Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 33 Living Boundary Marker

"Two ribs are broken, but it looks like they are only slightly dislocated and have not damaged any internal organs. The best treatment option is to operate to reposition and fix them."

Li Zheng eventually accepted Xiao Siyuan's kindness and asked him to take a look at his injuries.

Xiao Siyuan simply lifted Li Zheng's shirt and glanced at him, running his fingers over several ribs to make an accurate diagnosis of his injuries.

"However, we are not able to operate here, so we can try another approach."

As Xiao Siyuan said this, he took out a prop that looked like a stun gun from his capsule residence.

Fearing Li Zheng might misunderstand, he held the prop in his hand, showed its information, and explained, "Microgravity Bone Traction Gun, the most valuable item I obtained during yesterday's exploration. It uses 3D intelligent scanning, eliminating the need for surgery. It can reposition bones through the skin and flesh, and accelerate bone healing in a very short time. It was originally supposed to have ten uses, but I've used eight of them in the last two days."

Furthermore, perhaps due to some special property of this tool, bones treated with it become denser and stronger after healing.

"A silver-grade medical instrument, you're willing to give it to a stranger?"

Li Zheng held the Desert Eagle in his hand, keeping part of his attention focused on the detector's alerts. He would not hesitate to act if the other party made any dangerous moves.

“Why not?” Xiao Siyuan smiled and said, “I’ve said it before, I am a soldier, and my duty is to protect the safety of our country and its people.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If you feel bad about it, perhaps you could offer something in exchange, so you won't always feel uneasy."

“You said you were a retired border guard, but just now you even needed me to remind you to take out your gun and fight back.”

Li Zheng looked at him calmly and said, "To be honest, I've never seen a soldier like you before."

Seeing that Li Zheng still didn't believe him, Xiao Siyuan didn't mind and said jokingly, "Perhaps it's because I'm a medic, and I should be holding a stethoscope or a blood pressure monitor instead of a weapon to kill?"

Xiao Siyuan's smile gradually faded, and his expression became much more serious as he explained, "You may not know how dangerous the situation is for the soldiers on duty at the border."

Some of them live deep in the mountains, isolated from the world for a long time.

Some of them live high in the mountains, where even a sip of hot water is a luxury.

Some of them are on the vast Gobi Desert, and can only wave and greet their colleagues on guard duty from afar during their daily patrols.

Some of them patrol the edge of the cliff, where a slight misstep could send them tumbling down the cliff.

them……"

Xiao Siyuan spoke at length, and even went on to explain his duties in the army in order to completely dispel Li Zheng's concerns.

"To be precise, my job is much easier than theirs. My daily duty is to go to various outposts to check the physical condition of the soldiers who have been isolated from the world for a long time, and to do psychological assessments as well."

Occasionally, there will be incidents where soldiers fall off cliffs or roll down slopes, and I will immediately rush to the scene to assist local medical institutions in treating them.

To put it bluntly, I spent a long time in contact with those soldiers and examined their bodies.

I probably know their bodies better than they know themselves, and my presence often helps avoid a lot of trouble.

Li Zheng stared intently at Xiao Siyuan, and he could see from the other man's eyes that he was sincere when he said those words.

If what the other party says is true, then their job is definitely not as easy as they make it out to be.

Most of the country's border defenses are located in sparsely populated areas. Border guards who are on duty there may only be able to take a vacation once every few years to go home and reunite with their families.

He has dedicated most of his life to his country.

As a medical worker, Xiao Siyuan is usually either at a sentry post or on her way to the next one.

There were many places that were inaccessible by car, and he had to walk there. What he called easy was not actually much easier.

Only Xiao Siyuan himself knows the hardships and difficulties he endured.

Although he is young and not yet thirty, Xiao Siyuan has been serving the border guards for nearly five years.

In these five years, the path he has walked and the hardships he has endured are no less than those of any border guard.

But he never complained and even enjoyed it.

"According to you, you should be a field medic, not a border guard..."

"I am a border guard!"

Before Li Zheng could finish speaking, Xiao Siyuan interrupted him, saying firmly, "Although I perform the duties of a doctor, I have undergone professional military training. If a conflict were to break out with a neighboring country and I were present, I would still be able to take up arms and defend our country's borders."

Not an inch will be yielded!

"..."

Li Zheng fell silent.

Whenever Xiao Siyuan identifies himself as a border guard, one can always see pride and self-esteem on his face.

This is not a derogatory adjective.

Li Zheng believes that if there is anyone in the world who deserves to be "proud" and "fulfilled," it is none other than these soldiers.

“But this isn’t China, it might not even be Earth… Why do you still cling to this sense of honor? Can’t you live like an ordinary citizen?” Li Zheng said. “After all, you yourself said that you’ve already retired.”

"Does retiring mean you're no longer a soldier?"

Xiao Siyuan suddenly laughed and joked, "I remember reading a report that referred to border guards as 'living boundary markers,' and that the place where the boundary markers are located is our country's territory."

I am here, this is our territory, you are our citizen, you are in distress, it is our duty to help you.

"Besides, besides being a soldier, I'm also a doctor. Even from a doctor's perspective, does that mean I can't offer help to injured people even when I'm not in a hospital?"

As Xiao Siyuan spoke, the "microgravity skeletal traction gun" in his hand was already pressed against Li Zheng's chest.

This time, Li Zheng did not refuse and let the other party do as they pleased.

"It might hurt a little... Oh, I bet you're almost numb from the pain by now," Xiao Siyuan reminded him.

The next moment, before Li Zheng could say anything, Xiao Siyuan had already pressed the start button.

hum...

The microgravity skeletal traction gun operates, emitting a slight vibration.

At first, Li Zheng did not notice anything unusual, and even thought that the thing might not be working, when the vibration of the bone traction gun suddenly disappeared for a moment.

After that, Li Zheng felt as if his broken ribs were being grabbed by hand and violently twisted outwards.

"Gan!"

An unprecedented, intense pain instantly spread throughout Li Zheng's body. He shuddered in pain and cursed aloud.

"Click."

Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Zheng heard a slight cracking sound, like someone breaking a stick not far away.

However, he no longer had the energy to think too much. The intense pain almost made him faint, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, he screamed in agony.

"Damn it, it really hurts!!!"

"This hurts a hundred times, a thousand times more than the moment my bones broke!"

"Hey Xiao, didn't you say it hurt a little?"

"You call this 'a little bit'?"

The pain made Li Zheng's mind become unclear, and he started talking nonsense and cursing.

"Don't worry, it only hurts a little at first, but it gets better afterward." Xiao Siyuan remained unmoved, his hand holding the traction gun motionless.

"Gan!"

Li Zheng suddenly cleared his mind for a moment, stunned by Xiao Siyuan's words, "I think you're making a suggestive remark, and the evidence is conclusive."

The next moment, his consciousness was overwhelmed by pain again, and he continued to scream in agony.

"嘤嘤!"

Sakura suddenly flew back from somewhere. Upon hearing Li Zheng's scream, she thought Xiao Siyuan was hurting him. She yelled and pounced over, her tiny, sharp teeth gleaming with a faint green.

(End of this chapter)