21: Is this type of treatment covered by medical insurance?

The scorching afternoon sun beat down on the lake.

The shimmering water made people dizzy.

On the deck, Xia Lai skillfully arranged several large banana leaves into a makeshift canopy with a tropical flair.

Chen Du was shirtless, a battle skirt wrapped around his waist, sprawled out on a rattan chair without an ounce of decorum.

This wasn't a survival game; it was more like an emperor inspecting his rural domain.

"Captain Brother, open wide... ah—"

An Nuonuo sat by the rattan chair, her innocent face full of eager solicitation.

She held a purple berry, carefully bringing it to Chen Du's mouth.

Chen Du opened his mouth, and as his tongue scooped up the berry, it also brushed past An Nuonuo's fingertips.

"Oh!"

The loli recoiled as if shocked, her face as red as a ripe tomato.

"Is it sweet?"

"It's alright, quite moist."

Chen Du chewed the pulp, and the juice burst in his mouth.

His words sounded proper, but combined with his gaze, it felt like he was hinting at something else.

Just then, Chen Du suddenly frowned, clutching his chest.

"Cough, cough... hiss—"

He gasped, sucking in a cold breath.

"My chest feels heavy... it seems the Corpse King's poison hasn't been completely cleared!"

"Doctor Ye, I think I still need some emergency treatment."

The girls around him, who were weaving straw ropes, collectively rolled their eyes.

Acting! Keep acting!

They had just seen Chen Du throw a fifty-jin log into the hold!

Now, after eating a fruit, the residual poison was acting up?

At this moment, Ye Qiu's movements paused.

A hint of embarrassment flashed in her cool eyes.

As an Emergency Medic, she knew Chen Du's physical condition better than anyone.

He was as strong as an ox!

This scoundrel clearly wanted to... "What are you spacing out for?"

Chen Du leaned back in his chair, urging her righteously, "If the Captain collapses, everyone on this ship will be buried with him."

It was an open scheme!

Ye Qiu took a deep breath, biting her lower lip as she walked over.

"Still hesitating? When poison attacks the heart, every second counts." Chen Du raised an eyebrow, tapping his finger on his lips. "Doctor Ye, a healer's heart is benevolent, isn't it?"

Ye Qiu's face was flushed crimson.

She angrily grabbed a bottle of water and took a big mouthful.

Chen Du, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily; he suddenly gripped Ye Qiu's wrist.

With a slight pull, he drew the stiff league branch secretary into his arms.

The distance between them instantly vanished, their breaths intertwining.

Under the gaze of dozens of eyes on the entire deck, Ye Qiu slowly leaned down.

Her hair fell onto Chen Du's chest.

It was ticklish, stirring his heart.

"Mmph..."

Their lips met.

Chen Du's large hand naturally wrapped around her slender waist, pressing her down entirely.

The 'medicine feeding' that should have ended in five seconds was forcibly dragged out to half a minute by him.

Ye Qiu's eyes widened, her hands pressed against Chen Du's chest, wanting to push him away but unable to... a shameful tingling sensation actually arose deep within her delicate body.

"Hoo—"

Chen Du released his hand.

As they separated, a glistening silver thread stretched slightly and then broke in the sunlight.

Ye Qiu's face was crimson, her eyes hazy as she panted softly, a trace of moisture still clinging to the corner of her lips.

"Thanks, Doctor Ye, the medicine worked wonders."

Chen Du licked his lips, a look of lingering pleasure on his face. "But the dosage is a bit small. I suggest strengthening the treatment daily, once in the morning and once in the evening."

"Pervert!"

Ye Qiu cursed indignantly, then fled in a panic.

A chorus of jeers immediately erupted around them.

"Captain, you're so naughty!"

"Exactly, exactly, you're openly taking advantage!"

"Look at Tang Ran, she's already fully recovered!"

...In the corner.

Xia Mo held a charcoal pencil, sketching on a wooden board.

Shasha-sha.

The sound of the pencil rubbing against the wood was somewhat hurried.

On the canvas, the lines of Chen Du lying sideways on the rattan chair were stark and wild.

Crack!

The charcoal pencil suddenly broke.

Xia Mo stared at Chen Du and Ye Qiu, her eyes somewhat dark and unreadable.

"Oh, what a strong sour smell, I can even smell the scent of a 'lemon spirit'."

Her eldest sister, Xia Xin, leaned over and poked her sister's waist with her elbow.

"Third sister, if you keep being so repressed, the position of Captain's Wife will really be snatched away."

Xia Xin pouted, "Look at An Nuonuo, she's even giving Chen Du a massage."

"Those little hands touching him... tsk tsk, it's all about technique and effort."

Not far away, second sister Xia Lai was resting her hand on the thigh of a girl wearing a short skirt.

Ostensibly helping to tidy her skirt, she was actually gently caressing her leg.

She was an outright female hooligan.

The girl dared not speak her anger, only enduring with a flushed face.

"Is this the joy of being a man?" Xia Lai turned back and winked at her two sisters. "Honestly, the Captain's grass skirt..."

"It's really convenient, practically designed for combat."

"Second Sister, shut up!" Xia Mo glared at her exasperatedly, then picked up another charcoal pencil and continued drawing.

Only this time, her strokes were much more forceful.

On the rattan chair.

Chen Du, having enjoyed his special treatment, was in high spirits.

He reached for the berries in the basket.

But his hand met something sticky.

"Hmm?"

Chen Du picked up the purple berry.

The fruit, which had been plump and enticing moments ago, was already rotten at the bottom, oozing brown juice.

A sour, decaying smell wafted over.

"What's going on?" An Nuonuo was startled. "We just picked these yesterday! How did they rot like this?"

Chen Du suddenly sat up straight, the playful look on his face beginning to recede.

He picked up several other fruits from the basket.

Without exception, all of them had started to blacken and soften.

"The fruit won't last."

Chen Du's eyes turned cold.

In this strange world, the rules were full of malice.

The decomposition rate of microorganisms seemed much faster than on Blue Star.

No refrigerators, no preservatives.

This seemingly abundant pile of food would turn into garbage within 48 hours at most.

"Cut off the rotten parts immediately, cook them into meals, or dry them!"

Chen Du ordered in a deep voice, "Tang Ran! You go supervise; anyone who dares to steal or waste will be thrown into the sea to feed the fish!"

"Ah? Oh!" Tang Ran responded.

Her formidable aura burst forth, startling several girls who had been planning to slack off, making them quickly get to work.

Chen Du stood up and strode into the Captain's cabin.

With a thought, a translucent virtual panel appeared before him.

He clicked open the World Chat Channel.

He had originally wanted to see the situation of other survivors and confirm his suspicions.

[Channel 999+]

[Help! I'm losing my mind! My bread is moldy! It's only been one night!]

[The rabbit meat I worked so hard to hunt, why is it all rotten? Maggots are crawling out! How can I eat this?]

[Desperately seeking salt! Seeking pickling methods! I'll trade wood! If it's a girl, we can meet in person!]

[Who has a refrigerator blueprint? I'll give a ton of stone! As long as it can preserve food, I'll call you 'Dad'!]

[The guy upstairs, stop dreaming, even if you have a refrigerator, do you have electricity? Just wait to die!]

Indeed.

This was not an isolated incident.

Chen Du narrowed his eyes and began to search the Trade Zone.

Inside, even a packet of instant noodles was being sold at an exorbitant price.

And the 500 jin of Wuchang Rice he had obtained through Sacrifice... although it was resistant to storage, without drying methods in this damp cabin, it would also easily go moldy.

"It seems I need to find a way to upgrade the storage room as soon as possible."