ALL NOVEL Chapter 224 - New Situation
No wonder she took so long to get up… With her legs injured like that, she didn’t even say a word, yet she still tried to get up by herself. That’s some impressive stubbornness.
Jiang Hui is quick to help others, but when it comes to needing help herself, she refuses to speak up. Huan Xian couldn’t help but feel a rare surge of anger as he looked at her mangled calf.
Huan Xian waved at Zhou Xiuwen, signaling him to come over quickly, while he began sorting through the medical supplies himself.
Neither of their teammates spoke, and the atmosphere was unusually tense. Zhou Xiuwen quickly realized something was wrong and rushed over to take a look.
What a surprise—Jiang Hui, who had been the most thorough in their team, was the first to be injured.
How did she end up like this?! Was it from dodging shots just now? Was she that reckless, or did she just react too quickly without thinking?
A thin, sharp shard of stone had vertically pierced through Jiang Hui’s calf, leaving a deep wound where the muscle was clearly visible. Blood was smeared all over her leg and had even seeped into her shoe. If left untreated, walking would be like self-inflicted execution.
“This simulation vest is supposed to have a protective shielding function, right? Why didn’t it block this?” Zhou Xiuwen immediately said with some frustration. “This design is really careless!”
“The simulation vest inside the supply area is different from the one here,” Huan Xian said quietly.
Inside the supply area, the simulation vest provides full coverage to prevent irreversible injuries during physical combat. The vest converts incoming attacks into wear and tear, which is how contestants are eliminated inside the supply area.
Because of this full coverage, the simulation vest often seems ineffective in the supply area, wearing out quickly.
Outside the supply area, however, shooting is the main method of elimination, with close combat being rare. Most players are eliminated as soon as they are shot. This is much like a real-life CS game, where the simulation vest senses when a bullet hits and eliminates the player instantly. This is the main reason why so many contestants are eliminated during the competition.
Of course, in order to prevent excessive physical combat between contestants in the training area, even outside the supply zone, the simulation vest still provides nearly 75% coverage to protect the participants, ensuring they don’t engage in reckless behavior.
Moreover, the protective features of the simulation vest outside the supply zone differ from those inside. Outside the supply zone, it provides cushioning and emergency protection. Unless the injury is fatal, the vest offers limited protection against impacts or external forces.
Particularly for the hands and feet, these are vital joints in a contestant’s performance, and any injury to these parts can affect the results. Therefore, the vest’s protection and shielding in these areas are weak. In short, it offers almost no protection for external injuries to the limbs.
Jiang Hui served as a test subject for this in the current situation. A stone shard pierced through her calf muscle, causing unprecedented intense pain. She didn’t even react when the chaotic battle ended and couldn’t get up immediately.
“My God, this is serious. Jiang, you really threw yourself into it, didn’t you?! It went all the way through,” Zhou Xiuwen said, anxiously pacing around. He was so worried seeing Jiang Hui gritting her teeth, fighting back tears, that it seemed like he was the one who was injured.
“I couldn’t dodge in time,” Jiang Hui said in a hoarse voice.
This just goes to show how dangerous outdoor combat can be, even if it is essentially a game. Running and dodging, who can guarantee that nothing will go wrong? And of course, something did go wrong for her… She didn’t expect that the medical supplies they found at the supply point would be used on her first. Jiang Hui had thought that they would probably go unused until the competition ended.
“You really pushed yourself, didn’t you? It’s just an internal competition… You should be more careful. What if you break a bone or something? I’ve heard from my uncle that military schools always push their students hard in training, to prepare them for reserve roles. Injuries and casualties in school competitions and activities are not uncommon. Jiang, you have to be careful,” Zhou Xiuwen said with concern.
He watched as Huan Xian skillfully treated Jiang Hui’s wound, pressing out the dirty blood without hesitation. His brows furrowed deeply. “You can… you can be a little gentler. If the muscle tissue gets re-injured, it might leave long-term consequences.”
Neither of the two noticed the brief, almost imperceptible flicker of darkness in each other’s eyes as they worked, before Huan Xian quietly said, “The legs are very important.”
Whether or not Jiang Hui heard him, Huan Xian didn’t stop working. He swiftly finished cleaning and dressing the wound, applying a snow-cooling agent and wound powder, then tightly wrapped the area with gauze. His movements were so firm that Jiang Hui, already in excruciating pain, let out a few sharp hisses.
“At least… at least you won’t be able to move for an hour,” Huan Xian said in a low voice to Jiang Hui.
Actually, one hour was an optimistic estimate because the coagulant and medicinal powder applied to the wound would take at least an hour to take effect, but that doesn’t mean the wound would heal in an hour.
Even with the advanced medical technology of the star system, a major injury that affects the muscles and bones would take at least eight to twelve hours to heal with special medicine. If medical machinery is available, the healing time can be shortened. But it is impossible for the wound to fully heal in just one hour, after all, humans are not machines.
There were no such conditions in the training area, so Jiang Hui would have to endure the injury and wait until the competition ended.
Moreover, there were no painkillers in the medical supplies, which meant Jiang Hui would have to endure the pain until the competition was over. This would have a significant impact on her. However, Huan Xian didn’t say this out loud, as everyone was already aware of it, and saying it would only demoralize them further. It was better to leave it unspoken.
Since discovering Jiang Hui’s injury, Huan Xian’s expression had been dark. Although his face wasn’t visibly angry, it was tightly drawn and gave no sign of relief, clearly indicating his displeasure.
Jiang Hui wasn’t sure how to break the tension. She opened her mouth, but in the end, didn’t say anything.
Zhou Xiuwen, on the other hand, had no such reservations. Ignoring the tension between them, he led the two to a relatively hidden spot nearby, sat Jiang Hui down on the ground, and motioned for a rest.
After such an ordeal, the atmosphere between the three of them was unusually quiet.
Just as Zhou Xiuwen was about to say something to lighten the mood, Huan Xian’s expression suddenly changed. He made a hand signal to them. Zhou Xiuwen immediately understood, shielded Jiang Hui, and hid.
Meanwhile, Huan Xian crawled forward, pushing aside the bushes. The dark muzzle of his gun was concealed behind the branches, aimed in a particular direction.