Chapter 141: Hospital, Little Princess Xiao 0 Hua

The next day, Bian Changxi went to the Medical Department.

The Medical Department in Jiangcheng consisted of two newly built six-story buildings, simply named ""Jiangcheng Medical."" It was much like a pre-apocalypse hospital, though the structure was more straightforward: one building for outpatient services, one for inpatients. With 450,000 people in Jiangcheng relying on it, the place was perpetually overcrowded. Every day, there were more patients and wounded than the staff could possibly handle, and the work never seemed to end.

Bian Changxi arrived a little after six in the morning, and the hospital was already bustling—mainly with patients who hadn’t managed to get seen the day before. Walking through the covered walkway at the front of the building, she saw all sorts of people seeking medical help: some with lingering coughs and fevers, who needed to see a traditional doctor; others with festering wounds, who would also see a doctor first and then, depending on the situation, might be referred to the supernatural healing department.

Inside the hospital, the traditional medical system and the new system formed by wood-type ability users weren’t strictly separated—they worked together. If a traditional doctor couldn’t handle a case, or if treating it with medicine would be wasteful, it would be handed over to an ability user. If the ability user couldn’t manage, the doctor would step in. So, when people came to register, the reception nurse would first determine which department was more suitable for their condition. Generally, illnesses went to the traditional department, while injuries mostly went to the ability user department.

Today, Qiu Yun accompanied Bian Changxi. Given that she was widely known as a ""fragile"" wood-type user, the others at the villa didn’t feel comfortable letting her go out alone, especially to such a crowded and chaotic place. Bian Changxi didn’t mind—having someone to run errands was actually quite convenient.

Qiu Yun was dressed all in black, shoes polished to a shine, sunglasses perched on his nose. He strode beside Bian Changxi, tall and imposing, exuding the aura of a formidable bodyguard—he might as well have had ""No Trespassing"" written on his face. Bian Changxi couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated; this guy really was a character. The more chaotic the world became, the more uninhibited he grew—probably because, in peacetime, his duties and responsibilities had kept him in check, and now, with most of those restraints gone, he was finally letting loose. If it weren’t for Gu Xu and Qiu Feng keeping him in line, he’d probably be even more outrageous.

He’d insisted on coming today, saying he’d never been a bodyguard before and had even gone out of his way to dress the part.

When they reached the inpatient building, Hu Aiquan, Lu Shaoyang, and a few others in white coats were already waiting. After a few polite exchanges, Hu Aiquan led Bian Changxi upstairs.

He was still in charge of the Medical Department, and the number of patients had been increasing every day. So far, very few had been discharged, and the shortage of beds alone was enough to turn his hair gray. The chaos, high mortality rate, medical disputes, equipment shortages, and drug depletion—one problem after another, with subordinates refusing to cooperate—had made him realize just how difficult and impressive it was that Gu Xu had managed this department without incident before.

But even so, when he tried to hand things back, Gu Xu refused to take over. These past few days… well, best not to dwell on it. In any case, Bian Changxi’s arrival was a sign that Gu Xu might be ready to step back in.

Bian Changxi entered a ward. Lu Shaoyang explained, “These six patients have the most typical symptoms. I’ve gathered them here so you don’t have to run around.”

Among the six, some had full-body ulcers; some were physically intact but in a vegetative state—unable to speak or move, but still able to hear and see; some had twisted, atrophied limbs and severe malnutrition, similar to Cheng Haijun’s symptoms; some had skin and mucous membranes of strange colors, as if they were mutants; and some had bizarre growths on their bodies.

Bian Changxi used her vines to connect with each patient in turn, examining them one by one, then stepped out with the others.

“That heavy rain during the Mid-Autumn Festival—if you think of it as a kind of transformation for the human body, those who succeeded became new humans, ability users. Those who failed ended up like these patients. Their bodies are now quite different from normal people’s. In my opinion, a full cure is almost impossible, and most will have lasting aftereffects. But making them look normal and able to live a normal life after discharge—that’s not out of reach. For example, those with ulcers and atrophied limbs—I’m quite confident I can help them.”

Everyone was delighted to hear this. These two types of patients made up the majority; if they could be treated, the pressure on the medical system would be greatly reduced.

“When would Miss Bian be available to start treatment?” Hu Aiquan asked.

“I can start now. How many patients are there with these two conditions?”

An assistant quickly checked the records. “There are 708 in total: 467 with ulcers, 341 with atrophy.”

Bian Changxi frowned slightly—this was a massive undertaking. And she knew that even this number was just the ""survivors"" after wave upon wave of deaths.

Remembering Qiu Feng’s instructions, she said, “First, select ten patients with milder cases from each group. I’ll start with them. For the rest, prioritize by severity—the worse the condition, the higher the priority.”

Everyone immediately understood: treat twenty mild cases first, and once those are cured, it sends a clear message to the public—there’s someone here who can treat these strange diseases. This would be hugely significant for the Jiangcheng Group.

