RIACMET chapter 80

 

“… ”

Jiang Nian stared back at him calmly for a moment, making sure he was serious. Then, smoothing out his expression, he spoke in a measured tone:

“Brother Jing, it’s not that I can’t do it or that I don’t want revenge. I just know I’m not strong enough, and I don’t want to drag you and everyone else down with me… Right now, everyone’s finally living a decent life. Stirring everything up over my past isn’t worth it.”

If he had combat abilities like Brother Jing or Zhao Lei, revenge would be a given—no one would even have to ask. But he didn’t!

Besides, Xia Weiwei’s background was such a pain. At the very least, there was nothing they could do to her for now.

The best approach in his plans was to avoid bad people and situations until he was absolutely sure that any retaliation wouldn’t destroy the people he cared about.

You could call him cowardly or spineless, but that was the truth in his heart.

This wasn’t a hero’s story. He wasn’t Long Aotian[mfn]“Long” (龙) = dragon, a symbol of power, “Aotian” = Arrogant toward the heavens. “Long Aotian” is basically a generic name or archetype for a male protagonist who is unbelievably powerful, arrogant, unbeatable and always wins.[/mfn], the protagonist who could catch a sword barehanded and take on an army by himself.

He didn’t have just one enemy; he had a group of them, some of whom had connections to major bases behind the scenes.

If you weren’t strong enough yet charged ahead, full of revenge, you’d only force others to fight your battles. Wasn’t that basically a kind of moral kidnapping?

“Then let’s make a careful plan,” Cheng Jing said. “You need to trust me—and everyone else—a little more. We’re not afraid of you being a burden. If Huang Qian and the others knew everything, Xia Weiwei would probably be dead by now.”

Cheng Jing understood the source of all his worries. Those who had been reborn always carried too many burdens. They appeared cold on the outside, but deep down, they were sensitive and torn apart by contradictions. He worried about him.

“Hehe…”

Jiang Nian imagined his teammates’ personalities and couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s exactly because they’re all such good people that I don’t want to do that to them.”

“Jiang Nian.”

Cheng Jing took his hand, got up from the sofa, and half-kneeled in front of him, meeting his gaze.

“Don’t forget—you were the one who saved all of us when the apocalypse began. We only have the peace we enjoy now because of you. Even if it’s moral kidnapping, you have no reason to feel guilty.”

Perhaps it was because of how he’d grown up, but this man was sensitive about everything, yet hesitant and self-doubting in close relationships.

From early on, Cheng Jing could see it. Psychologically speaking, it was a clear sign that he’d never received enough love, but he didn’t realize it.

“Brother Jing…”

Jiang Nian’s eyes were red and swollen.

Cheng Jing squeezed his hand tightly.

“Just answer me: Do you want revenge or not? Forget everything else.”

Good people always suffer the most. Worrying too much about others’ feelings is like gaslighting yourself.

“Yes!”

Jiang Nian didn’t hesitate. Of course he did. Even now, he sometimes woke up from nightmares, reliving the agony and despair of his past life.

“Alright.”

Cheng Jing’s voice was firm.

“Then we’ll do it. Let go of all that guilt. Trust the choices we’ve made in this life. If your mom is watching from heaven, she’d be happy you did.”

“…Yeah.”

Jiang Nian nodded. He had to believe in the man and teammates he’d chosen in this life.

When his mother fell seriously ill in the past, Chen Shanmin visited twice. The second time, he lent them twenty thousand yuan. He never knew exactly what they had talked about, but he had always worried that he would end up alone in the world.

So, when his mom passed away and Chen Shanmin invited him to come rest and get away for a while, he didn’t refuse.

If only the apocalypse hadn’t happened, if only Chen Yue hadn’t been infected, everyone might have gone on living ordinary lives. But nothing turned out as expected, and having to choose between two paths was always the cruelest thing.

“…”

They’d come to an agreement. Cheng Jing took the opportunity to add:

“If you don’t want to see Xia Weiwei, then don’t. Leave it to me.”

Jiang Nian took a steadying breath, calmed his thoughts, and then shook his head.

“I’ll meet her. Why shouldn’t I? She’s already here, and she’s probably told Chen Yue what’s going on. I should be ready.”

It’s better to meet Xia Weiwei face-to-face and confirm the situation first. If he couldn’t avoid her, he’d confront her directly.

Besides, Xia Weiwei had come with Yang Kai, Zhou Li, and the others. He still needed to know what they had discussed.

“…”

After three in the afternoon, Jiang Nian planned to follow Cheng Jing to the command center. However, he hadn’t expected Minister Wang, Zhou Li, and Yang Kai to show up in person.

The two guards with Minister Wang carried in large boxes of gifts and set them down in the entryway before stationing themselves outside.

Zhou Li was holding a document file, and Yang Kai had nothing in his hands.

Xia Weiwei and Liang Yunhao weren’t with them.

Faced with this sudden visit, Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian were both caught off guard momentarily.

The guests were perfectly at ease. They sat down on the sofas and chairs in the living room without much fuss.

After exchanging a few polite greetings, Zhou Li and Yang Kai teased the guests, saying that they were jealous because they never had to worry about electricity and that people with energy-based abilities were just too lucky.

After chatting for a while, Minister Wang—dressed in his crisp military uniform—got straight to the point:

“Since we all know each other well, I won’t waste time on formalities. Mr. Liang and Miss Xia are going to inspect the research institute’s greenhouses, so we decided to have a brief meeting here first.”

He gestured to Zhou Li and Yang Kai as he introduced them.

“Zhou Li has been appointed director of the base’s rescue department, and Yang Kai will serve as deputy director. From now on, they’ll be responsible for organizing and allocating the daily work of the Nancheng base rescue teams. I’ll let you know that the official documents will be issued in a few days.”

His voice was loud and full of authority. His gaze was stern but not angry—the demeanor of a true leader.

As one of the highest-ranking officials in the base, Minister Wang’s words carried serious weight.

Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing were surprised, but they both sensed the deeper implications. They exchanged a look, nodded, and refrained from asking any immediate questions.

After explaining the appointments and introducing Zhou Li and Yang Kai, Minister Wang shifted the conversation back to them.

First, he praised them and expressed his appreciation for all their hard work on the recent mission. Though his tone was formal, it was also earnest, and he spoke at length.

Then, he called out Zhou Li and Yang Kai, saying their teams had offered valuable strategic ideas and helped the authorities solve many difficult problems before and after the apocalypse began.

Cheng Jing responded occasionally with a polite word or two, while Zhou Li and Yang Kai worked together to keep the atmosphere light.

Jiang Nian lowered his head and listened attentively, quietly waiting for the real reason behind the visit. He didn’t believe for a second that Minister Wang had come all this way just to offer compliments.

Sure enough, half an hour later, after all the polite talk had run its course and the atmosphere was harmonious, Minister Wang finally got to the point.

“I’ve said all this so you understand that your team’s contributions to the government and the public haven’t gone unnoticed. We’ve kept careful records of everything you’ve done. Even though the logistics chain collapsed and rewards couldn’t be delivered on schedule, you can rest assured that the rewards themselves will not be reduced.”

“Minister Wang, you’re too kind,” Cheng Jing answered calmly, his face steady and serious. “We never expected any reward. When disaster strikes, we simply do what we can.”

He’d been a soldier from the start, and when disaster struck, it was only natural for him to pick up his weapon again and stand on the front lines.

In this chaotic world, he was satisfied knowing he could lead his team to maintain order, prevent panic, and protect those around them.

He would never ask too much from the government unless absolutely necessary.

His teammates shared the same beliefs, which is why they’d chosen to follow him.