RIACMET chapter 52

 

The exhaustion they’d accumulated after almost a month of traveling was no small matter.

Their bodies and minds finally relaxed, and almost everyone slept straight through until noon the next day.

When Jiang Nian woke up, Cheng Jing was already up. He was confused from oversleeping. He stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before finally remembering:

They had safely arrived at South City Base.

Since his rebirth, he had managed to avoid all the vile traps, wicked people, and terrible events from his previous life.

However, he wondered—if his choices had been different, would Chen Yue still have been scratched by a zombie?

He rather hoped she would. It would be even better if his stepmother were so devoted that she refused to kill him and the whole family were wiped out together in the end!

Otherwise, according to Murphy’s Law[mfn]“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” It’s basically a humorous way to express that if something has even a small chance of failing or going badly, it probably will—often at the worst possible moment.[/mfn], they’d probably run into each other again someday.

The translucent curtains made the room look a little brighter. Jiang Nian pulled his thoughts back and glanced to the side. It looked like he’d have to change the curtains if he wanted to sleep peacefully.

Yawning at the thought, he picked up the phone next to his pillow to check the time. It was almost half past ten.

His teammates had been messaging each other, making plans to meet at the management office at one of the base entrances after lunch to collect their point storage cards and take a walk around the base.

Li Sheng had given them the green light yesterday, and they had settled in right away. Today, they needed to register their identities again.

The messages had been replied to an hour ago. He’d still been dreaming then. Cheng Jing had answered them on his phone.

“Brother Jing.”

Out of habit, Jiang Nian called out to him as he scrolled through his phone. Only after calling out did he realize he was acting like a child who wakes up and immediately starts looking for his mother.

Oh, whatever. His boyfriend was basically a dad figure anyway. No one would laugh at him for this.

Soon, there was a soft click, and Cheng Jing pushed the door open.

“You’re awake?”

“Yeah.”

Jiang Nian stretched lazily, sat up, rubbed his face, and looked around. The next second, his eyes lit up.

Wow!

Brother Jing’s black casual work clothes were simple and neat, a sharp contrast to his usual suits and ties, which looked calm and stiff. This outfit made him look even more upright and composed with a hint of wildness.

Especially under the unbuttoned jacket, the short-sleeved inner shirt clung to his skin, outlining his firm muscles, which made them look touchable at first glance.

As expected of a natural clothes hanger, Jiang Nian thought his boyfriend would look good in anything!

“What is it?”

Cheng Jing subconsciously looked down but didn’t see anything out of place.

Besides, Jiang Nian had bought this set of clothes for him. They had the same style and could be worn as a couples outfit.

His heart stirred on its own. Jiang Nian immediately got off the bed and slipped on his slippers. Smiling, he beckoned to the man standing at the door.

“Brother Jing, come here…”

With such a handsome man in front of him, how could he resist taking a sniff?

Cheng Jing walked over as instructed. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Jiang Nian pulled him over to the side of the bed. He pressed his head against Jiang Nian’s stomach, wrapped his arms around his waist, and started rubbing back and forth.

He looked like a cat owner hopelessly addicted to his pet. His words were shameless beyond measure:

“I overslept and got groggy. You have to recharge me.”

This person must have been lying flat on his back again because these muscles felt even better than before. It was outrageous! This was the source of his happiness!

“… ”

Cheng Jing fell silent. He really had no way to refute such a self-justified excuse.

Jiang Nian was always so open about his affection for Cheng Jing that it sometimes made Cheng Jing feel embarrassed.

“… ”

As he felt Jiang Nian’s hands roaming all over him, Cheng Jing lifted his own hand and rested it on Jiang Nian’s fluffy head. For a moment, he suddenly wanted to push Jiang Nian down.

However, the idea only flashed through his mind.

In matters like this, he preferred that Jiang Nian take the initiative. Otherwise, he was worried that the other might feel uncomfortable but wouldn’t dare refuse, which would gradually affect their relationship.

Knowing when to stop, Jiang Nian finally pulled his hands away, reluctantly. He buried his face in Cheng Jing’s abs and took a deep breath.

Other people had cats to pet—he had abs to pet. Their levels of happiness were vastly different.

After the apocalypse, many people didn’t even have cats to cuddle anymore, but he still had abs to bury his face in, so he was very satisfied!

Cheng Jing’s gaze softened. He gently patted Jiang Nian:

“If you’re done touching, get up. Wash your face, brush your teeth, and eat.”

“Thank you, Brother Jing.”

Jiang Nian looked up, feeling as if his mood had instantly reached its peak. After helping Cheng Jing straighten his clothes, Jiang Nian stood and walked to the bathroom to wash up.

When he came back out, ready to change, Cheng Jing had already prepared a matching outfit for him.

“… ”

Jiang Nian wasn’t used to showing affection in front of his teammates. He hesitated as he held the clothes.

“Brother Jing, how about I wear something else?”

They could wear matching outfits when they went out alone, but he was embarrassed when there were so many people around.

The man tidying up the closet looked at him dangerously.

“Reason?”

“Uh…”

Jiang Nian suddenly fell silent. There was no reason—he just didn’t have thick enough skin.

Cheng Jing stood there with his arms crossed, staring at him.

“Either you wear this today, or you wear nothing.”

This person was truly spoiled by him! He had picked out matching clothes for them to wear together, and here this ungrateful little brat was!

Even though he was wearing a ring, he was still afraid to wear matching clothes with him.

“… ”

Seeing this, Jiang Nian didn’t dare argue anymore. He quickly took off his pajamas and started changing.

Just as he was about to put them on, Cheng Jing turned and left the room. He was worried that Jiang Nian might change his mind and refuse to wear the clothes, which would mean that he wouldn’t go out at all today.

Jiang Nian finished getting dressed and walked straight to the dining table.

Breakfast and lunch were combined. First, Cheng Jing had him drink half a bowl of millet porridge with pickles to whet his appetite before starting the meal.

The sour and spicy cabbage and stir-fried pork with tofu were the perfect accompaniment to rice.

He had eaten too much pasta and instant food lately, so it felt great to have a proper meal again.

There would be fewer chances to cook once the weather turned bitterly cold. They rarely used their gas cans, so they brought everything along.

If you stored them in the ring space, they could last a long time and be used only for cooking.

“This morning, Li Sheng left a package of supplies in front of every dorm room and a note telling us to familiarize ourselves with the base over the next few days and wait for further instructions.”

While they ate, Cheng Jing told him what had happened earlier that morning.

The military management was strict but also humane.

Jiang Nian nodded.

“That’s good. Let’s spend a few days fixing up the house, organizing things, and giving everyone supplies. Then, we can decide what to do next.”

Judging by the current situation, the best approach is to distribute necessities to their teammates and ensure that they have enough reserves left over. Then, they can trade some of those reserves for points to get more basic resources.

“All right, I’ll leave it to you.”

Cheng Jing smiled and put a few pieces of meat in Jiang Nian’s bowl.

“Eat more. You’ve lost weight.”

“I don’t think I have…”

Jiang Nian ate the meat, feeling that he was in great shape, both physically and mentally.

“Of course you wouldn’t think so, but I can tell just by holding you.”

Cheng Jing kept picking out food for him. Last night, when he held him to sleep for the first time in a long while, he realized there was a lot less flesh.

“Ha…”

Jiang Nian couldn’t stop the silly grin from spreading across his face. Brother Jing was just too good at saying things like this so seriously. Every now and then, he’d say something that made his heart race as if he were falling in love all over again.