Chapter 376: Protracted War
Chapter 376: Chapter 376: Protracted War
Ning Xuan departed for the Star Domain Main Battlefield where the war had erupted. Just before she left, Yue Qingtian finally found an opportunity to place Mo Yan into Ning Xuan’s Treatment Team as a doctor’s assistant.
Since Ning Xuan needed Yue Qingtian to sign the transfer orders for her to support the Star Domain Main Battlefield, she did not refuse the Treatment Team.
Construction of defensive systems and deployment of offensive systems had already begun on the outskirts of the Star Domain Main Battlefield. One look was enough to know they were preparing for a protracted war.
Through the transport ship’s observation window, Ning Xuan saw a massive ring of light. Inside the ring, countless engineering Mechas zipped through space like worker ants, and numerous transport ships shuttled back and forth, delivering supplies and personnel.
A massive metal framework had already begun to take shape. With the Federation’s level of technology, building a steel fortress in space could be done in just a few days.
At a mobilization meeting for key support personnel a few days ago, Ning Xuan had seen the construction blueprints for the frontline base. The field command post had planned a three-layer defensive system: the outermost layer was a dense array of honeycomb-style Energy Shield emitters; the middle layer was deployed with automated turret arrays; and the inner layer was a safe zone for activities, including rest areas, medical treatment zones, and dining areas. The inner layer also contained a core area—the command hub, whose framework had just been completed.
The outermost ring of light was generated by the Energy Shields. The honeycomb-style Energy Shield emitters only needed to be deployed at fixed points, and the shields would block all kinds of energy attacks, protecting the middle and inner layers to allow for the uninterrupted construction of defensive works.
To build defensive fortifications on a large enough scale, the Federation Military Department had transferred over all available honeycomb-style Energy Shield emitters.
The transport ship carrying Ning Xuan decelerated, preparing to dock. A slight vibration ran through the ship as the docking hatch slowly opened.
Lin Mo took a step forward, protectively shielding Ning Xuan. The hatch opened, and they were hit with the mixed smell of various metals and mechanical lubricants. Even though Ning Xuan was wearing a mask that could filter out toxic gases, she could still smell the strong odor.
Ning Xuan took a slow breath, stepped out of the cabin, and walked into the docking chamber. From the docking chamber, there was direct access to the Medical Treatment Center in the base’s inner layer.
The so-called Medical Treatment Center in the inner layer was, in reality, just a framework structure currently under intense construction. Although it was just a frame, it was already filled with densely packed beds. A screen was placed every ten or so beds to serve as a partition.
Although the environment of the Medical Treatment Center was extremely basic, many wounded had already been brought in. Staff members hurried back and forth between the beds, all looking incredibly busy.
After escorting Ning Xuan to the Medical Treatment Center, Lin Mo had to return to the front-line troops. He was the highest-ranking commander of the support forces dispatched by the Second Legion and had to go back to his unit to command the battle.
After Lin Mo left, Mo Yan took the opportunity to step forward. "Miss Ning, I just asked around. In the past 72 hours, this place has received 425 wounded. Among them, 189 are severely injured, and 73 have died. Due to the limited conditions, all the wounded are currently in the main hall. To differentiate the severity of their injuries, the area has been simply divided into three zones: black, red, and yellow. The black zone is for critically ill patients with life-threatening injuries. The red zone is for severely injured patients who are at risk of deteriorating at any moment. The yellow zone is for patients whose conditions are relatively stable."
As Mo Yan reported to Ning Xuan, Yan Fuzhen watched her with a scrutinizing gaze. In an unfamiliar place, Yan Fuzhen’s most important task was to protect Ning Xuan. He had been observing their surroundings and knew that what Mo Yan said was correct.
Sure enough, just as Mo Yan finished her report, a staff member in charge of reception came up to them. His introduction to the current patient intake situation was exactly the same as Mo Yan’s.
"Miss Ning, welcome. I’m part of the reception staff at the Medical Treatment Center. The center was just established, and the Federation Elder Council has requisitioned thirty SS-level and one hundred fifty S-Class Controllers with healing abilities to provide support. You are in the first group to arrive. I’ve already arranged a lounge for you. Please, follow me." The receptionist was very polite to Ning Xuan.
The Director of the Medical Treatment Center would be chosen from among the thirty SS-level Controllers. Among all of them, Ning Xuan was the youngest and had the least seniority, so her chances of being chosen were very slim.
Ning Xuan hadn’t even made it to the lounge. As she was crossing the treatment hall, she heard the roar of a wild beast. She was very familiar with this sound—it was the noise made by someone undergoing mutation.
Ning Xuan stopped in her tracks. The rising and falling cries of agony in the treatment hall were like invisible hooks, digging into her mind. She took a deep breath and decided to go take a look right away.
The air was filled with the pungent stench of blood mixed with disinfectant.
In the red zone of the hall, three Healers were desperately holding down a convulsing soldier. Scale-like patterns had appeared on his bare back, and the roars coming from his throat no longer sounded human.
The metal treatment bed groaned under the strain of his struggles. Two of the restraining straps had already snapped.
"Hold his head! Don’t let him bite!" one Healer said to his colleague.
Ning Xuan glanced at the soldier, then precisely gripped the man’s mutating wrists. The skin she touched was scorching hot. Dense scales had sprouted on his wrists, seeming to grow right out of his flesh and blood. The surrounding skin was covered in blood.
Ning Xuan had Mo Yu, who was following behind her, pry open the soldier’s mouth and pour a bottle of Alienation Value Clearing Potion down his throat.
After seeing the soldier swallow the potion, Ning Xuan quickly inserted needles into several acupoints on his head. The frenzied soldier instantly quieted down. The Healers watched this miraculous scene in disbelief.
"He actually fell asleep! We just gave him more than ten different sedatives, and none of them worked. Miss, you’re really amazing. You just stuck him with a few needles and put him to sleep," one of the Healers said, looking at Ning Xuan with admiration.
"The patient struggled for so long he was already exhausted and sleepy. She just got lucky, that’s all," a man nearby said resentfully.
Everyone around was busy, and Ning Xuan didn’t want to argue. After confirming the patient was no longer in critical danger, she prepared to leave. Just then, the sharp sound of shattering glass came from behind her and to the right.
Ning Xuan turned to look and glimpsed a wounded soldier knocking over a medicine cart while struggling. A pale blue sedative had shattered on the floor, reflecting a faint blue light under the lamps.
"What the hell are you doing? Hold him down! Sedatives are in short supply, and you just wasted so much. How are you going to explain this to your superiors?" a Doctor angrily reprimanded the assistant helping him nearby.