Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The buzzing in his ears hadn't subsided, like wasps building a nest inside his skull. He Yuzhu leaned against the trench wall, his legs heavy as lead, sprawled directly in the mud. The shrapnel wound in his left arm had stopped bleeding, but it still burned with pain, joining the throbbing pain of the dozen or so abrasions and bruises all over his body. His throat was parched; his water bottle was long gone. He licked his chapped lips, tasting the metallic, metallic flavor of blood.

The position was deathly silent, save for suppressed groans, occasional sobs, and the weary footsteps of the medics. The smoke of battle lingered, mingling with the pungent smell of earth, blood, and burnt earth, making each breath heavy and unpleasant.

Wang Dazhuang lay not far away, his dark red face now ashen, his lips pale. He had been shot in the abdomen, his cotton coat soaked in dark red blood. The medic had hastily bandaged him with rags, and blood was still slowly seeping out. He stared half-openly at the hazy sky, his breathing shallow and rapid, his chest heaving violently.

He Yuzhu looked at him, the blood boiling in his heart from the battle gradually cooling, turning into a cold stone pressing down on his stomach. He looked away and closed his eyes.

It's not a rest, it's a system activation.

A deep blue light screen unfolded in his mind, more solid than before, with faint golden patterns along its edges. At the top, the blood-red main progress bar remained glaringly obvious: [50000 / 100,000,000]. Fifty thousand had passed, yet the gap to one hundred million remained insurmountable.

He focused on the online store interface. The points had just surpassed 50,000, and several new products had appeared, gleaming faintly:

[Physical Enhancement Potion (Intermediate)]: Provides a comprehensive boost to physiological functions beyond the basic level, significantly enhancing muscle, bone, nerve, and cellular vitality and endurance, with an estimated overall improvement of 150%-200%. Also includes accelerated recovery from moderate injuries. Requires 500 points.

[Advanced Sniper Specialization Knowledge Pack]: Covers advanced sniping knowledge from 400-800 meters, including mil-dot ranging, ballistic correction in complex environments, predicting moving targets, multi-target switching sniping, and position camouflage. Requires 1000 points.

[Passive Skill: Eagle Eye (Basic)]: Permanently enhances visual acuity and motion detection. Consumes a small amount of mental energy to generate a light red outline marker at the edge of the user's field of vision for enemy units within 2000 meters that have clear killing intent or are aiming at the user (cannot penetrate obstacles). Requires 2000 points.

【战场急救医疗箱（绝地求生款）】：含高效止血粉×1、强效抗生素×1、无菌手术刀片×1、持针器×1、缝合线×1、强力镇痛剂×1、能量补充剂×1。效果远超时代，需基础操作知识。需50积分/个。

[Sterile Bandages x10]: Standard battlefield bandages. Requires 1 point.

He Yuzhu's mind raced.

Five hundred points of intermediate enhancement, a must-buy. He was covered in wounds, exhausted, and the real battle was yet to come.

One thousand points in Advanced Sniper Specialization are essential for capturing high-value targets such as officers.

Eagle Eye costs 2000 points, expensive but worth it. A moment's difference between spotting and aiming earlier can mean the difference between life and death.

A first-aid kit and bandages… He looked at the weak-breathing Wang Dazhuang and his groaning comrades around him. Points can be earned again, but the dead cannot be brought back to life.

"Exchange for [Physical Enhancement Potion (Intermediate)]".

"Redeem the [Advanced Sniper Specialization Knowledge Pack]".

"Exchange for [Passive Skill: Eagle Eye (Basic)]".

"Exchange for 2 [Battlefield First Aid Kits]".

"Exchange for 20 [Sterile Bandages]".

Commands were issued one after another.

[Redeem successful.]

【消耗积分：500+1000+2000+100+2=3602点。】

[Remaining points: 46398.]

Available points: 8768 (unused).

The moment the points were deducted, the first surge of heat exploded from my abdomen! Several times more intense than the initial stage, like swallowing scorching coals, the scalding energy rushed to my limbs and bones, penetrating every inch of my muscles and bones. Intense pain, soreness, numbness, and itching erupted simultaneously, especially at the injured area, as if countless fine needles were stirring and stitching it up.

He Yuzhu clenched his teeth, veins bulging, sweat mixed with blood and dirt streaming down his face. His body trembled slightly, his fingers digging into the soil. The process lasted two or three minutes; to outsiders, he simply closed his eyes and gasped for breath due to the pain.

The feeling of transformation subsided, replaced by a surge of new energy and lightness throughout my body. The pain in my wounds lessened dramatically, and a slight itch from healing spread through my left arm. Fatigue vanished, and my senses sharpened considerably; I could clearly distinguish even the smells of blood, gunpowder, burnt ash, and distant pine needles in the air.

Following that, a deluge of knowledge from the [Advanced Sniper Specialization] course flooded in, with formulas, charts, and case studies filling my mind, requiring time to digest.

