Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 293: Chapter 290: Tiny Worm Virus

The original staircase had been dismantled. This was to prevent a large-scale massacre if zombies discovered their location.

In case of danger, the people above just had to retract the suspended ladder to completely block entry from below.

’A pretty clever method.’

’After all, zombies can’t fly!’

They had to climb four levels of suspended ladders to reach the top floor.

The top floor was basically the sick ward.

Anyone who got sick was sent up here.

There were quite a few patients in the partitioned-off rooms.

The doors were unlocked, but no one came out.

Everyone was very considerate. Once they got sick, they didn’t want to be a burden on their campmates.

There were about a dozen rooms, housing fewer than thirty people.

From the looks of it, they were all exhausted, each having found a spot to lie down.

It was bitterly cold. Although there was a small heater in the building, it didn’t do much.

This was already considered special treatment for them.

The people downstairs didn’t even have a heater.

They could only huddle together for warmth.

Chen Xing wasn’t surprised.

Before Cheng Fang killed her, the world had already become an incredibly difficult place.

Aunt Li’s room was at the very end of the hall, its door shut tight.

It seemed like Brother Zhao and Little Leopard both took a deep breath before opening the door.

Chen Xing had a feeling Aunt Li’s condition was very serious.

When she peered inside through the open door, she found herself taking a deep breath, just like Brother Zhao had.

’Serious’ didn’t even begin to describe Aunt Li’s state.

Her entire body was covered in festering sores oozing with pus. Her face, her arms—every visible inch of skin was horrifically rotten.

’And what about under her clothes?’

Hearing the noise, Aunt Li opened her eyes. When she saw it was Brother Zhao and the others, she immediately recoiled. ”Don’t come any closer...”

She felt she was beyond saving.

More importantly, she didn’t want to infect anyone else, even though she didn’t know if her illness was contagious.

Little Leopard was about to step forward but was stopped by Brother Zhao.

He took the medicine from Little Leopard’s hands, put on a mask, and crouched beside Aunt Li. ”Aunt Li, Little Leopard found some medicine for you. You’ll get better once you apply it!”

Aunt Li shook her head.

She pulled her arm back, not wanting Brother Zhao to touch her.

Brother Zhao started to reach out again, but Chen Xing stopped him. ”There’s something on her arm. You’d better not touch it!”

Her sharp eyes had spotted tiny insects crawling on Aunt Li’s skin.

They were so small they were almost impossible to see without looking closely.

Brother Zhao followed Chen Xing’s finger and saw that there were indeed tiny insects.

But... as the camp’s supervisor, how could he bear to watch someone die?

Little Leopard immediately pulled a medical glove from his bag. ”I found this. Here, Brother Zhao, put it on.”

’What’s the point?’ Chen Xing thought. ’Even with gloves, the medicine is expired and isn’t even for this ailment.’

Chen Xing took the glove. ”I’m a Healing Ability User!” And just like that, under their shocked gazes, she reached out and grabbed Aunt Li’s hand.

Brother Zhao and Little Leopard were stunned.

How could such a delicate-looking young girl possess such great compassion?

The sight of those rotting wounds was enough to make their stomachs turn.

They had known Aunt Li for over ten years, yet this girl had only just met her.

Chen Xing immediately began channeling energy into Aunt Li’s body.

Aunt Li’s festering skin began to improve bit by bit. The tiny insects, as if meeting their natural predator, shriveled up one by one until they died and fell to the floor.

Color returned to Aunt Li’s face. She hadn’t felt this good in a long time.

Chen Xing, however, didn’t feel as optimistic. ”Aunt Li, where did you get infected by these tiny insects?”

Even as she spoke, she didn’t stop channeling her energy.

”Three days ago, while I was sleeping in the main hall, I felt a little itchy. I didn’t pay it much mind at first, but by the afternoon, my skin started to fester!”

”The tiny insects have built a nest inside you. I need some time!”

’Built a nest?’

Aunt Li, who had just thought she was cured, grew tense again.

She didn’t dare make a sound for fear of disturbing Chen Xing.

Behind her, Brother Zhao and Little Leopard were even more silent, wringing their hands as they watched Chen Xing.

After a dozen or so minutes, Chen Xing, drenched in sweat, successfully located the nest the tiny insects had built in Aunt Li’s stomach.

”These tiny insects are infected with the zombie virus. That’s what’s causing the host’s body to rot!” Chen Xing slowly stood up. ”Brother Zhao... I think many people here are probably infected!”

”What?” Brother Zhao couldn’t believe it.

Aunt Li shot to her feet. ”It’s because of me! I infected them!” She was filled with self-reproach.

”It has nothing to do with Aunt Li!” Chen Xing was very weak. She had just expended a great deal of her superpower, and while it wasn’t completely depleted, it was close. ”This thing has an incubation period. It was dormant in Aunt Li’s body for at least half a month!”

”But don’t worry, Aunt Li. You’ve been completely cured of the zombie virus!”

”Thank you...” Aunt Li gratefully clasped Chen Xing’s hand.

She could tell that the young girl had used up a lot of her superpower to save her.

”I need to restore my superpower!” Chen Xing felt it was necessary to check everyone.

She wasn’t sure how many people were in this camp.

It would require a huge amount of superpower.

”Brother Leopard... could you go get my backpack for me?” As soon as Chen Xing finished speaking, Brother Leopard immediately agreed.

He quickly brought Chen Xing’s backpack over.

During that time, Brother Zhao wasn’t idle either. He went and gathered all the Crystal Cores in the camp.

All of them put together amounted to only about twenty-odd cores.

Their camp didn’t have many offensive-type Superpower Users, and zombies were difficult to kill nowadays.

Chen Xing didn’t stand on ceremony and took them all.

She started by absorbing the Crystal Cores she took out of her own backpack.

These had all been cleaned before being put away.

Brother Zhao was speechless. ’She’s pulled out a few hundred Crystal Cores, at the very least.’

Moving to a clean room, Chen Xing examined Brother Zhao first.

Brother Zhao’s case wasn’t serious. The tiny insects’ nest was still under construction, also in his stomach, so it was quickly dealt with.

Little Leopard’s case was a bit more difficult.

She couldn’t find the insects’ nest in his stomach, but the virus had already spread deep within him.

If not for his astounding resistance, his condition would have been similar to Aunt Li’s.

Chen Xing’s Healing Ability coursed through Little Leopard’s body, finally locating the nest inside his gallbladder.

Little Leopard, who had thought he was fine, felt refreshed and invigorated after the virus was removed. ”Whoa, I feel like a whole new person! Thank you, Chen Xing!”

While absorbing a Crystal Core, Chen Xing said to Brother Zhao, ”This many Crystal Cores won’t be nearly enough to treat very many people. North of Hualai City, there’s a large, open field where a lot of zombies were killed. You can send people to go pick some up!”

Not only could they be used for healing, but they could also be traded for supplies.

”Huh?” Brother Zhao thought he had misheard.

’Pick them up!?’

’In this day and age, how much is a single Crystal Core worth? Could something this good actually be true?’

But Chen Xing didn’t seem to be lying, so he said to Little Leopard, ”Little Leopard, I’ll have to trouble you to make a trip. Take some of the strong and able-bodied people with you.”

Aunt Li had already come over with a towel to wipe the sweat from Chen Xing’s brow. ”You should rest for a bit!”

Her pale face was a heart-wrenching sight.