Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 470 - 28: Seriously Injured

Chapter 470: Chapter 28: Seriously Injured

"You had better recognize your own strength, now all who remain are strong." Tang Zheng’s tone was serious, he didn’t mince his words when scolding Li Muqing, he didn’t want to see the woman he had recently been intimate with become a cold corpse.

"Got it." Li Muqing pouted, a bit unsatisfied, she had given him her body and yet he still spoke to her so brusquely.

The lucky survivors whose forts had been destroyed by the beastmen could station nearby and temporarily join other people’s teams. Retreat? That was absolutely not allowed.

Tang Zheng hunkered down in a bomb crater, watching the fort fifty meters away spotlighted. He didn’t rush, he was like a lion quietly waiting for its prey.

"Why not make a move?" Li Muqing thought that Tang Zheng was exaggerating, there wasn’t anyone on the entire front line who could stop him.

"Shush, there might be traps." Tang Zheng listened intently, amid the night wind mixed with a woman’s whining and low sobbing, it was eerie in the quiet night.

"That voice sounds familiar, it should be Li Meilian, you wait here, I will go and check." Tang Zheng put down his extra items, only taking the curved knife and Gauss sniper rifle, and stealthily moved on the spot.

"Another woman? So annoying." Li Muqing grabbed a handful of soil, kneading it fiercely.

"It doesn’t look like she’s held captive, could she have run into Dantai and the others?" There was no panic or fear in Li Meilian’s voice, instead, it seemed like she was having a conversation with someone, which made Tang Zheng more certain of his judgement. However, for safety, he did not rashly approach the fort but instead imitated a few rooster crows.

The two idiots inside the fort didn’t even recognize the sound, let alone figure out the obvious hint, but at least they were not so stupid as to not guard with their guns.

"It’s me, Tang Zheng." Left with no other choice, Tang Zheng who had a bitter look on his face revealed his name. Following that, Li Meilian burst out without any precaution, shouted loudly, asking him where he was.

"Will you die if you lower your voice?" Tang Zheng crawled out from his hiding spot, scolded her, signaled to Li Muqing and then entered the fort.

Next to An Ping’s bed, he was holding his brother’s hand, not uttering a word, his face covered with gloomy clouds, almost dripping. An Ning laid on the bed, his face pale as a result of excessive blood loss, but he still smiled, greeting Tang Zheng.

"Wow, big brother, I knew you wouldn’t die." This sentence seemed to pull at his wounds, An Ning couldn’t help but gasp, his dirty face all crumpled.

"Who did it?" Tang Zheng was upset, although An Ning was covered with a worn-out blanket, there was no trace of legs underneath. Lifting it up, indeed, there were neat cut wounds at the thighs, at the moment roughly bandaged with blood stains all over, "Punishment troop?"

"Two female high school students with samurai swords, I had no idea what was going on, they started slashing people as soon as they appeared." An Ping’s face contorted, "I was originally very cautious, but..."

"As long as we get back to the room, this wound is nothing much." Tang Zheng could only comfort An Ping that way. Bringing along a little brother like this was originally a burden, now that both legs were lost, one can say that he has completely lost his hope of survival.

"Those high school girls were very powerful. You guys are really amazing to have survived." Li Muqing gave a small compliment, then she noticed that An Ping’s body was also full of bandages, indicating that he was not lightly injured.

"Brother, I’m thirsty." An Ning muttered and then fell into a coma. Tang Zheng checked him and found the little boy’s forehead was hot, high fever. Sweat beads formed due to the pain.

"This way of handling wounds doesn’t work. You? Came to deliver food? Lucky you." Tang Zheng took out a bottle of mineral water, fed An Ning a few mouthfuls, then took out a first aid kit and put on a pair of plastic gloves. After giving An Ning an anesthetic needle, he then took out alcohol, removed the bandages, and disinfected him.

"It’s called good luck to run into you." Li Meilian murmured, looking up and down at Li Muqing. The latter didn’t show any weakness, she glared back and deliberately tugged at the collar of her sportswear, showing off the clothes that Tang Zheng had given her, attempting to get rid of her thoughts of clinging to Tang Zheng’s thigh.

Li Muqing was extremely jealous. As for whether An Ning lives or dies, what’s it got to do with her? But she did manage to show her gloom on her face accordingly.

"Thank you." An Ping wiped away his tears, thanked Tang Zheng with a choked voice. After all, he was just a sophomore, surviving was already difficult enough, if not for Tang Zheng appearing on time, facing his seriously injured brother, he would almost be unable to hold on.

The methods for handling these external injuries were all from books, and they were not too difficult for Tang Zheng, but he was also urgently hoping that there was a doctor who had changed his profession in the team.

"You two get along very well, your parents must be very proud." Noticing that An Ping was blaming himself for not protecting his brother well, Tang Zheng tried to console him while treating the wound. He was very tired, and the two women were of no use at all. Their silence and seemingly death-like expressions only made the atmosphere in the room more depressing and somber.

