RIACMET chapter 23

 

“… ”

Cheng Jing had grown accustomed to the nickname Huang Qian had given Jiang Nian. He rolled his eyes at her and didn’t reply.

If they weren’t worried about zombies, Jiang Nian would’ve beaten up those two idiots outside the door long ago. He knew his lover very well.

Jiang Nian was only obedient in front of him; in a wild brawl, Jiang Nian was much better than him.

After all, he was one of the bullies at the affiliated middle school of No. 1 Middle School back in the day, a senior who loved to mess with his younger classmates. He had a gentle-looking face, yet he could make people kneel and sing songs of surrender. He only retracted his claws to pursue Jiang Nian.

Once Huang Qian opened her mouth, the other teammates took the opportunity to chime in:

“When is Brother Cheng going to introduce his new brother-in-law to us?”

“Yeah, and why does Sister Qian call your brother-in-law ‘Hamster’?”

“Brother Cheng changed his status to ‘Married’ some time ago. The pain of being a widower is finally over. Congratulations to Brother Cheng on his second marriage…”

“Did Brother Cheng really move on?”

“Of course. You’re wearing a ring now, aren’t you, Brother Cheng?”

“…”

The atmosphere, which had been quiet due to fatigue, suddenly became lively as the gossip began to spread.

Cheng Jing didn’t want to answer, so he simply closed his eyes to rest. The people in this vehicle were among the few who could see his private circle, and they had all been misled by a woman named Huang Qian.

“Haha, you’re too naive. Your Brother Cheng is famously stubborn. He wouldn’t even score twice!”

Seeing that everyone was curious and glancing at Cheng Jing, who remained calm, Huang Qian took the lead in speaking.

“Sister Qian, please tell us more…”

“Spill the tea, Sister Qian!”

“…”

With all the flattery, Huang Qian couldn’t keep quiet anymore. She revealed the truth:

“There’s no such thing as a second marriage or remarriage. The Hamster is the resurrected lost idol of your brother Cheng.”

Everyone was stunned, then whistled as they processed this information.

“Wow, is that possible?”

“So a good horse does return to its old pasture…”

“I believe in love again!”

“A loyal man like Brother Cheng should be enshrined in the imperial temple.”

…”

After turning a corner, they arrived at a hideout in an inconspicuous old residential area. Cheng Jing closed his eyes and said,

“Get out of the vehicle! You’re the only ones who talk too much!”

“Hehe, Brother Cheng. Next time, let’s visit your brother-in-law. A high-level Daoist like him is worthy of our worship!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The two got out of the vehicle, not forgetting to talk nonsense before leaving. They were really curious—what kind of person could make their Brother Cheng so smitten?

If only they could learn a little, they wouldn’t still be single.

The doors closed, and the gossip continued until everyone was sent back to the safe house. Then Cheng Jing and Huang Qian returned to his community, Taihe Mingcheng.

After parking the vehicle, the two held their weapons and switched on their headlamps. After looking around briefly, Cheng Jing sent Huang Qian upstairs.

As she walked cautiously upstairs, Huang Qian recalled something and asked again,

“What happened when Jiang Nian called you just now?”

“Some idiots were knocking on the door looking for trouble. It’s no big deal.”

He examined the reinforced door carefully. It would take at least a rocket launcher to break through it. People who had been through the apocalypse were indeed skilled. That’s why he could leave with peace of mind.

The fifth floor wasn’t too high. After ensuring that Huang Qian was safely inside, Cheng Jing left immediately.

Their two hideouts were in neighboring buildings. Along the way, Cheng Jing killed a few zombies and then began patrolling from the first floor up. He had to be more vigilant at his residence.

He carefully inspected the eighth floor, finding that all the apartment doors were closed. When he tried the door of the couple, he found that the lock wasn’t broken, but there was a lot of dried blood on the door handle and floor.

Noises came from inside the room. It seemed the young couple had returned after being rejected by Jiang Nian.

He immediately returned to the tenth floor. As expected, there was no one outside the door, but there was a pool of dark red blood that gave off a foul stench—different from the smell of normal blood.

After entering the outer door, Cheng Jing grabbed a disinfectant spray from the hallway and disinfected himself. Then, he took off his outdoor combat suit, hood, weapons, and other equipment and put them aside. Dressed in clean clothes, he knocked on the door.

“Niannian, I’m back.”

The door opened quickly, and Jiang Nian stuck his head out.

“Brother Jing.”

Seeing that he had cleanly stripped off his “outer skin,” Jiang Nian nodded in satisfaction and let him in. He used his supernatural ability to purify and disinfect the discarded items a second time.

It might not have much practical use, but it was a good way to find peace of mind while improving his control over his powers.

More than half a month had passed since his powers had awakened, and his range had expanded to 5 meters in diameter. He didn’t feel too exhausted after using them. All his teammates were making progress, and he couldn’t fall behind.

Jiang Nian closed the door again, then went to the kitchen to make a late-night snack for the one who came home late.

Cheng Jing found a trash bag and tissues to clean the blood stains outside the door, then showered.

Not many people could bathe every day now, but fortunately, his hamster had prepared everything well.

After he finished washing up, Jiang Nian had prepared a late-night meal for him: a bowl of rice noodles with a fried egg, sausage, and greens. The greens were a reward for completing a mission.

They had stockpiled vegetables in the spatial storage, but couldn’t use them yet.

He ate while Jiang Nian munched on snacks beside him. He recounted in detail how the neighbors came knocking and became angry after being turned away. In the end, he said coldly,

“They came asking for help with tools to break in. They had no good intentions.”

“The door on the eighth floor was locked. They must’ve been injured and infected by zombies. I’ll check on them and clean up the area tomorrow.”

Cheng Jing shared his findings, as well as the bloodstains at the door.

“They were hurt, but they hadn’t lost their minds yet, so they came knocking…”

Although Jiang Nian was certain that he would never let anyone in, he was still a bit scared thinking about it.

He knew there was no hope after infection, yet those two still came to him. He didn’t know if they wanted to eat him or drag him down with them. Either way, they were vicious.

Cheng Jing’s face was grim.

“There are all kinds of people in the world, but hardship and disaster magnify the evil in people. So, let’s protect ourselves and ignore this moral blackmail. The rescue team risks their lives on the front lines, so it’s unacceptable if they can’t even protect their families. I’d rather stay home and look after you. Besides, we have plenty of food and daily necessities.”

Jiang Nian nodded as he bit into his spicy noodles.

“Exactly.”

Those front-line moral blackmailers must have huge, dark holes in their brains! After thinking for a bit, he said,

“Tomorrow, you’ll be home, and we’ll seal all the uninhabited units in this building. That way, zombies can’t hide, and patrolling will be easier.”

The temporary rescue teams had done the same in his previous life. When they established a temporary base in a community, they sealed off all unused units. This way, even if zombies broke in, their traces would be easy to find.