The Invasion Day – Chapter 19

Table of Contents | Character Guide

Chapter 19

As he saw Tang Xuhai’s hand holding the lighter freeze, Fu Shiwu nodded in satisfaction. 

“Wait for your fever to get better first, then you can smoke again.” Fu Shiwu walked over and gently took away the cigarette he was biting in his mouth, then conveniently confiscated the whole cigarette case beside him.

Through the entire process, Tang Xuhai couldn’t say a single word. 

Seeing him so ‘well-behaved’, Fu Shiwu softened his tone and said in compromise: “You can smoke after your body temperature drops.” 

Tang Xuhai was still struggling with these two very different styles of Fu Shiwu. Hearing his words that sounded like comfort and even with a tinge of compliment, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

However, his cigarettes had already fallen into the hands of the ‘enemy’, so Tang Xuhai could no longer provoke any argument. 

Fu Shiwu cooked a cup of rib-flavored noodles and dipped in large chunks of dried vegetables, piling up the whole cup into a glamorous treat.

“Tang Xuhai, let’s eat.” Fu Shiwu placed the hot metal cup on some clothes and brought it to Tang Xuhai. 

“So much!” Tang Xuhai looked at the full cup of noodles with a distressed expression: “I can’t finish it.” 

“Eat, you haven’t eaten for more than a day. You can definitely eat it. Now you have no appetite because your stomach hasn’t woken up, it’ll get triggered after you take a bite.” Fu Shiwu said softly. 

His words were putting up a persuasion, but his eyes totally weren’t doing the same thing!

Now that he had understood Fu Shiwu’s peculiar contrast, Tang Xuhai swallowed hard as he looked at Fu Shiwu’s menacing eyes. It wasn’t the easiest thing to resist against! 

Tang Xuhai took the fork— which was similarly prepared by him, held up the metal cup and started eating.

Sure enough, just like Fu Shiwu said, after he took two bites, the taste of the noodles delivered through his taste buds instantly stimulated the stomach. The organ that had been sleeping for more than a day finally started working. 

With his appetite back in place, Tang Xuhai finished the whole cup of noodles and even drank the soup empty. 

Putting down the cup, Tang Xuhai still felt that he wasn’t fully satisfied. He had never thought that noodles cooked with seasoning packages could be this delicious. However, he knew that enough was enough, so instead of asking for a refill, he gave the cup back to Fu Shiwu. 

Watching Fu Shiwu start to cook the second cup, Tang Xuhai felt that it was quite a waste of water. But given that Fu Shiwu was an office man who couldn’t restrain a chicken and lacked so much common sense that he even wore leather shoes for an escape, Tang Xuhai decided to be tolerant.

He was getting better anyway, so he could always go out and get some water later. This was a trivial matter. 

Regaining the spirit that had earlier languished under Fu Shiwu’s vicious glances and building up new confidence, Tang Xuhai was now in the mood to talk.

“Tell me more about how it was when you went out yesterday. Explain in detail everything that happened before and after you came across the alien.” 

Fu Shiwu frowned, then his face straightened and the corners of his mouth flattened. He actually felt embarrassed now that he was reminded of all his wild talking last night.

But knowing that it was critical for Tang Xuhai to understand this information, Fu Shiwu swallowed down his uneasiness and told Tang Xuhai his entire journey. However, Fu Shiwu didn’t mention the moment when he thought he could hear the faint sound of clashing inside the alien’s mouthparts, because he himself found the whole thing to be incredulous, as though it was a mere illusion. 

Fu Shiwu recounted everything while cooking the noodles. By the time he was done and started holding the cup to eat, Tang Xuhai was lost in thought. 

Fu Shiwu ate his meal especially seriously. Since Tang Xuhai remained completely silent, he focused all his mind on eating. After finishing up the whole noodles and drinking all the soup and wiping the entire cup, he realised that Tang Xuhai still hadn’t spoken for a while now. 

“What’s wrong?” Fu Shiwu looked at him puzzledly. 

“It’s okay, I’m just analysing the characteristics of the alien based on your encounter with it.” Tang Xuhai looked up at him. 

“Oh?!” Fu Shiwu’s eyes widened, trying hard to press down his excitement. He lowered his chin: “Let’s talk about it.” 

Tang Xuhai looked at his calm, nonchalant face and felt a bit uncertain of what he had figured out.

So he said in a low tone: “According to what these aliens have shown so far, they walk upright, with lower limbs resembling that of humans, but upper limbs are tentacles that can attack. The tentacles have hooks, making it dangerous to fight against them unarmed in close distance. Besides, their sense of sight, hearing and smell doesn’t look particularly sharp, probably just similar to humans. Their food is human brains, but we aren’t sure whether it targets only humans or all living things. And you said that the alien still attacks humans even after it’s full, which shows that these creatures are feral in nature.” 

Tang Xuhai’s eyes turned cold as he recalled what he saw during the surprise attack that day: “With their ability to cooperate, they probably will start eating together after hunting down their prey.” 

Fu Shiwu took a deep breath after listening to Tang Xuhai’s analysis.

