Chapter 16 : Grasping Hand

After buying food, Ike went to the drugstore. At the drugstore, Ike bought only a few antiviral drugs, and they were incredibly expensive.

Why did he buy so few? Well, it's because the current cold medicine is no longer measured by packaging but in "particles." Regus didn't have any extra medicine, and he was running low on funds. So, Ike generously loaned him $1000, with one condition - Regus had to teach him some practical self-defense and fighting techniques.

Regus was no stranger to martial arts. He knew several styles, including Muay Thai, Kombat, and the ancient Chinese Bajiquan, a form of kung fu. In the past, he owned a martial arts club and had been working in security for the Secret Service since his arrival in L.A.

Ike wanted to acquire some fighting skills, just in case. Their frequent shopping trips with Negan had attracted the attention of their neighbors. Many people were spending

money on various supplies, realizing that money had become somewhat useless in these trying times.

In addition to cold medicine, Ike had enough money to purchase some antibiotics and four or five bottles of women's personal hygiene products. The relentless humidity was taking a toll on women's health, making it crucial to take precautions.

They would dilute these products in hot water to wipe their bodies and prevent skin diseases. And then there were women's panties, which, due to the constant rain, were becoming a problem. Anything that went through the water was bound to develop an unpleasant odor by the third day, with invisible mold and bacteria lurking.

Recognizing the issue, Ike bought some old underwear from Tom's convenience store as a temporary solution. Later, he went to the mall, where he found disposable underwear and purchased a bunch of them. While disposable underwear was more convenient, the women still preferred their regular underwear for comfort, especially given their menstrual cycles. That's why Ike was stocking up on menstrual pads. These were things Ike hadn't initially considered, and he was grateful that the mall was still open to address these essential needs.

Life after a power outage required meticulous planning and consideration of every detail.

Clothing. Food.

Medicine.

Menstrual hygiene.

And of course, showering and using the restroom. All these aspects were crucial.

On November 26, 2023, Ike took inventory of their drug supplies:

Merrill Ibuprofen Suspension 100ml (for children with cold and fever)

2 antiviral oral liquid (for influenza)

8 bags of antiviral granules (for influenza)

2 Tacrolimus ointment (for atopic dermatitis, psoriatic dermatitis, psoriasis)

Erythromycin ointment 3 tubes (for skin abscess, scabies abscess, suppurative skin diseases, ulcers)

Lishen Vitamin C Tablets 5 boxes * 100 (473 tablets)

Lishen Vitamin B Complex Tablets 3 boxes * 100 (285 tablets)

Huashan brand Morodin 18 bags (for stomach pain, flatulence, heartburn, stomach nourishment, belching, hiccups)

Horn Zhenglu Pill 100 tablets (for diarrhea, stomach distension)

Amikacin lotion 2 bottles (for severe trauma infection caused by sensitive bacteria)

Iodophor disinfectant 2.8 bottles

6.5 bottles of alcohol spray

Levofloxacin hydrochloride capsule 20 capsules (for acute and chronic bronchitis, tonsillitis, urinary infection)

Anti-inflammatory tablets 48 tablets (for pharyngitis, tonsillitis, anti-inflammatory, and heat-clearing)

Amoxicillin capsule 120 capsules (for upper respiratory tract, urinary tract, reproductive tract infections, otitis media, sinusitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia)

Penicillin V potassium tablet 36 tablets (for bronchitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media)

Cefdinil capsule 6 capsules (broad-spectrum antibiotic)

Cefixime capsule 8 capsules (for various infections)

Kushen lotion 4.2 bottles

Disposable masks 10 bags * 20 (189 pieces)

Tampons 10 bags * 20 (192 pieces)

Elastic bandage 10 rolls

96 Band-aids

Acquiring antiviral cold medicine had been a challenging task. Ike had to visit three different pharmacies to gather this supply. Starting from the 13th day of the power outage, Ike and his family began taking one vitamin C/B capsule daily since they had been without fresh vegetables for quite some time.

After lunch, Ike and Tom visited Regus to practice their fighting skills.

