Chapter 45: Preparing for Departure

The moon gradually grew full, and the work at the headquarters broke away from its routine rhythm, with the entire organization entering a state of high-speed operation.

The finance department converted all liquidatable assets into RMB, and then turned the RMB into countless supplies. To prevent any last-minute complications, the finance team still kept about 500,000 RMB in reserve. They also privately cast the ten-plus kilograms of gold they still had on hand into small bars of 10, 25, and 50 grams, ready for use at any time—although not as convenient as cash, the value of gold was something everyone could understand.

Except for the maritime personnel stationed at the freight forwarding office on the Leizhou Peninsula, all transmigrators who had been dispatched to other locations returned to the base to begin the final preparations.

The medical and health group conducted a final review of the transmigrators’ health status, focusing on immunizations. Despite repeated notices, they still found people who had not been vaccinated but falsely claimed they had—some even produced forged vaccination certificates.

For some vaccines, it was already too late for a booster shot—the entire Hepatitis B vaccination process takes a year and a half. The health group had no choice but to increase their procurement of vaccines to bring along.

“Don’t these people know they’re gambling with their own lives?” He Ma looked at the “Incomplete Immunization Status Table” that the survey had produced. Although he didn’t know the epidemic situation in 17th-century Hainan, he could well imagine it was a paradise for all sorts of microorganisms. Cholera had broken out multiple times in Hainan even in the 20th century.

“Many people also haven’t had the corneal incision surgery to correct their vision,” Dr. Lan Fangfang said painfully. He had to add a full set of old-fashioned optometry equipment to the medical procurement list. Compared to the ubiquitous computerized refractometers and lens grinders, this old equipment was really hard to find.

Many other things were also hard to find. A major headache for the health group was that they couldn’t easily use large quantities of disposable supplies like a modern hospital. Things like glass syringes and infusion sets were now difficult to find, and the small medical sterilizers that went with them had also disappeared. They had to search the warehouses of many pharmaceutical companies, medical device factories, and hospitals to gather everything. The special rubber tubing on many old medical instruments had long since aged and deteriorated, and there was nowhere to get replacements. They had to specially commission a company to create new molds and produce them—at a high cost.

The Executive Committee’s attitude towards medical care was one of unlimited spending—as long as it could guarantee the highest possible level of medical care, they would approve any amount of money. As a result, the health group became the biggest spender among all the civil affairs departments.

In the end, it formed a list that could almost open a hospital:

1. Diagnostic Equipment
   • One gastroscope set, one B-ultrasound set, one X-ray machine set, one colonoscope set, one laparoscope set, one ECG set, 10 monitoring sets, 5 medical microscopes.
2. Treatment Equipment
   • 2 shadowless lamps (1.5m diameter)
   • 2 surgical tents
   • 2 operating tables
   • 10 oxygen cylinders
   • 10 ventilators
   • 2 gastric lavage machines
   • 2 dental treatment units
   • 2 defibrillators
   • 100 glass syringes (1ml, 5ml, 10ml, 20ml, 50ml)
   • 50 glass IV drip sets
   • 20 sets of surgical instruments
   • 10 sets of dental instruments
   • 5 sets of obstetric instruments
   • 2 sets of orthopedic instruments and equipment
   • Each set: 1 electric knife, 1 sharp and 1 round scalpel, 4 large, medium, and small hemostatic forceps each, 4 curved forceps, 4 hook forceps, 2 large, medium, and small retractors each, 2 large and small toothed forceps each, 2 large and small plain forceps each, 2 large, medium, and small intestinal spatulas.
   • Surgical gowns, masks, caps, gloves, etc., in various quantities.
   • Large quantities of sutures, dressings, gauze, disinfectant, etc.
3. Pharmaceuticals
   • Emergency drugs: Mannitol, Isoproterenol, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Verapamil, Cedilanid, Amiodarone, Propafenone, Propranolol, Digitalis, Atropine.
   • Large quantities of the anesthetic Lidocaine.
   • Large quantities of the diuretic Furosemide.
   • Large quantities of antibiotics (Penicillin, Erythromycin, Clindamycin, Cephalosporins, Sulfonamides, Ornidazole, Metronidazole, Ofloxacin, Vancomycin - from low to high efficacy).
   • Large quantities of antiviral drugs (Ribavirin).
   • Various common drugs, vaccines, and anti-snake venom serums.
4. Other Equipment
   • Sterilizers, various stainless steel medical utensils, UV disinfection carts, refrigerators, infant incubators, etc.

First-aid kits were configured at 5 per person, with one issued directly to each individual as standard equipment.

