Chapter 16 Bandaging and Touch
"...Mr. Wen—!"
A piercing scream, choked with sobs, broke the silence of the airtight chamber, like a needle puncturing the constant, almost stagnant tranquility within the fortress.
Su Ran practically tumbled down the stairs, not even noticing he'd lost a slipper. Barefoot, the icy floor seeped through his thin socks, sending a chill down his spine, but it was nothing compared to the heart-stopping cold he felt when he saw the scene before him.
Wen Yu sat on the ground, leaning against the tightly closed metal door, his head drooping limply to one side. His usually upright back was now slightly hunched, as if crushed by some heavy force.
His dark gray polar jumpsuit was covered in snow, mud, and large patches of shocking dark red.
The most glaring wound was on the left arm. The sleeve was torn open from the shoulder to the elbow, leaving a gruesome long gash. The rolled-up fabric and stuffing were soaked in thick, semi-congealed blood, clinging tightly to the flesh, and slowly seeping out fresh, brighter red.
Blood dripped from his fingertips, one drop at a time, onto the smooth, light-colored floor, pooling into a small puddle that reflected the pale light of the overhead lamp and the heavy backpack, also covered in snow and mud, lying on the ground beside him.
A strong, rusty, bloody stench filled the air, mixed with the chilling air brought in from outside, dispelling the usual clean and cool atmosphere inside the fortress.
Su Ran's face drained of all color in an instant, turning even whiter than the snow outside. His long eyelashes trembled violently, and his beautiful eyes, which were always misty with tears but were now filled with terror, were wide open, their pupils clearly reflecting the horrifying sight of Wen Yu unconscious and covered in blood.
His mouth was open, but he couldn't utter a second syllable, only broken gasps. His body was frozen in place, as if he had been frozen in place.
No... don't panic.
A faint, almost instinctive voice echoed deep within his mind, overpowering the overwhelming fear. Wen Yu had collapsed, bleeding profusely. Outside lay cannibalistic ice and thugs; this fortress was their only refuge. If Wen Yu died…
The thought jolted Su Ran awake. He bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain dispelling some of the numbness. He forced himself to move his leaden legs and stumbled to Wen Yu's side.
"Mr. Wen? Mr. Wen!" His hands trembled, afraid to touch the terrible wound. He gently patted Wen Yu's uninjured right shoulder and checked his breath. The breath was weak, but still there. His fingertips touched Wen Yu's cheek; it was icy cold, and his lips were bluish-purple.
He's still alive! We must stop the bleeding, treat the wound, and warm him up!
Su Ran suddenly stood up, his bare foot barely touching the cold floor. He remembered once, while organizing supplies, he seemed to have glimpsed a medical equipment symbol in a small room near the main control room.
Yes, a medical room! Someone as cautious as Wen Yu would definitely have adequate medical supplies prepared!
He stumbled and staggered as he ran in that direction, the sound of his bare feet pattering on the floor echoing in the quiet corridor, chaotic and hurried.
He rushed into the small room, where, sure enough, there were several tall white medical cabinets and a foldable treatment bed. He frantically opened the cabinets, revealing a surprising array of medicines, instruments, and dressings neatly arranged inside.
Su Ran's gaze swept quickly across the room, swiftly locking onto the necessary items: the largest first-aid kit, which should contain everything; sterile gauze pads, bandages, tourniquets, disinfectants (iodine, alcohol), saline solution, medical gloves, scissors, tweezers, suture packs... He also carried a clean thin blanket and several hot water bottles.
He carried the pile of things back to the airtight room. He put down the thin blanket and hot water bottle, knelt beside Wen Yu, took a deep breath, and tried to steady his trembling fingers. He first put on medical gloves; the cool latex touch calmed him slightly.
The wound needed immediate attention. He carefully used scissors to cut away the blood-soaked clothing clinging to Wen Yu's left arm wound. The fabric was thick and mixed with congealed blood, making it difficult to cut. As the fabric was peeled away, the gruesome wound was fully exposed to the light.
Su Ran gasped.
The wound was long, stretching from below the shoulder to the middle of the upper arm, deep enough to expose the bone. The skin was turned inside out, with irregular edges, indicating it had been forcefully slashed by a rough, sharp instrument. The wound was covered in dirt and fabric scraps, and was still oozing blood. Fortunately, it seemed no major arteries had been damaged; otherwise, Wen Yu probably wouldn't have survived.
Su Ran's eyes instantly reddened, and his nose stung terribly. He bit his lower lip hard, almost drawing blood, to suppress the sob in his throat and the more violent trembling of his fingertips. Now was not the time to cry.
He unscrewed the cap of the saline solution bottle, soaked a sterile gauze in a large amount of saline solution, and began to carefully rinse the wound. The movements had to be gentle yet thorough. The murky blood and dirt were washed away, revealing the bright red, slightly contracted muscle tissue underneath.
Even while unconscious, Wen Yu's body seemed to feel intense pain. His muscles twitched involuntarily, his brows furrowed, and he let out a barely audible groan.
