It was late night, two kilometers outside Niger City in the African nation of Mali, at the Chinese peacekeeping force's station.
"How is it?"
As military doctor Old Zhang and Peng Yuxiang came off their shifts, Wan Yunting, Li Yuxiu, Lin Dongxiang, Zheng Xuelan, Luo Guowei, and others gathered in the small plaza, asking.
Military doctor Old Zhang said, "After drinking the medicine, they are temporarily stabilized."
"That's good."
Hearing that Huang Hongying and Long Xingyu's red devil viruses were temporarily stable, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Director Lin, when will the new virus experts from China arrive?" Luo Guowei asked.
Lin Dongxiang replied, "I have already contacted China. The new team should arrive around nine o'clock tomorrow evening."
"That's good."
Luo Guowei nodded. With Huang Hongying infected and isolated, and Huang Guoqi injured and bedridden, Lin Dongxiang could only lead Zheng Xuelan, Zhang Guoyuan, and a few other young team members to continue researching drugs to control the virus based on Huang Hongying's direction...
"Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. Many countries' virus experts have come. I believe we will soon develop drugs to eliminate the red devil virus."
Seeing Lin Dongxiang, Zheng Xuelan, and the others looking dejected, Luo Guowei encouraged them, "Everyone, pull yourselves together. For our infected comrades, we must break through this virus."
Lin Dongxiang nodded, looking at Zheng Xuelan, Peng Yuxiang, and the others with determination. He gritted his teeth and said, "For Director Huang, we must persevere. Does everyone have the confidence to develop a drug that can eliminate the red devil virus?"
"Yes..."
Zheng Xuelan, Hou Haiyan, Zhang Guoyuan, Peng Yuxiang, and other team members shouted back, their spirits reignited.
Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu exchanged a glance, then said to Luo Guowei, "Captain Luo, we plan to go out tomorrow to search for medicinal herbs in the nearby wilderness, so I'd like to apply."
"Search for medicinal herbs in the wild?" Luo Guowei asked.
Wan Yunting nodded and said, "Li Yixiu and I have hit a bottleneck. We plan to go to the nearby wilderness to see if we can find any good medicinal herbs that might spark inspiration."
Luo Guowei raised an eyebrow and said, "It's not peaceful outside recently. You could encounter local rebels or terrorists at any moment. How about this, I'll send a team to accompany you to search."
Wan Yunting replied, "Not too many people, just five or six will be enough. We just want to try our luck, as it's difficult for us to make a breakthrough at this pace."
Luo Guowei nodded and said, "Then it shall be as you say."
Wan Yunting nodded. Seeing that it was getting late, everyone returned to their accommodations to rest.
The next morning, Wan Yunting got up early to pack his things. As he went out, he saw Li Yuxiu also getting up. She came out of her room with a backpack. "Morning."
"Morning..."
Wan Yunting greeted her with a smile, and they went downstairs together. They happened to see Nie Xiaoyu in full combat gear in the small plaza. Wan Yunting asked, "Officer Nie, why are you out?"
Nie Xiaoyu saw them, nodded, and greeted them, "I'm fine."
Wan Yunting asked, "Did you take the medicine I prescribed?"
Nie Xiaoyu nodded, then said, "Captain Luo mentioned you were going out to look for herbs today?"
"Yes, Yuxiu and I plan to go to the wilderness to try our luck and find some good medicine," Wan Yunting said.
Nie Xiaoyu replied, "Then I'll go with you."
Wan Yunting's expression faltered. He waved his hand and said, "No need. Your injuries are not fully healed. It's best to stay at the base and rest for a couple of days."
Nie Xiaoyu shook her head and said, "I'm fine. Besides, I'm just accompanying you. As long as we don't encounter terrorists or rebels, it will be fine. You go have breakfast first, I'll go apply with Captain Luo and gather personnel."
"Alright."
Seeing that Nie Xiaoyu had decided to go, Wan Yunting didn't refuse and called out to her, "I already applied with Captain Luo last night. Just send five people with us, to avoid attracting too much attention from terrorists."
"Got it," Nie Xiaoyu responded and headed towards the command post.
Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu went to the mess hall for breakfast. They ran into Lin Dongxiang and the others. They inquired about Huang Hongying and Long Xingyu's condition. As they had been infected with the virus for a short time, they were currently mildly infected.
After taking the medicinal soup of White Tiger Soup and ox horns, their internal viral spread and deterioration had been basically stabilized, buying more time for everyone...
After breakfast, Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu gathered at the small plaza. Nie Xiaoyu arrived with five young peacekeepers to rendezvous. They were all fully armed. Nie Xiaoyu even took out a Qjz95 assault rifle and two magazines, handing them to Wan Yunting and asking, "You should know how to use it, right?"
Wan Yunting's expression flickered. He took the pistol and magazines and looked at them. They were all loaded. He nodded and smiled, "I can use it, but I'm not as accurate as you."
Nie Xiaoyu said, "Captain Luo approved it. It's for your self-defense."
