Chapter 4：Wound Healing

"Oh… uh…"

Chen Dao was stitching up his wound, threading the delicate surgical stitches through the needle and using forceps to hold the flesh together. The faint yet sharp sound of the needle piercing the skin resonated through the quiet living room.

Demonia nudged Payton, who had yelped in distress. Chen Dao was suturing his wound without anesthesia and hadn't made a sound, but Payton acted as if the needle was piercing his own skin, struggling to keep quiet.

Chen Dao ignored their antics and simply reminded them, "Don't move the mirror!" He focused on the mirror, methodically stitching his wound.

Thanks to his "Elite Doctor" trait, all his medical procedures had significant bonuses, such as faster recovery, and improved speed and efficiency.

In reality, Chen Dao was just a medical student, with limited clinical experience beyond his internship, where he removed sewing needles from factory workers and stitched up lacerations from machinery accidents.

Extensive medical videotapes and American Medical Association journals had elevated Chen Dao's medical skills to nearly top-level proficiency.

He felt stable and confident while suturing, unlike his shaky hands ten days ago when removing glass shards from his foot, performing as proficiently as a veteran surgeon who had completed thousands of operations.

The 6cm wound was soon fully stitched, and Demonia was convinced that he hadn't lied—he was indeed a "doctor, and a very skilled one."

Had these events not occurred, the dead not begun to feast on the living, this summer would have passed ordinarily. She would have returned to school and possibly become a doctor like this Asian man. Uncle Lawrence would have been proud.

Demonia had always worked hard in her studies. She paid her university tuition, room, and board through scholarships and working in professors' labs. Despite Lawrence being a wealthy businessman, he delighted in bragging about his accomplished niece.

Demonia's dream was to become a doctor.

Chen Dao had been carried back to this farm by Demonia and Payton using a makeshift stretcher. His forest ranger pickup truck was totaled and wouldn't start.

Payton said the radiator was leaking, and the engine received significant damage. Without the right tools to replace the starter motor and radiator, it wouldn't run far even if it started.

Mechanics was Payton's expertise, and Demonia, as a medical student, knew more about the human body than engines.

Chen Dao observed in the mirror, continuing his swift surgery. He quickly finished a reel of sutures, leaving the wound smooth and neatly stitched. Although not aesthetically pleasing, it ensured the flesh was tightly joined, facilitating faster healing.

For effective suturing, the key is not making it look pretty, but using minimal suture thread to keep the wound tightly closed, ensuring minimal skin punctures.

After completing the suturing, Chen Dao used forceps to hold the suture end, quickly tying a knot with the needle and thoroughly cleaning the wound with alcohol, finishing the surgery. The rest was up to time, proper nutrition, and allowing the body to recover.

Chen Dao accepted a towel from Demonia to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Gently applying antiseptic to the wound to prevent infection, he left the deep wound exposed without dressing to aid healing and lay back to rest.

Demonia carried the basin of bloody, dirty water outside to dispose of it, while Payton set the mirror aside, chatting excitedly with Chen Dao. Realizing Chen Dao was still deaf, he remembered and scribbled on paper, "You're incredible!"

"I never imagined someone could operate on themselves. Unbelievable!"

Payton drew a thumbs-up on the paper and wrote, "You're really tough on yourself!"

Chen Dao looked at the drawing, thinking it resembled a pile of dog poop, wondering if there was something wrong with the boy. Ignoring it, he lay there resting and replaced his wristwatch. Despite the quick surgery, it took over two hours to suture his neck; the time was 1:32 PM.

Hungry, Chen Dao drank the cold tea Payton handed him, laced with sugar, feeling slightly better after focusing so intensely on the surgery.

"Is there anything to eat? By the way, did you get all the stuff from my truck?"

Payton drank his tea and wrote, "Most of it, but the generator and some heavy tools couldn't be moved. The truck won't start, needs parts and tools."

"There's plenty of food—you had hundreds of canned goods and snacks."

Payton then said something aloud to someone outside. Chen Dao read the note, picked at his ear, where the blood clot inside had begun to dry and break up, yet he still only heard faint buzzing.

The truck's failure was expected. He had driven it for miles, through forests to the Knox County Agricultural District—a familiar place if starting from Riverside. Chen Dao would always come to this small village before exploring the map further.

This village, despite its small population, had a farm co-op which sold firearms, mostly hunting rifles and small handguns for self-defense.

Additionally, the village had a small police station with a modest armory.

On the other end of the vast farmlands was Dixie Village, home to a few farm families but boasting a huge military surplus store, supplying both the U.S. Army and civilians with weapons and ammunition.

Chen Dao couldn't use melee weapons for a while, so he needed firearms.

Thinking about his supplies, they had enough food for three people for over two weeks, no immediate need to worry about hunger.

In the game, food is plentiful, even for disabled starts where direct combat with zombies isn't feasible, one could forage for wild foods.

Kentucky's fertile land provided not just for Americans but also robust forests and wildlife.

Reflecting on nearby resources and planning ahead, Chen Dao always felt like a meticulous strategist since arriving in Kentucky.

Payton, bored, left with the dish.

Chen Dao rested, formulating plans.

Before long, Demonia returned with a plate of canned chickpeas and beef, setting it down for Chen Dao, who took it without hesitation, eating voraciously.

Seeing Chen Dao had an appetite, she relaxed and left him to eat.

Eating well was essential for recovery. Food would never run out; the farm co-op had vast agricultural tools, seeds, fertilizers, and granaries amidst wide plains.

In Kentucky, a leading agricultural state, potatoes, corn, and soybeans had long shelf lives. Properly stored potatoes in dark, dry places could last a year; corn and soybeans even longer.

In Kentucky, starving was almost a joke. Step outside, and wild berries, wild potato vines, currants, delicious wild strawberries, mint, and wild leeks were abundant.

Native Kentuckians once thrived on hickory nuts and wild rice, or zizania.

Kentucky's rich resources ensured no one starved, even in the wild.

Chen Dao, exhausted from recent events, slowly fell asleep.

Awakening from hunger, he groped around, then remembered he was in a safe place. The living room door was closed, and a delicious stew aroma wafted in.

Glancing at his watch, it was July 24th, 12:03 PM.

He had slept a long time again.

Seeing his wound healing nicely in the mirror, with minimal discharge, he got up, wearing sneakers, and opened the living room door.

Demonia was cooking a stew over the farm's wood-burning stove, while Payton tinkered with a toolbox full of various tools: wrenches, screwdrivers, wire strippers.

Hearing the noise, they turned and smiled at Chen Dao.

Chen Dao leaned against the doorframe, smiling back.

Meeting fellow survivors was always heartening in zombie-ridden Kentucky, especially when one could cook, one was mechanically adept, and one was a professional doctor.

They would undoubtedly form a close, inseparable team, striving to live well before the zombies claimed them.