A nurse standing nearby gave Assistant Wu an injection of anesthetic.

Only after laying him down did Lin Chu continue her work, cutting without distraction.

But the three people in the room were now looking at Lin Chu with changed expressions.

Assistant Wu’s earlier scream had practically shaken the heavens and moved the ghosts to tears.

Anyone who heard it would be terrified.

Not to mention, the three of them had witnessed with their own eyes as Lin Chu carved a chunk of flesh from Assistant Wu.

Her technique had been clean, swift, and ruthless—like she wasn’t operating on a living person at all.

The three wiped the sweat from their foreheads, each of them feeling some sympathy for the man lying on the hospital bed.

As Lin Chu was halfway through treating Assistant Wu’s wounds, the round-faced nurse helping her and handing her supplies spoke hesitantly:

“Dr. Lin, we’re almost out of antibiotics…”

Only then did Lin Chu look up and glance at the operating table.

On it, her medical kit was only half-opened. So far, she had only used her own surgical instruments.

She hadn’t touched her own supply of medicine yet.

Everything she’d used so far came from the supplies at the small hillside base.

She turned to look at Wang Rui.

Wang Rui, who had been standing by the door the whole time, was caught off guard but quickly stepped forward.

“How are we already out? I remember Dr. Liu said before he left that the remaining bottles of antibiotics would be enough to last until he got back…”

As he spoke, his voice grew quieter.

Because his eyes had landed on the palm-sized wound on Assistant Wu’s body.

That was it. Assistant Wu had multiple wounds, and since Dr. Lin had removed additional flesh to prevent the suspected infection from spreading, the wounds were now even larger and required more medicine.

Dr. Liu had left in the first place because the base’s medicine supply was running dangerously low. He was worried they wouldn’t last until the government’s next supply drop, so he’d gone personally to Base No. 1 to get more medicine.

Now, with Assistant Wu’s injuries, they’d practically emptied what little was left in the base’s pharmacy.

“This…”

Wang Rui was at a loss. Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, a voice came from outside the door.

“Dr. Lin, if you have extra medicine, you may use it for Assistant Wu. I guarantee that we will compensate you with equivalent supplies—or when Dr. Liu returns, with the same type of medicine.”

Everyone turned their heads and saw Mayor Li walking in, neatly dressed.

His clothes were old.

The once-white shirt collar was now frayed, and his black pants had faded to gray.

Even so, he’d tidied himself up.

He leaned on a cane with his right hand, and Wang Rui immediately stepped forward to assist him.

“Mayor Li, what are you…”

Before he could finish, Mayor Li raised a hand to stop him and fixed his gaze on Lin Chu, waiting for her response.

Lin Chu pursed her lips, seeming a little hesitant.

In truth, she had already agreed in her heart.

Antibiotics were essential, and she had stocked up on entire boxes—oral, topical, even injectable forms.

If it were just for her own use, she likely wouldn’t run out even if she lived to the end of her days.

Exchanging some of it now for practical supplies was, in fact, a good deal.

She just couldn’t agree too quickly—medicine was scarce right now. If she was too eager, it might raise suspicions.

Sure enough, her hesitation caused the expression on Mayor Li’s face to relax.

He had been worried this mysterious woman might be a fake doctor.

But earlier, Wang Rui had sent someone to report that the woman’s technique was extremely skilled—precise and decisive, clearly someone used to high-pressure situations.

She was likely a very promising doctor before the apocalypse.

That’s what prompted him to come see her personally.

Based on what he knew about many of his doctor friends, before the disaster hit, doctors tended to be especially cautious. Many had stockpiled essential medications.

He suspected Lin Chu had done the same.

But getting her to hand some over wasn’t going to be easy.

Six months ago, the floods broke out unexpectedly. Many pharmaceutical warehouses hadn’t been evacuated in time and suffered major losses.

Production lines were cut off too.

Now, medicine was scarce across the world.

Even though Base No. 1 had resumed production of some key medications, demand far outpaced supply. Each base was receiving only limited allocations.

“Mayor Li, what are you offering in exchange for the antibiotics?”

When Lin Chu asked the question, both Mayor Li and Wang Rui breathed a sigh of relief.

Her question meant she was indeed willing to trade medicine.

“Our base uses labor points. One bottle of antibiotics earns you 15 points. Later, Wang Rui will take you to the exchange center where you can trade those points for supplies. Whatever you need, you can exchange for. How does that sound?”

As soon as Mayor Li finished speaking, the two nurses nearby looked visibly envious.

The round-faced nurse immediately started chattering:

“Dr. Lin, we only earn 2 labor points for a full day on duty at the infirmary! One labor point can be exchanged for a pound of rice or a single egg. That’s a lot!”

Hearing that eggs could be exchanged, Lin Chu raised her eyebrows slightly.

She had considered raising chickens in the front yard, but had no chicks to start with.

Now she could trade for eggs…

Deal.

After a brief pause, Lin Chu agreed. She had the round-faced nurse retrieve antibiotics from her medical kit and resumed her work.

After all, if she hesitated any longer, Assistant Wu might bleed out and die.

That night, Lin Chu worked late into the night.

She finally finished clearing away all the dark gray necrotic tissue from Assistant Wu’s body.

The pus was drained, and once the wounds caved in, the bleeding stopped.

She didn’t leave right away but responsibly stayed a few hours to observe his condition. Only when she confirmed he was stable did she finally stretch and move around.

Wang Rui had already gone out on patrol.

The round-faced nurse, who had stayed for the first half of the night, had gone back to rest.

In the room now were only the unconscious Assistant Wu on the bed, the pale-faced nurse who had just come in to take the next shift, and Lin Chu.

Lin Chu packed up her medical kit and took the ledger where Mayor Li had personally recorded her 45 labor points. She turned and instructed the pale-faced nurse:

“Assistant Wu is stable now. When your Dr. Liu returns, I’ve written the follow-up medication and treatment plan in the case notes. Make sure to remind him.”

“Okay.”

The pale-faced nurse didn’t speak much. This was the first time Lin Chu had heard her voice, and something about it sounded familiar.

Before she could think further, the nurse suddenly spoke again:

“Dr. Lin, as a doctor, saving lives is your duty. Don’t you think it’s disgraceful to exploit others in their time of need for such high compensation?”