Colonial Suit

Chapter 11: 'Pharmacist' (This chapter is free)

Where am I?

Blood瞳 laboriously opened his eyes, surveying his surroundings.

What came into view was a cramped and simple compartment, barely enough space for him to lie flat. Yet, it was filled with all sorts of plants. The variety of plants was vast, and Blood瞳 only recognized a few. All of them were rare wild 'medicinal' herbs. Each one could fetch a good price on the black market. From this, Blood瞳 deduced that the owner of the compartment must be a wealthy 'pharmacist'.

Beneath him was an old but clean wooden bed. At the head of the bed were some books for 'pharmacist' studies and a tattered cloth doll. The color of the cloth doll had faded, but it was very clean, with several small patches. It was evident that the owner must be a careful girl.

Could it be that I was rescued?

A slight tremor came from below. Only then did Blood瞳 realize he was on a truck. His eyes lit up slightly. But then dimmed again. He remembered the last escape.

After witnessing Li'er's drastic change, Blood瞳 had wanted to give Black Bear one more strike with all his might. But his injuries were severe, and he couldn't muster any strength at all. He could only struggle to escape the ruins and entered a feverish delirium not far from the ruins. In a haze, Blood瞳 only remembered that when he looked back for the last time, he saw Black Bear's fearful expression, but Li'er was gone.

In the apocalypse, everyone avoids contact with the contaminated, because many of the contaminated carry terrible radiation sources and viruses. And the body fluids of the contaminated themselves can be infectious. Li'er was contaminated. Although her bite wasn't fatal, it could make Black Bear fearful and panicked. Moreover, the final change indicated that Li'er had begun to mutate. This was the terrifying effect of high-intensity radiation. Only such an effect could scare Black Bear into abandoning the pursuit of Blood瞳.

Blood瞳 didn't know what this mutation would turn Li'er into, but one thing was certain: the original Li'er would never return.

That skinny figure, dragging him along bit by bit. That little girl who took care of him with her thin body and exchanged her body for food for him. That girl who silently bandaged his wounds every time he came back injured and bleeding. That weak woman who left the best food for him and silently gnawed on hard chunks of meat. Li'er's images at different times overlapped in Blood瞳's mind, eventually turning into a gentle smiling face.

Blood瞳's heart… suddenly ached.

The apocalypse is a world devoid of emotion. When even survival cannot be guaranteed, emotion is simply a luxury for humans. But Blood瞳 found that Li'er had successfully left a shadow deep in his heart.

Blood瞳 didn't know why Li'er had dragged him home in the first place. Nor did he know why she had always been with him, taking care of him. But Li'er played different roles in different periods of his life. A mother, a sister, a wife, a lover. In this filthy apocalypse, Li'er was like a clear spring, nourishing Blood瞳's empty heart.

A man… like an eagle…

But did the eagle have to pay the price of heartbreak when it flew to the sky?

Blood瞳's eyes gradually blurred, covered with a hazy mist…

He didn't know how long had passed when the door of the compartment suddenly opened. A blonde little girl walked in. Seeing Blood瞳's dazed eyes, her eyes lit up.

"You're awake…"

"…" Blood瞳 didn't speak, still staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Why don't you talk?" the blonde little girl asked softly. Seeing that Blood瞳 still didn't respond, she shook her head. She reached under the bed for a while and then threw a cloth bag at Blood瞳.

"Alright then, mister. Whether you're a mute or not, no one eats for free in this caravan. If you want to eat, you have to work. I don't know what your value is, so gather herbs for me first. These are your tools. You'll have to work when we get to the next campsite. I hope your hands still work."

"…" Blood瞳 still didn't speak, but his fingers twitched unconsciously.

"Good, it seems your hands are fine. Then I'll teach you when we get to the next place. This is the Black Sheep Caravan. If you want to survive, you have to work hard. In this filthy world, useless people will die," the little girl instructed softly, turning and walking out of the compartment.

The moment the compartment door closed, a glimmer seemed to flash in Blood瞳's eyes.

"Filthy… world?"

"Li'er…"

"Said that too…"

The caravan slowly advanced, finally arriving at an abandoned village in the evening. The village looked uninhabited. The houses were dilapidated. The village had no water circulation system or food production equipment. The village still retained its original idyllic style. Such a village had little value. The reason why the caravan camped here was because there was a water source nearby.

A slightly polluted river.

In this world, any water source is precious. Especially one with only slight pollution? Sarah had tested the water quality of the river, barely reaching the seventh-grade drinking water range. This was the third-lowest grade. Meaning that the water was drinkable after fine filtration.