Qiu Yun didn’t forget his own little mission. He stepped forward and added, “For these first twenty, don’t just pick mild cases—make sure the age, gender, and occupation ratios are balanced. Our people are already waiting downstairs; you can coordinate with them.”

Hu Aiquan felt a pang of bitterness—just as he’d expected. He’d thought Gu Xu would wait a bit longer before getting involved, but with Bian Changxi’s arrival, the timeline had moved up dramatically. Once results were achieved, all the publicity and benefits would go to them.

He glanced at the cold-faced bodyguard, then at the expressionless Bian Changxi, knowing this was out of his hands. With a sigh, he suppressed his frustration and went to make arrangements.

Lu Shaoyang remained silent, seemingly oblivious to his former superior’s mood. He finally asked, “Miss Bian, what kind of environment do you need for treatment? We’ll prepare it.”

“Nothing special—just a spacious, well-lit area that can hold several hospital beds at once.”

The inpatient building was packed, with beds even lining the corridors, so there was no such space available. Lu Shaoyang invited Bian Changxi to a newly built two-story office building nearby, where a conference room would be just right.

Halfway there, a sudden commotion broke out near the outpatient building. Amid the noise, a clear, melodious voice like a songbird’s rang out, especially striking: “Careful, please sit over here. Second Brother, don’t we still have some unopened water in the car? Bring a bottle for this auntie.”

Bian Changxi paused mid-step, thinking, “Saw one yesterday, and now another today. Sure enough, the world feels smaller in the base.”

She stopped and looked toward the commotion. The crowd gradually parted, and a group entered, surrounding a girl like stars around the moon, radiant and dazzling.

In the center was a young woman in a wide-brimmed pink sunhat with fluttering ribbons, chatting with a young man as they walked out from under the walkway into the sunlight. Her long, jet-black hair flowed over her shoulders, her eyes were big and bright as black grapes, her lips a vivid red—she was as beautiful as a porcelain doll.

In this hellish era, such vibrant beauty was like a ray of sunlight bestowed by God, impossible to look away from. The other girls nearby looked on with envy, while three or four young men stared at her, unable to tear their eyes away.

This group’s entrance was a real spectacle. Hu Aiquan’s eyes lit up when he saw them, and he started to step forward, but then, remembering Bian Changxi and Qiu Yun behind him, he hesitated, forced a smile, and went up to greet them: “Second Young Master Bian, Miss Bian… Miss Wei, Young Master Xu, Young Master Wang…”

These were all sons and daughters of major corporations or financial families from before the apocalypse. After arriving at the base, Hu Aiquan’s own connections were lacking, but these idle second-generation heirs were easy to gather. Their families had been well-prepared for escape and were now among the base’s wealthy elite, with complex webs of interests and relationships. Compared to the administrative system, they were like ants to an elephant, but it was better than nothing.

At the time, Hu Aiquan had hoped to challenge Gu Xu, so he’d gathered every resource he could. These families shared his ambitions, so they formed an alliance. Just last week, they’d donated some equipment and wood-type talent to the hospital. But now…

Bian Wei’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Hu Aiquan had started to call her ""Miss Bian,"" but changed his words mid-sentence. Was this old man no longer interested in currying favor with the Bian family?

Beside her, Bian Da was about to respond when someone in their group pointed and said, “Hey, isn’t that someone from your Bian family? That one, that one…”

Everyone looked over and saw Bian Changxi standing quietly in black, expressionless. Bian Wei and Bian Da both froze for a moment, then Bian Wei called out in delight, “Changxi-jie! I didn’t expect to see you here. You came to the base but didn’t come home—we’ve all been so worried about you!”

She ran over, her long hair fluttering, captivating everyone around.

Qiu Yun immediately stepped in front of her, frowning and snapping, “Who are you? Stay back!”

Bian Wei stopped in her tracks, looking from Bian Changxi to Qiu Yun, her joy mixed with curiosity. “Wow, Changxi-jie, you even have a bodyguard now! Big Brother’s always worrying about you—now he can finally relax. I have so much to tell you, and Dad’s worried too. Yesterday he scolded Big Brother for not bringing you home. Now that we’ve run into each other, let’s go home together. Right, Second Brother?”

She turned to Bian Da, who was already moving forward, scrutinizing Bian Changxi. “That’s right, Changxi—”

“Treatment is the priority. Let’s go,” Bian Changxi suddenly said, as if she hadn’t seen any of them, and walked away.

Qiu Yun followed close behind.

Bian Da’s face darkened. “Changxi, after all we’ve been through, is this really how you’re going to act? Things aren’t like they were before the apocalypse. We can’t always look after you. If you keep being so aloof, you’ll suffer for it sooner or later!”

Thanks to Zhai Nü Mao’er for a pink ticket!

Thanks to Nanguo 12 for a pink ticket!