Chapter Fifteen: Ransacking the Pharmacy

Chapter Fifteen

Before night fell, after a bitter and bloody struggle, everyone finally reached the factory. An agile soldier vaulted over the wall, unlocked the main gate, and after everyone had entered, secured it once more.

“There are zombies inside the factory as well. Everyone, search carefully and clear them out. We’ll rest here tonight.”

Due to the attack from the metal-variant zombie, over ten mutants and soldiers had lost their lives on the spot. Coupled with earlier casualties while clearing out zombies, they had already lost at least a tenth of their fighting force. Yang Hao regrouped everyone into six squads to search the entire factory.

Fortunately, there were no high-level zombies within. All six squads completed their searches safely, and at last, their tense nerves could relax.

After assigning the night watch, those off duty found places to rest in groups, and prepared to eat dinner.

Although they were within a food processing plant, the goods in the warehouse were strictly reserved. Armed soldiers stood guard, keeping the stores under tight control.

Some people had approached Yang Hao, hoping he would order some food to be taken out as a treat for everyone. But those supplies were already allocated: a third to the Huang family, a third to the military, and the final third for the base as a whole.

Other than the soldiers from his unit, Yang Hao had no idea how many among them were spies for the Huang family. With so many eyes watching, even if he wanted to reward his people, he dared not give the order.

With a stern face, Yang Hao dismissed anyone who came to plead with him, then made his way toward where Mei and Lin Shaojie were sitting.

Lin Shaojie was gnawing on two steamed buns, while Mei took out a packet of cream-filled biscuits, nibbling delicately and sipping milk from time to time, a sight that would make anyone jealous.

“Your little bag doesn’t look big, but you certainly have a lot in there!” Yang Hao sat down across from Mei, accepting two buns from his subordinate and sighing as he ate.

“Ah Chen packed it for me. I have no idea how he managed it!” Mei pushed all questions onto Mo Chen, looking entirely innocent herself.

“He’s so attentive—your brother?” a curious soldier asked.

“He’s not my brother, but my companion! A very important companion!” Mei replied earnestly.

“In times like these, having someone you can rely on is real luck,” Yang Hao said with feeling.

“I think so too!” Mei’s eyes crinkled with her sweet, adorable smile.

“Little sister Mei, where did you learn your archery? That shot this afternoon was timed perfectly!” one of the soldiers who’d fought the metal-variant zombie with Yang Hao couldn’t help but ask.

Thinking back to that arrow, Yang Hao had to give a thumbs-up as well. Without that shot, they’d have been struggling with the zombie much longer, and the casualties would have been higher. Such control over the rhythm of battle couldn’t be gained from just shooting at targets on a range.

“No one taught me. I just got better after shooting enough arrows! Really, I’m not lying!” Mei emphasized, afraid they wouldn’t believe her.

She spoke the truth. Her archery was partly natural talent, with the rest honed through countless practical battles.

“You must be a natural talent, then! That shot was more decisive than most veterans could manage,” the soldier said, not doubting her—after all, nothing was too strange in the apocalypse.

“That’s right, the arrow passed right by the captain’s hand. A little off, and it would have hit him, or missed the chance entirely. That was incredible!” another soldier praised.

Noticing the obvious red mark across the back of Yang Hao’s hand—clearly left by the arrow—Mei asked with concern, “Brother Yang, is your hand all right?”

“It’s just a scratch, nothing at all!” For him, such minor wounds were nothing. After so many years as a soldier, he’d been injured many times. The severity of wounds was directly proportional to the strength of the enemy. To take down a high-level zombie at such a small cost was more than worth it.

After today’s battle, he no longer doubted her abilities.

Clearly, the higher-ups’ attention toward her was well justified.

---

The next morning, Yang Hao left part of his men to guard the supplies, sending the rest out to search for resources.

Because of yesterday’s battle, most zombies in the town had been wiped out. After clearing the ones at the entrance, the teams dispersed in pairs to search the town together.

“Big brother, let’s go too!” Mei said to Lin Shaojie, seeing most had already left.

“All right,” Lin Shaojie answered, uncharacteristically quiet.

“Do you have a plan, big brother?”

“I… I want to check out the town’s health clinic,” Lin Shaojie replied hesitantly.

The clinic was on the west side of town, a fair distance from their current location. To get there, they’d need to cross the town, which was not without danger. What’s more, places like hospitals and clinics were usually teeming with zombies. He wasn’t sure if he should let Mei take such a risk with him.

“You want to find medicine for Brother Ye, right? Then let’s go,” Mei said unconcerned.

The town only had a few supermarkets, malls, and markets, and most people had headed for those places. The clinic was less likely to be crowded. They might pick up some useful supplies, and perhaps Mei could refill her medical kit.

Mei set out first, and after a brief struggle, Lin Shaojie followed without another word.

“Wait, I’ll come with you.” Seeing them about to leave, Yang Hao suddenly spoke up.

