Chapter 42: Hospital

Ye Nan extracted the crystal cores from the blond-haired man and the fat man, and then left the mineral water company.

Earlier, when Gong Wanru and the little white cat clashed, her arm had suffered some injuries, which were still throbbing. Coupled with the fact that the little white cat's wound needed attention, they decided to head to a nearby hospital.

Although Ye Nan had hoarded plenty of supplies—enough to last a lifetime—his medical supplies were scarce, and advanced medical equipment was practically nonexistent.

This trip to the hospital was meant not only to collect medicines but also medical equipment. If he happened to encounter a doctor, recruiting them into their group would ensure they would never have to worry about illness again. In the apocalyptic world, medical care was a luxury, making illness a troublesome ordeal; sometimes, even a minor sickness could cost a life.

Upon arriving at the hospital, three patrollers were stationed outside. The moment they spotted Ye Nan, vigilant expressions washed over their faces.

"Hey kid, who are you? Why are you trespassing on our turf?" asked a middle-aged man wearing a security uniform.

Ye Nan replied, "My friend is injured and we would like to come inside to get her bandaged up. Is that alright?"

The middle-aged security guard said, "You must know the value of medicine these days. If you want drugs, you have to trade them for food."

Ye Nan nodded, "That's fine, no problem."

"Then come on in." The middle-aged security guard unlocked the front gates, letting Ye Nan, Gong Wanru, and the little white cat inside.

"Thanks," Ye Nan said appreciatively.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the doctor in the hospital," the security guard offered, leading the way.

The hospital was largely deserted; aside from the three security guards, only two male doctors remained.

When the two doctors caught sight of Gong Wanru, their eyes lit up instantly. Such a top-tier beauty—if they could have their way with her, it would not be a waste of this lifetime. After all, it was the apocalypse; there was no need to care about laws or morality. Pleasure was the only rule.

Naturally, Ye Nan caught the burning desire in their eyes, but he pretended not to notice. He spoke up, "Doctors, my wife and my pet are injured. Could you please help treat them?"

One of the doctors chimed in, "Easily done, easily done. My name is Zhao Hongming, the chief physician of this hospital. I have a great reputation, so you've come to the right place."

The other, younger doctor added, "The hospital's medicine reserves are quite limited. I'm sure you understand how precious medicine is in this world. You'll need to exchange food for it."

"No problem, is this enough?" Ye Nan produced a box of instant noodles from his arms, having pretended to retrieve it from his vehicle before entering.

Zhao Hongming was overjoyed. "Enough, more than enough."

Ye Nan set the instant noodles down and said, "Alright, let's begin."

Zhao Hongming stood up. "Follow me."

Ye Nan and Gong Wanru trailed behind Zhao Hongming into the adjacent examination room.

Zhao Hongming suddenly turned to Gong Wanru and asked, "Where are you injured?"

Gong Wanru replied, "My arm."

"Alright, take off your clothes." Zhao Hongming adjusted his glasses, his face twisting into a lecherous grin.

Gong Wanru was almost amused to the point of anger. She retorted coldly, "Do I need to undress to treat an arm?"

Zhao Hongming justified it smoothly, "Of course. The arm connects to the chest muscles; your chest might be injured too. I need to give you a thorough checkup."

Gong Wanru shook her head. "Forget it, I won't bother."

"How can we do that? I am a doctor; saving lives and healing the wounded is my responsibility," Zhao Hongming insisted.

Simultaneously, the three security guards appeared at the doorway, blocking the exit and preventing Ye Nan and Gong Wanru from leaving.

Ye Nan found this rather comical. With a mere group of ordinary people like Zhao Hongming—not even a single superhuman among them—attempting to prey on him and Gong Wanru, he was simply speechless.

Zhao Hongming stared hungrily at Gong Wanru's devilish figure and sneered, "Now that you're in here, did you really think you could walk out?"

Gong Wanru glared at him. "How many people have you harmed using this trick?"

Zhao Hongming replied, "Not many, just a pathetic twelve. But only two were women, and their looks and bodies were far inferior to yours. We took turns with them, and after playing with them for just two days, we managed to kill them both. It wasn't enough fun, truly not enough fun."

Wrath painted Gong Wanru's face.

Completely unbothered by her ugly expression, Zhao Hongming reminisced for a moment before continuing, "Don't you worry, though. With a top-tier beauty like you, I'll be very gentle. If I accidentally kill you, I'll be heartbroken for a long time. Besides, who knows when this apocalypse will end? Just stay here and peacefully be our woman. As long as you obediently listen, you'll have all the food you want every day."

