22: Chapter 22 Class Monitor

Meanwhile, in the makeshift barracks on the other side of the base, an oppressive sense of exhaustion had set in.

The large communal beds in every barrack were packed with freshmen, the air thick with dust, the smell of sweat, and a faint, lingering scent of blood.

Just then, the alluring aroma of meat, mixed with the scent of grease and spices, drifted in from somewhere, weaving its way into every barrack.

"Who is cooking? This smell... it's beast meat!"

"Who else could it be? Qin Ce! He earned five thousand points all by himself today!"

"Five thousand... Our team struggled with all our might to get three, less than one hundred..."

The murmurs were interspersed with the sound of swallowing, but beneath it all lay a deeper sense of helplessness and frustration.

...

In the girls' prefab barrack, the atmosphere was even heavier.

Wang Xuan sat on the edge of the hard wooden bed, her face slightly pale, lips tightly pursed, with a fine sheen of cold sweat on her forehead.

Her left pant leg was carefully rolled up. A wound about an inch long on the inside of her thigh had stopped bleeding, but the edges were red and swollen, stained with dirt and dried blood, looking particularly jarring in the dim light.

While hunting a blood wolf during the day, she had been slashed by a wolf claw on her flank while trying to save a teammate. She had been too focused on the fight then, but now she could feel the burning pain.

"Xuanxuan, you need to treat this wound immediately, or it will get infected in this environment!" Zhou Min squatted beside her, her face full of anxiety. Her own arm was wrapped in a simple cloth strip, with spots of blood seeping through.

"I know," Wang Xuan said, her voice weak. "But the basic medical care provided for free at the exchange can only handle it to this extent... Better healing medicine costs at least 50 points. Our team only earned a little over 80 points today, and after buying basic food and water, we've basically..."

She didn't finish.

A lack of points was a heavy stone pressing on everyone's heart.

In a camp where resources were scarce, getting injured had become an expensive trouble.

Zhou Min bit her lip, her gaze drifting toward the small town outside the barracks—there, in the center of the abandoned town, a renovated residential area flickered with warm lights, and the aroma of meat was drifting from there.

A thought suddenly sprang up.

She leaned into Wang Xuan's ear and whispered, her voice extremely low: "Xuanxuan, let's go find Qin Ce!"

Wang Xuan was startled and looked at her.

"Look, he lives in a suite by himself, he must have clean hot water, and he has so many points. I think I saw him exchange for healing medicine earlier!" Zhou Min's eyes lit up, and she spoke faster. "Your wound is on your thigh, and it's not convenient to treat it here... Let's go ask to borrow his place and see if we can borrow some medicine. We can pay him back once we have points! He's our classmate, and when he was the class monitor, he even supported you. He shouldn't... refuse us."

Wang Xuan instinctively wanted to refuse.

Showing a wound to a boy and asking for supplies was even harder to speak about than borrowing a bathroom.

But the pain in her leg came in waves, reminding her of the consequences of letting it be.

In this large communal bed area with questionable hygiene, the risk of wound infection was extremely high, and there was even tougher training and hunting tomorrow...

The sharp conflict between pride and reality left her silent for a long time.

In the end, the worry about survival outweighed her reticence.

She took a deep breath, her voice hoarse: "...Okay. I'll give it a try."

Zhou Min immediately helped her up.

The two supported each other, walking with slightly unsteady steps toward the stone house with the lights on.

Along the way, other students cast surprised or knowing glances, but they had no time to care.

Standing before the door, the aroma of meat and the warm atmosphere became even clearer.

Wang Xuan steadied her breathing, raised her heavy arm, and knocked on the door.

The door opened.

Qin Ce stood at the door, dressed neatly, carrying a clean scent.

His gaze swept over the pale-faced Wang Xuan and her rolled-up pant leg. He immediately noticed the wound and frowned slightly.

"Class Monitor? What is this..." He stepped aside to let them in, "Uh... come in first."

His reaction was quick and direct; he didn't ask much and let them in first.

Wang Xuan felt slightly relieved and walked into the living room, supported by Zhou Min.

"I was scratched by a blood wolf during the day," Wang Xuan explained in a low voice, unable to hide her embarrassment. "Classmate Qin Ce, I'm really sorry to bother you so late... We don't have enough points to exchange for medicine, and the barracks aren't convenient for treatment... We wanted to borrow your place to clean the wound. If... if you have any healing medicine, could we borrow some? We will definitely pay you back with points as soon as possible."

