Chapter 1981: Team of the Sick
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
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Starting from the highest alt.i.tude, Tianshan Mountain was split into the Valley of Glaciers, the Alps, the Meadow, and the Barren Land.
The Rift Valley meandered upwards, which meant the group would arrive at the Meadow after pa.s.sing the Barren Land. They would be closer to the Valley of Glaciers and the location of the Scar of Tianshan Mountain.
—
The Mailong Private Military Group successfully made it out of the Barren Land by following the trail of the mudslide. They had entered the Meadow, which was full of moss and gra.s.s.
It was called the Meadow because the land was covered in thick gra.s.s. The whole place was dazzlingly green, like a sacred field!
However, since the Mailong Private Military Group was traveling in the Rift Valley, they were unable to enjoy the spectacular view of nature. That being said, the Valley in the Meadow was a lot more s.p.a.cious than before. It consisted of valleys, basins, and low-lying gra.s.slands, which had also inherited the Meadow’s traits.
The group saw a layer of vegetation similar to a gra.s.sy s.p.a.ce in the Rift Valley after they reached the Meadow. However, as they ventured deeper, they noticed the walls and cliffs were covered in plants, in particular with vines bearing huge leaves. Some of them were as thick as a wall. They might even think they had walked into a dead end if they were not observing the plants closely.
A place covered in plants would obviously be home to many species, especially poisonous ones. They were supposed to be relieved after leaving the Barren Land, but now they had to stay on alert when they realized they had entered a much complicated area.
The Bone-Eating Spiders were not the only species the Mailong Private Military Group had encountered in the Barren Land, after all.
They had stumbled into a variety of species along the way, but they had managed to drive the creatures away with brute force. Under normal circ.u.mstances, the creatures in the Barren Land had no chance of stopping a strong mercenary group like the Mailong Private Military Group. Luckily, they had not encountered another cunning species like the Bone-Eating Spiders. However, they had no idea if other groups had encountered some even deadlier species.
Either way, the environment in the Barren Land had been quite simple. It was made up of rocks, sand, cliffs, and crevices. On the other hand, the Meadow was a lot more complicated, meaning there were more types of demon creatures with higher numbers. None of them dared to underestimate Tianshan Mountain after encountering the Bone-Eating Spiders!
“Old Ai, ask the Vice Leader and Gavin to come here,” Nanyu said.
“Oh, alright.”
The group had set up their camp at a spot covered with dried moss. Ai Jiangtu went to ask k.u.ma and Gavin over.
“What now?” Gavin asked impatiently.
“He’s dying,” Nanyu pointed at Parker who was severely ill.
Parker had been sick ever since he came to Tianshan Mountain. He could still walk on his feet at first, but he was now lying down most of the time. The other two freeloaders on the team took turns carrying him around.
“Parker, what the h.e.l.l is wrong with you? Have you been staying at comfortable places for too long? Did you fall sick so easily when the conditions aren’t so favorable to you? Are you a sissy?” Gavin scolded him.
“I…I need a medic,” Parker said feebly.
“So many people are injured. The medics are busy. It’s your own problem that you are sick!” Gavin said.
“Ask Warner to come take a look,” k.u.ma said.
“Seriously, why must you call us over for something so trivial!” Gavin grumbled.
The medic called Warner soon arrived, but he was obviously worn out too. It seemed like he did not even have time to quench his thirst.
He observed Parker and said, “It’s the same symptoms as before, high-alt.i.tude sickness, but they are a lot worse now. Parker, it seems like this place doesn’t suit you at all. Normally, people with high-alt.i.tude sickness will recover in a day or two, but you’re getting worse instead.”
“Help…help me…” Parker pleaded.
“There’s nothing I can do. Your body has to adapt to the environment. Try taking more deep breaths,” Warner said.
Even a Healer could not do anything much for a sick patient, let alone something like high-alt.i.tude sickness.
Parker’s eyes dimmed after everyone left. He seemed to be suffering a lot, but there was no way the group would turn back now because of him.
“He should have rested in the town.”
“Who knew it would be so serious.”
“Parker is going to die at this rate.”
Even a small fever might kill a healthy adult if it was not treated properly, not to mention the high-alt.i.tude sickness, which had a variety of symptoms. If the patient’s body could not adapt to the environment, vomiting, nausea, and edema were only some of the obvious symptoms.
Parker could no longer eat. He might even die of starvation instead of sickness.
Mo Fan and the others did not have any better ideas. Mo Fan and Ai Jiangtu tried compressing the air to provide Parker with more oxygen, but that did not work either.
“It seems like they are going to leave him behind,” Jiang Yu shook his head.
“It’s the same for many mercenary groups. Many people fall ill when a journey is long, and most of the time, the sick can only be treated in the cities with doctors, devices, and medicine. It’s normal for the sick to be abandoned by the group,” Ai Jiangtu said softly.
It was the difference between the military and mercenaries. Soldiers were not allowed to abandon their comrades under any circ.u.mstances. Even if they were dead, they had to carry their bodies back. Mercenaries were more cold-blooded. They only cared about money and their missions.
“Old Ai, what did Gavin tell you?” Nanyu asked.
“He asked me to leave Parker behind and let him die when I found a suitable spot,” Ai Jiangtu said.
“Holy c.r.a.p, did he seriously ask us to act like a.s.sh***s?” Zhao Manyan said.
“I didn’t agree to it,” Ai Jiangtu said.
—
The group set out again, but before they took off, two old mercenaries carried another man and placed him in front of Ai Jiangtu and the others.
“What’s wrong?” Ai Jiangtu asked.
“He seems to be suffering from symptoms of the high-alt.i.tude sickness too. Gavin has asked us to bring him here for you to look after, since you are so compa.s.sionate toward the sick,” the gambling addict Li Yu said.
He kept staring at Mu Ningxue’s bust without concealing his l.u.s.t.
“What the heck? Is our team the Team of the Sick now? Shouldn’t his team be looking after him?” Zhao Manyan grumbled.
“You should be relieved that we aren’t asking you to take care of the injured, too. Besides, there are many women on your team. It’s normal for you to be looking after the sick,” Li Yu went on