Following the medical check-ups, those hospitalized were either elderly with frail health or those who had previously suffered significant injuries without proper treatment. Zhou You recognized most of them from the convoy, either through interactions or just seeing them.

Perhaps because Zhou You was a commoner like them, everyone was especially cordial and unrestrained in his presence.

As Zhou You made his rounds and beckoned everyone over, Dr. Zhao leaned against his bed and said, "Zhou You, you're a good lad. I mentioned earlier about you pursuing medicine. Have you given it any thought? I'm growing old, and once I leave this hospital, I plan to settle here and offer my assistance. If you're interested, you can continue to be my assistant. The dean here was my university classmate. I can recommend you to a reputable mentor. You'll be able to learn a valuable skill that can sustain you for life."

Suddenly, Lao Qiaotou burst into loud coughs, desperately blinking at Dr. Zhao, who didn't seem to notice.

Zhou You suspected that the doctor had heard something and wanted to offer him a position. With a smile, he declined, "Thank you, Dr. Zhao. For now, I'm with Mr. Shao. I think I'm considering joining the military."

"Join the military?" Almost everyone in the room except Lao Qiaotou found it hard to believe. With Zhou You's physique, which army could he possibly join? However, they'd heard that Mr. Shao had military ties, so maybe he could find Zhou You a logistics position.

Indeed, in these times, serving in the military offered more security. While Dr. Zhao was skeptical of Zhou You's choice, he refrained from commenting. Everyone has to walk their own path, and no one else has the right to interfere.

"By the way, your luggage and backpack are under my bed. Those men wanted to take them away, but I stopped them. I knew you'd be back. For a poor lad like you, that's pretty much all you own. You can't just lose it."

Zhou You didn’t rush to get his belongings but asked, "Who's covering the hospital bills here?"

There was a moment of silence before Dr. Zhao hurriedly said, "We've got some savings, and the military hospital provides a subsidy. It's not too expensive. Once we're discharged, we can start working. Don't worry about us starving."

"Indeed, the essentials these days aren’t expensive. Even if we were to scavenge, we could still sustain ourselves." Everyone was well aware that their primary concern wasn't hunger, but rather a lack of support in their old age.

Not wanting to linger, Zhou You grabbed his suitcase and approached Shao Qi, "I need to head into the city. I have some items I wish to sell. Can you help me evaluate their worth, Mr. Shao?"

"I'll come with you."

To enter the inner city from the outskirts, they had to go through a security check. Both presented their ID cards. Shao Qi passed without issue, but an alarm blared when Zhou You scanned his card.

Zhou You saw the flashing red text on the screen: "Zhou You, Unemployed, 30 years old. Please verify identity."

"Why do they need to display the occupation? What if someone's job isn't considered reputable?" Zhou You found this requirement absurd.

Shao Qi explained, "Every base's inner city management is strict. Foreigners need their identities verified. People like you, labeled as unemployed wanderers, are considered potential threats. Without a guarantor, you won't even get into the inner city."

Four armed guards approached and surrounded Zhou You, asking a series of routine questions and demanding to inspect his suitcase. Shao Qi interjected, "The suitcase belongs to me. He's my driver, a newcomer."

Upon verifying the issue date of Zhou You's ID, which was indeed that very day, the guards let him pass.

"It's been a decade since the apocalypse, and we still have newcomers?" A group of over ten towering individuals, each over two meters tall, passed by Zhou You. He had to tilt his head upwards to see their faces clearly.

A duty guard greeted them, "Captain Long, you're back! Was the mission successful?"

Captain Long shifted his gaze from Zhou You and replied indifferently, "You see that over twenty of us left and only these few returned. Would you say it was successful or not?"

Realizing his blunder, the guard hastily apologized, "I'm sorry, Captain Long, I..."

Captain Long wasn't intent on troubling the guard, he just felt dispirited. He waved him off, "It's fine. We lost nearly half of our men this time. I'm not in the best of moods."

Zhou You observed a woman carrying a child rush over. She scanned the group, "Where's Wu Xiang? ...Captain Long, is Xiang behind the group?"

A young team member stepped forward, took the child from her, and handed her a backpack, "Sister-in-law, Xiang... he... didn't make it back."

The group stood silent. Their families knew all too well that these backpacks were used to carry the ashes of the deceased. In these perilous times, it was already a blessing to bring back the ashes of fallen comrades. Most didn't even leave a decent relic behind.

Zhou You thought the woman would break into loud sobs, but she only clutched the bag, caressing the amulet hanging from her purse. The sparkle in her eyes had vanished.

After a long pause, she asked, "Did he leave any last words?"

"Sister-in-law..."

Captain Long interjected, "Wu Xiang told you to take care of the child and lead a good life. If you cannot manage with the child, you can send him to a relief center. Rest assured, his belongings and the compensation from the team will be delivered to you in full."

The woman lifted her head, snatched the child from the man's arms, and said to Captain Long, "I will not send my child anywhere. Thank you for bringing him back." Holding the child, she ran off.

"Captain Long, Wu Xiang never said such things!" A straightforward team member wondered why the captain lied, but it seemed to make little difference.

"Let's move on, complete our mission, and then everyone can go home and rest." Facing the families of the fallen after each mission was the hardest part. Many of them were pillars of their families, and with their loss, those families crumbled.