Zhou Min also quickly added: "We will pay points! Or help with chores! If Xuanxuan's wound isn't treated, I'm afraid it will get infected..."

Qin Ce had already walked toward the cabinet and took out a small first-aid kit—this was what he had exchanged for with points during the day, containing disinfectant, gauze, bandages, and basic anti-inflammatory ointment.

He looked at Wang Xuan: "Sit down. The wound needs to be cleaned and disinfected first."

His tone was calm and pragmatic, dispelling much of the awkwardness.

Wang Xuan sat down as instructed, and Qin Ce went to the bathroom to get clean warm water.

He had wanted to let Zhou Min do it, but she was injured herself and her technique was clumsy.

"Do you mind?" Qin Ce held the disinfectant cotton swab and looked at Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan's face flushed, and she shook her head.

At this moment, treating the wound was more important than anything else.

Qin Ce said no more, crouched down, and moved efficiently and carefully.

Warm water flowed over, washing away the dirt, and then he used tweezers to pick up a cotton ball, dipping it in disinfectant.

"It will sting a little, bear with it," he reminded.

The cold medicine touched the wound, the stinging sensation made Wang Xuan's body tremble, she gasped, and her fingers gripped the edge of the chair tightly.

But she bit her lower lip and made no sound.

Qin Ce's movements were fast—cleaning the wound, applying medicine, covering it with gauze, and securing it with bandages, all in one go.

His focus and proficiency made Zhou Min, who was watching nervously from the side, breathe a sigh of relief.

"The wound isn't deep, but it was contaminated. Change the dressing on time, avoid strenuous exercise, and it shouldn't be a big problem," Qin Ce finished bandaging and stood up. "I'll give you the anti-inflammatory ointment; change it yourself tomorrow."

"Thank you... really, thank you very much." Wang Xuan looked at the neat bandage on her leg. The pain had been replaced by a cooling sensation, and her tense spirit relaxed as well. A sense of gratitude welled up from her heart.

Zhou Min also thanked him repeatedly, hesitated for a moment, and asked in a low voice: "Um... Qin Ce, do you have any extra medicine? My arm also..."

Qin Ce glanced at the cloth strip on her arm and took some more from the bag to hand to her.

Just at this moment, a soft "gurgle" sound came from the kitchen, and the rich aroma of meat drifted over again.

Qin Ce looked at their tired, pale faces, especially Wang Xuan's weakness after blood loss, and said: "I stewed some Black Iron Mid-grade Giant-Legged Rabbit meat, and added some nourishing liquid to replenish blood. Beast meat is rich in energy and helps with recovery. If you don't mind, have some together."

This time, Wang Xuan did not hesitate.

The weakness of her body and the other party's kindness made her nod: "...Thank you for the trouble."

Qin Ce brought over two steaming bowls of stewed meat. The broth was rich, the meat tender, and it emitted a unique aroma mixed with herbs and meat.

For the two who were starving and had just experienced pain and tension, this was not just food, but a warm comfort.

They ate very quietly, but every mouthful of hot soup seemed to dispel a bit of the chill and pain.

The energy contained in the beast meat slowly nourished their bodies.

During the meal, Qin Ce asked about the details of their fight during the day and pointed out that the reason they got hurt was due to some issues with coordination and positioning.

"Blood wolves are fast and like to attack from the flank. Your formation was too loose, which gave it an opening." His analysis was spot on.

Wang Xuan listened carefully, keeping these lessons in mind.

This injury made her more clearly realize the cruelty of this place.

And understand Qin Ce's excellence even more.

Coupled with this help and him personally changing the dressing.

Wang Xuan could not help but gaze at Qin Ce with infatuation.

...

Soon, the meal was finished, and Zhou Min rushed to clean up the bowls and chopsticks.

The night was deep, and the two expressed their thanks solemnly once again, insisting on writing an IOU, specifying the types of medicine borrowed, and promising to repay with points in the future, before hurrying away.

Before leaving, Wang Xuan paused at the door, turned back to look at Qin Ce, and said in a serious tone: "Qin Ce, thank you for today... Also... uh... never mind."

Qin Ce was a bit confused, but still nodded politely.

After seeing them off, Qin Ce closed the door and put away the IOU.

He didn't care about these few points, but he respected their efforts to maintain their self-esteem.

Outside the window, most of the camp had fallen into darkness.

For many, injury, hunger, and anxiety about tomorrow intertwined into a sleepless long night.

But for Qin Ce, everything was full of hope.

...