"You're an animal!" Gong Wanru cursed.

"That's right, I'm an animal. But in the apocalypse, animals survive better. As for those do-gooders, they don't live long; sooner or later, they get themselves killed by stupidity. At least I understand that much." Zhao Hongming pointed at Ye Nan and ordered the three security guards, "Kill this punk first. Once he's gone, his woman won't have any choice left."

Ye Nan scoffed, "Just you lot?"

The younger doctor mocked, "You're all by yourself. Do you really think you can beat three security guards? Speaking of which, you should consider yourself lucky to have enjoyed such a prime beauty before dying. Make sure you are reincarnated into a better womb next life, and don't cross paths with us again."

The three security guards walked forward with grim smiles, surrounding Ye Nan from three sides.

"Kid, as long as you kneel, kowtow three times, and call me 'Grandpa' three times, I'll let you die painlessly. Otherwise, I'll crush your bones and let you taste a fate worse than death," threatened one of the middle-aged security guards.

"You talk too much." Ye Nan slammed a fist into the middle-aged security guard's chest, sending him flying backward to crash violently against the wall with a thunderous thud.

The security guard spat a mouthful of blood, his chest pierced right through from front to back, blood spurting wildly. His eyes bulged in utter disbelief. Within moments, he lost all breath and died completely.

Shock!

Inside the room, Zhao Hongming, the young doctor, and the two remaining security guards were stunned into silence. They rubbed their eyes, half-convinced they were hallucinating. But it was real; Ye Nan was terrifyingly powerful.

"Didn't you just say you were going to kill me?" Ye Nan looked at the remaining two security guards, a mocking smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"B-Big brother, I was wrong! Please spare me, it was all my fault, I'll never dare do it again!" One of the guards immediately pleaded for mercy while drawing a dagger from his robes, lunging it toward Ye Nan.

The attack was sudden; an ordinary person would have found it impossible to react in time.

The guard had used this exact trick to murder two people previously, believing he would succeed this time and claim Gong Wanru for himself. But he was destined for disappointment.

Ye Nan remained completely relaxed. Casually extending two fingers, he pinched the blade of the dagger, rendering the guard utterly incapable of pulling it back, no matter how hard he tried.

The next moment, Ye Nan snatched the dagger away and drove it fiercely straight between the guard's eyebrows, slaying him on the spot.

The sole surviving security guard was truly terrified, utterly stripped of any will to resist. He dropped to his knees and begged for his life.

"Big brother! Big brother, I was wrong! It was Zhao Hongming who ordered me! I have a heart condition; if I didn't do as he said, he wouldn't give me my medication. You know how it is in the apocalypse—without treatment, I'll die, I'll definitely die! Please spare me! From now on I'll be your loyal lackey, I'll walk through fire and blades for you without blinking an eye... Ah!"

Before the guard could finish his plea, a blade cleaved through him.

It was Gong Wanru who had struck.

Seeing a fiery, blazing longblade magically appear in Gong Wanru's hand, Zhao Hongming and the young doctor grew even more terrified. They couldn't fathom what was happening—how could an ordinary person perform such a feat? Had the pair awakened some kind of supernatural ability?

"Both of you can die now." Gong Wanru advanced step by step toward the two men.

With every step she took, the two men's hearts pounded in sheer dread.

Zhao Hongming finally broke, pleading, "Beauty, I'm sorry! I was out of line just now, I was merely joking, please don't take it to heart! Aren't your arms in pain? I'll treat you right this instant!"

"Save it." Gong Wanru swung her blade downward. With a miserable shriek, Zhao Hongming was cut down on the spot.

The young doctor attempted to flee, but Gong Wanru projected a slash through the air. Flames instantly engulfed the young doctor entirely, turning him into a living torch. After a few agonizing screams, he fell silent forever.

Gong Wanru sighed, "I knew the apocalypse was brutal, but I never imagined it would be *this* brutal. Among all the people we meet, the vast majority are villains. Those who retain their original conscience are few and far between."

Ye Nan agreed, "Indeed. Such is the apocalypse; never try to guess the human heart."

Gong Wanru continued, "You should take all the medicine and medical equipment from this hospital. We can study them slowly back home. My arm isn't too serious—just applying some ointment and resting for a few days will fix it. But the little white cat's wound must be treated properly, otherwise an infection could become troublesome."

A thought suddenly struck Ye Nan. "Ah, you're right. Sizi's older sister is a doctor. I wonder if Sizi ever learned any medical skills from her. Even simple bandaging would help."

"She did. I once heard her mention it," Gong Wanru replied.

