"As long as it isn’t poisonous, that’s good. But tell , what’s the tricky part?" Jing Shu hadn’t relaxed in the slightest, remaining fully ard as she bent down to inspect the injured.
The new teammate behind her felt this was making a mountain out of a molehill. It was just an insect bite, and not even poisonous, yet it was being treated like a biological weapon. The woman in office attire rolled her eyes. "Such a fuss."
Only Jing Shu had a lingering fear. The scene of parasites bursting out of a body... just thinking about it was disgusting.
Old Doctor Zhang pondered and said, "These injured people were the ones who got out of the car to relieve themselves during a rest stop. We’ve just counted, and over a hundred people got out of their vehicles. They were all bitten by insects to varying degrees, but only these few are in serious condition. Look here, this is the tricky problem I was talking about."
The team stopped every three hours for three minutes for repairs and bathroom breaks, and that was when they got bitten.
Old Doctor Zhang pointed to several lumps on the injured person’s legs and said, "Although the insects aren’t poisonous, their mouthparts secrete a liquid that paralyzes human nerves. It’s just like how a mosquito feeds without the person feeling pain. Then they burrow into the human body while feeding on blood and flesh, continuously tunneling inside, destroying the person’s vitality, and parasitizing the human body."
Hearing what Old Doctor Zhang said, everyone behind him instantly backed away from the injured. Wasn’t this far too terrifying? Looking at Jing Shu, who had co fully ard, they felt she indeed had foresight.
"Don’t be afraid. This insect doesn’t easily switch hosts."
Jing Shu frowned. "This sounds a lot like a grassland Tick." As she spoke, she glanced at her hands. Coincidentally, the gloves she was wearing were from the progenitor of the mutated grassland Ticks.
"No, this is more troubleso than that kind of Tick. Those Ticks live in grasslands and can be eliminated with certain insecticides and powders. As long as the skin isn’t exposed, they won’t burrow into the flesh.
This insect seems to be an upgraded version of the Tick, a new species of the apocalypse. They are particularly adept at finding and burrowing through any opening. The soldiers are wrapped up so tightly, but if there’s even a tiny gap, these Ticks can get in. Once inside the flesh, they move quickly. They’re also quite large, about the size of soybeans, making them nearly impossible to defend against. After burrowing into the flesh, they’re very difficult to remove because the insect carries its own anesthetic. They burrow into unseen places, so the injured don’t even know the exact location themselves."
Jun Bao frowned, frustrated by the bad start. "So what do we do with these people now?" he asked.
Old Doctor Zhang sent his assistant to fetch tools, then continued, "For those with these kinds of lumps, we cut open the flesh and dig them out. For those already deep inside, like in the stomach, we’re out of luck. This person has been invaded by dozens of insects; it’s a very difficult situation."
Jun Bao continued to inquire, "What about dication? Is there an injection that could make them co out on their own?"
Old Doctor Zhang shook his head. "We’ve just tested several common drugs, and the insects don’t seem very sensitive to them. If I had ti to conduct research, perhaps I could co up with sothing. For now, the quickest thod is to cut the flesh and remove the insects. I’ll research them if we get live specins.
By the way, Jing Shu, you’re with the dicine Association. Do you have any drugs that could be of use? We’d pay a high price."
Old Doctor Zhang knew that Jing Shu’s private stash was richer than theirs, so he wanted to get so dicine from her.
"I’ve brought quite a few insect repellents, and you’re not short on hemostatics here. As for other treatnts... let’s first remove the live insects and study them together. If the bleeding is excessive, use the Petrification Hemostatic Powder I provided you with." Right now, Jing Shu also didn’t know what these insects feared; she hadn’t encountered them during her past migration.
Jun Bao nodded, then issued an order. "Until we find a solution, no one is allowed to leave their vehicle or touch the ground. Everyone must tighten their pant legs, fasten their belts, and put on hats and gloves. Unless absolutely necessary, wear a sealed combat suit for refueling and resupply! Everyone must reduce the number of tis they open car doors. Assign two people per vehicle to check for insects inside. If any are found, they must be reported imdiately!"
The people present hurried to take off their shoes again. They pulled their socks up high over their thermal pant legs and tied them securely with rope. They then fastened their shoes and put plastic bags over them. They also tucked their thermal tops into their thermal pants, ensuring everything was airtight.
"We’re short on ti. My assistants and I will handle these seriously injured patients, while the dical team takes care of the hundred or so with minor injuries. Jing Shu, you’ll be in charge of bandaging and stitching wounds?" Old Doctor Zhang and his assistants were already prepared, their tools sharpened.
Jing Shu reached into her suitcase and pulled out a black, double-layered box. Upon opening it, dozens of scalpels glinted coldly, alongside a complete array of various dical tools, bandages, and dications that awed everyone present.
Jing Shu smiled. "When it cos to cutting flesh to extract insects, I’m skilled. I won’t cut an artery. I also know that with these types of insects, you need to cut away more flesh because they have a strong grip. As you said, they’re fast, and once they sense danger, they’ll move even faster. So, if you’re going to dig, dig out the whole chunk."
Old Doctor Zhang nodded. "Then let’s begin. No need for anesthesia—the insects have already released enough, so the patients won’t feel pain. You few, start by locating the bulging spots. Be quick, precise, and ruthless with your incisions. I’ll check on the others later."
With limited personnel, those in the rear also had to assist. Each found a dical assistant, grabbed instrunts and tools, and the on-site treatnt began.
The patients were stripped completely. Elder Zhang took charge of one leg, Jing Shu the other, starting from the heel. They felt for any bulging spots or moving objects the size of soybeans, which indicated an upgraded Tick. Jing Shu made an incision. Blood gushed out, revealing a blackish-red, blood-engorged, sphere-like insect. She quickly scraped it out, flesh and insect alike, into a sealed, clear jar. Wanzi, the girl with the bun hairstyle beside her, imdiately capped it.
The insects, exposed to light, scrambled frantically, their bodies making sharp CLACKS as they hit the glass jar, startling the onlookers.
Both of the patient’s legs were soon cleared of insects, leaving terrifying, bloody cavities. Old Doctor Zhang flipped the patient over and pressed on their buttocks, indeed finding several more. He also found so on the patient’s back and arms.
"Other than the internal organs, all other areas have been cleared. Use the Petrification Hemostatic Powder," he said.
The Petrification Hemostatic Powder was a concoction Jing Shu had made from the saliva and bones of the rotten rmaid she had encountered before. Its main side effects were turning the skin as hard as stone and causing necrosis of the surrounding tissue, leaving it numb. However, its advantages were its low cost and quick action.
Soon, the insects had been extracted from several severely injured patients. Several jars of live specins were collected for research—more than enough.
"Now let’s pray they haven’t entered the organs," Old Doctor Zhang sighed. "I must quickly figure out a solution. However, we didn’t bring many dicines. If we find a solution but too many people get bitten... there will be nothing we can do then. For now, we can only focus on prevention."
Jing Shu took so Mugwort Pillars, lit them, and placed them in the jars. The upgraded Ticks inside imdiately began to move erratically. Jing Shu nodded. "Burning Mugwort is sowhat effective. I brought plenty; I’ll get it for you all now. Assign people to work overti rolling them into more Mugwort Pillars. Then distribute them for everyone to burn. It might help with prevention."
The woman in office attire coughed. "Do you know how many people are in our group? How much have you brought? Is it enough to go around?"
Jing Shu thought for a mont. "Oh, just a few tons. Old Doctor Zhang, how about I give you a 10% discount?"
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