"We stayed at our aunt’s house." An Ping sat on the ground, his eyes fixed on the smoke-stained dilapidated ceiling, offering a smile uglier than crying.

"Where are your parents?" Li Meilian asked, oblivious of any insensitivities. She remembered the first time she met these brothers – their destitution, their earthiness, and a certain mature understanding beyond their years. Even the perpetually-grinning An Ning took care of others’ emotions, trying his best not to upset or disturb anyone.

"Can you keep quiet for once?" Li Muqing, who had more sensitivity than Li Meilian, tugged at her sleeve, telling her to keep her mouth shut.

"They’re dead. Car accident." An Ping didn’t elaborate or even mention his harsh uncle. He wasn’t a child who spoke ill of others behind their back, even if they truly deserved it.

The others prudently refrained from asking more questions, but it was clear that he had led an unhappy life.

"My little brother is my everything, Leader. If you help me save him, I will be your most loyal member." An Ping reluctantly asked Tang Zheng for help as he carefully bandaged his brother’s wounds.

Tang Zheng didn’t want to lie, but looking at An Ping’s pleading black eyes and An Ning’s face, wincing with pain even in his sleep, he couldn’t bear to refuse.

"If you help me take care of him, I’ll be your vanguard. I managed to kill two high school girls. Should be proof enough of my capability." Knowing very well that he can’t fight or even flee while carrying his brother, An Ping hoped to borrow the power of Tang Zheng and his team. He knew no one would offer help without getting something in return.

An Ping wasn’t one to dawdle. Even though he lived at his aunt’s house, he spent most of his time off school helping with chores. If a call came in while they were eating, he would put down his chopsticks and lend a hand.

Due to poor eating habits, An Ping looked rather frail, but this seventeen-year-old was able to carry a sixty-kilo gas canister up six flights of stairs without panting. It was this kind of hardened fortitude that allowed him to persist in his decision through gritted teeth, or else he wouldn’t have struggled this far with his brother.

"You all rest, I’ll keep watch. It’s not safe." An Ping knew he had to show sincerity. He stood up, touched his brother’s head, picked up his chainsaw gun and prepared to leave.

"No need." Tang Zheng stopped him, directing his attention to Li Muqing, "You go. Just make rounds in the vicinity every ten minutes."

"What about her?" Li Muqing looked at Li Meilian. The latter exchanged a subtly triumphant glance with her.

"She needs to take care of An Ning. You two can take turns if needed." Tang Zheng wasn’t planning on giving Li Meilian a break. Besides, being a twenty-year-old girl, what could she do other than eat, drink, and have fun? When it came to doing things, Li Muqing, who had been working for several years, was more reliable.

Gratified by gaining the upper hand, Li Muqing huffed.

"You too, be careful. Don’t get killed." Tang Zheng couldn’t help but caution her. He knew if the enemy were determined to launch a surprise attack, there’s a high chance Li Muqing could get killed.

Li Muqing wasn’t stupid, and on top of that, she was timid. She merely did a round within ten meters of the fort before running back.

Seen by those pitiable eyes, Tang Zheng felt too lazy to criticize her. He figured she viewed him as a typical scoundrel who cheats at the drop of a hat.

"Did you kill off the others in your team?" Unable to sleep, Tang Zheng decided to chat with An Ping. The young man was already exhausted from days of fear and several bouts of combat. Now with someone else keeping vigil, he was on the brink of sleepiness. However, on hearing Tang Zheng’s question, he instantly perked up.

"There was a conflict between the Vietnamese and Burmese in our team. They injured each other, which gave me the opportunity to blow their heads off. When the old soldier asked me why, I told him they tried to rape me." An Ping wasn’t bothered about this at all, "Then he threatened me, saying I was going to be shot and that I must make amends by killing Beastmen. Hah, he really thought I was a fool. During the Beastman attack today, I killed the old soldier and used his corpse to slow down the Beastmen. As for the other new recruits, they were just unfortunate."

An Ping spoke casually, but surviving had taken its toll. Tang Zheng felt even less inclined to give up on this boy, as he saw the potential in him becoming a reliable teammate.

Tang Zheng wasn’t the only Conqueror who thought of launching a surprise attack. Less than half an hour later, as soon as Li Muqing had finished her patrol round the fort, sudden gunshots erupted outside.

"What’s happening?" Both women immediately ducked down, covering their heads in fear of being shot.

"You two stay here, I’ll go and check." Tang Zheng quickly darted out of the fort, jumping into a bomb crater after changing lines several times. There were no attacks on him, and he soon saw several figures chasing each other in the darkness.

Trailing red flames, the bullets whistled through the night. Serving as the perfect indicators, Tang Zheng lifted his rifle. It was too dark to distinguish which sides the figures belonged to, but one thing was certain – all of them were running in their direction.