RIACMET chapter 77

 

Cheng Jing returned to the base for a health checkup. He asked Zhao Lei and Huang Qian to stay behind and help while the others went back to the dormitory first.

Only then did they realize that Yang Kai lived in the building next to theirs.

Cheng Jing took Zhao Lei and Huang Qian to the command center. There, he reported the mission, tallied the crystal core exchange points, and distributed them according to each person’s share.

Everyone received a portion of today’s haul, as well as their share from the stored crystal cores.

The base had many points for redeeming resources, and even the command center had its own dedicated exchange office.

To avoid drawing attention, Cheng Jing took the cores out of the spatial ring in advance.

He exchanged one batch at the command center, then had Zhao Lei and Huang Qian bring the rest of the cores elsewhere in the base to exchange them separately and keep a low profile.

Of course, just like before, he kept the charm-type crystal cores for their collection.

As for the dual-attribute mutant zombie core, since it was a mission objective, he turned it in with the official report.

First, Yang Kai had told him that it would be difficult to conceal and that they had substituted other cores before. Second, dual-attribute mutant zombie cores had much higher research value because the zombies cannibalized their own kind, so it made sense to hand them over to the base’s research institute.

What Cheng Jing didn’t expect was that this dual-attribute mutant zombie core was worth two hundred times more than an ordinary supernatural crystal. That one core alone earned him 6,000 points.

There had been no prior explanation, and after crediting the points, the staff repeatedly reminded him not to tell anyone.

This was classified information not to be shared inside the base unless absolutely necessary.

Cheng Jing said he understood and didn’t ask any more questions. After finishing the exchange, he went to the duty office to file the rest of the paperwork.

Once everything was finished—excluding the points given to Yang Kai—the team had earned a total of 13,000 points since they started collecting cores.

The teammates had insisted in advance that, no matter how many points they earned, they should all be handed over to Jiang Nian for safekeeping.

Without Jiang Nian, they wouldn’t be living so comfortably in the apocalypse. They’d never gone hungry. They were determined to repay him for the rest of their lives.

Besides, if Brother Nian wanted to start a business and open a farm, he’d need points more than anyone. Their job was to earn money, and his was to manage it. That was all there was to it.

Cheng Jing didn’t bother with formalities; he simply collected all the points and transferred them straight to Jiang Nian.

…

When all the final tasks were finished and the report was handed in, Cheng Jing returned to the dorm around ten o’clock.

Jiang Nian had already changed into his pajamas. He closed the kitchen door and hummed softly as he prepared a midnight snack: snail noodles, an internet-famous dish with an addictively rich flavor.

He hadn’t eaten anything good all day, and since it was hot outside, he’d been craving something filling and tasty. The sour, spicy aroma of the noodles was perfect.

He propped his tablet computer on the counter and followed a cooking tutorial, adding all kinds of toppings to the pot:

Fried eggs, crab sticks, duck feet, braised pork trotters, little sausages, chicken feet, and fresh greens. Just looking at it could make your mouth water.

“Need my help?”

Cheng Jing asked as he walked in and took off his coat. The distinctive sour fragrance of snail noodles rushed up his nose, instantly whetting his appetite and clearing his head.

Still watching the cooking video, Jiang Nian gently pushed Brother Jing away.

“No need to help, Brother Jing. Go rest and set the table. We’re about to eat.”

Having a handsome man around would only distract him from his “performance.”

At first, he hadn’t liked snail noodles either. But since Jing-ge enjoyed them, Jiang Nian gave them a try to satisfy his cravings—and before long, he was addicted himself. If he didn’t eat them every once in a while, he’d feel out of sorts.

Especially when he didn’t have much of an appetite, a big bowl of them could perk him right up.

When they were in college, they used to eat them together during the holidays. Honestly, the smell wasn’t nearly this strong in the restaurant.

Soon, an extravagant bowl of snail noodle soup appeared on the table. They sat down across from each other and started eating. Jiang Nian took two bottles of soy milk from the freezer in his spatial ring.

Snail noodles with soy milk was the standard combo recommended by the shop owner when they used to dine in.

Having this midnight snack brought an inexplicable feeling of nostalgia, as if he’d traveled back in time.

After eating for a while, Cheng Jing suddenly said,

“I saw Zhou Li in the command center’s duty office just now.”

“Zhou Li?”

Jiang Nian, who was gnawing on a chicken foot, paused.

“The one in charge of the resettlement site in Qingyun City’s western district?”

“Yeah.”

Cheng Jing nodded.

“He came with Yang Kai. He’s an old colleague of Minister Wang’s from the base’s infrastructure department. Minister Wang is Yang Kai’s uncle.”

Minister Wang is on duty in the command center tonight. When Cheng Jing walked in, the two of them were sitting there, drinking tea and chatting.

“Wow, small world. After all this time, we’re all connected.”

Jiang Nian laughed, took a sip of soy milk, and asked,

“What did he say to you? Is anyone else there besides him?”

He had to admit that Yang Kai’s connections and background were impressive. Enough to make anyone jealous.

“There were others, but I didn’t see them. They didn’t say much. We’ll probably be invited to meet with them tomorrow afternoon. Don’t wander around. I’ll come back at lunch to pick you up.”

Cheng Jing wiped the chili oil from his chin and mouth with a napkin, then dropped the last two chicken feet into Jiang Nian’s bowl.

“All right. I’ll check on the renovation progress at the shop tomorrow morning and be back in time.”

Jiang Nian nodded, then lowered his head to continue eating his noodles. He shot his boyfriend a serious, teasing look.

“Just based on your connection to Minister Wang, we could let your ‘short-term ex-boyfriend’ join the team. If Yang Kai really likes you and Minister Wang pressures you, it’d be a tragic love triangle. A drama like that would have at least 30 episodes, and a novel would run over half a million words.”

Lately, Jiang Nian had been reading novels and watching series about heart-wrenching romances. Even though he thought they were melodramatic, they sometimes moved him all the same.

“Be serious.”

Cheng Jing fell silent. He glanced at the tablet on the sofa and solemnly reminded him:

“Cut back on all that nonsense you’re watching. It’s not good for your brain.”

He just couldn’t understand those plotlines—people becoming physically and mentally exhausted over petty misunderstandings, only to be forced into a happy ending. Just watching it was exhausting.

“Hehe~”

Jiang Nian’s thoughts started spinning. He grinned slyly.

“Then, Brother Jing, tell me something good for my brain.”

Seeing that look in his eyes, Cheng Jing had a bad feeling.

“What do you want to know?”

Jiang Nian smiled mischievously.

“Tell me about how you were doing in the two years after we broke up. You’ve never told me.”

He hadn’t dared to ask before. But now, he could. He had already won their second chance at love, and it was time to settle these “old accounts.”

Perhaps this was an inevitable part of any couple’s journey back together.

“I served in the military for two years. When I was about to retire, I was busy studying and working at the same time. I was exhausted,” Cheng Jing said frankly.

Cheng Jing spoke frankly. Back then, he never slept more than five hours a day. What little spare time he had, he used to think about someone.

“Oh…”

Jiang Nian nodded, thought for a moment, and then asked,

“Did you ever think about starting a new relationship to distract yourself?”

After they broke up, Jiang Nian had hoped that Brother Jing would meet someone better because he deserved it. But he’d also been terrified that someone better would come along and erase every trace of Jiang Nian.

To be honest, people are always a little selfish.