Fang Yuqing, Wang Min, Sun Zhichao, and the others fled back like beaten dogs.
After closing the door, the group was drenched in cold sweat, gasping for air.
The injured were in the most pain, biting their teeth hard, collapsing on the sofa.
Zhang Yi's arrows had hit Sun Zhichao, Zhou Peng, and Ge Jialiang.
After all, they were the main attackers, the ones closest to Zhang Yi's door.
Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin, having witnessed Zhang Yi's methods before, deliberately stayed behind and avoided getting hit by arrows.
As a result, of the seven people who had gone, the four men were either dead or hit by tetanus-inducing arrows.
At first, they didn't feel much pain due to the extreme cold.
But after returning home, enduring the severe cold, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and undo their clothes.
Upon seeing their wounds, their faces turned pale!
If these had been normal arrows, they could just pull them out, disinfect with alcohol, and take some anti-inflammatory drugs to recover.
But these arrows were rusted!
Without antibiotics, once infected in this environment, all they could do was wait for death — and a painful one at that!
"No, no, how can this be!!"
Sun Zhichao's pupils contracted; he understood what this meant. The fear of death instantly overwhelmed him.
"Slap!"
A sharp sound echoed as Wang Min angrily slapped Fang Yuqing.
The injured were all her friends and family.
And all of this had happened because Fang Yuqing had incited them to rob Zhang Yi's house.
How could she not be furious?
"You wretch, this is all your fault!"
"Didn't you say his place only had a sturdy door? Why were there arrows? Did you know all along? Is that why you stayed so far back? Why are you unharmed?"
Wang Min wasn't petite; she was taller and bigger than both Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin.
That slap frightened Fang Yuqing so much that she began to tremble.
Covering her face, Fang Yuqing wept in grievance.
"I didn't know! The last couple of times we went, he didn't attack us with crossbows either."
Zhou Peng, who had been hit in the arm, saw his beloved woman being slapped by his cousin and immediately struggled to stand between them.
"Cousin, don't! I can vouch for her, Yuqing really didn't know!"
Wang Min, seeing her cousin acting so foolishly, was furious.
She pointed at Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin. "Then why aren't they hurt? Hmph, I saw them hiding far back just now!"
Lin Cainin, feeling disgruntled, muttered softly, "You didn't get hit either, and you're still talking about us!"
Wang Min erupted in anger, shouting, "That was pure luck! Now look at us—we're in this mess because of you two. Get out!"
But Sun Zhichao raised his hand to stop her and gave her a look.
"We're injured. We need someone to take care of us," he said quietly.
He didn't want to die. He needed the arrows removed and prayed he wouldn't get infected, hoping to survive.
Wang Min's chest heaved in fury, and she shot a hateful glare at Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin.
"Get over here and help!"
Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin lowered their heads, a flash of venom in their eyes, but they went over to help treat the wounds.
When they undid the clothes and saw the power of the arrows, their faces instantly paled.
Zhang Yi's crossbow was professional-grade, capable of hunting wild boars and coyotes.
When shot into a person, the arrows plunged deep into the flesh.
With no professional medical staff or equipment, they had no way to handle this.
One wrong move, and the person could die from massive blood loss.
After thinking for a moment, Wang Min said, "We have to get Dr. Zhou to help!"
The "Dr. Zhou" she mentioned was Zhou Ke'er.
Previously, when Lin Xiaohu's liver was ruptured from a kick, she had been the one to save his life.
Wang Min went off to the side to call Zhou Ke'er.
Before long, Zhou Ke'er arrived.
Wang Min rushed over excitedly, grabbing Zhou Ke'er's hand.
"Dr. Zhou, all of our lives depend on you!"
Zhou Ke'er was wearing a long black down coat, wrapped tightly against the cold, but her tall and slender figure was still evident.
With a metal medical box slung over her shoulder, she entered the room and took one look at their wounds before frowning.
"Arrow wounds again?"
Wang Min blinked in curiosity. "Again? Has someone else been shot with arrows?"
A flash of discomfort crossed Zhou Ke'er's face.
"No, it was a patient at the hospital before."
Wang Min found it strange but didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Dr. Zhou, please hurry and help them!"
Zhou Ke'er didn't waste time. She walked over to check on the injured.
By now, their faces were deathly pale.
Because the arrows couldn't be removed, there was no way to stop the bleeding, and at temperatures of minus sixty or seventy degrees, the situation was deadly.
After a quick examination, Zhou Ke'er frowned and said, "Their injuries are too deep! Without professional equipment, I can't guarantee a successful surgery."
Wang Min quickly urged, "Dr. Zhou, we trust you—please go ahead!"
Zhou Ke'er shook her head.
"These arrows are rusted, which will cause infection."
"I can remove the arrows, but without antibiotics, the infection will still be fatal. At that point..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but everyone present understood what it meant.
Under these conditions, an infection was certain death!
Wang Min's tears started to flow. Sun Zhichao and the others were her closest friends, and Zhou Peng was her cousin.
In an apocalyptic world, people already felt incredibly insecure.
Losing so many close relatives and friends in a single day would be utterly devastating!
"Zhang Yi is so cruel! He did this on purpose! How can he be so heartless?"
"Even if we had taken his house, we wouldn't have killed him!"
Wang Min cursed in grief.
"Zhang Yi?"
Hearing this name, Zhou Ke'er remembered.
She had met Zhang Yi a few times and vaguely recalled a sunny and handsome man.
However, due to her cold personality, she hadn't interacted with him much.
"In any case, without medicine, just pulling out the arrows still leaves them in grave danger. I hope you understand."
Zhou Ke'er spoke plainly.
By now, she had stopped avoiding the harsh realities of the world. In the apocalypse, everyone should be prepared for the possibility of dying at any moment.
Suddenly, Fang Yuqing seemed to think of something.
Excitedly, she said, "Medicine? I remember Zhang Yi has some in his house!"