Regus was a wealth of knowledge when it came to fighting techniques and martial arts. He knew many styles, but the most practical for Ike was Muay Thai. Ike, however, opted to learn a Chinese kungfu technique from Regus - the "Grasping Hand." The "Grasping Hand" was designed for physical conflicts, allowing Ike to disarm opponents quickly, thus reducing risks.

The training wasn't overly complicated; it primarily focused on strengthening the wrists and fingers. After three or four days of continuous training, Ike's fingers began to ache. Although the pain wasn't unbearable, Regus assured him that mastery of the "Grasping Hand" would require time and persistence.

Ike and Tom were practicing fighting.

"The Grasping Hand" encompasses the art of mechanics, in which seemingly simple things, when practiced consistently, exert unimaginable strength.

Ike and Tom were sweating when a pretty girl with short hair came out of Regus' room.

"Is Anna at home?" the girl asked Ike.

She is tall and thin, and her short, Korean curly hair is set up in a clean and neat style.

The girl's eyes are very beautiful, and piercing, and they look at people as if they can penetrate their hearts.

The girl's features are elegant and beautiful, with smooth lines and a pointed chin. She smiles, revealing two very delicate and lovely dimples.

Of course, Ike had hardly ever seen her smile.

The dimples in the corners of her mouth were also revealed when she needed to make certain sounds while speaking.

The girl's expression always gives off a cold feeling.

"Anna is at home reading," Ike looked at the girl and said.

The girl's name is Nami, and Nami is Rex's daughter and is good friends with Anna.

But Ike hadn't seen Nami much.

Nami is very good at fighting. Rex taught her from a young age. She also knows some kung fu.

Nami also taught Anna some fighting skills. The two of them spent a lot of time together every afternoon.

Girls have a lot to talk about, after all.

Ike now spends most of his days doing basic physical training. Squats, push-ups, jumps, etc., mainly train flexibility, reaction speed, etc., to have the fastest reaction when encountering danger. Counter-attack training is not necessary. What they want to do now is to quickly defeat the enemy with the first strike.

On the other hand, they focus on useful fighting techniques rather than useless ones, such as Kune do, because Ike believes that Kune do is of little use in actual combat.

Nami thanked him and went to see Anna.

After an hour of training, Ike and Tom were doing sit-ups when they heard an argument coming from the direction of the convenience store.

Ike scrambled to his feet, opened his umbrella, and ran across the street to the convenience store.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

As soon as Ike arrived at the convenience store, he found a crowd of people.

There were six or seven strange men and two women.

One of the men, Ike had a faint impression he was a gang of neighborhood punks.

They looked very fierce.

Negan stood in front of the convenience store and stopped the men.

Ike already knew what was going on. Robbery.

You can tell with your toes what they're up to.

They had no money and no food, so they came to rob.

Among these fierce men, there is a man with short yellow hair, slightly fat, thick lips, and a nose. He doesn't look like a person you want to provoke.

There was also a man who looked dry and thin, probably less than1.6meters tall. His face was very thin, and he looked a little malnourished.

Two men started smashing up the store, and a third man blocked the door to stop Ike, Tom, and Regus, who had just arrived.

Inside, Negan was entangled by a man and could not turn over. Linda took the opportunity to kick the man over, but Aunt Linda fell to the ground and was immediately choked by the two women, who pulled her hair and shoulders.

Negan was distressed to see this and had to put up a strong fight, but as soon as he was able to shield Linda, the two women rushed forward, hitting, scratching, and biting him with extreme ferocity. Outside, Tom watched his father and mother being beaten and was very worried.

"Stop it! Stop it!" he cried.

Tom was so angry that he kicked the man at the door, and the man rushed in to save his parents.

The man next to the other door suddenly took out a knife. He raised his hand and stabbed Tom with the knife. Ike saw this and immediately knocked the man away.

Ike never felt pity for these people or these two wicked women. "Stop it!" Regus yelled.

The three men had been knocked to the ground by Regus, and the two women had been overpowered by Negan and Tom.

The robbers were thrown out by both Negan and Tom.

One of them was a man with a bitter look in his eyes, but Gandhi dragged the two exhausted women away.