RIACMET chapter 55

 

On their way to the base, the team had already discussed it. Whatever they decided to do after arriving would be up to Cheng Jing. In any case, they would advance and retreat together.

Cheng Jing accepted the base’s official invitation on behalf of the entire team.

To celebrate, everyone gathered for a small party.

Jiang Nian brought out two bottles of wine, and Liao Yu was in charge of chilling them. When it came to this, Young Master Liao was the most knowledgeable.

The big table was set by a group of people with every kind of chicken, duck, fish, and meat—delicious, rich, and fragrant. They weren’t about to prepare anything half-heartedly.

The focus of tonight’s dinner was their teammates. Jiang Nian didn’t drink too much, and Cheng Jing always knew how to pace himself.

Everyone enjoyed the food and conversation and, for a while, completely forgot about the disaster outside.

Their cheerful team-building activity ended just as the sun set.

Huang Qian had drunk too much that day. She hugged Jiang Nian and started praising him.

Unlike her usual teasing, her eyes were misty, and she spoke seriously, saying repeatedly, “Brother, I really love you. If anyone dares to bother you, this sister will skewer them like a kebab and toss them over the wall to lure zombies.”

Everyone fell silent before bursting into laughter. In the end, Lu Ningzhou carried the “Drunken Beauty” upstairs.

They were on the third floor. Huang Qian and Lu Ningzhou’s dorm was right above Jiang Nian’s. Even after a while, Sister Qian’s voice could be heard drifting down.

The rest of them helped clean up before heading off.

Cheng Jing took the trash downstairs to throw it out.

The room fell quiet again.

After washing his face, Jiang Nian came out of the bathroom, turned around, and flopped onto the new sofa. He stared at the ceiling as his thoughts drifted.

He was genuinely happy that his teammates were settled and safe. He knew he was hiding his powers as a trump card for the team’s sake and his own convenience, yet a faint feeling of loss remained in his heart.

Back then, he was the big brother who ruled the dark alleys behind the school.

Each time he beat someone into submission, he thought about finding a chance to show the world the strength of his fists.

But now, after living through the apocalypse, he had somehow turned into a well-behaved kid who knew the world was unpredictable and that you had to survive complicated situations.

“Ah…”

It wasn’t easy being a salted fish. He sighed dramatically.

“If you eat too much free food, you’ll get sick of it…”

Even though he’d always said he wanted to be a salted fish before the world ended, now that his wish had finally come true, it wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he’d imagined.

The main reason was that he seemed too weak and docile in front of Brother Jing, like a sweet little boy. To be fair, though, he really did look that way.

Even when Brother Jing promised to take him out to earn extra points on their days off, something still felt missing.

“Are you already bored before you’ve even really started?”

Cheng Jing had just come back from taking out the trash. After washing his hands, he came over smiling. He leaned down and kissed the lazy man sprawled on the sofa.

“I’m already addicted to you. You’ll never bore me. If you got bored, I wouldn’t have any motivation left.”

Everyone had their secret hobbies, and he was no exception. Apart from loving Jiang Nian, he also had a subtle desire to tame him.

It wasn’t about belittling Jiang Nian; he simply wanted to protect him and keep him close.

The main reason was that Jiang Nian’s nature was too wild. Beneath his obedient exterior, he was rebellious.

Of course, Cheng Jing would never say this out loud; otherwise, Jiang Nian would definitely blow up at him.

Jiang Nian squinted, hooked a finger around the collar of his T-shirt, and muttered,

“I’ve noticed, Brother Jing. After two years apart, you’ve really gotten skilled.”

He used to be the one doing all the teasing. Now it had somehow reversed—completely ridiculous!

Cheng Jing raised an eyebrow and shot back, “You don’t like it?”

He clearly remembered Jiang Nian complaining that he was like some retired bureaucrat when they first reunited, so of course he had to work on correcting that.

“I do. I really do…”

Jiang Nian answered with a smile, his gaze focused and unable to look away. Cheng Jing felt his heart clench and murmured,

“You have plenty of things to keep you busy. Stop overthinking. Come take a bath with me while it’s still sunny.

