Chapter 47: Heal the Person Before Saving the Person
Shen Yi’an had seen the two elderly people lying unconscious in the grass before.
Not in real life, but on television news.
Though she had only seen them that one time, the impression they left was profoundly vivid.
In the televised news segment, they stood beneath the national flag, spirited and full of vigor, yet appearing gentle, approachable, and down-to-earth.
If not for their pale hair, one might have mistaken them for being in the prime of their youth.
If there was any regret about the scene in the news footage, it was the old man’s left sleeve—empty and swaying loosely. Anyone who saw it for the first time couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.
But such emotions lingered only briefly, as one’s gaze was quickly drawn to his right hand, raised high in the air.
He was saluting—to the motherland and to the people!
The elderly woman standing beside him mirrored the gesture, her eyes filled with deep reverence as she gazed at the national flag.
After that appearance, the elderly couple never appeared in any news footage again.
Yet it was that single glimpse that made Shen Yi’an remember their faces.
When she went to Jingshi for university, she had even fantasized about bumping into them on the streets.
But that wish never came true.
Later, trapped deep in the remote mountains, she happened to hear local villagers mention that an elderly couple had been kidnapped by a gang to extort money from the local government.
Knowing the identities of the elderly couple, the local government immediately wanted to comply.
After all, these two were no ordinary figures—their worth could not be measured by mere money.
But the elderly couple could not bear such a situation. They believed that the new nation they had fought so hard to build should be vibrant and progressive, and the government should be wholly dedicated to serving the people.
If the law were broken because of two old souls like them, it would severely harm the nation’s future governance.
With this in mind, the elderly couple left a message, urging the local government to always remember its mission of serving the people, and expressing their willingness to be pioneers on that path.
Having said this, they turned and engaged in a fierce confrontation with the gang that had kidnapped them, ultimately dying as heroes.
After their deaths, freed from constraints, the local government and armed police uprooted the entire gang.
When news of this reached the top leadership, they were furious and convened a secret meeting that very day.
No one knew the details of the meeting, but the outcome was a month-long, comprehensive crackdown on all gangs operating under various guises.
While some may have slipped through the net, none of the gang leaders escaped legal punishment.
After this crackdown, the domestic situation steadily improved, and so-called gangs no longer had the opportunity or courage to show their faces.
When Shen Yi’an heard these discussions back then, she felt the government’s crackdown hadn’t been thorough enough—otherwise, she wouldn’t still be trapped deep in the remote mountains.
Now, looking at the two disheveled elderly figures lying in the grass, she finally understood who had provoked the fury of the top leadership and high-ranking officials.
If it were these two before her, such rage was justified.
After all, very few had survived the frontlines, and even fewer among them had achieved such distinguished merits.
For gangs to dare target individuals like these, it was clear their leaders deserved their fate.
Yet, when ideals materialized in the wrong time and place, Shen Yi’an couldn’t help but feel disoriented.
They were near the entrance to the city.
Before urban planning had reached this area, this stretch of land was neither densely populated nor monitored by surveillance cameras like in later eras.
Precisely because of this, such locations often became hotspots for danger.
The ‘Axe Gang’ had chosen this place for their gathering not without reason.
So, how could she rescue the two elderly individuals?
Take them directly into her Space and leave?
Shen Yi’an dismissed this idea as soon as it surfaced.
Logically, storing them in the Space for a direct rescue would be the most suitable approach, especially since the two elderly were currently unconscious.
But what if they woke up midway?
If the secret of her Space were exposed because of this, her second chance at life would be as good as over.
Revealing one’s trump card to save others was the most foolish act.
Thus, the first method was ruled out.
As for directly reporting to the police… theoretically, that was also feasible.
But if these people relocated during her absence, even calling in the armed police would be useless.
Without guaranteeing the capture of both the culprits and the evidence, filing a false police report was illegal.
So, reporting to the police was also ruled out.
What choice was left?
Giving up on rescuing them was absolutely out of the question.
The two elderly were founding heroes of the nation, pioneers who had helped establish the new order.
If she abandoned saving such individuals, it went without saying that her fortuitously gained life would likely be short-lived.
Amid the chaos of thoughts swirling in her mind, a brilliant idea suddenly struck.
Heal first, rescue later!
In her previous life, during her years living deep in the distant mountains, she had spent considerable time learning to identify medicinal herbs from the locals.
At first, it was merely to pass the time, but gradually, she developed a genuine interest.
She slowly discovered that many herbs, when combined and blended, could produce unexpected effects.
For instance, numbing the nerves or reducing the body’s immunity.
However, she couldn’t research more potent or drastic effects—the people in the remote mountains kept a close watch, likely wary of anyone attempting to escape by drugging others.
Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that someone had already tried such a method.
Nevertheless, this experience had familiarized Shen Yi’an with numerous medicinal herbs and their properties.
Including how to quickly restore consciousness to someone who was unconscious.
Since she hadn’t managed to buy medicinal herb seeds at the Seed Market that afternoon, her Space was temporarily out of the question.
Her only hope lay in the weeds growing along the roadside.
With a plan in mind, Shen Yi’an decisively used her Space to scout the surroundings, fervently hoping that the sooner she found the needed herbs, the sooner she could rescue them and escape…
At the same time, the Axe Gang members scattered around the area called off their search, primarily because dozens of them had found nothing unusual in the vicinity.
“Boss, we found nothing over there—not a single person, not even a grasshopper.”
“Boss, same here. The weeds are too sparse to hide anyone.”
“Boss, we did find some flattened grass over on our side, but it didn’t look like it was pressed down by a person.”
“Boss, do you think the one throwing stones could be a monkey?”
The gang leader managed to offer perfunctory responses to the first few reports.
But upon hearing the last one, he turned and delivered a sharp slap.
“Are you an idiot?”
“Since when do we have monkeys around here? Tell me, where would monkeys come from?”
“Raising pigs is hard enough, let alone monkeys! I think you’re the one who should climb a tree and play the monkey!”
“Moron!”
Rubbing the back of his head where he had been slapped, the scolded man could only lower his head and give an awkward laugh.
“I was just joking, boss. Why are you so angry?”
“Anyway, just treat what I said like a fart and let it go.”
“Forget it if we can’t find anyone!” After a long pause, the gang boss finally spoke, with only his gradually tightening fists betraying his current anger.
Useless trash!
Always dropping the ball at critical moments. Who knows if all the money I’ve been throwing around has just been feeding pigs.
Why is there not a single one with a brain that works!
Just as he was thinking this, a figure quietly approached his ear and whispered a few words.
Understanding the meaning of the words, the gang boss’s face lit up with obvious delight.
“Good lad, I owe you one!”
“If we really catch them, you’ll definitely get your share of the rewards.”
Hearing this, the one who came up with the idea grinned.
“It’s my honor to help you, boss. I don’t dare ask for any rewards.”
“I just hope you’ll remember me when you rise to the top!”
After their conversation ended, all members of the ‘Axe Gang’ immediately sprang into action.
Some were responsible for carrying away the two elderly people hidden in the grass, some collected the clubs and knives from those carrying them, while others hurried ahead to scout the path.
In short, everyone’s actions signaled one message: they were leaving this area.
Because of this, the commotion they made before leaving was particularly loud.
This left Shen Yi’an, who had just finished preparing the antidote in the Space, somewhat stunned. Did this mean he had to follow them into the gang’s lair to rescue people?