Huo Shaochen swiftly took a folding bed out of his space ring and placed it on the floor about a meter away from Wen Qi.
Xu Kaiyang supported Huo Mian and gently laid her flat on the bed. He then took a blanket from his storage space and carefully covered her with it.
Lu Yuanyuan brought over a chair and sat beside Huo Mian, staring at her without blinking.
Seeing this, Bai Ningrong comforted her, “Don’t worry. Huo Mian will be fine.”
Lu Yuanyuan nodded. “Mm. Xiaomian is such a good person. I believe in karma.”
“Kaiyang, get some water and wipe Wen Qi down. Wang Rui, you’ll handle bandaging his wounds later.”
Huo Shaochen calmly arranged everything. He took out saline solution, anti-inflammatory powder, and bandages from his storage space and handed them to Wang Rui.
“Yes, Captain.”
Xu Kaiyang turned toward Wen Qi. He then took a clean basin and towel from his storage space. Activating his ability, clear water slowly flowed into the basin.
He wiped the blood and grime from Wen Qi’s face and around the wound on his neck, not forgetting to clean his hands as well.
Wang Rui stepped forward, cleaned Wen Qi’s wound with saline solution, evenly sprinkled it with anti-inflammatory powder, and then expertly bandaged it.
Xu Kaiyang noticed that Wen Qi’s clothes were splattered with black zombie blood, leaving him looking utterly disheveled and filthy.
He instinctively glanced around and saw everyone in the cafeteria looking over at them curiously.
Xu Kaiyang quickly looked away, his expression conflicted, and raised his head toward Huo Shaochen.
“Captain, shouldn’t we change his clothes?”
Before Huo Shaochen could answer, Xie Licheng immediately pulled out a clean set of clothes from his storage space and said loudly, “I’ll change him.”
Before he had even finished speaking, Xie Licheng stepped forward and reached out to undo the Velcro on Wen Qi’s shirt.
Xu Kaiyang hurriedly grabbed Xie Licheng’s hand and quickly glanced around, signaling him to pay attention to the situation.
Seeing this, Cao Kang couldn’t help laughing.
“So what if he takes his shirt off in front of everyone? Back when we were in the military, who among us hadn’t trained shirtless? What’s the big deal?”
Huo Shaochen calmly looked at Cao Kang and reminded him in an even tone, “Looks like you really want to experience being subdued by Wen Qi again.”
The smile instantly vanished from Cao Kang’s face.
His mind immediately conjured up those “painful” memories of sparring with Wen Qi.
Wen Qi looked refined and gentle, and at 1.87 meters tall, he was seven centimeters shorter than Cao Kang.
But when Wen Qi hit someone, it really hurt. His punches were much faster than Cao Kang’s, and every time they engaged in close combat, Cao Kang would end up taking a punch if he wasn’t careful.
Thinking about it, Cao Kang’s heart tightened. He immediately shut his mouth and didn’t say another word.
Seeing Cao Kang’s cowardly reaction, Huo Shaochen helplessly shook his head.
He then took a tent from his storage space and quickly set it up, providing Wen Qi with a relatively private place to change.
The next morning.
Huo Mian woke up with a headache. The sensation was somewhat like the aftereffects of low blood sugar.
She instinctively raised a hand and rubbed her throbbing head.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the blanket covering her. Huo Mian was instantly confused, her mind struggling to catch up.
Cao Kang was sitting idly in a chair beside Wen Qi’s bed, staring blankly at him.
Hearing the faint movement from Huo Mian’s side, he instinctively looked over and saw her bracing herself against the bed as she slowly sat up.
A look of delight flashed across Cao Kang’s face. He shot up from his chair and strode over to her bed.
“Miss Huo Mian, you’re awake! How do you feel? Is anything bothering you?”
His voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.
But when he saw Huo Mian holding her head with a pained expression, the smile on his face instantly disappeared.
He became somewhat flustered. Before Huo Mian could respond, he hurriedly said, “Miss Huo Mian, wait here. I’ll go get the captain to take a look at you!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Kang turned and strode away, moving so quickly that he stirred up a gust of air.
Bai Ningrong happened to encounter Cao Kang rushing past her. A trace of confusion flashed through her almond-shaped eyes.
She looked up, and when she saw that Huo Mian was awake, she immediately understood.
