Qin Ziwen said, "Just tell them I have a cold and Iām not feeling well. We can talk later."
Qin Ziwu replied, "Okay, Iāll go tell Dr. Zhao."
"Oh, right, wait. Take some food to Building 5, Unit 2, Apartment 301. Give it to Li Yue so he doesnāt starve to death."
"Got it."
Half an hour later, in Building 2, Unit 1, Apartment 202.
"He has a cold?"
Zou Jianghe leaned back in his chair, a nail clipper in his hand.
"Yes, Qin... Ziwen started coughing yesterday. Heās been resting at home all day. Mr. Zou, should we still try to meet?"
Hearing this, Zou Jianghe couldnāt help but lean back further. "No need. Weāll talk again once heās feeling better."
Watching Zhao Pu leave, Zou Jianghe looked behind him. "You said he was infected. Is it true or not?"
"It might be true. Our people kept an eye on him all day today, and he didnāt leave his apartment. Heās probably at home recuperating."
Zou Jianghe sounded a little regretful. "What a shame."
From the bedroom behind him, Huang Tao paced out. "I suspect he might know the location of a secret altar."
Zou Jianghe nodded. "Mm."
"Youāre not tempted?"
Zou Jianghe chuckled. "Tempted? Of course Iām tempted. Who could ever have too many Cards? So, have you found out the altarās location?"
Huang Taoās face darkened. "He keeps a tight lid on his information. The only ones who know about that altar are probably the core members of his group. Iām afraid of alerting him."
Zou Jianghe said flippantly, "This doesnāt seem like your style."
Huang Tao said, "Heās not like other people. Heās no pushover. If you push him too far, heāll actually kill someone."
"So you came to me because you want to use me to get rid of him." Zou Jianghe closed his eyes.
Huang Tao said, "I just think we have a comfortable partnership. How can you think of me that way?"
Zou Jianghe gave a dry laugh. "The Alliance Association is an organization dedicated to uniting all the property owners in the Gated Community. I canāt just attack someone for no reason. That goes against the principles of our Alliance Association.
Besides, hereās a free piece of information for you: after a person dies, all the Cards that have been used in their Home will disappear. So trying to plunder someoneās Cards by killing them is pointless. All youāll get is mutual destruction. Iād actually rather he survive this illness. Then we might gain another partner.
Right now, 13% of the households in the Gated Community have awakened their Homes. People are dying every day, and no one knows what kind of environment weāll be transmigrated to next."
āSo where is that altar?ā Huang Tao muttered to himself. Ever since he saw someone in the Gated Community using a unicycle, he had started paying closer attention.
And he really did find something.
He had once obtained an Expansion Card through certain means, so he knew exactly what the exterior walls looked like after one was used.
He thought that with the three Cards heād obtained, he was already in the top tier of the Gated Community.
Then he learned of a household where all the windows had completely disappeared!
Heād thought it was just an absurd rumor, but after seeing it with his own eyes, he had to admit there were bigger players out there.
After some discreet inquiries, he learned that the owner of that apartment had the surname Qin, someone he had actually met a few times before.
For a moment, he couldnāt tell if he was more envious or jealous.
So he had sought out Zou Jianghe, only to find that Zou Jianghe had already taken notice of this Qin fellow.
Huang Tao looked at Zou Jianghe. "Arenāt you worried heāll threaten your position?"
Zou Jianghe waved his hand dismissively. "As long as he wants to acquire resources, he canāt get around my Alliance Association. The real core is people. Without people, buildings are just dead objects, no matter how many you have. And one personās energy is limited. What do I have to worry about?
Take your Carpenterās cottage, for example. The tools inside are all there, but isnāt the real core that old Carpenter? Without the Carpenter, your cottage is just a decoration. Doesnāt that prove that talented people are the real core?"
Huang Tao frowned. "But there are Recruitment Cards."
Zou Jianghe burst out laughing. "And how many people can Recruitment Cards summon? With their drop rate, youāre worrying for nothing. Besides, what you summon isnāt even guaranteed to be human." At this, Zou Jianghe picked up the teapot and poured Huang Tao a cup. "By the way, have you thought about what I said last time, about having that old Carpenter take on apprentices? If heās willing, we could have a line of students stretching from your front door all the way to the south gate of the Gated Community!"
Huang Tao shook his head. "He wonāt agree. Heās only willing to pass on his skills to his own son. He has no intention of taking on other apprentices for now."
Zou Jianghe sighed softly. "Ah, these people."
...
After another short nap, Qin Ziwen woke up feeling refreshed. The tickling itch in his chest and throat was completely gone. He was no longer coughing, had no phlegm, and his breathing felt normal.
Qin Ziwen took out a mercury thermometer to measure his temperature.
36.9Ā°C.
āAm I better?ā
He had his brother go and ask Dr. Zhao.
Soon, his brother returned with Dr. Zhaoās message. "Bro, Dr. Zhao said youāre recovering very quickly. Most of the germs in your body have been killed off. Youāre in the ārecovery phaseā now, but you canāt stop taking the medicine.
Otherwise, it might flare up again. If the germs develop a resistance to the medicine, it will be even harder to treat."
"How many more days do I have to take it?"
"Just two more days. When your cough has completely stopped, you donāt feel short of breath or have chest tightness when climbing stairs, and thereās no phlegm at all, then you should be good."
Qin Ziwen assessed his condition. He basically met the last three criteria, but to be on the safe side and consolidate the treatment, he decided to wait one more day to avoid infecting anyone else.
That evening, he accepted the prepared meat congee. After finishing it, he took a slow walk around the floor to keep his body resting.
He had to admit, this was the most relaxing day heād had since he started transmigrating.
He didnāt have to worry about anything, allowing his body to be in a state of natural relaxation.
Mentally, however, it was harder to completely relax. Though he tried to reassure himself, his anxiety about the future persisted.
Listening to the lively sounds of meat being cured outside, Qin Ziwen closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
The night passed without incident.
[You have successfully survived in the wilderness for twenty-three days. Your subordinate hunted a black deer and crafted a powerful Beast Trap... Composite Score: 40 points.]
[Rewards Obtained: [Recruitment Card] Ordinary Human - Skilled TCM Doctor x1, [Building Card] Level 1 Steel Door x1, [Resource Card] Level 1 Blacksmith Shop x1]
He woke up in the morning feeling refreshed, but what really lifted his spirits was yesterdayās reward: a skilled physician.
The old TCM doctor he had been hoping for had finally arrived.
He used the Recruitment Card to summon him directly.
The man had jet-black hair combed neatly and tucked into a small blue cloth cap. A few strands fell along his temples. His complexion was ruddy, and his eyes were clear and bright.
Upon seeing Qin Ziwen, he cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute and bowed slightly.
"This old one is Qian Muzhen. Greetings, my lord."
Qin Ziwen took two steps back and said, "Elder Qian, please keep a little distance. I was infected with an illness a few days ago and Iām not sure if Iāve fully recovered yet."
Qian Muzhen looked him up and down, stroking his long beard. "Hm? But judging from my lordās qi, blood, and complexion, you do not appear to be ill."
...
...