LOSS System: Last Store Standing

The system had barely finished speaking when people nearby began setting down their tools. Before Jack could alert anyone, Elias called out from nearby.

“Cass, launch the drone and see what’s out there.”

Megan hadn’t gone far. Hearing the commotion, she came back.

“What happened?”

“Six people are approaching,” Jack said quietly. “Elias and the others must have sensed them too. Something might be wrong, or they wouldn’t be this cautious.”

Elias hurried over.

“There are six of them, and I can smell a lot of blood. We don’t know what happened yet. Go get the guns, just in case.”

Jack and Megan hurried back to the convenience store. By the time they returned with the guns, Cass had already located the group with the drone.

“Can you see them clearly?” Jack asked.

“Yes.” Cass kept his eyes on the screen. “Six people. Two are elderly, and the other four are younger.”

The presence of two elderly people eased some of the tension. At least for now, it seemed unlikely that the group intended to attack the trading post.

Cass adjusted the drone’s angle.

“One of them is injured. A woman.”

“How far away are they?”

“Still some distance away. At their current pace, it’ll take them a while to get here, assuming they’re actually heading toward us.”

Marlin, Hal, and Mort arrived at the trading post soon afterward. Mort frowned as he drew closer.

“What’s going on? Raiders? I can smell a lot of blood.”

“Probably not,” Elias said. “There are two elderly people with them, and one of the women is injured.”

Mort was about to ask another question when Hal suddenly shouted from beside them.

“It’s Henry and the others!”

Everyone turned toward him.

Hal moved closer to Cass and stared at the drone feed. The figures on the screen weren’t particularly clear, but he had still recognized them.

The name caught Marlin by surprise.

“Old Henry?”

“You know them?” Elias asked.

“Henry and I used to live in the same settlement,” Hal replied. “The injured woman took good care of me back then.”

He turned to Jack.

“Can we help them?”

“Of course.”

Jack turned to Gordon.

“Take the CUEV and attach the cargo bed. Bring the injured person back first.”

Gordon immediately ran toward the CUEV.

Jack then spoke to Cass.

“Bring the drone closer and let Hal use the speaker. Tell them to stay where they are or follow the drone toward us. Gordon can meet them on the way.”

Cass lowered the drone and activated the communication function. Hal leaned toward the screen and called out.

“Henry, it’s Hal! If you can see the drone, wave! Stay where you are. We’re coming to get you!”

All six figures raised their heads. The elderly man soon spotted the drone hovering above them and waved.

Jack turned to Megan.

“Come on. Let’s get ready.”

Back inside the convenience store, Megan took the first-aid kit from beneath the checkout counter. She added gauze, bandages, and supplies for controlling the bleeding. Without knowing the woman’s exact condition, there was little else she could prepare in advance.

“Where are we putting her?” Megan asked.

Jack considered the question, then took a six-person tent from the storage room.

“We’ll set up a temporary treatment room near the trading post.”

They carried everything outside, and Jack called several people over to help. Once the tent was up, he brought out an inflatable mattress and laid it inside.

As he stood at the entrance checking the setup, another idea came to him. He moved both portable air conditioners from the trading post into the tent and brought over an energy cell.

Once everything was connected, the machines started running. Cool air flowed through the tent, gradually replacing the heat trapped inside.

Jack checked the temperature and nodded in satisfaction.

Marlin stood outside, taking in the inflatable mattress, first-aid supplies, and two portable air conditioners.

“We don’t just have a doctor now. We even have an air-conditioned treatment room. Who could’ve imagined that before?”

Several people nearby nodded. Warren and the others who still remembered the old world had never expected to see anything like it again after so many decades. Nolan’s group kept glancing inside the tent, still struggling to believe what they were seeing.

Megan called Susan and Ray inside. Susan had some medical knowledge and could assist with the treatment. Ray began familiarizing herself with the first-aid supplies so she could hand Megan whatever she needed.

Megan then spoke to Reed.

“Prepare several basins of clean water and bring some clean cloth. I don’t want us scrambling for supplies once the patient arrives.”

“No problem.”

Reed headed straight toward the convenience store.

Nolan studied the temporary treatment room, increasingly glad that he had chosen to stay. No one here had to worry about going hungry, and now even the injured could receive proper treatment.

At this point, even if Jack tried to drive them away, Nolan doubted any of them would be willing to leave.

They had barely finished preparing when the CUEV appeared in the distance. Elias immediately cleared everyone away from the tent entrance.

The vehicle pulled up in front of the tent. The injured woman sat in the cargo bed, supported by another woman. Her face was pale, her forehead covered in sweat, and the right leg of her pants was stained with blood.

