novelSusiti Chapter 6 Arrival
Chapter 6 Arrival
The BMP-2 tank bumped and jolted through the mud. Lu Ye leaned against the cold tank wall, feeling as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.
He looked down at his hands, which were still trembling slightly.
The moment the ten-second "shooting proficiency" state faded, the muscle soreness surged back like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming him.
"Hang in there, three more minutes to the camp." The tall, thin medic, while giving Vasily an injection to stop the bleeding, glanced up at Lu Ye. "You look terrible, do you need morphine?"
"No need." Lu Ye gritted his teeth. "I'm still sober." He didn't want to inject morphine; that stuff is addictive.
The tank braked suddenly, and the hatch was pulled open from the outside.
"Medic! Seriously wounded first!" A rough shout came from outside.
Several military doctors in white coats rushed over and hurriedly lifted Vasily onto a stretcher.
Lu Ye wanted to get out of the car too, but a military doctor with a full beard held his shoulder down.
"You lie down too, don't move." The medic's gaze swept over Lu Ye's face, and he frowned. "Your face is covered in blood, didn't you know?"
Lu Ye raised his hand and wiped it; his palm was covered in crimson. It was from the shrapnel that had cut him when the drone exploded; he hadn't even felt the pain when his adrenaline was pumping.
"I feel like it's nothing serious, probably just a minor injury."
"Minor injuries, my foot! There's no such thing as a minor head injury," the bearded medic interrupted impatiently, gesturing to the side, "Carry this guy to the medical tent too, give him a thorough checkup!"
Two medics immediately grabbed Lu Ye's arms and dragged him off the vehicle without saying a word.
The temporary camp was much more rudimentary than Lu Ye had imagined.
A dozen or so military green tents were scattered in a forest that had been bombed bare, with makeshift shelters made of sandbags around them.
Several armored vehicles were parked in the center, their cannons pointed in all directions.
Lu Ye was led to a tent in the corner, where three lightly wounded soldiers were already lying, groaning and moaning.
"Sit there and don't move around." The medic pointed to a folding bed and turned to prepare the equipment.
Lu Ye had just sat down when the tent flap was lifted again.
The bearded medic strode in, followed by two nurses who pushed Vasily on a mobile stretcher.
"Prepare for surgery. There is bleeding in the abdominal cavity. It must be dealt with immediately." The bearded man's voice was urgent, but his hands moved steadily. He looked down to examine Vasily's abdominal wound and suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?"
"This wound—" The bearded man leaned closer, gently pressing the edge of the bandage on Vasily's abdomen with his fingers, a look of disbelief on his face—"Healed so quickly? The wound already shows signs of scabbing over? This is impossible!"
Lu Ye's heart skipped a beat.
The 200% healing acceleration effect of the basic first aid kit is outrageous!
The bearded man abruptly turned his head, his gaze piercing Lu Ye like a knife: "What drug did you give him?"
The air inside the tent seemed to freeze instantly, and everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to Lu Ye.
Lu Ye's mind raced, but his face remained impassive.
"It was found on the enemy medic." Lu Ye tried to keep his voice calm. "A small white syringe, I don't know what it is, so I just gave him a shot."
"Enemy medics?" The bearded man narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Confirmed." Lu Ye met his gaze without flinching. "We took care of that guy, and I just grabbed his first-aid kit. What, is there a problem?"
The bearded man stared at him for a full five seconds, seemingly trying to determine whether it was true or not.
Then he slowly spoke: "This medicine is too potent; it doesn't seem like a typical battlefield drug. You were lucky you didn't kill him. Don't use medicine recklessly next time; it could cause..."
Lu Ye shrugged, feigning indifference: "He was almost dead at the time. I had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless."
The bearded man glanced at him again, seemingly not understanding what "trying anything as a last resort" meant, but he didn't press further. He turned and directed the nurse, "Roll him into the operating room, quick!"
The stretcher was moved away, and the tent became quiet again.
Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief; his back was soaked with cold sweat. He had almost given himself away. The system's medicine was too powerful; he would have to be more careful in the future.
After treating his wounds, Lu Ye stepped out of the medical tent. The camp was more lively than he had imagined.
A dozen soldiers were smoking and chatting around an armored vehicle. When they saw him come out, their conversation suddenly stopped.
All eyes fell on Lu Ye.
There was curiosity, scrutiny, and skepticism, but more than anything, there was a complex emotion that was hard to define.
Hey, Andy Lau!
A hoarse voice came from the side.
Lu Ye turned his head and saw the machine gunner from the tank walking towards him.
"I heard you carried an 80-kilogram polar bear for over a kilometer?" The machine gunner grinned, revealing a set of smoke-stained teeth. "Really? That's not the kind of physical fitness a cannon fodder should have!"
"Really." Lu Ye didn't explain; his voice was still a little hoarse.
"Damn it!" the machine gunner suddenly cursed, then slapped Lu Ye hard on the shoulder. "Well done!" The slap made Lu Ye wince.
"Alexei, be gentle, he's a wounded soldier, he's just been bandaged up," a young private next to him reminded him.
"What's there to be afraid of!" Alexei laughed heartily. "He's a tough guy, he can take it!"
The surrounding soldiers also gathered around and started asking questions all at once.
"I heard you shot down two suicide drones?"
"Really? That thing is as fast as a ghost!"
"I saw it with my own eyes!" The private on the tank squeezed in, his eyes gleaming. "Just three shots! Bang bang bang! All hit! The drone exploded right above his head!"
"Holy crap! A sharpshooter!"
The soldiers' gazes towards Lu Ye completely changed; in this place, strength was everything.
A guy who can carry a seriously wounded soldier across the battlefield and take down a drone with three shots deserves everyone's respect.
"Here, have one." Alexei handed over a crumpled cigarette. "A good one, just seized from an enemy officer."
Lu Ye hesitated for a moment, then took it and put it in his mouth. Alexei took out a lighter and lit it for him.
The smell of nicotine filled his lungs, causing Lu Ye to cough a few times, but his tense nerves relaxed a little.
"Are you really a mercenary?" the private asked curiously. "From the cannon fodder battalion?"
"Hmm." Lu Ye exhaled a smoke ring. "Just arrived three days ago."
"Three days?" Alexei's eyes widened. "Damn, you're incredibly lucky. Were you a soldier before?"
"No." Lu Ye forced a smile and lied, "I used to work as a security guard in China."
After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent for a few seconds.
Then Alexei burst into maniacal laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face: "Security guards? Hahahaha! Damn, are all security guards in China this fierce?"
The others joined in the laughter, but there was no mockery in their laughter, only the kind of bittersweet optimism unique to the battlefield.
"Brother, no matter what you did before, from today onwards, you have a place here." Alexei patted Lu Ye on the back forcefully. "My name is Alexei, from the machine gun company of the 3rd Defense Brigade. If you need anything, just look for me!"
"Lu Ye." Lu Ye nodded, a warm feeling welling up inside him. This feeling wasn't bad.