Rhys Chase’s expression was complicated. To be honest, deep down, he had always felt an indescribable apprehension toward Ronan Kendrick. He was both jealous and envious of his abilities. But seeing Ronan hide all his sharp edges for a woman filled him with a sense of frustration, like watching a promising talent go to waste.
After the blood transfusion, Rhys Chase’s body recovered quickly. Seeing that he was out of danger, Ronan Kendrick got up to leave.
"You’re going back so soon?"
"Evelyn is waiting for me."
Rhys Chase couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "You’re a lost cause."
When Ronan Kendrick returned to the Undercity, Evelyn Ford was in her pocket dimension checking on the growth of her medicinal herbs. She wasn’t surprised when Ronan suddenly appeared beside her; instead, she asked about Rhys Chase’s condition.
"He’s fine now. Even if I hadn’t gone, he would have woken up after a day or two in a coma. He won’t feel great this month, but once he gets through this degenerative period, he’ll be back to normal."
Evelyn clicked her tongue in amazement. "It’s like with a robot. He needs factory maintenance every year."
Ronan Kendrick smiled and took the small hoe from her hand. "Do you need to replant anything?"
"No, but some areas are planted too densely. I need to pull some out and transplant them to sparser spots."
Evelyn looked up at Ronan. "You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen?"
"Of course I’m in a good mood now that I’m back and I see you." Ronan squatted down and began to dig up some herbs. Hearing this, Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh.
"Who taught you that? You’ve actually learned how to sweet-talk."
"I’m a natural." His tone was rather proud.
The two of them busied themselves in the pocket dimension for several hours. Evelyn went to the livestock area for a bit, playing with Mina and Lola for a while before finally leaving the dimension.
Things had been tense at the base recently, and the atmosphere in the Undercity was rather oppressive. Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell went to the hydroponics room to help grow vegetables. After all, the black soil in the pocket dimension had just been planted with medicinal herbs and cotton, which would take several months to harvest. They couldn’t stand being idle, so they wanted to do something for the base.
Wendy now had her own room. She practiced acupuncture and memorized medicinal formulas every day. Aside from mealtimes, everyone rarely saw her.
The most idle person was still Zoe. Evelyn had brought two small birds out of her pocket dimension to play with her. Zoe was such a chatterbox that in less than three days, she had tormented the birds into withdrawal.
Everyone still ate their meals together. Most of the time, Officer Graham was the one cooking, as his skills were comparatively better. Evelyn was too busy, so the task of cooking no longer fell to her. Occasionally, she would cook a special meal just for Ronan.
Joelle Finch and Wyatt Vaughn were responsible for making clothes for everyone. Although there were plenty of clothes in the pocket dimension, most didn’t fit and needed alterations. Fabric was extremely precious these days, so naturally, they couldn’t bear to throw anything away. A few patches here and there, and they were still wearable. Evelyn wasn’t picky about her clothes; forget patches, she wouldn’t even mind wearing beggar’s rags.
After dinner, the others returned to their own rooms. Evelyn made two cups of milk tea, took out a tablet, and started a movie they hadn’t finished. The two of them snuggled on the sofa, quietly enjoying the rare, peaceful moment.
The next day, Evelyn went into her pocket dimension and, out of habit, strolled through the medicinal herb fields. After a few harvests of grain, the fields were full of weeds. Evelyn called Ronan over, and they pulled the weeds from the herb fields, rinsed the soil from the roots by the river, and left them to air dry so they could be fed to the rabbits.
Ethan Dawson, Miles Vaughn, and Peter Owens built a new chicken coop and a rabbit hutch in the livestock area. Quincy and Officer Graham went to weed the cotton fields. Wendy was studying in her room, and even the two kids were put to work by Evelyn.
Everyone was busy from morning until evening before they finally left the pocket dimension. They had hot pot for lunch in the wooden cabin inside the dimension. Wendy had started breaking out in pimples on her forehead, so Evelyn found a box of hydrating face masks for her.
"Evelyn, are you sure I’m not having an allergic reaction or poisoned?" Wendy had been studying various poisonous herbs recently, so when she saw the pimples on her face, her first reaction was that she had poisoned herself.
Evelyn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Don’t worry, you’re not poisoned or having an allergic reaction. You’re just getting acne. As long as you maintain a regular diet, don’t stay up late, use a few hydrating masks, and apply some acne cream, the pimples on your face will clear up quickly."
"Puberty?"
Evelyn nodded. "Some people get acne during puberty. They might also go through a rebellious phase. It’s all very normal."
"Can I pop them? They’re so itchy, I can’t stop myself from scratching."
"You can’t pop them yet. Wait until the pimples mature and have a whitehead, then you can squeeze it out and apply ointment. Your pimples aren’t mature yet. If you force it now, you’ll easily get a scar, and acne scars are dark and very hard to fade."
Wendy looked miserable. Staring at the red bumps on her forehead, chin, and cheeks, she felt terrible and wanted to scratch them or even pop them with a needle.
Noticing Wendy’s significant mood swings, Evelyn prepared a "cooling" herbal medicine for her.
The next day, Liam Sterling came over carrying a pile of things. Seeing that everyone was there, Liam was all smiles. He had brought not only fresh fruits and vegetables, but also two bags of candy.
"Mr. Kendrick, Sister-in-law, the Mica and Furnace Stone have been added to the medicine. Lynn Pierce told me that with the Mica, the hemostatic effect has doubled."
"As long as it’s useful. Are you not busy today?"
"Not busy. The lab has already developed a new serum. Once it’s injected into a patient, the pathogen dies, the cells regenerate, and the ulcerated skin will slowly heal. At least, that’s what Lynn Pierce said. I’m not too clear on the details myself."
The base’s medical team was truly incredible. They had developed a specific cure so quickly. Everyone was thrilled to hear the news.
"That’s wonderful! Does this mean those children won’t die after being injected with the serum?"
Liam Sterling nodded. "Their lives will be saved, but it will take six months to a year for their skin to fully heal. Many of them are orphans. Some have parents, but their parents have to work and don’t have time to care for them. The base has decided to move them into a vacant residential building to be looked after by dedicated staff. Once they’ve fully recovered, they’ll be sent back to the shelter. Oh, right, the factory has already produced one hundred thousand sets of protective gear. They’re being distributed first to the workers at the pharmaceutical and food processing plants. Although the cold, pathogen-carrying wind is still blowing, it won’t be a problem with the protective suits."
"The administration also considered putting up a windbreak in front of the base, but conditions are tough right now. Where would we find the extra materials to build a windbreak large enough to cover the entire base?" Liam Sterling sighed.
"Mr. Chase sent telegrams to the commanders of the other bases. They’ll be coming to get the serum soon. A single vial of this serum can be traded for a lot of supplies."
Even though we’re all from the same country, we’re from different bases. Some things still need to be settled clearly.
"Is the base short on supplies right now?"
"Yes. The base is huge and has a lot of people, so the daily expenses are no simple matter. This time, the main goal is to trade the serum for salt. Our base is running low on salt. You all haven’t been to the cafeteria recently, so you wouldn’t know, but starting this month, the food hasn’t had any oil or salt."
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