"In that case, things will be much easier." Delighted, Ye Nan turned and walked into the pharmacy. Expanding the tower's doorway, he swept every single medicine inside.

Next, he toured the various departments, gathering up all the medical equipment with the intent of sorting through them carefully upon returning home.

With everything settled, Ye Nan called out to Gong Wanru, "Let's go, time to head home."

"Alright, let's go home," she agreed.

When they returned to their residential compound, they found a crowd gathered in the open space previously used for trade. At a glance, Gong Wanru could tell these outsiders did not belong to their community.

A diminutive young man holding a large megaphone shouted, "Hello everyone! I am the third-in-command of the nearby Jinshan Base. You can call me Brother Qiao. Starting today, this residential area is under the jurisdiction of the Jinshan Base! We will be responsible for clearing out zombies and protecting your safety. But in return, you must surrender a certain amount of food every week."

Brother Qiao paused briefly before continuing, "Naturally, food is tight in these times. If you truly cannot produce any, you can come work at the Jinshan Base, where you will receive generous daily compensation. As long as the Jinshan Base is here, we will ensure you live a better life! Do you understand? If you understand, give me a round of applause!"

When Brother Qiao's voice trailed off, only a few of his lackey subordinates clapped. The residents of the compound simply stared at him with cold expressions.

Brother Qiao's face twitched awkwardly, and he repeated, "If you understand, give me a round of applause."

Still, only his few subordinates clapped.

Ever since the apocalypse began, everyone had experienced a fair share of hardships. Those still alive possessed some wits about them; they weren't about to trust strangers so easily.

Besides, demanding food supplies right off the bat with zero room for negotiation was something nobody would willingly accept.

Aunt Wang hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. "Brother Qiao, it's not that we're unwilling to pay. It's just that there's a villain in our compound who constantly bullies everyone. We've all suffered terribly under his torment. Whenever we manage to find food, he confiscates it all, leaving us with nothing extra to give you. If you can rid the community of this pest, then I, Aunt Wang, will be the first to lead the support for the Jinshan Base to move in."

Realizing he needed to display some strength to make them obedient, Brother Qiao asked, "What is this fellow's name? Which building and apartment does he live in?"

Aunt Wang felt a surge of joy and hastily answered, "His name is Ye Nan. He lives in Building 1, Apartment 2001. His safe house is packed with so much food he can barely fit it all, not to mention a bevy of beauties surrounding him. Even my daughter-in-law was forcibly abducted by that scoundrel! Your Jinshan Base must eradicate this scourge for the people!"

Brother Qiao was taken aback. "There's such a scoundrel?"

Uncle Liu chimed in, "Indeed. That villain forces women, bullies the weak, and commits all kinds of evil. Since you're asking us to hand over food, he shouldn't be an exception. You can go talk to him first and see if he's willing."

A bespectacled man stepped forward as well. "That villain abducted my girlfriend and threatened to slaughter my entire family. How can our compound ever be at peace with such a brute around? Brother Qiao, you and the Jinshan Base are our saviors; you must not let such a scoundrel go unpunished, otherwise who will ever submit to you?"

Everyone in the crowd knew that Aunt Wang's family and the others were speaking of Ye Nan.

In truth, it was rather ironic. Only a short while ago, Ye Nan had cleared the entire compound of zombies, giving everyone the opportunity to forage outside—a monumental act of kindness.

Yet Aunt Wang, Uncle Liu, and the bespectacled man not only lacked gratitude, but they were also twisting the truth to instigate a conflict between Ye Nan and the Jinshan Base. Utterly despicable.

Although the onlookers felt a wave of indignation, none dared to step forward and speak up.

In the apocalypse, self-preservation was the prime rule; nobody was willing to stick their neck out for others. Besides, petty villains like Aunt Wang held grudges easily. Offend her, and heaven knew if you'd be the next one to die.

Pondering this, Brother Qiao nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. I'll handle this personally, eliminate this villain, and restore peace to the compound."

In the distance, Ye Nan had heard every single word spoken by Brother Qiao and Aunt Wang's family. He hadn't expected them to be this shameless, turning black into white and manufacturing a horde of enemies for him out of thin air.

It seemed he couldn't leave them alive any longer; otherwise, they would remain an endless source of trouble.

Stepping forward, Ye Nan cast an icy gaze at Brother Qiao and Aunt Wang's contingent.

Brother Qiao glared at him with immense annoyance. "Kid, you look awfully arrogant. What, got a problem with me?"

Aunt Wang shrieked at the top of her lungs, "He is Ye Nan!"

"What? It's him?!" Brother Qiao's interest was instantly piqued.