Chapter 19: 19, Then why don't you run faster?

“Mistakes, mistakes,” Ren Xiaosu said with a smile, explaining, “Our nurse is on her first day, so she’s not too familiar with the procedure. Let’s continue the suture, come on, Xiao Yu Jie, just pretend you’re sewing clothes.”

Xiao Yu Jie was not one to fear blood. In this town, people were accustomed to life and death, so what was a minor wound? Moreover, she loved her work—not because she enjoyed blood, but because she liked being a “useful” person.

The common sense of the town was that in such a harsh environment, everyone had to be useful. Useless people would eventually be discarded. That was the simplest logic of human interaction.

Xiao Yu Jie wasn’t sure if Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan would abandon her for being useless, but she couldn’t afford to be idle.

When Ren Xiaosu said to treat it as sewing clothes, she understood immediately, and her movements became more fluid.

Moreover, Ren Xiaosu had been holding the man’s arm motionless all along, which made it even easier for her to work.

As the suture neared completion, Xiao Yu Jie said to Ren Xiaosu, “Suturing wounds is a bit different from sewing clothes. When sewing clothes, you try to keep the thread inside so it’s not visible, but with wounds, you can’t do that—you have to sew from the outside, which doesn’t look very nice.”

The three patients were overwhelmed with mixed emotions. The more Xiao Yu Jie spoke, the more anxious they became…

When Xiao Yu Jie finished, Ren Xiaosu pulled out a small porcelain bottle and applied it to the first patient’s wound. “This medicine is a treasure. I won’t charge you much—just 600, same as the clinic. You should be able to afford that.”

Six hundred was roughly the price of a cotton coat, while these workers earned 2,200 to 2,800 a month. Prices were relatively high, but what could they do with scarce resources? The wealthy in the refuge barrier wanted these people to never save enough money, forcing them to work diligently.

These workers couldn’t just leave, for they couldn’t survive in the wilderness. That was how the wealthy exploited the refugees.

In the eyes of the wealthy, the refugees under the refuge barrier’s protection were lucky to avoid paying protection fees. They just thought the method of collecting them was too crude.

Ren Xiaosu had managed to survive without going to the coal mines because he only needed to catch three sparrows a month to surpass most workers. Even without catching three, he could tighten his belt and manage.

This was a deformed survival environment. Some had resisted at first, but to no avail.

…

Ren Xiaosu was right—these three men could afford it. The first one, after applying the black medicine, immediately stopped feeling pain. He paid willingly, just as he would at the town clinic.

As the treated patient prepared to leave, Ren Xiaosu said kindly, “After treating your wound, shouldn’t you say thank you?”

The man shivered and quickly turned back, “Thank you!”

Ren Xiaosu nodded in satisfaction, but when he looked toward the palace, he realized there were no extra thank-you coins!

Ren Xiaosu frowned, “Is the doctor-patient relationship this tense now?!”

This damn wound was healed, and you can’t even say thank you sincerely?!

Immediately after, Ren Xiaosu heard the task completion sound: “Task completed, reward 1.0 strength.”

This was the previous task of saving one patient, finally completed. He hadn’t expected the palace’s reward to be another 1.0 strength—this was one of the things he most desired, after all, in this day and age, whoever had the hardest fists had the loudest voice.

The palace’s voice sounded again: “Task: Save 10 patients.”

Hmm, this time it was a chain task—after completing the first, a higher difficulty appeared.

But weren’t there three ready patients right here?

Would the next reward be another 1.0 strength? Then he’d become a muscle man.

Actually, that wasn’t good, because this strength came at the cost of his speed. The higher the muscle friction coefficient, the slower he could move.

The fastest person would always be the one with the most coordinated muscles, not a bodybuilder.

Now, Ren Xiaosu’s strength was significantly higher than a normal person’s. He deliberately observed, and this time, no one noticed the muscle swelling. It was deep autumn, and his clothes covered it well.

At that moment, a patient took advantage of Ren Xiaosu’s distraction and tried to flee. Xiao Yu Jie reminded him, “The patient is running away.”

Ren Xiaosu laughed, “It’s fine. He still has wounds—he won’t get far. I’ll catch him.”

Xiao Yu Jie: “…”

The remaining patient: “…”

When Ren Xiaosu went out to catch the patient, Xiao Yu Jie looked at the remaining one and said gently, “Are you going to run? If you do, I’ll suture you again later.”

“No, I won’t run,” the patient closed his eyes, resolute, “Sew it.”

This time, Ren Xiaosu found it much easier to carry the patient back. One hand was enough, though the patient was just desperate.

The subsequent treatment went smoothly. Ren Xiaosu held them one by one, and no one could move.

At this point, the two men being held were somewhat surprised, for they hadn’t expected to be powerless against Ren Xiaosu, as if they were being dominated.

How much strength did it take to do that? Even injured, they shouldn’t have been so weak—they could have struggled a bit earlier!

Moreover, the key was, from now on, whoever Ren Xiaosu wanted to treat, who the hell could escape?!

“Task completed, reward 1.0 agility.”

“Task: Save 10 patients.”

When Ren Xiaosu heard this, he froze, for he felt his swollen muscles suddenly deflate.

This agility attribute actually improved muscle fiber strength, reducing muscle volume while maintaining the same force. That way, Ren Xiaosu didn’t have to worry about becoming a muscle man.

If his muscle fiber strength had been a wooden stick before, now it was an iron rod.

Yes, that made sense. Only improving “quality” rather than mere “quantity” was the right path.

Moreover, his resistance to blows would likely improve too.

Ren Xiaosu looked at the patient who had tried to flee, “Now that you’ve applied the medicine, you understand its benefits, right? Instant pain relief, and no inflammation afterward. I just don’t get why you tried to run.”

The patient stammered for a long time, “I don’t have enough money…”

Ren Xiaosu’s teeth ached. He said with anguish, “Then why didn’t you run faster?!”