“They obviously work in groups and are intelligent creatures. This is extremely dangerous!” Tang Xuhai said with a frosty expression.

“My god!” Fu Shiwu exclaimed. 

Looking at their obscure appearance, Fu Shiwu did associate them with untamed monsters. But now,  considering what Tang Xuhai had said, these creatures posed far more unseen danger than he could imagine. The aliens worked in groups, which meant that if they gathered together at large scale, humans would face an immeasurable threat. 

Looking at Fu Shiwu’s shock, Tang Xuhai felt his heart thud heavily, having no mood to even tease the brat’s expression.  

“Right now, we also don’t know how fast these creatures will increase every night and how many of them are out there in total.” Tang Xuhai let out a long sigh.

Fu Shiwu frowned gloomily for a moment, but he soon remembered that it was time to give the two sick persons another infusion. In a blink, Tang Xuhai dropped from a remarkably responsible citizen who placed all his heart and mind on the future of the country and mankind to a mere sick person. 

Seeing his slightly wary expression, Fu Shiwu said calmly: “Don’t worry, I’ve done it three times.” 

Tang Xuhai watched Fu Shiwu carry out the preparatory steps. Fu Shiwu then pulled his arm to disinfect and pointed the needle at his elbow pit.

“Why don’t you do it on the back of my hand?” Tang Xuhai couldn’t help but asked.

“The veins here are more visible.” Fu Shiwu raised his head and glanced at him: “Don’t be nervous.” 

Now that Tang Xuhai saw the process with his own eyes, he got even more nervous!

Fu Shiwu lowered his head, pressed the top of the vein and plunged the needle in with full confidence. 

“Huh?” Fu Shiwu exclaimed in astonishment: “Why didn’t the blood go through?” 

He had tried it three times yesterday and succeeded every single time.

Tang Xuhai had received lots of infusions before he was hospitalised for his leg, so he naturally knew what was going on: “You haven’t injected into the vein yet, of course the blood isn’t going through.”

“Oh.” Fu Shiwu understood, feeling a little dejected that this was the first time he didn’t get it right. “I’ll try again.”

He pressed the needle with a cotton swab and pulled it out, seeing no blood coming out. A moment later, he decided to change to another vein and plunged the needle in again.

“Why didn’t it work?!” Fu Shiwu said anxiously.

“Don’t shake your hands!” Tang Xuhai cried out in despair.

“I’m sorry!” Fu Shiwu said.

Fu Shiwu failed again this time. The bad start truly foreshadowed the tragic event to follow: It took him five attempts before Tang Xuhai’s blood finally flowed out.

Fu Shiwu said feebly: “It must be because you’re awake and you move, so I can’t get it right. I did it really well yesterday!”

Tang Xuhai felt himself almost tearing up and roared miserably: “Do you want me to pretend to sleep then?!”

With slight embarrassment, Fu Shiwu put a band-aid on him: “Maybe it’s because you’re awake that I’m nervous?” 

“So I still have to pretend to sleep?!” Tang Xuhai rolled his eyes.

Fu Shiwu didn’t dare to continue arguing with him and told him not to move his arm, then walked to the other side and prepared to inject the unconscious Wen Zhaoming.

Tang Xuhai raised his head and looked over, harbouring an evil idea of ​​finding a companion to suffer  together with him.

However, Fu Shiwu injected Wen Zhaoming extremely smoothly!

“This isn’t fair! Why did he get injected once only?!” Tang Xuhai whispered in a ferocious tone.

“Because you were moving!” Fu Shiwu, now in a raging mode, turned around and stung Tang Xuhai: “It’s all your fault!”

“Why don’t you say that you’re nervous when facing a victim who isn’t unconscious?” Tang Xuhai immediately fought back.

“Anyway, it only happens when you’re awake!” Fu Shiwu said indignantly, then he took out the syringe and started adding some powdered medicine.

Tang Xuhai was still feverish after all. Soon enough, he felt his body going weak and having no more energy to keep arguing. 

“Next time try it when I’m asleep.” Tang Xuhai said desperately, then he immediately took back his own words: “I don’t need an infusion, I can take the medicine myself!”

Back then he was in a dire situation of not being able to take in neither medicine nor water, so infusion was the only choice. But now he had woken up, why would he need one? He had suffered all these injections for no reason!

“…” Fu Shiwu was left speechless as he held up the syringe and put the Acetaminophen injections into the drip chamber.

After a while, in consideration of the poor Tang Xuhai, Fu Shiwu finally said: “Infusion is better, it helps you recover sooner. The most important thing right now is for you to get well.”

Hearing those words, Tang Xuhai went silent. He’s right. Right now he was so sick that he couldn’t stand up. He needed to get better soon to keep all three of them safe.

Tang Xuhai straightened his body, bent over and used the arm without the needle to pull up the hem of his trousers. 

“My leg seems to be okay.” Tang Xuhai looked at the calf which had returned to normal, without any swelling.    

“Really?” Fu Shiwu lowered his head: “I sprayed some pain relief on you yesterday, perhaps the anti-inflammatory medicine are also working.” 

“Probably.” Tang Xuhai raised his leg and it didn’t hurt at all!