resolved, and new trouble, perhaps, had just arrived...