RIACMET chapter 74

 

The teammates led the way, clearing out what needed to be cleared and moving aside what needed to be moved. Their journey went smoothly because of them.

Unfortunately, there was nothing left to loot in the contaminated chemical plant.

The exit was already in sight when Huang Qian suddenly asked,

“Brother, do you agree with Yang Kai joining us? He seems pretty amicable.”

“No, I still don’t know the circumstances behind his arrival.”

Cheng Jing flatly denied it, then turned to look at Jiang Nian.

“Niannian, what do you think?”

“…”

Jiang Nian thought seriously for a moment before answering.

“Yang Kai has an official background, and he has worked with you before. He must have had a specific reason for fleeing here from S Base. We’re all smart people, so we should speak frankly.”

“He’s quite sincere, and I don’t mind him joining. But if he’s planning to play the emotional card for some high-level moral blackmail, forget it. I don’t know him.”

He wasn’t a cold-blooded devil nor a living saint. Life wasn’t easy for anyone in these final days. Emotional tactics were the least valuable currency. Weighing the pros and cons and giving each side what they needed was the normal way to cooperate.

His attitude toward someone like Yang Kai was that it’s better to have one more friend than one more enemy. If it didn’t work out, though, he wasn’t afraid to part ways.

Cheng Jing nodded.

“Mm.”

Then he asked Huang Qian and Lu Ningzhou.

“What about you two?”

Huang Qian thought carefully for a moment before speaking.

“Back then, because of Yang Kai’s identity, it was hard for him to form close friendships. But he comes from a good family, and his character was never an issue. Now that the world has ended, the risks posed by his background no longer exist. I’m fine with having a strong teammate.”

As for Yang Kai’s background, he never relied on anyone else. However, it was even better if someone else wanted to establish a connection and take the initiative to live peacefully together.

“I agree with Brother Nian and Sister Qian.”

Lu Ningzhou wasn’t much of a talker. He was better at following rules than thinking for himself. Even if he wanted to refuse, he couldn’t think of a reason.

Besides, every decision Brother Nian had made for the team up until now had been the right one, so there was nothing he needed to say.

“I understand.”

Cheng Jing felt relieved.

“Then let’s see how sincere he really is.”

He didn’t hold any principled prejudice against Yang Kai. In fact, he admired Yang Kai as an unsung hero who had shouldered heavy responsibility at a young age and fought for peace.

However, because they had pretended to be a couple during a past mission, he was worried that Jiang Nian might feel uncomfortable.

On top of that, Yang Kai had confessed his feelings to him.

Although no real misunderstanding had developed, Jiang Nian didn’t know that. He was still worried that Yang Kai would get upset and harm his little rascal.

In short, he only developed a grudge against Yang Kai after reuniting with Jiang Nian.

But he hadn’t expected the little rascal to not take it seriously at all.

Thankfully, Jiang Nian trusted him. Still, he was annoyed. It was frustrating to feel jealous of someone else but be unable to show it.

“…”

“Finally out. It was so stuffy in there.”

Huang Qian complained with a smile as she walked out the door, switched off her headlamp, and took off her gear.

On the other side of the workshop was a small, empty yard that had previously been used to load and unload materials. Now, a few forklifts and wooden racks were scattered around.

More than four hours had passed since they entered the workshop, and it was nearly three in the afternoon.

Since no one had eaten yet, they took out their dry rations and started filling their stomachs while reviewing the mission in the workshop.

Cheng Jing gave a brief explanation of how they had handled the dual-attribute zombie. No one asked any further questions; they immediately shifted to discussing where to go next.

Seeing this, Yang Kai could only hold back his feelings and eat in silence. Still, he felt resentful whenever he looked at Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian.

Especially Jiang Nian—even after Yang Kai gave him a motorcycle, Jiang Nian didn’t show the slightest bit of gratitude. How disappointing.

They planned to start packing up around five, which was late, but would allow them to return right before the base closed.

There were still two hours left.

Zhou Rongbin chewed on a compressed biscuit, took out a map, and tapped on it.

“Here—there’s a shopping mall on the Second Industrial Road ahead. It’s the biggest shopping center around here. Let’s go there and take a look.”

Large malls in industrial areas like this generally had everything. Even if others had already been there, it wouldn’t hurt to try our luck.

Gunfire had been coming steadily from that direction a while ago.

No one objected, so after eating, they left the chemical plant and followed the route marked on the map.

The entire road was littered with zombies that had been chopped up or blown apart. At that moment, everyone silently felt grateful that Brother Cheng’s ability included fire.

The shopping mall itself was two stories tall and had been converted from an old factory.

Snack stalls and a pharmacy were on the first floor, and clothing booths and various small shops were on the second.

Unfortunately, the entire mall had burned down. At a glance, it was clear that the fire had been fierce. The large, floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides had shattered, and the interior was charred black.

They all stood outside the blackened entrance, exchanging glances.

After a while, Cheng Jing said,

“Let’s go. We’ll just follow this road out.”

If they couldn’t find supplies, they’d kill zombies. When time ran out, they’d pack up and head back.

“…”

The other teammates nodded, but Jiang Nian stared at the stairs leading up to the second floor of the mall and said,

“I still want to go up and have a look on the second floor.”

Yang Kai was puzzled.

“The floor is burned through and open to the wind. Obviously, there’s no hidden stash in a place like this. Forget it. It’d be faster to look somewhere else.”

After the fire, all that remained were frames with air leaking in from every side. Plus, the damage from the zombies had blown away almost all of the ash inside. What was there to see?

The others didn’t try to dissuade him. They guessed that Brother Nian probably had a hamster complex and couldn’t just walk past a burned-out mall. In that case, there was no harm in keeping him company to take a look.

“Uh…”

Jiang Nian also felt a little embarrassed. He had only wanted to try his luck and didn’t really know how to explain.

Standing beside him, Cheng Jing changed his words in time:

“I’ll go with you. The others can keep moving ahead so we don’t waste time.”

Then, he and Jiang Nian walked into the mall and went straight up the stairs.

“…”

Yang Kai was dumbfounded. Weren’t you going to try to talk him out of it?

“Hey…”

Liao Yu muttered to himself.

“If anyone else had suggested going upstairs for a look, Brother Cheng would have said they were out of their minds and needed treatment…”

The others nodded knowingly, trying not to laugh. After all, the place burned so badly that it really wasn’t worth searching.

Yang Kai held his forehead with one hand. All right, he understood now. Cheng Jing only acted rationally in front of them. When it came to Jiang Nian, however, he was totally lovestruck. Cheng Jing would do whatever Jiang Nian asked.

No one went ahead on their own. They all waited downstairs until the two of them finished their shopping trip.

After walking upstairs, Cheng Jing asked,

“What are you looking for?”

Jiang Nian smiled and replied,

“Brother Jing, you’re so smart.”

It felt wonderful to have this kind of unspoken understanding.

“Of course.”

Cheng Jing lifted the corner of his mouth, knowing the rest of the team was still there. He leaned into the stairwell and pulled the man in to hold his hand.

“I’m your husband, not just an ordinary teammate.”

He knew his people. Even if Jiang Nian really just wanted to go up for a look, it didn’t matter. The mission was over, and it would only delay them for a short while.