Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

"Doctor, doctor! Please, please think of another way!" Weng Beiyan pleaded, her arms tightly wrapped around her sister, as if she were afraid of losing her if she let go.

"My only family left is my younger sister. My grandmother is gone, and my parents are missing. I can't lose her, I can't..."

The scene of the brother and sister embracing and weeping moved everyone around them, creating a particularly heavy atmosphere. Xu Xiaoyan, standing to the side, pursed her lips and suddenly asked:

"Doctor, will medication help? Is there any medicine that can stabilize the situation?"

Upon hearing this, the team doctor pondered for a moment and objectively replied, "In this situation where a diagnosis cannot be made, there is limited what can be done."

However, if a broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory drug is available, it can be given to her first to prevent possible inflammatory infections caused by internal organ damage. This is one of the few proactive interventions that can be done at present.

Xu Xiaoyan nodded without further hesitation.

She turned around, and using the backpack in front of her as cover, she quickly focused her mind into her spatial dimension and precisely retrieved a complete box of clearly packaged anti-inflammatory drugs.

She took the medicine out of her backpack and handed it to the team doctor. "Is this okay?"

The team doctor took the medicine with some surprise, carefully read the instructions, and nodded, saying, "Okay, this is just right." He immediately took out the corresponding dose and fed it to Weng Nanque.

Weng Beiyan looked at the medicine Xu Xiaoyan took out, then looked up at her, her eyes filled with indescribable gratitude, tears still streaming down her face, and thanked her excitedly.

The group began to slowly move down the mountain. Several soldiers used thick tree branches to make makeshift stretchers and laboriously carried the three heavy wild boars.

Weng Beiyan carefully carried her younger sister on her back, taking each step very steadily, for fear of aggravating her pain.

Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming followed silently behind the group, the atmosphere somewhat somber due to Weng Nanque's injury.

Just as Xu Xiaoyan looked down at the rugged road beneath her feet, the corner of her eye suddenly caught a glimpse of an unusual red glow in the ravine not far to her side.

She stopped, squinted, and shaded her eyes with her hand to look carefully.

Unfortunately, it was quite far away and the trees obscured the view, so only a few blurry red dots could be vaguely seen against the green background, making it impossible to tell what they were.

"Since it's red... it's probably a wild berry, right?"

She pondered to herself, having just experienced a close call, she was exceptionally sensitive to any possible food source and really didn't want to miss this opportunity.

So she quickened her pace, caught up with the front of the group, and said to Old Wang, "Squad Leader Wang! Look over there—" She pointed towards the direction of the ravine.

I see something red over there, should we go check it out?

Upon hearing this, Old Wang immediately stopped and focused his attention in the direction she pointed. Sure enough, among the layers of green leaves, he could see some scattered red spots.

He frowned slightly and pondered for a moment. In the wilderness, any unknown resources were worth exploring, but safety was always the top priority.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go report to Commander Li," Old Wang said, quickly walking to Commander Li, who was organizing the march at the front of the column, and explaining the situation in a low voice.

Commander Li looked up at the sky, assessed the team's condition and the distance to the ravine, and after a moment's thought, made a decision:

"We can investigate, but we can't risk everyone's lives. Here's what we'll do: Lao Wang, you take your three soldiers, plus Xiao Xu and Xiao Wang, and the six of you go and take a look."

Remember, go quickly and return quickly, focusing on reconnaissance and avoiding unnecessary complications. The main force will rest here and await your news.

"Yes!" Old Wang accepted the order and immediately called over the three soldiers, as well as Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming. The six of them broke away from the main group and headed towards the mountain valley.

They pushed aside waist-high bushes and moved quickly through the woodland.

Thorns kept catching on my trouser legs, and the humus under my feet was soft and slippery. After walking for about thirty minutes, the scenery suddenly opened up.

When they saw what was in front of them, all six of them stopped in their tracks, their faces showing surprise and delight.

In the relatively flat mountain valley before us, thick, lush green watermelon vines were densely covering the area!

The vines and leaves are lush and green, and hidden beneath those layers of leaves are round watermelons.

These watermelons are not large, generally only about the size of an adult's palm, and are typical of "mountain watermelons" or "wild watermelons," but there are so many of them.

Looking around, the scattered dots covered most of the mountain valley, creating a magnificent sight!

"Watermelons! So many watermelons!" Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but exclaim softly, her voice filled with joy.

Wang Yuming grinned, bent down, and patted a small watermelon. Hearing the crisp "thump" sound, he confirmed its ripeness.

Old Wang and the soldiers were also delighted; this was undoubtedly an unexpected supply.

At this moment, Xu Xiaoyan noticed that the few "red" spots that had previously caught her eye were actually several watermelons that had been gnawed open by an unknown animal, revealing their bright red flesh.

The large, messy teeth marks on the melon rind, combined with the previous encounter, made the answer obvious.

"It seems those three wild boars had a good meal of watermelon here before wandering over to our side," Old Wang concluded, examining the gnawed watermelon.

This discovery explains the appearance of wild boars and also means that the melon field is safe for the time being, at least for the time being, and no new "owners" will come to disturb it.

As an experienced veteran, Lao Wang quickly made arrangements. He ordered one of the soldiers, "Xiao Zhang, go back the way you came immediately and report the situation here to Commander Li."

We've discovered a patch of wild watermelons, and there are so many of them! We request that you immediately send 20 to 30 more people, along with all the containers you can find, to come and harvest them as soon as possible!

"Yes, squad leader!" The soldier called Xiao Zhang answered crisply, turned around without hesitation, and ran back along the way he came.

Old Wang then turned to Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming and instructed them, "Xiao Xu, Xiao Wang, you two should pick as many as possible, be quick, and pay attention to picking the ones that are ripe."

Weng Beiyan has to take care of his sister, so he definitely can't participate in the collection. Try to get their share as well.

"Understood!" Wang Yuming and Xu Xiaoyan both nodded vigorously. "Thank you for the reminder, Squad Leader Wang!"

After saying that, she and Wang Yuming immediately got to work, bending down and carefully parting the tangled vines to begin identifying and picking the berries.

They specifically choose watermelons that make a dull sound when tapped and have yellowed and withered stems, which are usually signs of high ripeness. Although each watermelon is not very big, the sheer number of them makes up for it.

Meanwhile, Lao Wang and the other two soldiers were not idle either. They split up to pick the fruit more efficiently, while maintaining necessary vigilance and keeping an eye on their surroundings.