The caravan stopped outside the village. Many free people got out one after another. They were all wrapped in airtight hooded cloaks, carefully searching the village. They scavenged for many things: food, water, tools, fuel, even the corpses left by mutated creatures. Everything that could be used was their target. Every bit of collection was essential for the survival of the apocalyptic caravan.

Some of the free people were just travelers, but many were members of the caravan themselves. They relied on the caravan for survival, so they worked very carefully.

Sarah also got off the truck. But her target was not these supplies, but the nearby river. Many useful plants often grew along the riverbank. These had to be handled by Sarah herself.

As the only 'pharmacist' in the caravan, she was also accompanied by two protectors. They were two relatively strong adult men, holding crude spears, carefully guarding Sarah. Blood瞳 was also dragged out by Sarah. The caravan didn't support useless waste. Blood瞳 had already wasted too many resources earlier. Sarah had to make Blood瞳 show his value. Otherwise, he might be kicked out of the caravan at any moment.

Thus, Blood瞳 followed behind Sarah, learning to identify herbs little by little. His right hand still couldn't move, but the injuries to his left hand had basically healed. So he could handle this simple work. But what made Sarah unhappy was his wooden expression. As if he were a machine.

"This is Bladderwort. It looks a bit like Bitter Yellow, but it has no toxins. Nor does it have any aggressiveness. It can be used to treat lung injuries."

"This is Cold Root Grass. Be careful, its leaves have severe cold poison. Only the roots can be used. It's good for reducing fever. Your fever was reduced with it."

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"Good, you're learning fast, but don't stand there dumbly, because you're now standing in the territory of Death Cloud Grass. If you don't want to be corroded into a skeleton by a cloud of poisonous mist, I suggest you leave immediately."

Along the way, the little girl Sarah constantly explained the identification of herbs to Blood瞳. Blood瞳 also silently learned. He never spoke, and his movements were not quick enough. But he could always master the corresponding skills after Sarah's explanation. His hand was very steady, and stability meant accuracy. So he rarely caused danger. On the contrary, the two bodyguards who were protecting them accidentally triggered an attack by a group of man-eating grass and almost lost their lives.

"Hey, you two guys, did I ask you to come and make trouble for me? You wasted my opportunity. I'm going to tell the leader." Sarah showed her sternness at this time. The two guards were so scared that their faces turned pale, apologizing repeatedly.

Resources were scarce in the apocalypse, and even the caravan was not rich. Everyone who relied on the caravan for life was subject to strict rules, obtaining their resources according to the rules. The little girl Sarah's seemingly simple words, if really implemented, would definitely result in the two unlucky guards being deducted points when they returned. Their food rations would also be reduced. And the two guards were obviously not alone. Deducting their rations would definitely affect their women and children. No wonder they were so nervous.

Looking at their trembling hands and flustered expressions, Blood瞳 behind them was expressionless. But he felt strange in his heart. How could such people become guards? With their courage, they probably didn't have the courage to fight mutated beasts. Could they protect the precious 'pharmacist'?

Thinking secretly in his heart, Blood瞳 didn't show any change on the surface, still collecting herbs in an orderly manner. But in this way, in contrast to the two guards' panic, his calm performance aroused the little girl Sarah's favor. She said to the two guards.

"Look, you two idiots, you're not even as good as the savage my brother picked up. Are you even considered official members of the caravan? Be careful, if there's another accident, I'll definitely not spare you."

"Yes, Miss Sarah." The two guards breathed a sigh of relief. The look in their eyes when they turned to look at Blood瞳 became a little unfriendly.

Through Sarah's words, they could sensitively perceive that Sarah wanted to take in this man of unknown origin. Then the caravan's supplies would inevitably become even tighter. Their status was also being challenged.

I really hope this guy gets killed by poisonous grass.

The two guards thought maliciously. But their actions really became more and more careful. They cautiously expanded the scope of vigilance so as not to affect Sarah's collection.

Fortunately, there were no more accidents this time. Soon Sarah's herb collection was over. This time the harvest was not small. She had collected several sacks of herbs. Blood瞳 carried them on his back, big and small. So Sarah discovered another advantage of Blood瞳. His strength was good. He could also be a competent coolie.

But no one noticed that in order to collect more herbs, they had unknowingly walked out of the control range of the camp. When they were ready to go back, they realized that on the riverbank of the way they came, there was a small figure that had appeared at some point. It was lying on the riverbank drinking water.

"Oh, damn. It's a mutated beast!" Sarah moaned in pain, hurrying to hide behind the guards.

"Hopefully it hasn't discovered us. Now, Mr. Guards, now is the time to show your value. Take me back to the camp safely."

"Wuwuwuwu… Yes… Miss Sarah…" The two guards were so scared that they were about to cry. But they could only hold the spears with trembling hands, cautiously leaning forward…