Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 94 Of course, he was a good soldier

"Xiao Wu! How are you!?"

This was the first question Chen Ming asked when he woke up. Then he realized that he was already lying in a hospital room, with the wind blowing through the gauze window and lifting the white curtains.

The smells of disinfectant, ointment, and a faint stench of blood mingled together, and faint groans could be heard in the distance.

He tried to move, but found himself wrapped in a thick bandage, his left arm fixed to his chest, and his right leg wrapped in some kind of hard material, resting heavily on the raised bedding, radiating a deep, dull pain.

"Hey, don't move, Teacher Xu! Bed number 3 is awake!"

A clear voice rang out, followed by a response from someone.

"How many times have I told you not to call me Teacher Xu, but to call me Head Nurse?"

"Okay, Teacher Xu."

The more mature voice laughed and scolded the young girl. Chen Ming saw a gentle-looking woman come to him and flip through the notebook hanging on the wall.

"The recovery is going well, and the vital signs are stable. Remember to call Dr. Liu over to check again."

"Dr. Liu went to the critical care unit. He asked you to take a look at it."

Chen Ming then saw the young nurse, who looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old. She was dressed in a neat white nurse's uniform, but she was peeking around and acting rather clumsy, not like a nurse at all, but more like a college student who had just started her internship.

"Okay, actually there's no problem."

The woman skillfully checked the splint that was fixed to Chen Ming's chest with her hands, and then gently pressed the brace on his right leg. Chen Ming gasped in pain.

At that moment, he felt that the other person was not touching him in a way that resembled physical contact, but rather as if they were inspecting a machine that was under repair.

"Does it hurt? It's normal to feel pain; it's a good thing to be conscious."

"We will prescribe medication based on your pain level, so please don't try to endure the pain. If it hurts too much, please tell us."

"Your main problem right now is a fracture. The injured area needs to be kept immobilized, which will help the bone heal. So don't try to move these areas or exert any force."

"But you can move around more in areas that aren't immobilized, especially your fingers and toes. We'll have to wait for the doctor to tell you when you can get out of bed, but we'll help you sit up or move around the bedside as soon as possible..."

The head nurse talked about many things, and Chen Ming felt his head was spinning.

Seemingly noticing his helplessness, the woman smiled and said, "Can't remember? It's alright. This girl will stay here with you. You can ask her for help with anything. Don't be shy, understand?"

"……it is good."

"Head Nurse! Bed 11! The patient's wound is bleeding!"

"coming!"

Without saying another word, the head nurse surnamed Xu handed the notebook to the young woman and hurriedly left the ward.

Chen Ming tilted his head, his gaze meeting that of the young nurse. The girl hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Ah, do you... want some water? Do you want something to eat? Do you need to use the restroom? Or..."

Chen Ming shook his head, stopping her from asking further questions, and inquired, "How are my comrades? How are they?"

"I don't know." The nurse's eyes were clear. "There are a lot of wounded this time. I'm not sure which one is your comrade. Why don't you wait until I get off my shift and ask around for you? I can't now. I have to stay in the ward and keep watch over things."

"Then trouble you."

Having said that, Chen Ming said no more.

There was a chillingly quiet peace in the hospital; when he closed his eyes, he seemed to see that battlefield again.

Fog, tanks, and the roar of cannons.

The 300-meter-tall behemoth let out a sharp roar.

Did we win?

Having survived, I suppose I've won.

His head was spinning and his body was in pain, but Chen Ming's five senses seemed to be getting clearer. At one point, he seemed to feel that he could hear more things.

The sounds of cannons and gunfire, which were originally inaudible, can now be faintly sensed.

Nearby, the faint breathing and groans in the room came from other injured people, and there was also the sound of turning pages of a book, which seemed to be from the young nurse who had just left.

He could make out more details: the footsteps outside the room—the particularly heavy ones were probably the wounded, the firm ones were perhaps soldiers, and the lighter ones were probably nurses. Suddenly, several footsteps caught his attention.

A crisp sound of a heel hitting the ground came from a woman wearing high heels.

One of his steps was slightly unsteady, as if he were an elderly person.

There is also one that is neither too light nor too heavy, neither too fast nor too slow, and exceptionally stable.

Who is that?

The footsteps stopped outside the door, followed by a knock.

Chen Ming's heart suddenly skipped a beat. A vague premonition made him open his eyes. At that moment, the nurse had already opened the door.

"Oh, Dean, you are...you are...!!"

"I've come to check on the wounded. You go about your business."

"Oh ok!"

A voice that sounded very young, a voice Chen Ming recognized, he turned his head despite the pain and looked toward the door, his gaze focusing on a slightly thin, white-haired figure.

"Commander-in-Chief...!"

"Hey, don't move, lie down."

Su Xun stopped Chen Ming from struggling to get up and walked to his bedside.

"You must be Squad Leader Chen? How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm okay, but my comrades... I don't know how they are."

Su Xun was silent for a moment before speaking, "Don't worry, I just went to check, and they... are still alive."

Chen Ming seemed to understand something from Su Xun's tone, but he didn't press the matter further.

"It's good that he's alive, it's good that he's alive... Commander, Xiao Wu... he's a good soldier, he didn't let you down."

"Of course I know, he's already a very, very good soldier."

“I already know what happened in the battle. This is the first time we've encountered a fifth-tier mutant. You…”

Su Xun paused, then finally sighed, "You've suffered."

Upon hearing those three words, Chen Ming's nose suddenly stung with tears, and he quickly turned his face to the side.

That's the reality. When an armored battalion encounters a Tier 5 alien in the open field, even if it's a relatively weak Tier 5, it's still a tough battle.

After a moment, Chen Ming finally asked, "Is that thing dead?"

Su Xun nodded: "You died. It was crucial that you fired that thermobaric bomb. You hit it right in the heart. You deserve the greatest credit for this battle. Don't worry, your class will receive all the commendations. Your task now is to recover from your injuries, heal your wounds, and strengthen your bones. There will be many more battles waiting for us in the future!"

Chen Ming nodded blankly, as if he could hear the shouts of wind-type ability users on the battlefield again. His voice was low and choked with emotion as he said, "Our commander..."

Su Xun fell silent, then let out another long sigh: "Dong Jie is a good comrade. Squad Leader Chen, you are a soldier he once led. You must cheer up and take your regimental commander as your role model."

He squeezed Chen Ming's intact hand, then suddenly said, "It seems you've already touched the boundary of a superhuman. Once your injuries have healed, you can come to the command post for in-depth study. I'll be waiting for you there."

"……it is good!"

After comforting the injured person again, Su Xun stopped disturbing their rest and turned to leave the ward.

Chen Ming lay on the hospital bed, his whole body still aching terribly. The effects of the painkillers seemed to have worn off, and the excruciating pain in his bones was starting to surface again.

He stared blankly at the white ceiling, his eyes stinging, and something hot flowed uncontrollably from the corner of his eye, trickling into his ear.

"Hey, why are you crying!"

The nurse's voice rang out from beside him, and then a slender white hand took out a tissue and wiped away his tears.

"You're a combat hero whom even the Commander-in-Chief came to visit. How can you cry? Cheer up, I'll go change your bandages!"

(End of this chapter)