I’ve bought a bunch of premium water cards, so you can try out the new bathtub.”

Since the freezing weather started, they hadn’t bathed together once.

“Ha! Is this a new way to bribe me? Premium water cards are for drinking, you know. It’s too extravagant to bathe in.”

Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow in amusement. His gloomy mood had vanished without a trace. “Wow, you’ve made real progress—you even know how to lure me with this.”

Sure enough, there are no unteachable people, only stubborn ones who refuse to learn.”

The grade of the water depended on its level of filtration and purification.

After all, contamination was severe in the apocalypse, and every base’s purification system was a huge drain on resources. That’s why even the most basic water had to be purchased with points.

So-called “drinking water” couldn’t actually be drunk because it still contained mutated bacteria that couldn’t be killed by boiling. Those who drank it could fall ill or, in the worst case, die.

Interestingly, it was safe to bathe in or wash food with it, but experts didn’t understand why.

Cheng Jing studied him calmly for a moment, then said in a tone of mild disapproval,

“What’s the problem? Very few people can afford to enjoy life. We have the means, so we should treat ourselves well.

It only costs points to use the water. We aren’t depriving anyone else, so you can use it with a clear conscience.”

Resources exist so the capable can claim them. Other people’s suffering wasn’t their fault.

“That makes sense. Thank you, Brother Jing.”

Jiang Nian nodded with a smile. He thought of some things from his past life.

There was no free drinking water at Base Z back then. He’d seen countless survivors from the outer slums whose bodies were eaten away by unknown pathogens after drinking household water.

Ultimately, their organs liquefied into pools of pus, and they died.

There were no early symptoms. By the time you realized something was wrong, it was too late.

As an experimental subject, Chen Yue’s personal doctor had also forced him to drink contaminated water to see if his purification power would activate.

He survived, though his whole body had felt like it was being chewed by insects for a long time.

He mentioned it once when talking about his days as a test subject, and his brother remembered.

“What are you thanking me for? This is my duty. Since we have the means, you should enjoy the best.”

Cheng Jing watched his eyes brighten after saying this and couldn’t help but touch his slim waist.

“Come on—bath time! Want me to carry you?”

“No need!”

Jiang Nian abruptly flipped himself up into a sitting position. He might act spoiled sometimes, but he wasn’t a delicate flower who needed to be carried around. That only happened on rare occasions when Cheng Jing went too far.

Most of the time, he just wanted to be normal.

Cheng Jing felt an itch in his chest and pinched his red earlobe.

“It’s not like I haven’t held you before. Why the big reaction?”

Sometimes, he really couldn’t understand Jiang Nian’s thoughts. What was wrong with showing him a little softness? It was just a little intimacy between lovers—he wasn’t about to tell anyone.

Jiang Nian saw right through him. He bit his lip like a little puppy and muttered,

“Is it that hard to carry me? You just have to get stronger.”

That little provocation was all it took to set the fire blazing.

The two of them went into the bathroom, tugging each other back and forth, and didn’t come out for a long time.

“The weather’s warming up. It’s so hot.”

Cheng Jing turned on the fan by the bed, picked up the kettle, and poured water. Then he asked,

“Want some?”

“…”

Jiang Nian was sprawled out on the clean sheets that smelled of laundry detergent. He waved a hand without answering.

He had already had plenty to drink. Leaning against the wall, he tilted his head back while the shower splashed over him.

After drinking, Cheng Jing came over and ruffled his slightly long hair.

“Niannian…”

“Be more careful next time!”

Jiang Nian elbowed him away, his voice hoarse.

“I didn’t catch what you said…”

Cheng Jing smiled slyly and took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

“How could it be ‘next time’ already? It’s only been about a month. There’s still a long way to go.”

Their relationship hadn’t been smooth since they left Qingyun City. They held back all this time, finally settling down and catching their breath. How could this possibly end so soon?