“You want to come with us, Brother Yang?” Mei frowned slightly.

“What, you don’t want me to?” Yang Hao raised an eyebrow, a bit speechless at her reluctance. This was the first time he’d offered to help, only to find himself unwelcome.

“It’s not that… but can we pick our medicines first? One of our companions has serious injuries and badly needs treatment for his wounds,” Mei explained.

“No problem!” Yang Hao agreed without hesitation.

With his assent, Mei said nothing more, and the three set off together.

Yang Hao led the way with a dagger, Mei covered the rear with her bow, and Lin Shaojie, altering his combat style from the day before, darted among the zombies, taking advantage of his speed to ambush them.

Seeing him fight so fiercely, Mei was surprised and puzzled by his change in behavior.

Still, the desire to grow stronger was always good. In times like these, relying on oneself was always best.

Since they headed straight for the clinic without stopping elsewhere, after more than two hours, they finally arrived at their destination.

Seeing no one had beaten them there, the three found a safe spot outside the clinic to rest briefly.

The small-town clinic was not large, only three stories, and all the medicines were kept on the first floor, so there was no need to clear the entire building.

Not wanting anyone to get ahead of them, they didn’t rest long before charging inside.

In the cramped interior, Mei’s archery was less useful, so after clearing out the zombies in the pharmacy, she focused on gathering the medicines they needed, while Yang Hao and Lin Shaojie blocked the entrance and dealt with any zombies that appeared.

The medicines were organized by category, so Mei quickly found what she needed. She filled several large plastic bags with gauze, bandages, antibiotics, iodine, alcohol—enough for Ye Jingxuan to make a full recovery.

Though she didn’t find the exact medicines Mo Chen had prepared, she still took plenty of other brands, stuffing many into her space. She had a large stockpile of various medicines that Cyril had once prepared for her, but since those weren’t from this world, she couldn’t use them openly. So she gathered a variety of medicines and medical tools to keep in her space, ready to use as cover or as gifts for others.

She was discreet in how she took them; on the surface, it looked like not much was missing, so the pharmacy shelves didn’t appear greatly depleted.

“Brother Yang, what do you need? I’ll help you pick!” Once she’d finished, Mei asked Yang Hao.

“You choose,” Yang Hao replied without hesitation.

He’d come mainly to accompany them; even if he didn’t take the medicines, others would, and half would still go to the base. The military would get their share regardless.

Mei thought for a moment and prioritized antibiotics, adding cold medicine and the like, and filled two large bags. As she packed, she removed as many outer boxes as possible, leaving just the inner packaging and instructions. So, while there were only two bags, the actual quantity was substantial.

Focused on maximizing their haul, she didn’t realize how heavy the six bags were until they prepared to leave.

“If we each carry two, we should be able to manage, right?” Mei asked the other two.

Yang Hao glanced at the bags and instructed, “Find a big woven sack. Put all the medicine in it—I’ll carry it.”

Mei found a green woven bag, packed everything inside, and once she was done, Yang Hao hoisted it over his shoulder and headed outside.

On the way back, there were far fewer zombies—most had already been cleared out.

They made their way back at a leisurely pace, picking up extra supplies along the route. By the time they returned to the factory, the green woven bag was stuffed full. Yang Hao and Lin Shaojie took turns carrying it, and at last, the three arrived back safely.

Perhaps because of their fruitful day, a smile finally returned to Lin Shaojie’s face.

Mei divided their spoils into three equal parts and let Yang Hao pick first.

He took his share without fuss and had his men put it away. Then he turned to Mei and Lin Shaojie, saying, “If you trust me, I can keep your share for you and return it to you once we’re back at base.”

“Really? That would be great—thank you, Instructor!” Lin Shaojie was so happy he nearly jumped for joy.

“Keep your voice down! If anyone else finds out, I won’t be able to help you,” Yang Hao warned.

Lin Shaojie shut his mouth and glanced around. Luckily, not many people were back yet, so his excitement hadn’t drawn attention.

“But it might not be wise to give it all to you, Brother Yang,” Mei said, shaking her head. “Plenty of people saw us carrying things back. If we return empty-handed, it’ll be obvious and could cause trouble.”

“That’s true! Why didn’t I think of that? Better not trouble you, Instructor,” Lin Shaojie said, scratching his head, his eyes full of reluctance as he looked at their haul, knowing half would have to be turned over.

Seeing him like this, Mei couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—how could he be so slow?

She continued, “How about this, Brother Yang? You take half for us. That way, we’ll only have to hand over a quarter, which is still a good gain and less likely to draw attention. Is that all right?”

Yang Hao raised an eyebrow, looking at her without speaking. Lin Shaojie, finally catching on, thought it was a great idea and looked at Yang Hao eagerly, hoping he’d agree.

“I didn’t expect someone so young to be so clever! All right, let’s do it your way,” Yang Hao said approvingly, nodding at Mei.

Mei, as if oblivious to any underlying test, just smiled sweetly and innocently as always.