Su Ran's heart clenched, and she moved even more gently. She rinsed it once, twice, three times… until the water running down was relatively clear. Then, using an iodine-soaked cotton ball, she carefully disinfected the wound from the inside out. The iodine irritated the wound, and Wen Yu's body tensed again.
Next came stopping the bleeding and cleaning the wound. Some small, impurities that couldn't be rinsed away needed to be removed with tweezers. Su Ran picked up the tweezers, his hand still trembling slightly. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, only an almost cold focus remained.
He held his breath and used the tip of the tweezers with extreme dexterity and precision to remove a few grains of black sand and fabric fibers embedded in his muscle texture. With each grain he removed, a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Wen Yu's body trembled slightly with his movements, and each tremor made Su Ran's heart tighten.
After cleaning the wound, a thick layer of hemostatic and anti-inflammatory powder was sprinkled on it. Then, a large piece of sterile gauze was used to cover the wound, and an elastic bandage was applied, starting from the shoulder, wrapping and applying pressure evenly. His fingers moved nimbly, tying knots to secure the bandage; his movements were so smooth and professional that they didn't resemble those of a "chef." The tightness of the bandage was just right, effectively compressing to stop the bleeding without affecting distal blood circulation.
After doing all this, Su Ran was covered in a light sweat, his black hair damp and clinging to his smooth forehead. He didn't bother wiping it away, and instead checked the rest of Wen Yu's body, confirming that this was the only major wound, but there were many bruises and abrasions. He quickly treated the other minor injuries, and then began to check Wen Yu's temperature.
He laboriously laid Wen Yu's body flat, letting him rest his head on the neatly folded thin blanket. Then he quickly went to the kitchen to boil water, filled hot water bottles, wrapped them in dry towels, and placed them on Wen Yu's neck, armpits, and groin. He then covered him tightly with the thin blanket.
After doing all this, Su Ran seemed to have exhausted all his strength, collapsing onto the floor next to Wen Yu, his back against the cold metal door. He raised his hand to wipe his face, his hand still stained with a little blood, mixed with sweat, leaving a faint red mark on his pale cheek.
He looked down at his hands, stained with blood-stained gloves, then at Wen Yu, who was unconscious and deathly pale. His eyes grew increasingly red, and tiny droplets of water quickly condensed on his thick eyelashes, finally unable to bear the weight and rolling down his cheeks.
He didn't make a sound, only silently shedding tears, his shoulders trembling slightly. A tremendous mix of fear, lingering dread, and heartache at seeing Wen Yu so badly injured overwhelmed him.
He recalled Wen Yu's upright figure as he left, his calm voice when he told him to "keep an eye on the house," and his own agonizing wait in front of the monitor and his insignificant "enemy repelling"... How could someone as good, strong, and cautious as him be hurt like this?
She didn't know how much time had passed—maybe a few minutes, maybe longer. Wen Yu's eyelashes trembled a few times, a low, hoarse groan escaped her throat, and she slowly opened her eyes.
His vision was initially blurry and unfocused, but gradually became clear. The first thing he saw was the cold white light from the ceiling of the airtight room, and then, he saw Su Ran kneeling beside him, staring blankly at him with her head down, her eyes red-rimmed, her face still bearing traces of tears and faint bloodstains.
Wen Yu's consciousness was still somewhat hazy, but his body's instincts and alertness instantly brought him mostly awake. He tried to move, but the sharp pain and feeling of restraint in his left arm made him groan, fully waking him up. He looked at his left arm, which was now properly bandaged with layers of professional bandages, and the bloodstains had been cleaned up. He was covered with a blanket, and there were several warm heat sources pressed against his vital parts, dispelling the bone-chilling cold.
It was Su Ran who handled it.
He shifted his gaze back to Su Ran's face. This was the first time he had looked at this little cook he had "picked up" so closely and seriously.
Her eyes, wet from crying, appeared even more glistening and misty, with a faint red tinge at the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose, like peach petals dampened by rain. Her long, curled eyelashes were clinging together, glistening with moisture, each tremor carrying a lingering sense of unease.
The faint bloodstain on his fair cheek, far from appearing dirty, possessed a fragile, startling beauty. His lips, devoid of their usual pale pink, were somewhat white, and faint teeth marks remained from his unconscious biting.
His black hair clung messily to his sweaty forehead and neck, with a few strands sticking to the corners of his reddened eyes, adding to his disheveled and fragile appearance.
But looking into his own eyes, he saw a brimming, almost overflowing, worry, lingering fear, and a sense of relief... a relief that was so genuine, so pure, without a trace of ulterior motive. There was no calculation, no probing, only the purest concern for the "injured," and even... a hint of barely perceptible self-reproach?
Wen Yu's heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something extremely subtle yet impossible to ignore. The hard, cold barrier that enveloped his heart seemed to have developed an extremely fine crack, one that even he himself had not noticed.
