Chapter 386: Crystal Core Rocket Launcher
After a bit, Song Qin wheeled the still-sleeping He Mei out of the operating room. “With the help of a healing-type ability user, all her injuries have recovered. But she should stay in the hospital for a day for observation.”
“In the next few days, she’ll likely pass some blood clots or lochia. The family should pay attention—keep her warm and make sure she doesn’t overexert herself. Her physical condition is poor, so nutrition is important.”
Dong Hongyuan listened carefully and nodded, pushing He Mei into a temporarily arranged hospital room.
Li Zhuang patted him on the shoulder and pointed to the bag he’d brought. “Inside is baby formula, clothes, a small blanket, and other things. If you don’t know how to use them, go ask someone.”
“Thanks, Brother Zhuang,” Dong Hongyuan said.
“I’ll come check on you tomorrow.” Li Zhuang waved goodbye with his back turned and left the hospital.
After gazing at the wrinkled, red-faced “little monkey” for a while, Dong Hongyuan finally reached down and opened the bag. Sitting right on top was a crystal core.
He paused, then silently put it away.
He Mei was awakened by the baby’s crying. Weak and disoriented, she reached for her belly and, feeling its flatness, was jolted fully awake.
Under the dim yellow light, Dong Hongyuan was being taught by a nurse how to hold the baby. “Keep the head slightly elevated, rock gently. This baby formula seems expired. Are you sure you want to feed it to her?”
“I’m sure.” Dong Hongyuan wasn’t certain about the formula himself, but he trusted anything that Li Zhuang had brought.
“One scoop of formula to thirty milliliters of warm water. It must be warm—use your temperature-controlled kettle and set it to 45 degrees. In winter, about 55. If you don’t have that, test it yourself. Here, put out your arm… feel that? That’s the right temperature. Too hot and it’ll burn the baby, too cold and she’ll get sick. We’re short on medicine now, so try to avoid illness.”
The nurse kept chattering. Dong Hongyuan mouthed the instructions silently like he was memorizing a textbook. This big man clumsily pushed the bottle into the tiny baby’s mouth and whispered, “Don’t cry, little treasure.”
After all her reminders, the middle-aged nurse yawned and left. “When she stops crying, put her back in the incubator.”
“Got it,” Dong Hongyuan replied, eyes still glued to the red-faced infant.
After feeding her and rocking her back to sleep, he placed her back in the incubator. As he was about to wash the bottle, he noticed He Mei was awake.
He set the bottle down and pulled out a thermal lunchbox from the bag. Inside was cabbage stewed with meat and two big steamed buns.
Thanks to a healing ability user, there was no need to wait for her to “pass gas” before eating, as is standard after childbirth. He Mei nodded and tried to sit up, but didn’t have the strength.
Dong Hongyuan stepped up, lifted her in one arm, and set her against the pillow. Her body tensed at first, only relaxing a while after he let go.
Her hands were weak—she couldn’t even hold chopsticks, let alone feed herself.
Dong Hongyuan broke up the bun, soaked it in the stew, and fed her one spoonful at a time.
Supplies on the oil island were limited, and although they’d received occasional aid from Yueban Bay, there wasn’t much variety in their meals. It had been ages since He Mei had eaten something this flavorful, and she wolfed it down, finishing everything quickly.
Without a word, Dong Hongyuan bundled her back into the quilt, then carried the lunchbox and bottle out of the room.
The whole time, they barely exchanged a single word.
He Mei had been through nearly two years of this kind of silence, and she had long since gotten used to it.
But at this moment, she couldn’t explain the sudden panic in her heart.
Still physically weak after childbirth, she fell asleep before Dong Hongyuan returned.
When she woke again, her body was already fully recovered. After an examination, Song Qin gave her some reminders and informed them that she could be discharged. However, the baby would need to remain in the hospital under supervision in the incubator for at least another two weeks.
Without a word, Dong Hongyuan brought the few belongings from their rental house to the hospital so he could stay and look after the baby.
He efficiently set up the hospital room, while He Mei stood by the window like an outsider. After he had finished organizing everything and fed the baby a few times without complaint, she finally gathered the courage to speak.
“Can I leave with the Capital base team?”
She gripped the coat on her body tightly, as tense as a criminal awaiting judgment. But she felt that she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Dong Hongyuan paused for a moment, still making the bed, and didn’t even turn his head. “The doctor said you just gave birth, it’s best to do a proper postpartum recovery.”
“I’m fine now,” He Mei said quickly.
Dong Hongyuan finally stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. His tall frame made her feel intimidated, and she unconsciously stepped back, pressing herself against the window.
“You’re sure you want to leave?” Dong Hongyuan’s dark eyes revealed nothing.
He Mei nodded repeatedly—this man was her nightmare.
“Alright,” Dong Hongyuan turned back to look at the child in the incubator. After a long pause, he added, “If you leave, don’t ever come back.”
