The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Injured

Grandma Jenny looked at the two concerned faces and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, saying, ”It’s Ayi who’s had the accident. As soon as we entered the West District, we were lucky to come across a patch of Iron Pear Wood. Everyone was very happy, and Ryan thought this patch was enough for me and Ayi to collect for a few hours. The area was open with no dangerous Star Beasts around, so he said he’d go elsewhere for a bit. We thought it was safe, so we let Ryan go without worry. Who knew...”

”Who knew...” As she spoke, Grandma Jenny’s eyes gradually swelled with tears, ”Who knew, not even an hour after Ryan left, a few Long-Mouthed Pigs suddenly appeared. Ayi and I were caught off guard and had to fight them off. During the struggle, Ayi took the brunt of the Long-Mouthed Pigs’ attacks, but his arms and thighs got bitten. Thankfully, Ryan arrived just in time, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

Long-Mouthed Pigs are a very common type of mammalian Star Beast, named for their long snouts, which are about two meters long, while their bodies are less than half a meter in size. Covered in brown fur, their long snouts and sharp teeth are their natural weapons. They are adept at ganging up and attacking prey from a distance with their mouths and teeth. If one is alone in the wilderness and suddenly surrounded by a group of Long-Mouthed Pigs, it would be dangerous.

Grandma Jenny wiped her tears and shook her head with a sigh, ”Ah, what to do? Ayi has had this accident, and his family has two kids in school. They don’t have any other source of income. How is his family going to live from now on?”

Worry.

Grandma Jenny was very worried. ”Ryan and I sent him to District 10 Hospital, and the doctor said he might need an amputation...”

After listening, Ji You expressed her concern: ”Grandma Jenny, can’t he be taken to a better hospital? I remember that medical technology is very advanced now. There’s no need for amputation; even severed legs can be perfectly reattached.”

Lea glanced at Ji You, sighed, and explained: ”A better hospital, the Xie Family can’t afford it.”

Ji You: ”...Right.”

In this era, medical technology is indeed advanced. Broken legs and arms, missing arms or legs, really are no big deal. Go to the hospital to have them reattached, and in less than half a month, you can be as good as new. Even if you’ve lost an arm or leg, you can extract your own cells and tissues to regrow a limb and then attach it... However, while the technology is advanced, the cost is also expensive, especially for the people on garbage planet number 101.

Grandma Jenny, in the living room, looked around and upon seeing her actions, Lea couldn’t help but ask, ”Grandma, what are you looking for?”

Grandma Jenny said, ”I’m going to find those energy boxes we saved up a while ago and sell them for money, to give to the Xie Family.”

In fact, Lea knew that these energy boxes were what her grandmother had saved for a long time, intending to use them for herself in the future... After hearing her grandmother, she felt no displeasure and nodded, ”Okay.”

Grandma Jenny couldn’t help but move forward and, like she used to do when Lea was younger, gently ruffled her soft hair and said softly, ”Lea is such a good girl. Grandma will find a way to buy you energy boxes later. But Uncle Xie Yi’s family is in trouble now, and we should do our bit to help. Otherwise, who will help them?”

”Ah~”

Lea opened her arms and hugged her grandmother, laughing lightly, ”Grandma, I’m not a child anymore, and besides, I’m grown up now, I can earn my own money. If I need energy boxes in the future, I’ll work hard to earn the money to buy them.”

Alas~

Ji You gave a slight sigh and asked softly, ”Grandma Jenny, do you know how many credit points Uncle Xie Yi’s treatment will need?” She had just sold five bracelets and with her previous savings, she had around 150 credit points.

Such a small sum of money was merely a drop in the ocean, but as Grandma Jenny said, every little bit helps.

Upon hearing this, Grandma Jenny thought for a moment and said, ”For just the amputation surgery, it would probably only take about five hundred credit points, but if he wants to grow a new leg from extracted cells in the future, it will cost about ten thousand credit points.”

10,000!

Ji You’s eyes widened.

This was no small amount.

So—

Everyone was worried.

Grandma Jenny said, ”Your Uncle Xie Yi plans to amputate first, and consider prosthetics later.”

Nearly all Star Beasts in the universe contain a toxin in their bodies, a toxin that if not promptly cleared, will become difficult to eradicate. Moreover, the toxin will recklessly destroy the body’s immune system, reducing the victim’s spiritual power and Physical Level... In short, the danger is substantial and must be promptly and completely cleaned.

Thanks to the continuous development of technology, humanity has mastered many methods to cleanse such toxins. Regular hospitals can perform these surgeries, but there are differences in the levels of technology. The 101st garbage planet has the most backward medical level in the entire Alliance, so the equipment and methods to cleanse toxins are very primitive. For instance, Xie Yi’s leg was bitten by a Long-Mouthed Pig, and the toxin infection in the leg is the most severe. To completely remove the toxin, the method of the hospital in District 10 is to amputate the leg first and then do the cleansing.

However, hospitals with advanced technology, such as those in District 6, have methods to cleanse the toxins without amputation. But if Xie Yi is to be treated in District 6, since he is not a resident, there are cross-district issues, and the hospital would charge a cross-district fee. In total, the whole treatment would cost about 15,000 credit points.

15,000!

It is 5,000 credit points more compared to spending 500 credit points to amputate the leg in District 10, and another 10,000 to grow and attach a new leg.

5,000!

That’s no small amount either.

Xie Yi’s family had no choice but to choose the more troublesome treatment method.

Sigh~

So, for the poor, one shouldn’t fall ill. This saying is not only applicable in the 21st century but also fits the highly advanced interstellar era.

After another sigh, Ji You knew that Grandma Jenny and Sister Lea were no longer in the mood for idle chat, so she stood up to take her leave.

After leaving Lea’s family, she had originally planned to go to the protective net alone to pick up trash, but thinking of Uncle Xie Yi’s plight, Ji You felt scared for a moment and dared not recklessly venture into the rubbish heap alone. She must save some money, trying her best to buy an Energy Gun or an energy dagger for self-defense before she dared to go scavenging alone.

An Energy Gun? Even a second-hand one costs more than a thousand credit points.

What about an energy dagger? Probably only needs 300 or so credit points.

Without money, it’s truly hard to make a move.

Since Uncle Xie Yi was still in the hospital, Ji You thought it over and decided to visit him tomorrow. So, she contacted Xie Chuanqiong, Xie Yi’s son, to express her concerns. Right after transferring her only 200 credit points to him, she quickly turned off the communication before Xie Chuanqiong could refuse.