"James, you go report this to the higher-ups. I’ll keep an eye on things here," Des said in a low voice.
James nodded, got up, and walked toward the deck.
On the deck, Si Youqin was patrolling with two others. When she saw James coming up from below, she immediately went to meet him.
James immediately signaled for her not to get closer and said, "Ma’am, someone in our hold has developed a fever!"
Hearing this, Si Youqin’s expression immediately turned serious.
"Understood. I’ll report this to Minister Hua at once!" Si Youqin nodded and immediately rushed off the supply ship.
When Hua Lingfang received the news, he immediately grabbed his medical kit and hurried toward the supply ship.
"Minister Hua, are you really going to diagnose the patient yourself? Isn’t that too dangerous?" Si Youqin asked, worried.
Hua Lingfang replied gravely, "This is our best chance to understand how this virus works. We can only defeat it by understanding it. As things stand, infection is a risk for everyone. We have to seize this time to learn about it!"
Si Youqin was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Please, be careful!"
Hua Lingfang took some simple protective measures and then proceeded to the lower hold.
All the ordinary crewmen, who were prisoners, were being held in the lower hold.
When they saw Hua Lingfang arrive, James and the others were stunned.
Although they had only recently arrived at Peach Blossom Base, they all knew that Hua Lingfang was the head of the base’s Medical Department. He was also their only doctor and a practitioner of mysterious traditional Chinese medicine.
To Westerners like James, traditional Chinese medicine was incredibly mysterious. Despite their ongoing research, they had made no substantial progress in understanding it.
"Minister Hua, why have you come here?" James asked hastily in his clumsy Dragon Language.
As an Evolver, his learning ability was also very strong. In just two short days, he could already handle basic communication in the Dragon Language.
Hua Lingfang nodded slightly. "Take me to the sick man."
"Yes, sir!" James replied. "Follow me!"
When the crewmen in the hold saw that the head of Peach Blossom Base’s Medical Department had actually come in person, their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Minister Hua came himself? Isn’t he afraid of getting infected?"
"The Dragon Country People are really different from us. They always have a group of people who charge headfirst into disaster!"
"Maybe being captured by Peach Blossom Base was the opportunity of a lifetime!"
Amidst the crew’s whispers, Hua Lingfang reached the infected man’s side, checked his condition, and took his pulse.
At that moment, the feverish man had begun to cough violently.
After finishing his diagnosis, Hua Lingfang immediately took out the medicine he had prepared and handed it to James. "Heat this up and give it to him to drink."
James nodded and immediately arranged for someone to heat it.
Hua Lingfang, meanwhile, took a cloth pouch from his medical kit. When he opened it, a row of gleaming silver needles appeared before them.
He took out several silver needles and began inserting them into the infected man’s body.
Seeing this, James and the others felt their scalps tingle.
But to their amazement, as soon as the needles were inserted, the man’s violent coughing immediately subsided.
The herbal soup was quickly heated. After drinking it, the infected man grew drowsy.
"Let him get some proper sleep, and keep an eye on his temperature," Hua Lingfang instructed.
"Right!" James replied.
"Later, I will brew some more herbal soup for everyone to drink. It will boost your resistance and act as a preventative measure," Hua Lingfang continued.
"Yes, thank you, Minister Hua!"
Hua Lingfang waved his hand. "As long as you are loyal to the Leader and loyal to Peach Blossom Base, the base will not abandon a single person!"
James nodded. "I understand!"
After Hua Lingfang left, James translated the conversation for everyone.
The crewmen were moved to tears.
"I thought we’d be completely abandoned! I never imagined the base would send a doctor to treat us!"
"Peach Blossom Base is our home! We’ll defend it to the death!"
"Thinking back, what a hellish life we lived at Xi’an Base. And Bao Mu was a terrible leader!"
Listening to the crew’s discussion, Des was also filled with emotion. "I really didn’t expect the base to treat our sick crewmen!"
James nodded. "Yeah. This Peach Blossom Base is truly a paradise on earth."
"I just don’t know if traditional Chinese medicine can actually treat this kind of viral infection," Des said, worried.
"Don’t worry. Traditional Chinese medicine is more powerful than we imagine!" James, however, was very confident.
Des looked at him, puzzled. "How can you be so sure?"
"It’s simple. My grandmother’s cancer was cured by traditional Chinese medicine," James replied with a smile.
"No wonder!" Des realized.
Just as Hua Lingfang was walking out of the lower hold, Ren Yuanyang and the others returned.
"Leader, an infected person has appeared on the supply ship. I just completed the diagnosis and treatment. We’ll need to observe the effects of the treatment," Hua Lingfang reported immediately upon seeing Ren Yuanyang.
Ren Yuanyang frowned slightly. "Wasn’t it too dangerous for you to go over there like that?"
Hua Lingfang repeated his earlier reasoning, "We need to understand this virus..."
After hearing Hua Lingfang out, Ren Yuanyang nodded. "I understand. But you still need to be careful and protect yourself."
"Mm, I will. But based on my speculation, this virus has a minimal effect on Evolvers. James and his group have been living in the lower hold with the other crewmen, and they’re all fine. Besides, I took precautions when I went in. There shouldn’t be a problem," Hua Lingfang analyzed.

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