Finally, Eagle Eye activated. He felt nothing special, but when he opened his eyes and scanned the scorched hillside ahead, his vision seemed "clearer." He tried to look towards the mountain pass 1,500 to 1,600 meters away and vaguely caught a few blurry gray figures moving, but there was no killing intent and no red marker.

He didn't have time to examine it closely; he immediately retrieved two medical kits and twenty rolls of bandages from his system space. The medical kits were small, military-green metal boxes, unmarked except for a red cross. The bandages were ordinary gauze rolls.

He picked up a first-aid kit and moved it next to Wang Dazhuang.

"Hold on." He Yuzhu whispered as he uncovered the blood-stained cloth. The wound was on the left side of his lower abdomen; the bullet hole was small but deep, and blood was slowly seeping out, with the skin and flesh turned inside out.

He opened the medical kit, took out the metal tube of hemostatic powder, aimed it at the wound, and twisted it open, releasing the pale yellow powder. The powder immediately coagulated into a gel film upon contact with the blood, visibly slowing the bleeding.

The medic standing nearby caught a glimpse of it and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

Ignoring him, He Yuzhu picked up a high-potency antibiotic syringe, tore open the packaging, and injected the medication into a vein in Wang Dazhuang's arm. Then he injected analgesics.

He removed a sterile scalpel blade. The bullet was still inside the body and had to be removed. Without anesthesia, he had to proceed by force.

He looked at the dazed Wang Dazhuang and said to the reconnaissance squad soldiers beside him, "Hold him down, don't move him."

The soldier was stunned for a moment, then quickly pressed down on Wang Dazhuang's shoulders and legs.

He Yuzhu took a deep breath, his eyes cold and focused. With his left hand, he secured the area around the wound with gauze, while his right hand, holding a knife, swiftly made a small cross-shaped incision along the edge of the bullet hole. Wang Dazhuang's body trembled violently, his muffled groan suppressed.

The blade tip probed in, and relying on enhanced tactile sense and basic anatomical knowledge, it carefully explored until it quickly touched the deformed bullet. Using the blade tip in conjunction with its fingers, the blood-stained metal lump was scooped out and fell to the ground with a clatter.

He took the needle holder and suture thread. Though he had never been trained in suturing, he seemed to have an instinct for it, bringing the skin and flesh together and threading the needle. His movements were rough, and the stitches were crooked, but they were firm enough.

Finally, apply hemostatic powder and tightly wrap with multiple layers of bandage.

After doing all this, Wang Dazhuang had fainted from the pain and blood loss, but his breathing had become more stable and his ashen face had faded. Although he was still pale, he was not on the verge of death.

He Yuzhu shoved the remaining medical kit and most of the bandages into the dumbfounded medic's hands: "Use these for the seriously injured. Save them, this is all you have."

The medic seemed to snap out of a daze, took the medicine box, glanced at He Yuzhu, hesitated, and then turned and ran towards the other wounded.

He Yuzhu hastily bandaged his left arm and the deeper wound with the remaining bandages. The intermediate-level enhanced recovery power had taken effect, and a tingling and itchy sensation came from the wound.

Just as he finished, a tall figure loomed over him. Dark-faced Li squatted down in front of him without him noticing, his gaze sweeping over the empty medical kit, his bandaged left arm, and finally settling on his face.

Li, with his dark face, stared silently, his eyes filled with inquiry and scrutiny. The noise from the trenches seemed to fade into the distance.

Several seconds later, he lowered his voice and said, "Where did that medicine and box come from? The effects are too bizarre."

He Yuzhu looked up, his face calm, only showing post-battle fatigue and a touch of bewilderment: "Medicine? This?" He lightly kicked the empty medical kit. "I found this behind a wrecked jeep when I sneaked into the American camp last time. It was just this small box. It looked smaller than our bags, so I carried it with me. I never thought I'd actually need it. It's a pity there was only one box left, and it's all gone."

His tone was casual, with a hint of "coincidence," and his gaze was frank.

Dark-faced Li stared into his eyes, then at the unmarked metal box, and remained silent for a moment. Finding unusual items from the enemy on the battlefield wasn't uncommon, especially given the flashy equipment of the American forces. That explanation… made sense.

"Luckily survived, and had good luck too." Dark-faced Li didn't press further, patting him on the shoulder. "Hurry up and get back to normal. Your platoon fought well, but they're crippled now. Orders will probably arrive soon. As the squad leader, you need to keep the rest of them in line."

After saying that, he stood up, glanced at Wang Dazhuang who was breathing steadily, and turned to leave.

He Yuzhu watched his figure disappear before slowly exhaling a breath of stale air.

He leaned back against the cold earthen wall, feeling the surging power within him, the new knowledge in his mind, and the subtly clear world in his vision.

Points spent, items exchanged, people saved, doubts temporarily put aside.

Next, we must digest the new energy and prepare for the unknown storm.

He glanced at the system interface.

Main story progress: 66398 / 100,000,000