"...How long was I unconscious?" Wen Yu asked, his voice hoarse and dry.
Su Ran seemed to be startled awake by his voice, and she quickly came to her senses. She hurriedly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, her voice still heavy with nasal congestion and lingering sobs: "No, not long, about... twenty or thirty minutes? Mr. Wen, how are you feeling? Is your wound very painful? Is anything uncomfortable? Are you cold? I, I'll go get some water!"
He asked a series of questions incoherently, struggling to stand up, but his legs were weak from kneeling for so long and from nervousness, and he almost fell back down.
"No need." Wen Yu used his uninjured right hand to support himself on the ground, trying to sit up, but blood loss and weakness made even this simple action difficult.
Su Ran immediately rushed over, carefully avoiding his left arm, and firmly supported him so that he could sit against the door, with a soft blanket behind him. His movements were gentle yet firm, and the faint, clean scent of soap mingled with a very faint smell of blood and disinfectant wafted into Wen Yu's nostrils.
"Water..." Su Ran still ran to pour a glass of warm water and carefully handed it to Wen Yu's lips.
Wen Yu took a few sips from his hand. The warm water soothed his parched throat and brought a sense of comfort. He leaned against the blanket, closed his eyes, and felt his strength slowly returning.
"The wound was treated well." He reopened his eyes, looking at Su Ran kneeling before him, still with a tense and worried expression. His voice was calmer. "Who taught you that?"
Su Ran paused for a moment, lowered his head, and unconsciously tugged at the hem of his clothes. His voice was very soft: "My... my grandmother was the village's barefoot doctor. I helped her when I was little... Later, I read books and... I also had experience treating external injuries." He didn't elaborate on what kind of experience it was, but Wen Yu could guess that it probably wasn't a pleasant one.
Wen Yu hummed in agreement and didn't press further. Looking at Su Ran's trembling, lowered eyelashes and her tightly pursed, pale lips, he suddenly asked, "Are you scared?"
Su Ran suddenly raised his head, his eyes reddening again. He shook his head and nodded forcefully, his voice trembling with sobs: "I'm afraid... I'm afraid you won't come back... I'm afraid you..." He couldn't finish his sentence, but looked deeply at Wen Yu with his eyes brimming with tears, as if to confirm that he was really still alive, really right in front of him.
Then, as if summoning immense courage, he took a small step forward on his knees, getting closer to Wen Yu. He looked up at Wen Yu with his wet, pleading eyes, his voice soft yet clear, carrying an unmistakable tremor and determination:
"Mr. Wen... next time... next time you go out... could you... could you take me with you?"
Wen Yu's eyes flickered slightly.
Su Ran continued urgently, almost incoherently, tears streaming down his face again: "I...I might not be of much help...but I can watch the back for you...I can help you carry things...I can...I can, like today, if...if you get hurt, I can help you immediately...I...I don't want to wait here alone anymore, knowing nothing, just watching the monitor and overthinking...I'm afraid..." He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, "I'm afraid that next time I'll be waiting for...something..."
He choked up and couldn't say the last few words.
Wen Yu watched him silently. He looked at this excessively handsome young man, whose seemingly gentle and timid nature now displayed an unusual resilience and courage because of his concern for Wen Yu's safety. He wasn't asking for protection, but rather asking to be needed, asking for the possibility of standing "side by side," even if it was just "looking at his back."
Silence spread between the two. The only sounds were the low background noise of the ventilation system and their slightly rapid breathing, so close to each other.
After a long while, Wen Yu sighed almost inaudibly. He raised his uninjured right hand, and somewhat stiffly and hesitantly, finally placed it on Su Ran's soft, slightly damp black hair, and gently rubbed it.
"Clean this place up first." He didn't answer Su Ran's request directly, his voice returning to its usual calm, but seemingly without some of its cold edge. "Then, go get something to eat. I'm hungry."
Su Ran was startled by his sudden, slightly awkward touch. She looked up blankly, her face still wet with tears, but her eyes brightened slightly at the words, "I'm hungry." He seemed to have received some kind of tacit approval or reassurance, nodding vigorously, his voice still nasal, but with strength:
"Okay! I'll go right away! Don't move, I'll help you to your room to rest!"
He hurriedly began cleaning up the medical waste and bloodstains scattered on the floor, his movements much more efficient than before. Although his eyes and the tip of his nose were still red, the bewildered fear on his face seemed to have been replaced by something new, tinged with a cautious hope.
Wen Yu leaned against the door, watching Su Ran's busy, slender figure. His gaze fell on his neatly bandaged left arm, then slowly moved to the dark red bloodstain on the floor that was not yet completely dry.
For the first time, he realized so clearly that in this impregnable fortress he had built with his own hands, besides the cold supplies and sophisticated systems, there was also a living, warm variable who would cry for him, worry about him, bandage his wounds with trembling but professional hands, and even muster the courage to ask to "look at his back"...
And this variable... doesn't seem so unappealing.