“Reed, Harvey, come help,” Megan called out. “Get her into the tent. Be careful with her right leg and avoid the bleeding area.”

The two climbed into the cargo bed. Reed supported the woman by her shoulders and back while Harvey lifted her legs. As they carefully moved her from the vehicle, she clenched her teeth against the pain.

The woman who had been supporting her jumped down and tried to follow them into the tent, but Megan stopped her.

“We need some room to examine her. Please wait outside for now. If I need any information, I’ll come ask you.”

The woman was clearly worried, but she remained outside.

Once the patient was settled on the inflatable mattress, Megan asked Reed and Harvey to leave. Susan and Ray stayed behind to assist her.

Megan first confirmed that the woman was conscious and breathing steadily. After checking the rest of her body, she cut open the blood-soaked fabric around her right leg.

The wound ran from near the knee to the middle of her thigh. Its edges were ragged, and the surrounding area was badly bruised and swollen. The strip of cloth tied around the leg to control the bleeding had already soaked through.

A large bruise also covered the side of her waist. The moment Megan touched it, the woman curled inward from the pain.

The injuries appeared to have been caused by some kind of hoofed mutant beast. The woman had likely been struck and knocked down before being kicked in the thigh. The hoof had scraped along the outside of her leg, tearing through the flesh and leaving a severe impact injury.

Fortunately, the deep wound had missed the major blood vessels along the inner thigh. Otherwise, she would never have made it this far.

“Susan, help me control the bleeding,” Megan said. “Ray, bring the clean water and gauze.”

The two moved quickly to assist her.

Megan checked the pulse and sensation below the wound, then asked the woman to move her toes. There were no obvious signs of damage to the circulation or nerves, but without proper equipment, Megan couldn’t determine whether the bone had been injured.

The same was true of the heavy bruising along the woman’s side. For now, Megan could only continue monitoring her consciousness, breathing, and abdominal response for signs of an internal injury.

Outside the tent, Elias spoke to Gordon.

“Go back and bring the others here.”

“All right.”

Gordon turned the CUEV around and headed back toward the remaining five.

Before long, he returned with the rest of the group. The CUEV had barely stopped when Megan stepped out of the tent. The woman who had stayed behind immediately hurried over.

“How is Erin?”

“She isn’t in immediate danger,” Megan said. “The wound along the outside of her thigh is deep, and she also took a hard hit to her side. I’ve stopped the bleeding and bandaged her leg. So far, the circulation and sensation below the wound appear normal.”

She continued, “But I can’t confirm whether the bone or anything inside her abdomen was injured. We’ll need to keep monitoring her.”

The woman finally breathed a little easier.

Henry and the others gathered around them.

“Is Erin all right?” Henry asked.

“The doctor has treated her wounds,” the woman told him. “She isn’t in immediate danger, but she still needs to be monitored.”

Henry finally relaxed. Only then did he seem to register that this settlement had a doctor. He glanced toward the air-conditioned treatment tent, unable to hide his surprise.

“Henry!”

Hal approached with a broad smile and pulled him into a hug.

“What brought you here? Don’t tell me you came all this way just to visit me.”

Henry rolled his eyes.

“How were we supposed to know you were here? We were running for our lives. We didn’t even know where we were going.”

“Then this really is a coincidence,” Hal said with a laugh. “Looks like you got lucky.”

“Lucky? We almost died.”

Hal’s smile faded slightly.

“What happened? Did you run into a mutant beast?”

Henry waved a hand.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Tell me about yourself first.”

“When you left with Marlin, I was worried something might happen to you out there. Looking at you now, I clearly worried for nothing.”

He gestured around them.

“You’re living far better here than we ever did.”

Hal laughed.

“You’re not wrong.”

He waved Jack and the others over.

“Come on. Let me introduce you.”

Jack, Elias, and Marlin joined them. Hal pointed to Jack first.

“This is Jack. The convenience store and trading post both belong to him. He’s also the one who sent the CUEV to pick you up.”

Henry immediately offered Jack his hand.

“Thank you. If you hadn’t reached us when you did, I don’t know whether Erin would’ve made it.”

“You’re welcome.” Jack shook his hand. “You’re friends of Hal’s. Of course we were going to help.”

Hal introduced Megan, Elias, and the others in turn. Henry greeted each of them, and when he learned that Megan was the doctor who had treated Erin, he thanked her again.

Then Hal introduced Elias.

Henry was about to greet him when he noticed Elias staring at him.

“Is something wrong?” Henry asked. “Is there something strange about me?”