NOVGO.NET Chapter 335: Treatment Pod
Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Treatment Pod
He breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn’t lost. He quickly shoved it inside.
A beam of white light shot from the Lucky Cat’s mouth and landed swiftly on the ground. After the blinding glare faded...
A clinic, about the same size as the breakfast shop, appeared before their eyes.
’It looked just like one of those ubiquitous roadside clinics, the kind that puts you on an IV and prescribes a ton of medicine the moment you walk in—a not-so-legit kind of place.’
The sign featured a red ’+’ in the top-left corner, alongside the word ’Clinic’ written in large, neat characters.
Lily Hart patted Roman Rowe’s shoulder and pushed his gaping mouth closed.
"Don’t just stand there stunned. Let’s go have a look." Lily Hart went in first.
She found the interior décor and facilities were simple: a checkout counter for the shop owner to sit behind.
In the very center were three... transparent coffins?
’You couldn’t blame Lily Hart for the word that first popped into her head. The resemblance was just uncanny...’
Except coffins were made of wood, and this material looked more like plastic. They were transparent, rectangular boxes.
’Too much alike.’
Lily Hart pushed the thought from her mind and stepped closer for a better look.
There were instructions pasted on it. So this was called a Treatment Pod. An injured person just had to lie inside.
Pay a number of Crystal Cores determined by the Treatment Pod based on the severity of the injuries, take a nap, and wake up good as new.
This time, both of them were gaping in shock. Lily Hart had only ever seen things like this in articles describing the future.
’How magical.’
’Doesn’t that mean no one has to be afraid of getting injured anymore!?’
But this thing looked a little too crude; it didn’t look high-tech at all! Lily Hart put her hands on her hips and walked around it, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
"HISS—"
She was still examining the Treatment Pod, hands on her hips, when Roman Rowe suddenly hissed from behind her. She whirled around to see blood dripping from his index finger.
In his other hand, he still held a short dagger, also stained with a bit of blood.
"You... you... you!" Lily Hart was dumbfounded. "Seriously, dude?"
Roman Rowe’s lips curled into a smirk. He said, trying to act tough, "This is nothing. Just a scratch. I’ll get in and test it out. Just... stay here and don’t go anywhere, okay?"
"’Alright, alright.’" Lily Hart agreed, resigned.
She watched as Roman Rowe lifted the coffin lid—no, the lid of the Treatment Pod—and nimbly lay down inside, folding his hands over his stomach and shutting his eyes.
He looked as peaceful as if he’d just passed away.
A moment later, a number appeared on the Treatment Pod: 1.
Lily Hart almost burst out laughing. Both amused and exasperated, she fished a single Crystal Core out of her pocket and inserted it into the slot.
Soon, the Treatment Pod began to emit a soft green light, which flowed into Roman Rowe’s body in tiny specks. A minute later, the number vanished, and the pod’s lid opened automatically.
Roman Rowe’s eyes snapped open, and he looked completely refreshed. He scrambled out just as nimbly as he’d gotten in. Lily Hart stepped forward, grabbing his hand to inspect the index finger he had cut.
His body stiffened. For a guy who was usually so brazen, his voice suddenly became as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz. "It... it really worked..."
Lily Hart released his hand and crossed her arms. "A cut that small would’ve healed by now even without the Treatment Pod," she said sarcastically.
"..." After a long pause, Roman Rowe finally said, "You want me to stab myself for real this time?"
Lily Hart shot him a glare. "Are you nuts?" With that, she turned and headed out. Roman Rowe scrambled after her, grinning sheepishly. "I was just kidding!"
The two had just stepped out of the clinic when they saw a group of people rushing toward them. The man in the lead shouted, his voice full of shock and disbelief, "Is this a clinic?"
The sign—with its bright red cross and the word ’Clinic’ next to it—was very conspicuous.
While the major bases had hospitals, they could only treat superficial wounds or minor injuries. Combined with the medicine shortages, recovery was basically left to one’s own healing ability.
Those with poor healing abilities could only wait for death.
Lily Hart shouted back, "Yes, it’s a clinic! Is someone hurt? Bring them in!"
’They looked travel-worn and anxious. They must have just gotten back from fighting zombies outside. Someone in their group was hurt, and they must have spotted the clinic from a distance and made a run for it.’
The leader yelled to his team, "Quick, get him inside!"
Four people carried in a stretcher with an unconscious man on it. His breathing was faint, blood was seeping from his chest, and his clothes were soaked through.
He looked to be on death’s door.
The others had blood on them too, but since they were still able to run and jump, their injuries were likely minor.
Roman Rowe, quick on the uptake, opened the lid of a Treatment Pod and gestured to them. "Put him in here!"
The situation was so urgent that no one even stopped to ask what this thing was or if it would even work.
They hastily placed the injured man inside, and Roman Rowe shut the lid. The Treatment Pod began to scan his injuries, and the room gradually fell silent.
’Finally, someone started to wonder: What is this long box? What’s it for? Why are they putting him inside it? Are they just sending him straight to be cremated?’
Someone in the group voiced these questions aloud, and the others nodded in agreement, turning to look at Lily Hart and Roman Rowe with suspicion.
"This isn’t some organ trafficking den, is it?"
"Why would there be a clinic outside the base, of all places?"
"This isn’t some kind of scam, is it?"
"This thing doesn’t look legit. It just looks like an empty plastic box."
"I didn’t think too much, I just saw the sign and rushed over."
"Maybe we should leave now?"
One of them glanced outside and saw the RV standing tall in the cold wind. He froze, then tugged on his captain’s sleeve, gesturing for him to look.
The captain looked, and his jaw dropped. In the entire apocalypse, only one person owned an RV with that kind of design: Boss Hart.
He quietly turned back to look at the woman beside the Treatment Pod. Her clothes were simple and clean, yet she had a commanding presence. She was fair-skinned and spotless.
Her soft, long hair was tied up in a bun, giving her a bright, sunny look. She was looking down at the injured man in the Treatment Pod, her expression filled with a rare compassion.
’It really is Boss Hart!’
There were photos of Lily Hart online, as well as a short bio.
Anyone with a Light Brain knew who Lily Hart was! They were saved!
He whispered to his teammates, "That’s Boss Hart. The lottery shop must be right next door. We should all go buy a scratch-off ticket later! And get some good food!"
His teammates nodded emphatically, their spirits soaring.
If it was Boss Hart, then they had nothing to worry about. This thing was definitely legit and absolutely reliable!
Just then, a number appeared on the Treatment Pod. The captain asked in a daze, "What does that mean, Boss Hart?"
Lily Hart explained patiently, "The medical fee." She glanced at the number. "It’s not much, just twenty-eight Crystal Cores."
Twenty-eight Crystal Cores. That was the same as twenty-eight scratch-off tickets. The captain did the math in his head and suddenly felt it was a huge amount!
He looked troubled as he calculated the number of Crystal Cores in his storage space. After paying twenty-eight, he’d only have fifteen left—just enough for everyone to buy one scratch-off ticket.
Seeing his expression, Lily Hart added, "It’s really not that much. He has a gaping hole in his chest. Twenty-eight Crystal Cores will restore him completely, have him up and kicking again."
The captain gritted his teeth, made his decision, and pulled out twenty-eight Crystal Cores.
Following Lily Hart’s instructions, he inserted them one by one into the Treatment Pod’s slot. His heart bled with every one, but he reminded himself that this was the team’s only Water Ability User.
’He had to be saved.’