If not for the fact that they simply couldn’t find a seller, the Executive Committee was even prepared to buy a full field hospital set. But after searching many places, they couldn’t find one for sale and had to give up. The Executive Committee’s obsession with comprehensiveness in medical matters became so extreme that even the doctors in the health group couldn’t stand it anymore and had to stop their ever-increasing demands—they even put a CT scanner on the procurement list, and the doctors had to tell them that while it was useful, it wasn’t something they couldn’t live without…

As for the personal equipment of the transmigrators, it fully embodied the Executive Committee’s spirit of “better to have too much than too little.” However, they still configured it in multiple tiers based on different personnel roles.

The standard personal configuration for a transmigrator was A-Level, which was mandatory for everyone.

At this level, the configuration was mainly to meet the needs of daily production and life, while also providing protection for low-level conflicts and short-distance cross-country travel.

It included a knock-off version of the US Marine Corps modular backpack, which could be broken down into 6 bags of different sizes. The average transmigrator was not issued camouflage uniforms, only tropical military-green training uniforms and tropical combat boots, one boonie hat and one helmet-style hat, the latter with a special mosquito net head cover. They were also issued goggles, a raincoat, and high-top rubber boots.

Under normal circumstances, the transmigrators would be housed on the ship or in prefabricated houses at the base, so their lodging items did not emphasize camping. As Hainan is in a subtropical region, they were issued a 15°C rated sleeping bag and a matching moisture-proof mat.

As for protective gear and weapons, A-Level transmigrators would not participate in intense conflicts and only needed limited protection. Therefore, they were issued an anti-stab vest, gloves, and one Type 80 steel helmet—the reason for not choosing a lighter, newer helmet was that organic materials age easily, while the old Type 80 helmets were abundant and cheap.

Communication items were a walkie-talkie and a survival whistle. The walkie-talkie had a communication range of over 1 km and could be networked.

Personal items issued:

• Waterproof outdoor watch (with functions for altitude, temperature, air pressure, electronic compass, timer, and alarm).
• One knock-off Swiss Army knife and one short machete.
• Compass.
• Headlamp.
• Flashlight (friction-powered to save batteries).
• Windproof lighter.
• Small steel cup (can be used for drinking anything, and as a washing cup in the morning).
• Outdoor water bottle (effective at preventing corrosion, cool color).
• Military canteen (comes with a mess tin, which is quite practical).
• One set each of mess tin, enamel food tray, and travel cutlery.

Finally, each person also received two days’ worth of emergency rations: energy bars and beef jerky, plus one sewing kit and one first-aid kit.

As for toiletries and general underwear, socks, and clothes, individuals were to provide their own.

Above A-Level, there were B-Level (for general military personnel and long-range travelers) and C-Level (for scouts and long-range field surveyors). In these two levels, camouflage uniforms and GORE-TEX jackets replaced the training uniforms, and many more professional outdoor, military, and specialized items were added. The list was long and varied. However, many of the items in these two tiers were not issued regularly but were given out temporarily when needed and had to be returned afterward.

According to the committee’s repeated calculations, each transmigrator could carry 200kg of personal belongings, including the issued equipment. As long as the total weight was not exceeded, there was no limit on the types of personal items, but firearms were not allowed to be carried privately (any brought must be handed over for unified storage).

Ma Qianzhu tirelessly led a team to inspect the packing of each transmigrator’s belongings and couldn’t help but shake his head. Almost all of them brought various kinds of computers, but very few thought to bring a notebook and a pen. Many also brought entertainment devices like MP3 players and PSPs, as if they were going to a place with power outlets everywhere. Yet they brought very few items crucial for personal hygiene, like underwear, socks, and toiletries.

There was no end to such equipment, which seemed more suited for a hiking trip than a transmigration. The committee decided to adjust everyone’s equipment, persuading them not to bring so many useless things. The filtered-out items could be mailed home, but most people firmly refused to leave their computers behind—even if the transmigration was successful and they all became high-ranking cadres, it would be impossible to produce a computer within their lifetimes.

“Forget it, let them bring them. It will give us more spare computer parts,” sighed Shi Kai, who was in charge of all the transmigrators’ IT work. His own burden was not light; he had a full cabinet of IT equipment, and he wasn’t sure if his undergraduate level of knowledge was enough to handle it.

Wang Luobin and others in charge of material procurement had to travel back and forth to nearby cities again—to purchase all sorts of things they hadn’t thought of at first but realized were useful as the departure neared.

The packing process was spent in constant re-checking and supplementing. The hustle and bustle didn’t stop until late at night. The next morning, the transmigrators gathered on the training ground, each wearing the uniformly issued clothing.

“Not bad, they look like an army,” Xi Yazhou said, surveying the transmigrators sitting on the ground waiting to board.

“Hmph, a disorderly mob,” Ma Qianzhu grumbled. The scene before him was less like an army and more like a reenactment of his university military training.

“Don’t say that, Old Ma,” Xi Yazhou said, clapping him on the shoulder with heroic spirit. “We are going to sweep across all of China together…”