I Opened a Clinic in the Apocalypse

⟣Chapter 141

⟣•141•⟢
: I OPENED A CLINIC IN THE APOCALYPSE

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TL: Moonlit

Xiao Hen’s changes were immediately reported to Xiao Jiang by Old Xue. Xiao Hen’s behavior seemed off, completely different from before. He appeared as if he had become a different person altogether—cruel, ruthless, devoid of emotions. He even treated Old Xue, who had watched him grow up, with indifference.

Xiao Jiang was left alone in the meeting room, staying up until midnight without being able to figure out what had gone wrong. He had a very bad premonition in his heart. The words Xiao Hen had said when he applied for retirement kept echoing in Xiao Jiang’s mind. Xiao Hen had asked, “If I become a zombie, would you kill me?”

What had he answered at that time?

Xiao Jiang struggled to recall. He seemed to have said that he didn’t want to waste time on such a meaningless question.

Xiao Jiang still vividly remembered Xiao Hen’s expression at that time.

He felt helpless. What had he been striving and holding on for until now? His wife couldn’t be saved, and he couldn’t protect his son. The sense of responsibility and righteousness he had held onto seemed like a joke after experiencing so much.

In this post-apocalyptic world, many people and things had changed. Familiar faces were no longer the same, and familiar things became unfamiliar. Xiao Jiang felt exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Old Xue pushed open the door and entered. “Xiao Jiang, why are you alone here? Those foreigners…”

Seeing Xiao Jiang’s desolate state, Old Xue’s words got stuck in his throat.

He turned around, closed the door gently, and sat down beside Xiao Jiang. After a long silence, he said, “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Even if Xiao Hen has changed, he wouldn’t be completely devoid of humanity. At least, we were allowed to return.”

Xiao Jiang leaned back in his chair, shook his head, and spoke with a hoarse voice, “Do you think Xiao Hen… is still human?”

With a loud “boom,” the fragile trust they had built instantly collapsed.

Xiao Jiang turned his head to look at his old friend, his old subordinate, his eyes reddening. “You said he can easily cut down helicopters and make attacks appear in other places through space… When he left the central mega-city, he didn’t have this kind of power. In just a few days, how did he become so strong?”

From a normal perspective, this was not the kind of power an esper could possess. Even with the aid of energy crystals, it would be impossible to achieve such a level of strength in such a short time. Moreover, for esper abilities to upgrade, they had to break through each level’s barrier. Many espers would get stuck at these barriers for several months or even one to two years. It was impossible to have such a rapid rate of improvement.

They didn’t need to delve too deep into this question. They both knew the answer in their hearts.

Xiao Jiang calmed his emotions and said, “The foreign delegation won’t give up easily. They will definitely find a way to return to the civilized city. As long as the antidote and vaccine are in the civilized city, it won’t be peaceful there. It’s ridiculous that some of our higher-ups still naively believe that they came to help the mega-city overcome difficulties.”

“Now that they have obtained the information they most wanted about the antidote and vaccine, it’s likely that they would be delighted to see the downfall of China. If the mega-city comes under attack, they probably won’t lend a helping hand. We can’t rely on them; we must prepare an exit strategy.”