Wan Yunting directly tucked the pistol into the back of his waistband, put the two magazines in his pocket, and smiled, "Okay, let's go then."
Nie Xiaoyu nodded and said to the shorter, dark-skinned soldier, "Xiao Tian, you drive. You're familiar with the surrounding terrain."
"Okay."
The peacekeeper named Tang Xiaotian nodded and got into a modified off-road vehicle. The other three comrades followed suit, while Wan Yunting, Li Yuxiu, and Nie Xiaoyu got into another off-road vehicle, driven by another soldier.
Wan Yunting called out, "We're mainly going to the wilderness, the more primitive the forest, the better."
"Understood."
Tang Xiaotian in front responded, immediately started the vehicle, and drove out of the base. Wan Yunting's car followed closely...
At the same time, the commander at the peacekeeping force headquarters had already issued orders. By noon, a team of peacekeepers began to converge at the station here. Together with peacekeeping forces from other countries, they joined forces with the local government army to launch a major offensive against terrorists and rebels in Niger City.
At noon, Lin Dongxiang and Zheng Xuelan at the base could hear explosions from Niger City, two kilometers away. The peacekeeper artillery at the base intermittently launched missiles, targeting rebel bases and terrorist gathering points in a comprehensive strike...
At this moment, Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu were sitting in the back of an off-road vehicle, with Nie Xiaoyu in the passenger seat. Driven by another young peacekeeper, they followed Tang Xiaotian's car and drove to a primeval forest tens of kilometers away.
The driver was named Xiang Xingwang. He said, "This is the protected animal forest of Mali. There are many large wild animals inside, so we must come out before dark."
Wan Yunting, Li Yuxiu, and Nie Xiaoyu nodded. After all, they had been here for half a month but had never explored the surroundings. Only the soldiers at the base were familiar with the local environment and ecological issues.
"Monkeys...!"
The two off-road vehicles slowly drove into the primeval forest. The trees were tall, and the grass was also high. A group of monkeys could be seen jumping on some breadfruit trees, very active.
Tang Xiaotian in front stopped the car, and the car behind, driven by Xiao Xiang, also stopped. Wan Yunting and the others got out. Tang Xiaotian said, "Captain Nie, Doctor Wan, we can't go any further. This is the territory of those wild animals. If we go in, we'll encounter them."
"Okay, then we'll search nearby."
Wan Yunting carried his backpack, adjusted the pistol at his waist, and picked up a piece of deadwood from the ground to probe the path and scare away snakes.
Tang Xiaotian said, "There's a small river ahead with many plants. Why don't we head that way?"
"Okay..."
Wan Yunting, Li Yuxiu, and Nie Xiaoyu nodded, then followed Tang Xiaotian towards the northwest at one o'clock. At the same time, they asked a soldier to stay behind to watch the car...
Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu were responsible for searching for medicinal herbs in the tall grass at their feet. Nie Xiaoyu and Tang Xiaotian didn't understand traditional Chinese medicine, but they also paid attention to the grass at their feet. If they saw any peculiar plants, they would ask Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu to identify them.
They maintained constant vigilance, their eyes scanning the surrounding environment for safety.
After all, this was a paradise for wild animals, and a lion or a carnivorous hyena could rush out at any moment...
"Hmm, there are a few Blood Red Leaf Vines here!"
As they walked towards the river with Tang Xiaotian, Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu, holding wooden sticks, rummaged through the grass at their feet and immediately discovered a few Blood Red Leaf Vines.
The two squatted down and began to study them, sighing, "Indeed, wild medicinal herbs are better. Blood Red Leaf Vines are scarce in China, and cultivating them is even more difficult. This is a big problem."
Li Yuxiu nodded. She had the most to say about this aspect abroad. She said, "Therefore, in my medical clinics abroad, I mostly use local Chinese medicinal herbs."
Wan Yunting didn't pick the Blood Red Leaf Vines. He continued walking with Li Yuxiu and the others and said, "You mean, there are many Chinese medicinal herbs abroad?"
Li Yuxiu nodded and said, "That's right. Especially in South African clinics, most of the medicinal herbs used are found in the local wilderness. Apart from the medicinal herbs native to our country that need to be transported, other medicinal herbs are found locally. I hire local people to help find them."
Wan Yunting smiled and asked, "Can local people identify our medicinal herbs?"
"We teach them if they can't."
Li Yuxiu added, "And local people aren't completely ignorant. After all, every place has its own traditional methods, and they also use herbs to treat illnesses."
"Doctor Li is right. During a previous mission, a comrade was injured, and a local folk doctor used their traditional methods to stop the bleeding, buying time for the comrade's rescue."
Wan Yunting nodded. While chatting about local matters, everyone walked towards a small river in the distance, and also paid attention to the grass at their feet, occasionally discovering many medicinal herbs...
Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu were very excited. Wild medicinal herbs are already very rare in China.
This is because besides the domestic demand for traditional Chinese medicine, many medicinal herbs are also exported. Even the wild medicinal herbs from China are directly sent abroad without being used in the country.
Foreign countries offer high prices, so the good medicinal herbs have gone abroad...