Zhao Pu carefully went over the various precautions.
"Mr. Qin, your constitution is better than the average personâs. As long as you follow my instructions and take the medicine, youâll recover. Donât worry."
"I hope youâre right. But I thought I was supposed to drink Honeysuckle and dandelion tea? Cephalosporin works too?"
Zhao Pu said, "Initially, yes, we used those two. But later, some people tried cephalosporin and found it more effective. At first, we were unsure of the specific illness, and different bacterial infections require different antibiotics. We also werenât sure about potential side effects or long-term consequences. Now that theyâve tried it, we know cephalosporin is indeed better. The only downside is that our supply is limited. Every pill taken is one less we have."
After Zhao Pu left, Qin Ziwu looked at his older brother with concern.
"Itâs not a terminal illness. Iâll be fine. Iâll just stay in the bedroom for the next few days and wonât come out, so I donât infect you guys."
He clapped his younger brother on the shoulder, returned to his room, and moved the Beaked Eagleâs nest out of the bedroom.
The Beaked Eagle was a little shocked. âWhy was my home kicked out?â
"You get out too." Qin Ziwen pushed the Beaked Eagle out of the bedroom.
After being driven out, the Beaked Eagle stubbornly squatted by the door.
Sitting on the bed, Qin Ziwen recalled what Zhao Pu had said yesterday. The mortality rate for infected healthy adults was about 25%. A one-in-four chance. Not exactly high, but not low either.
âTwenty-five percent is a statistic on the macro level; for an individual, itâs either zero or one hundred percent.â
He said to his brother, "Iâll stay in the bedroom for the next few days and wonât go out. Tomorrow, you, Du Yu, and Deng Guang should go to the stream."
Qin Ziwu shook his head, refusing. "Big Bro, I donât think I should go. Iâll stay home with you."
"What are you going to do, keep me company?"
"I can boil water for you and wash your towels."
"I donât need you to do it. There are other people in the house. Do as I say." Qin Ziwenâs voice grew stern.
Qin Ziwu looked like he wanted to say something but held back, ultimately just nodding silently.
Qin Ziwen returned to the bedroom, first swapping in a new trash can, then lay down on the soft mattress.
"Big Bro, this is the cephalosporin Dr. Zhao just brought over." Qin Ziwu knocked on the door.
He got up, opened the door, and took the medicine through the crack. It was an unopened box of cephalosporin.
Qin Ziwen said gravely, "Alright, go and do your own thing. Have someone else deliver it next time."
After saying that, he inspected the medicine, and once he confirmed it was fine, he took it with some warm water.
He had also used an Expansion Card on the area outside his master bedroom window, creating a completely empty 20x20 meter expanded zone. At four hundred square meters, it was four times the original size of the house.
So, staying in the bedroom didnât feel cramped.
Not long after taking the medicine, Qin Ziwen drifted off into a groggy sleep.
ăYou have successfully survived in the wilderness for twenty-two days. Your subordinate retrieved a Marvel from the Salt Well. You have obtained some seeds... Comprehensive Score: 68ă
ăRewards Obtained: [Enhancement Card] Human Physique Enhancement Card (One Star) x1, telescope x1, [Building Card] Level 1 Farmland x1ă
The next day, Qin Ziwen was woken by his own coughing.
His condition seemed to have worsened. He felt like there was a furnace inside his body.
His immune cells were firing on all cylinders, going on a rampage.
He yawned, put on a mask, opened the door, and went to the porridge shed to cook a pot of porridge.
As the newcomers arrived, Qin Ziwen waved to Liu San. "Liu San."
Liu San hurried over. "My lord."
"Youâre getting on in years. You donât have to do this work anymore."
Hearing this, Liu Sanâs face changed, and he immediately begged, "My lord, this old man can still work."
"Stop. What I mean is, you donât have to do the work yourself. Just be in charge of supervising."
Plunged into despair and then lifted back up, Liu San felt his back break out in a cold sweat, his heart filled with relief.
Not only had he not lost his job, but his lord had shown him consideration and even promoted him to a supervisory role. For a moment, Liu San was moved to tears of gratitude.
"In a bit, youâll supervise the newcomers. Boil a pot of water every two hours and bring it to my room. I need a constant supply of hot water in my room. Also, the Mint... boil a pot of it first and keep it warm..." Qin Ziwen instructed carefully.
Liu San listened intently, not daring to miss a single word.
Finally, as he was about to leave, Qin Ziwen encouraged him, "I trust you to handle things. Keep up the good work."
Back in his bedroom, he looked at the new rewards he had obtained.
Heâd finally gotten another Human Physique Enhancement Card.
He used it on himself without hesitation.
With an enhanced physique, his immunity would increase.
As the green Card dissolved into motes of light and merged into his body, Qin Ziwen felt his body inflate, his strength and constitution growing rapidly.
Soon, the sensation of enhancement came to an abrupt stop.
Qin Ziwen felt the itchiness in his throat lessen, and it seemed as if a burden had been lifted from his body.
âI wonder what my star rating is now.â
The Home system rated a normal humanâs physical attributes on a scale of One to Five Stars. He had been a strong, healthy adult male with a regular workout routine before all this; surely he wasnât at the lowest level of One Star.
Now that he had used two Enhancement Cards, he felt his physical attributes must have reached a very high level.
During the day, Qin Ziwen stayed in his bedroom and took two more doses of medicine.
In the evening, the sound of the main door opening came from outside his room.
The door had just been closed when Qin Ziwuâs excited shouts rang out.
"Big Bro, weâre back!"
"Big Bro, let me tell you, Du Yu was so damn incredible today! After we set up the Earth Cage, we caught some stream crabs. Then, this afternoon, Du Yu shot a black deer in the jungle from dozens of paces away!"
Hearing his brotherâs voice, Qin Ziwen smiled and praised, "Thatâs amazing. Looks like it doesnât make much of a difference whether Iâm there or not."
"Hahaha, no way! Youâre the backbone of this family. By the way, Big Bro, how are you feeling now?"
"Not bad. Much better." Qin Ziwen touched his chest. After two more doses of medicine, plus the boost to his physique from the Enhancement Card, he could feel his condition had clearly improved.
However, to ensure a full recovery, he needed to take the medicine for a couple more days and completely eradicate the source of the illness. Otherwise, a relapse could turn it into a chronic condition with lasting effects, which would be a huge problem.
"Thatâs great!"
"Okay, Big Bro, weâre going to process the deer now. Weâll save the antlers and the pizzle for you. You can use them to build up your strength when youâre better."
Qin Ziwen laughed and retorted, "I donât need it. You should save it for yourself."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
A knock came from the main door.
His brother shouted, "Who is it?"
A moment later, the door closed again.
Qin Ziwu came to the outside of the bedroom door. "Bro, Dr. Zhao just came up to ask how you were doing. He said Zou Jianghe from the Alliance Association asked him today if he could meet with you."
"Zou Jianghe wants to talk to me?" Qin Ziwenâs brow instantly furrowed, his tone tinged with a subtle, almost imperceptible surprise.
They hadnât been in contact since their last meeting. For him to suddenly show up now felt off, no matter how you looked at it.
...
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