Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 95 Some things you can never get used to.
After leaving Chen Ming's ward, Su Xun turned to talk to the hospital's director. The hospital was located in the Haiqu Safe Zone, and he had rushed over after hearing that the team had encountered a fifth-tier mutant.

"Medical resources are still quite lacking. There don't seem to be many doctors and nurses here."

"That's right. There are too few doctors who can be called up. Many medical students have already taken over, and there are even fewer experienced senior doctors."

Su Xun nodded. He didn't have a good solution for the manpower issue at the moment. After all, his superpowers couldn't conjure up doctors. He could only try to get the safe zone to cooperate in expanding the recruitment and training. But now there was a shortage of people in all aspects, and he couldn't just rob Peter to pay Paul.

In his previous life, Su Xun knew some superhumans with healing abilities, but these abilities were mostly developed at a high level and were almost as rare as those of prophets.

Moreover, although superpowers often disregard basic principles, they still follow common sense most of the time. They can't even cast a powerful resurrection spell at the start of a level one or two power-up.

However, Su Xun was not entirely without a way to alleviate the situation. He said to the old dean, "The alien species that these warriors killed this time produced a lot of spiritual energy crystals. Normal superhumans cannot use those crystals, but if they are used to maintain the lives of seriously wounded people who have lost consciousness, the aftereffects are acceptable."

"It can be crushed into powder and applied externally or internally, but you should pay attention to the dosage. Using too much can also cause side effects."

"These things are just spiritual energy condensed and appear to be solid. They are not truly solid, so you can rest assured that they will not cause blockages or stagnation."

"In addition, I will organize a group of people with superpowers from the school to donate blood. Their blood has a similar effect and is gentler. These methods should be able to help in an emergency."

"Times change, and many medical things can be innovated. You can do more research on this yourselves. If you have any ideas, you can ask me to confirm them."

Hearing Su Xun's words, the old dean was a little confused. Although he had often heard that the influence of spiritual power involved many aspects, he had never really considered this aspect.

With the resurgence of spiritual energy and the manifestation of supernatural abilities, he had previously been thinking more about whether he should start refining pills and medicines, but now these methods...

Do superhumans give blood transfusions to ordinary people?
He nodded: "If these methods work, that would be great. Our casualty rate should be able to be reduced significantly in the future."

"No problem. I'll go back to headquarters and coordinate with them to reserve some quotas for you. However, this stuff is still very scarce right now, and there are too many places where it's needed, so you have to try to conserve it... It can only be used for critically ill patients."

This was a last resort, but it's already quite good that we have this method; it's enough to save many people.

Moving the entire hospital into the secret realm is impractical; it's not safe there, accidents could happen at any time, and the medical staff aren't superhuman, so they can't stay there for long, plus there's the risk of getting separated.

However, there are many ways to replenish the spiritual energy of the wounded. If in the future they have the ability to enter deeper secret realms in large numbers, or if the concentration of spiritual energy in the real world increases further, allowing them to find cleaner natural crystals, then many problems can be solved.

Watching the dean's departing figure, Su Xun sighed softly.

He had seen countless deaths in his past life, but there were some things he could never get used to.

The peace and tranquility of these days seemed to have given him the illusion that everything could proceed smoothly, but clearly, things don't always go as planned.

The crisis encountered by this unit once again awakened Su Xun to the fact that this was the apocalypse, and there would always be unexpected events and dangers.

In reality, sacrifices happen every day. A comrade who was in a meeting yesterday may be buried on the battlefield the next day.

If we only look at this battle, it is actually a considerable victory—a group of superhumans, none of whom are even at the third rank, successfully hunted down a fifth-rank alien species by cooperating with each other and relying on the power of artillery. This is undoubtedly a victory worth celebrating. However, Su Xun still couldn't help but feel sad.

No sacrifice is worthwhile; damage is never equivalent to victory.

On those reports that were repeatedly assessed as having "relatively small losses" and "few casualties," were the sacrifices of soldiers like Chen Ming in dangerous situations.

He vaguely recalled his past life; those events were still etched in his mind, yet they often felt incredibly distant. Back then, friends he had met the day before would be considered worth saying "long time no see" just two days later.

The scene of Dong Jie sharing his experience at the previous meeting was still vivid in my mind. He once led only ten people deep into the secret realm and organized the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. Whether in terms of ability or belief, he was an outstanding soldier without a doubt.

His sacrifice is undoubtedly a regrettable and significant loss.

However, the exploration of the secret realm could not stop there. After the silence and the mourning, they had to continue moving forward.

"Dong Jie's work still needs to be taken over. Let Haiqu Safe Zone arrange this matter itself. During this period, there will not only be that one Tier 5 monster. The teams that enter the secret realm later will need to strengthen their heavy firepower."

"There aren't many high-ranking commanders; we need to accelerate their training."

"Learn from this lesson, expand the scope of the investigation, and try to avoid similar casualties as much as possible."

"Once we take care of that big guy in the back, this place will be basically safe."

Su Xun's initial assessment was that it was around the fifth to sixth rank. Now that a fifth-rank mutant has appeared, it can be basically confirmed that the giant beast that is about to rise is a sixth-rank existence.

Compared to the fifth tier, the sixth tier is a huge leap. The current fifth tier mutants can still be killed by artillery fire before the Great Cataclysm, while in his previous life, when Lin Hai was at the sixth tier, he could destroy water gates with his bare hands. Su Xun knew very well the combat power of those people. For them, conventional artillery could hardly pose any real threat.

The only saving grace is that the alien species are often huge and easy to hit, and compared to the unpredictable and versatile high-level humans, their average combat strength is actually slightly weaker. The main reason why these secret realms are a threat is that they can directly nurture high-level powerhouses.

Jiang Yi scribbled notes in her notebook, writing down Su Xun's opinions. Su Xun glanced at her and noticed that her previous tired look had completely disappeared. Her skin was smooth, her complexion was radiant, and she looked energetic.

"You should be crossing the threshold of becoming a superhuman by now."

Jiang Yi paused in writing: "It seems... I haven't sensed anything special yet."

Su Xun nodded: "It should be soon. For you, the gradual improvement in your physical fitness is a sign."

His judgment in this regard is usually accurate. Reaching the extraordinary level means all-round physical benefits for ordinary people, resulting in a healthier and more vibrant appearance.

Chen Ming was still recovering from serious injuries, so it wasn't very obvious. Su Xun only noticed this after talking with him for a while. He spent all his time with Jiang Yi and didn't notice any changes in her condition. But after discovering that Chen Ming was showing signs of advancement, he looked back carefully and found the clues.

The first batch of first-order superhumans developed from ordinary people is about to appear, which is undoubtedly exciting news. Of course, those around Su Xun who are influenced by him are progressing even faster, but the more distant future is already foreseeable.

These people are physically superior to ordinary people, with enhanced senses and better physical condition. With just a little training, they can easily defeat former fighting masters and martial arts experts with their reaction and strength.

Although they do not possess supernatural abilities or many extraordinary skills, their sheer number represents the foundation of the entire civilization.

In the past, the extraordinary individuals at the bottom level did not play a significant role because the overall population was already small, and everyone was struggling to survive. But now, even after experiencing the devastating catastrophe, the vast majority of people still possess immense power.

"Alright, I'll approve your leave later. Go explore the secret realm a couple more times—remember to be careful and don't go too deep."

"Don't rush to refuse. Your health is your most important asset. You'll be able to work better once you've advanced in your skills, and then I'll have to make you work a lot of overtime."

"Now, let's go check on the person who came out with Chen Ming and the others."

(End of this chapter)