Chapter 243 - 241 Continuing the Journey

Words : 2291 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Compared to the underground parking lot where Zeng Liu and the others had lived before, although Chen Xin’s RV was a bit smaller in space, the comfort level was like heaven and earth. Zeng Liu and the others had never even imagined that in this apocalypse they could still enjoy a warm and comfortable room, not worry about what to eat tomorrow, drink warm and clean hot water, and eat food that was tasty and not just meant to fill the stomach. This was all something they had never thought of before. Before boarding Chen Xin’s vehicle, Zeng Liu and the others had long been in a situation of resource scarcity. Food was gathered from abandoned buildings, water was dependent on filtering melted snow, and fuel could only be gathered by chopping wooden furniture from outside... Although the bonfire could provide them with hot food, in such a harsh environment where temperatures were dozens of degrees below zero, even a cup of boiling water would freeze before it hit the ground, so-called hot food was just slightly better than eating cold things. In such an environment, being able to have a bite to eat was already a blessing from heaven. They did not dare to hope for anything better, just filling their stomachs was an immense fortune. This also led to the fact that the four of them were actually malnourished for a long time, and the reason why Sister Ning was so seriously ill also had a lot to do with their lack of food and clothing. But on Chen Xin’s vehicle, even the most basic refuge-standard food and energy bars were considered quite good food to them, leaving them filled with gratitude and happiness. The four of them stuffed as much as possible into their stomachs, giving the impression they might not have the next meal after this one, making Chen Xin somewhat amused by the way they ate. However, Chen Xin could understand. If a person had been in a state of semi-hunger for too long, unable to find food, and suddenly could eat a full meal, even if the food was mediocre, it would be precious. They would worry about not having it again. "Brother Chen Xin, is this really the standard ration in the refuge? This food is too good!" Little Leaf curiously asked Chen Xin while chewing on an energy bar. He still couldn’t quite believe they could eat so much in the refuge. Chen Xin shook his head, pointed to the energy bar in his hand, and the food on the table, and said, "The refuge standard food is only the energy bar and that portion of mushroom rice in front of you, the rest of the stuff is my own." "I thought as much. If everyone in the refuge could have such good food, we wouldn’t..." Little Leaf smiled and wanted to say more, but Old Tang kicked him under the table, making him shut his mouth. Noticing Old Tang’s small action, Chen Xin didn’t care. The food he took out, apart from the refuge standard food, included some dehydrated vegetables he brought before. After boiling with water and seasoning a bit, it didn’t taste bad. Overall, although the food was still simple, it was considered decent in this apocalypse, especially since Chen Xin considered Sister Ning was sick and made her some rice porridge. As for other things, it wasn’t that Chen Xin was stingy and didn’t take them out, but nowadays were not like the past; there was no need or reason to be extravagant. Furthermore, these people were strangers to Chen Xin. Taking out some food to give them a full meal was acceptable, but taking out more supplies to treat them to a feast would be too much. Fortunately, Zeng Liu and the others were very satisfied with such meals and did not have any extra extravagant demands. While eating, Chen Xin still asked Zeng Liu a question he had asked before: "What are your plans next?" "When we reach the next refuge, we’ll get off and won’t cause you any trouble, Mr. Chen Xin." When Chen Xin asked this question, Old Tang responded naturally without hesitation like Zeng Liu. "In this world now, there’s no point in planning anything. Surviving is the greatest luxury and plan." "Survive?" Chen Xin nodded and didn’t say anything further. For these four people, Old Tang and Sister Ning were police officers, even though they were just auxiliary police, they were still kind of inside the system. Finding a job at the next refuge wouldn’t be difficult. Zeng Liu was even more out of the question. In the current apocalyptic environment, anyone with medical skills is a scarce resource and won’t have trouble finding things to do. Ironically, Little Leaf is just a kid who graduated from junior high. If it weren’t for this disaster, he should be going to high school now. In the next refuge, the only one who really needs to consider the future and the road ahead is him. After all, even in the apocalypse, books still need to be read. But this wasn’t something Chen Xin needed to worry about. He just needed to drop these four people at the next refuge, trusting that the officials there would properly settle and handle their affairs. After all, according to the traditions of Flame Country, as long as conditions allow, even in the event of an apocalypse, children need to go to school. Moreover, according to the disaster pre-plan announced by the country before the calamity, small and medium-sized shelters should have primary education, large shelters should have junior high education, and cities and counties should have high school education. A child like Little Leaf shouldn’t have a problem continuing his studies. Perhaps in three years, he will still take the high school exam and continue on to university. For Flame Country, even in the apocalypse, education is something that absolutely cannot be relaxed. Maintaining the operation of the educational system and constantly developing new talents for the nation is crucial for speeding up post-disaster reconstruction. Otherwise, if children don’t study, there will be a talent gap over time, which would be a huge obstacle to the country’s future reconstruction and the recovery of social production. In many post-apocalyptic works Chen Xin had read before, there was a lack of depiction in education. This is one of the important factors in those post-apocalyptic works where social order collapses, human morality degenerates, and the entire world falls into despair. The number of people who received a complete education and possess skills and knowledge before the disaster is limited, and most of these people are adults. As time goes by, most of them will die due to age and disease. If the next generation has not received complete education, it will be difficult to maintain the existence of civilization, and human society will quickly slip back into a primitive and ignorant state. Therefore, for the apocalypse, maintaining