Carrying a steaming bowl of meat porridge, Bai Ningrong slowly walked over to Huo Mian’s bedside with a gentle smile.
“Xiaomian, you must be hungry, right? You passed out last night and missed dinner. Have something to eat first.”
Her tone was warm and affectionate.
Huo Mian stared blankly at her before remembering what had happened the day before.
“Senior Bai, how is Wen Qi?”
Bai Ningrong was slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected that the first thing Huo Mian would care about after waking up was Wen Qi’s condition.
She chuckled softly and turned to the side, gesturing for Huo Mian to look over.
“There, he’s right over there. He’s out of danger now, and he even woke up once last night.”
Wen Qi had woken up once during the night and told them that Huo Mian had previously saved Professor Yang.
Only then did everyone realize that Huo Mian had forced herself to keep treating Wen Qi despite being exhausted. Fortunately, nothing serious had happened to her.
Huo Mian looked to the side and saw Wen Qi lying quietly on the bed, his complexion slightly pale.
She withdrew her gaze, the heavy stone in her heart finally lifting, and couldn’t help letting out a long sigh of relief.
Huo Mian reached out and accepted the meat porridge Bai Ningrong handed her.
“Senior Bai, thank you.”
Bai Ningrong gave her a sincere smile.
“Xiaomian, there’s no need to thank me. From now on, just call me Ningrong.
“You ended up like this because you were trying to save Wen Qi. We’re the ones who should be thanking you.”
She, Huo Shaochen, and Wen Qi had grown up together since childhood, so their bond went without saying.
Huo Mian had saved Wen Qi’s life, and the entire squad was deeply grateful to her.
Huo Mian smiled shyly. “Ningrong, Wen Qi saved me too, so there’s no need for us to stand on ceremony.”
Earlier, in the laboratory corridor, Wen Qi had killed that Level-One zombie, which could also be considered saving her.
Bai Ningrong nodded. “Hurry and eat it while it’s hot. Shaochen specifically instructed someone to make this meat porridge. I already had some. It’s really delicious.”
Huo Mian hummed in response and scooped some porridge into her mouth. The meat was incredibly tender.
After a few mouthfuls, she felt a warm current rise from her stomach and spread throughout her body.
Her body seemed to regain its strength all at once. The throbbing pain in her head also eased, and her energy visibly returned.
Huo Shaochen was in the back kitchen discussing their next travel plans with Professor Yang when Cao Kang told him that Huo Mian had awakened.
He immediately set everything aside and headed toward the cafeteria hall.
From a distance, he saw Huo Mian holding the bowl of meat porridge he had specifically ordered someone to prepare for her, eating it with relish.
Huo Shaochen’s gaze paused on the bowl for a moment before shifting to Huo Mian’s face.
Compared with when she had been unconscious, her complexion was noticeably rosier.
Remembering Cao Kang’s report just now, a flicker of something passed through his eyes, along with a hint of scrutiny.
He strode over and asked calmly, “How are you feeling?”
Huo Mian was drinking her porridge when she heard Huo Shaochen’s voice. She looked up and immediately met the concerned gazes of Huo Shaochen and Cao Kang.
A warm feeling welled up in her heart, along with a faint sense of being overwhelmed by their concern.
“I feel much better. There’s nothing seriously wrong with me anymore. You don’t have to worry.”
Huo Shaochen nodded lightly. As though remembering something, his expression became serious.
“We’ll be setting out soon. You’ll ride in the same vehicle as Professor Yang.”
His tone left no room for argument.
Huo Mian’s eyes flashed with surprise, but she quickly composed herself and obediently replied, “Okay. I’ll follow the arrangements.”
A satisfied smile flickered deep in Huo Shaochen’s eyes.
Bai Ningrong suddenly interrupted, “Shaochen, why are you being so serious? You really look like a superior talking to a subordinate.”
Huo Shaochen’s expression immediately stiffened.
Seeing the reproachful look in Bai Ningrong’s eyes, he turned his head toward Huo Mian.
“Sorry. I’m used to speaking this way.”
Huo Mian maintained a polite smile. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
As expected, the male lead could only be handled by the female lead.
Huo Shaochen nodded, exchanged a few words with Bai Ningrong, then turned and left.
He still had to notify the others and go over some precautions with them. There was no time to waste.