Dr. Zhao administered an antidote injection, unsure if it was the right treatment. The patient's fate was uncertain.

"Help him stitch up these wounds. Can you suture?" Dr. Zhao asked.

"I can sew clothes," Zhou You responded hesitantly.

"That should suffice. Go ahead. It's pretty much the same."

Concerned, Zhou You replied, "Dr. Zhao, shouldn't a professional like you be better at suturing?"

Dr. Zhao sipped his tea leisurely, retorting, "Given my profession, I'm only interested in deceased patients. If he dies, maybe I'll consider helping."

Zhou You was left speechless, and resignedly started working. Whispering, he said, "Sorry, buddy. If this leaves a scar later on, please don't blame me. My skills are limited."

Zhou You was always meticulous in his work. During his task, Li Hongxi came over to check on the patient and was surprised to see Zhou You stitching up the wound. He asked the same question that Doctor Zhao had: "Were you a doctor before?"

Not wanting to elaborate much, Zhou You responded, "I was an apprentice. I'm just winging it here. As long as I don't kill him, it's fine."

As he was suturing, Zhou You remained vigilant, ensuring the patient wouldn't wake up from the pain. By the final stitch, the patient hadn't moved an inch. Had it not been for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Zhou You would have thought he was tending to a corpse.

"Captain Li, can you determine what kind of mutant creature injured him?" Zhou You asked humbly.

Zhou You, being compassionate, also placed a towel over the patient's buttocks, so he wouldn't be indecently exposed. However, he wondered if lying on the hard bed would be uncomfortable.

Li Hongxi pointed to the long gash on the man's back and said, "This was definitely made by some mutated creature's claw. One deep, two shallow; indicating a three-fingered claw, likely from a flying creature."

"There's also this area on the waist, which seems to have been grazed by some sharp horn. By the depth, it was a mere brush before he evaded it. I haven't seen any bird species with horns, so either these injuries occurred at different times, or he encountered more than one mutant."

Doctor Zhao confidently said, "The injuries occurred at the same time. They're fresh, likely from last night around midnight. Wasn't our camp also attacked by a swarm of beasts then? He might've been close by and experienced the same."

"But he was alone," Li Hongxi remarked with a frown. "Who could escape such circumstances on their own?"

"Being alone has its advantages," Zhou You said. "He can run and hide. We, being a larger group, would attract more attention, making us more vulnerable to large-scale attacks."

Pondering this, Li Hongxi realized that if this was the case, the injured man might have been very close to their convoy, possibly a member of another exploration team and got separated before meeting them.

Zhou You, however, thought of another possibility. Could the commotion on the mountain last night be related to this man? He had seen carcasses of various mutated creatures, and even thought he saw a human. Could it be him? And could anyone really fight off so many high-level mutants at once?

Zhou You hadn't encountered such a situation himself and doubted it was possible. Unless one possessed a legendary weapon, described in tales as one that could challenge gods and Buddhas, they would be overwhelmed by a large number of high-level mutants. The only option would be to flee.

"Let's not speculate further. We'll know when he wakes up," Doctor Zhao, exhausted, waved it off. "Zhou You, please watch over him. I'll take a nap. If you get tired, rest a bit."

Zhou You didn't refuse. The medical vehicle was much more comfortable than the crowded truck, although the scent of disinfectant was quite strong.

Chapter 016: Fear of Death is a Human Trait

The patient developed a high fever that night. Zhou You administered a fever-reducing injection and switched the IV to an antibiotic. Doctor Zhao lamented, "We only have a few bottles of antibiotics left. I didn't even give any to those with minor injuries last night."

Knowing supplies were scarce, Zhou You inquired, "Where can we resupply? Haven't we encountered other bases while heading north?"

"There are bases, but they're small and lack resources. The entire southern region has turned into a forest, making it hard to establish large bases. Currently, most people are concentrated in the Yellow and Yangtze River basins and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Further north, it's bitterly cold, inhospitable for most."

Taken aback, Zhou You asked, "What about the countries in the north?"

"I'm not sure. During the great disaster, wars raged and many smaller nations were annexed. Geological disasters later ensued, with sea levels rising and drowning countless cities. We common folks are just concerned about our own nation. But it's certain that our country, **, still has the highest population globally."

Doctor Zhao took out a cigarette box, with only one cigarette inside. He sniffed it and put it back, sighing, "We have come across ruins of large cities. They surely have cold storage units with medicine. But with so many civilians and the constant loss of Captain Li's personnel, they can't search extensively. The medicine we have was gathered bit by bit."

Dr. Zhao, not wanting Zhou You to misunderstand, shared what he knew. "Currently, the biggest pharmaceutical company is ZhongYao Group, fully controlled by the central government. Their research team is world-class, and their products are best-sellers."

Intrigued, Zhou You asked, "Given the transportation challenges, how do they distribute their medicine? I've heard many small bases have lost contact."