the educational system is even more important than before the disaster. Quietly finishing the meal, the still-ill Sister Ning was helped by Little Leaf to rest, Old Tang took the initiative to clean the table and wash the dishes, while Zeng Liu was to help Chen Xin check the wound on his head and change his bandages. Carefully removing the bandage on the wound, Chen Xin’s forehead wound wasn’t healing slowly and looked much better than before. "The wound is healing well. After changing the dressing today, you only need to change it once more in a couple of days, and then you won’t need to change it anymore." Zeng Liu explained the recovery of the wound while adeptly changing Chen Xin’s bandage. Chen Xin didn’t speak, just gave Zeng Liu a look to express his gratitude. Zeng Liu quickly finished treating the wound on Chen Xin’s forehead, changed his bandages, and re-wrapped it. Having dealt with the forehead wound, Zeng Liu then examined Chen Xin’s fractured right hand. Compared to the forehead wound, the fracture was healing much slower, and there was no medication that could be used. All Zeng Liu could do was spray some anti-swelling and pain relief ointment on Chen Xin’s arm to dissipate the bruises and reduce some swelling and pain. As for the actual healing of the bone itself, it could only rely on immobilizing his arm and allowing the bone to naturally heal, as no medication can effectively promote bone growth and healing. Even in hospitals, bone fracture treatment focuses on bone setting and repositioning. The reason some people require medications is that their bones were repositioned through surgery. Medicinal treatment is meant to promote the healing of surgical wounds, not the bone itself. Although traditional Chinese medicine sometimes uses ointments or other drugs to aid and promote bone healing, the effect is quite limited; otherwise, there wouldn’t be the saying of "a hundred days to heal a bone fracture." "Does the fractured area still hurt? Is there any discomfort?" Zeng Liu inquired to Chen Xin, without rashly dismantling the bandages and splints. "The fractured area is a bit swollen and painful but not uncomfortable." Chen Xin described his sensations and tried moving his fingers and wrist: "If I move my fingers, it still hurts a bit." "Try not to use this hand if possible. We’ve only set the bone for now. Without healing at the broken part, muscle strain could lead to re-dislocation." Zeng Liu reminded Chen Xin. Chen Xin nodded in acknowledgment of her reminder. However, Zeng Liu still seemed worried and asked with concern, "Oh, Mr. Chen Xin, what’s your plan for the trip ahead? Your arm will still need further treatment. I suggest you find a refuge with professional doctors for further handling. If you drop us at the next refuge and go alone with an injured arm, is that okay?" "There shouldn’t be any issues; it’s just an injured hand and won’t affect my life." Chen Xin wasn’t concerned about such inconvenience; although living with only the left hand posed many inconveniences, there were no significant issues: "My next plan is to go to Anhui Province to pick up my parents, then return along the original route. If I can’t find a refuge within Hubei Province, I’ll just have to drop you off at a refuge in Anhui Province." After all, given the tradition of Flame Country, even if it’s the end of the world, children still need to go to school if the conditions permit. Moreover, according to the pre-announced national disaster plan, small and medium refuges are to provide elementary education, large refuges to have secondary education, and cities and districts should provide high school education, so for a child like Little Leaf, continuing his studies should not be a problem. In three years, he might even have to take the college entrance examination and continue to pursue higher education. For Flame Country, even in the midst of an apocalypse, education is something that cannot be relaxed, and maintaining the operation of the education system and continuously cultivating new talents is also the top priority for accelerating post-disaster reconstruction. If children don’t study, there will be a huge gap in talent over time, which would be a significant obstacle to the country’s future reconstruction and the recovery of social production. In many post-apocalyptic works Chen Xin has read, education is often underrepresented, which is also one of the important reasons why these dystopian worlds eventually experience societal collapse, moral degeneration, and plunge into despair. Before the catastrophe, people who received a full education and had skills and knowledge were limited, and most of them were adults. As time passed, they would mostly die due to age and illness. If the next generation does not receive a complete education, it will be difficult to maintain the existence of civilization, and human society will quickly slide back into a state of primitivity and ignorance. Therefore, for the post-apocalypse, maintaining the educational system is even more important than before the disaster. After quietly finishing the meal, Sister Ning, who was still sick, was helped to rest by Little Leaf, while Old Tang took the initiative to clear the table and wash the dishes. Zeng Liu was tasked with checking the wound on Chen Xin’s head and changing his dressing. Carefully removing the gauze from the wound, Zeng Liu noticed that the wound on Chen Xin’s forehead was healing well and looked much better than before. "The wound is healing well. After changing the dressing today, we won’t need to change it for a few more days." Zeng Liu explained the recovery progress of the wound while skillfully changing Chen Xin’s dressing. Chen Xin didn’t say anything, but glanced at Zeng Liu to express his gratitude. Zeng Liu quickly finished tending to the wound on Chen Xin’s forehead, changed his dressing, and bandaged it again. After dealing with the wound on his forehead, Zeng Liu then proceeded to check on Chen Xin’s fractured right hand. Compared to the wound on his forehead, the healing of the fracture was much slower, and there wasn’t much medicine to use. All Zeng Liu could do was spray some anti-swelling and pain relief ointment on Chen Xin’s arm to help relieve the swelling. Overall, while the food was still very simple, it could be considered good in this post-apocalyptic world, especially since Chen Xin took into account that Sister Ning was sick, so he cooked some rice porridge for her. However, the problem of looking out for this group wasn’t Chen Xin’s responsibility. He just needed to drop these four people off at the next refuge, trusting that the officials there would properly settle and handle their situation.

Chapter 243 - 241 Continuing the Journey

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