He Mei didn’t respond. She watched as Dong Hongyuan walked over to the kettle to fetch water and suddenly didn’t know if she had made the right choice.
She had seen women on Oil Island being tortured—forced to do anything by those men day in and day out. She couldn’t say whether she was lucky or not. They had handed her over to Dong Hongyuan to seek protection, and in doing so, she had avoided their twisted desires.
But those dark nights filled with forced pain, the lack of any respect, and the endless torment made her fear this man every time she saw him.
But leaving…
The uncertainty of the future left her at a loss—this world had changed too fast, leaving her no time to adjust.
When the people from Oil Island were informed that they could leave, about thirty chose to stay. The rest boarded the departing cargo ships without hesitation. Surprisingly, not a single one of those leaving chose to stay at the Yuebanwan Base.
The base compensated each person with 100 jin (about 50kg) of rice. Once they received the supplies, they couldn’t wait to leave with the Capital team.
After touring the entire base, Lu Xiao decided to return with Zhao Qiang. Lu Weiyi led a team to see them off.
“We can’t be away from Capital Base too long. Even if Old Zhao upgrades his ability, he can’t isolate himself for over a month. If we delay too long, we risk being exposed. We might get ambushed on the road.”
“Then let Chief Zhao go back first, and you can stay a bit longer,” Lu Weiyi suggested. In these times, even being with family every day felt too short. Having just reunited, both he and Lu Xi were reluctant to part again.
Zhuang Mingxu shook his head first. “Better to go together. Zombies outside are evolving too quickly. If we split up, we’ll worry even more. And the longer we delay, the harder it will be to travel once winter hits.”
“Yeah, it’s easier if we go together,” Lu Xiao agreed.
He ruffled Lu Weiyi’s hair, his eyes full of approval. “Xiao Yi, you’ve done a great job managing this base—I’ve seen it. Creating a safe haven for people in a world like this is an incredible achievement. Your uncle is proud of you. If your mother and grandfather were still alive, they’d be proud too.”
“Xiao Xi is amazing too. Your brother said many research breakthroughs had your involvement. Be grateful he trusted you and gave you this platform. Help him protect the base—you two working together will do great things.”
Lu Xi nodded seriously. “Dad, when you’re tired of working, come here. I’ll take care of you. I get really big bonuses.”
“Haha, alright. When I can’t do it anymore, I’ll come,” Lu Xiao laughed heartily.
“Lu bro, we didn’t get to drink together this time. When you have time, come to Capital—I’ve got some great liquor stashed away. We’ll drink our fill,” Zhao Qiang waved.
“It’s a deal.”
Just like when they arrived fully loaded, they left the same way. Zhuang Mingxu not only gave them all the base’s stored salt but also led all the base’s ability-users on several hunts. Their water-type users helped turn the cargo truck beds into frozen storage compartments.
The Oil Island residents leaving filled four trucks. Each was promised 100 jin of rice, and Lu Xiao decided to supply it on behalf of Lu Weiyi. Capital had more wood-type ability users, and growing food wasn’t difficult for them. On the contrary, it would have been a burden on Yuebanwan and made the journey harder.
Everyone hurriedly boarded the trucks, ready to begin a new chapter in life.
He Mei stood dazed on the bridge, Dong Hongyuan silently beside her. Only after all the trucks started moving did he speak.
“You’ll be with them during the journey—they’ll look out for you a bit. Once you arrive, they’ll take you straight into the Capital Base. There are warm clothes and some crystal cores in the bag I packed—that’s my final severance with you and the baby.”
Nearby, a golden eagle, assigned by Li Zhuang to watch over them, caught his words and glanced at the pair. Just as it was about to give them some space for a farewell, Dong Hongyuan’s calm voice rang out:
“He Mei, look forward. Don’t look back.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the base entrance without a trace of hesitation.
He Mei stared blankly at his back, tears unconsciously streaming down her face.
As the convoy rolled out, Zhao Qiang waved them off. Lu Xiao, the last to remain, gave his loved ones one final hug before turning and striding away.
*
Not long after Lu Xiao’s departure, the weapons development lab delivered news: Zhao Changming had successfully developed the first crystal-core rocket launcher, which could be used with tanks and armored vehicles. Compared to pursuit cannons, it had a longer range.
This time, it was directly installed on the repaired tank and tested right on the southern island.
Just by looking at Zhao Changming’s proud expression, one could imagine the result of the test. As expected, it was a great success.
When they returned to the lab, Zhao Changming made his first request—he wanted to go back to see his daughter, Zhao Qianqian.
“Of course, since the project was completed ahead of schedule, you’ll have… two days off,” Zhuang Mingxu clearly wanted to offer even less time, but Zhao Changming’s reaction was too strong. For capable researchers, he still maintained a degree of friendly relations—even though the entire base was racing against time.
Zhuang Mingxu arranged for Lin Yimu to find someone skilled from the base military to act as a bodyguard and escort Zhao Changming back to the northern island.
