52: Survival Points: 269

The stretcher was pushed into the medical room, and the door closed immediately.

Warmth instantly enveloped their bodies.

Inside the medical room, the Shadowless Lamp lit up automatically.

The Constant Temperature System kept the room at a comfortable and pleasant twenty-five degrees.

Qin Lin pushed the stretcher to the side of the hospital bed, unfastened the straps, and the four of them worked together to lift Han Qing onto the bed.

"Yuran, prepare the sterilization equipment," Qin Lin said. "Senior, go to the medicine cabinet and find antibiotics, fever reducers, and saline."

"Yu Rou, you watch over Mom. Talk to her so she knows we're saving her."

The three of them acted immediately.

Su Yuran opened the sterile equipment pack, which contained scalpels, tweezers, and sutures.

She wasn't a doctor, but she had learned basic operations in the medical room before and knew how to sterilize.

Lin Wanwan searched quickly in front of the medicine cabinet.

She remembered Qin Lin teaching her how to identify the medicines.

Han Yurou knelt by the bed, holding her mother's hand, her voice choked with emotion:

"Mom, can you hear me? We're saved. Sister Wanwan is here; she has a car and medicine... You'll get better, you definitely will..."

Qin Lin put on sterile gloves and began to examine Han Qing's wound.

Below the right ankle, the tissue had completely necrotized, and the skin had begun to ulcerate.

The infection had clearly penetrated deep into the tissue; if the necrotic parts weren't removed, the infection would continue to spread.

"Debridement is needed," Qin Lin said in a low voice, "but I'm not a professional. I can only do the simplest treatment. We'll decide the next step once she wakes up."

He looked at Han Yurou: "Your mother is a surgeon. When she wakes up, she can handle it herself. What we need to do now is keep her alive."

Han Yurou nodded vigorously: "I understand, thank you..."

She was only a freshman, originally a medical major, but the disaster struck before she could learn much of anything.

Qin Lin said no more and began the operation.

He used sterile scissors to cut away the bandages on Han Qing's foot.

Those bandages were already black with filth and stuck to the wound; tearing them away took pieces of rotten flesh with them.

Han Qing convulsed in pain while unconscious, but she did not wake up.

Qin Lin used tweezers to pick up a cotton ball, dipped it in saline, and cleaned the wound bit by bit.

The rotten tissue was cleared away, revealing the bright red but still bleeding muscle beneath.

The wound was deeper than imagined.

Frostbite had caused tissue necrosis, and the infection had exacerbated the extent of the damage.

The entire process lasted over an hour.

By the end, Han Qing's breathing seemed to have stabilized slightly, though she remained unconscious.

"Now we just wait."

Qin Lin took off his gloves and sat tiredly in a chair.

"We'll see if the antibiotics can control the infection and if her fever will break."

The medical room fell silent.

The four of them gathered around the bed, looking at Han Qing's pale face.

Han Yurou finally had the chance to ask the question in her heart:

"Sister Wanwan, this car... what's going on? And how did you find us?"

Lin Wanwan briefly explained about Qin Lin and the RV.

Of course, she omitted many things.

"So... you came specifically to find Mom?"

Han Yurou's eyes turned red again.

"Yes," Lin Wanwan nodded. "We need a doctor, and your mother is the best."

"Then... then can I stay with you guys?" Han Yurou asked softly. "I don't want to be separated from Mom."

"Of course," Qin Lin said. "This car has enough space. When your mother wakes up, if she's willing, you can both stay on board."

"She will definitely be willing," Han Yurou said firmly. "Mom always said that in the Apocalypse, one person can't survive alone. Only through unity can there be hope, but she was also afraid of teaming up with others."

These words struck a chord in Qin Lin's heart.

Yes, hope in unity.

From the very beginning, this RV wasn't meant for him alone.

Su Yuran joined, Lin Wanwan joined, and now the Han mother and daughter might join as well.

The more people there were, the greater the responsibility, but also the greater the strength.

Perhaps this was the true meaning of the 'Many Children, Many Blessings' mission.

It wasn't purely for procreation, but to build a real 'home' that could survive in the Apocalypse.

Of course, Qin Lin knew why she was afraid of teaming up.

Teaming up was risky... Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening.

In the medical room, Han Qing's breathing grew steadier.

The thermometer showed that her temperature was starting to drop:

39.2°C, 38.7°C, 38.1°C... The antibiotics were working.

The RV's lighting was dimmed to a soft, warm yellow.

Inside the medical room, Han Yurou had changed into a set of clean clothes taken from the supermarket space.

A simple beige knit sweater and gray sweatpants.

They hung slightly loose on her thin frame.

But it was much better than what she had been wearing before.

She sat in the chair by the bed, holding her mother's hand with both of hers, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Han Qing's pale face.

The fever reducers and antibiotics taken a few hours ago had taken effect.

Han Qing's breathing was much smoother, and the temperature of her forehead had dropped.

Although the RV's medical System couldn't directly treat the infection,

its functions of maintaining a constant temperature and providing a sterile environment, combined with the Recovery Aura inside the vehicle, were already a massive help to the injured.

Han Yurou used a damp towel to gently wipe her mother's cheeks and neck.

Her movements were very careful, for fear of waking the sleeping woman.

Yet she also hoped that this minute care would accelerate her mother's recovery.

In the RV's main lounge, Qin Lin, Su Yuran, and Lin Wanwan sat on the sofa; no one spoke.

The clock on the wall pointed to 9:47 PM.

Three hours had passed since Han Qing was injected with antibiotics.

According to the information Lin Wanwan found on the medical room's smart panel,

the temperature would drop significantly four to six hours after the medicine took effect.

The patient might wake up during this period.

"The injury on her foot..."

Su Yuran softly broke the silence.

"Even if the fever breaks, the risk of infection is still very high."

Qin Lin nodded: "That's why we need a doctor."

"Yu Rou."

Lin Wanwan looked toward the medical room.

"She hasn't closed her eyes once. I tried to relieve her just now, but she refused no matter what."

"It's understandable," Qin Lin said. "She's guarding her only support right now."

As his voice trailed off, the cabin fell into silence once more.

There was only the low, steady hum of the RV's engine and the faint sound of the air conditioning System blowing air.

The world outside the car was an eternal night of blizzards at minus forty degrees.

Inside the car was a safe space at a constant twenty-three degrees.

Thinking about this contrast always made one's heart skip a beat.

Qin Lin's gaze fell on the main control panel.

【Energy: 2420/∞】

【survival points: 269】

Qin Lin's thoughts were interrupted by the System's notification sound.

It wasn't the usual cold, mechanical voice.

Instead, it was a short but clear melody, followed by—

【Detected that eligible female passengers have boarded the vehicle】

【Quantity: 2】

【Scanning passenger information...】

【Scan complete】

Qin Lin was stunned; the RV had actually scanned passenger information automatically this time.