RIACMET chapter 94

 

Liang Xiaoyan was thoroughly satisfied with the meal. After dinner, she sat in the living room and chatted with everyone. She took the initiative to talk about her own affairs and quietly asked questions about Li Shuhui and Jiang Nian.

When she learned that Jiang Nian was part of a superpowered team specially recruited by the base, she openly expressed her envy. She asked how an ordinary team could be given such a privilege.

After all, this country was different from foreign nations.

Other countries splintered into warring factions after the apocalypse, fighting zombies and each other. They fractured into several new “nations,” each one ruled by superpowered individuals.

But in China, even amid global chaos, the government remained the most decisive force. Nearly all large-scale rescue and evacuation operations were led by the authorities.

The national army still held those overwhelming military weapons. No matter what powers one possessed, they were powerless in the face of such destructive firepower.

Anyone with abilities could try to establish their own territory or private shelter, but challenging the state was out of the question. Otherwise, you would never be able to bear the cost, whether it came immediately or later.

Given the country’s military strength and stockpiles, it wouldn’t be difficult to wipe out all the zombies with a few incineration bombs.

However, the use of such powerful weapons would only worsen ecological damage and pollution. Unless things reached truly desperate circumstances, the government preferred to avoid deploying them.

Besides, they had to keep a few trump cards hidden to prevent chaos in the post-zombie era.

Supernatural disasters had already set civilization back by decades or even centuries. Whether you were an individual or a nation, if you didn’t have power, you were destined to remain passive and ultimately be defeated.

These principles were easy to understand.

So, Given all that, it’s only natural that anyone with foresight would want to cling to the government, which also welcomed cooperation.

“…”

Jiang Nian didn’t want to answer Liang Xiaoyan’s questions. He simply said that he wasn’t the captain and didn’t have any power himself. He relied completely on his teammates and friends.

The main conditions under which their team was recruited were pointless to explain.

Since the apocalypse began, they had used their position in Qingyun City to advise the authorities. When their supplies were sufficient, they had voluntarily assisted the government in rescuing survivors.

During the 1805 incident, Jiang Nian had followed the resettlement site manager’s instructions to keep an eye on Xiaoya. She was both a murderer and a victim and had to bear the blame.

These were things no ordinary team could imitate.

“Well, I suppose it’s nice having a reliable boyfriend, hehe.”

Liang Xiaoyan teased him with a smile, but inside, she was quietly furious.

She just felt that Jiang Nian, an adult man with a tall, long-legged build, was shamelessly living off his partner without the slightest guilt.

Any good impression she’d had of him earlier, thanks to his polite demeanor, evaporated completely.

She wished she could find someone so generous. There were just too few “kind people” willing to help others in these final days.

Before the apocalypse, she hated do-gooders. After the apocalypse, she wished that everyone she met would be one, especially when she had to sacrifice her dignity for a scrap of food.

Jiang Nian pretended not to hear the sarcasm and bitterness in her voice. He nodded serenely with a smile.

“I think so too. If you have a dependable partner and capable teammates, you can live an easy life without worrying about anything. I’ve never bothered to pay attention to jealousy, resentment, sour grapes, ingratitude, or any of that.”

Who doesn’t know how to play dumb and be sarcastic?

After living two lives, he may not have had some miraculous insight into people, but he’d seen enough to recognize Liang Xiaoyan’s poorly hidden reactions.

If she weren’t a woman and Li Shuhui’s friend, he would have simply told her, “Mind your own business.”

What a pity about the chicken.

Liang immediately chimed in:

“Exactly. In any era, there’s always a difference between the rich and the poor, but in the end, it all comes down to ability. Rather than envying other people’s good fortune, I think it’s better to work hard to change your own circumstances or calmly accept an ordinary life.”

“Uh…hehe…right, take care of yourselves…”

Liang Xiaoyan laughed awkwardly, feeling like the two of them were mocking her. Yet, Jiang Nian and Li Liang looked genuinely earnest, as if discussing profound philosophy.

When she glanced at Li Kaiyun and Li Shuhui, the father-daughter pair nodded in agreement.

That made the hidden imbalance in her heart feel even uglier.

Haha…People who could say things like that were only on higher moral ground because they were living comfortably. She could do the same if she were in their shoes.

The atmosphere grew strained. Liang Xiaoyan quickly turned to Li Shuhui and forced a smile as she started chatting about trivial things again.

After learning that Jiang Nian’s team had helped her family too, she finally understood why Li Kaiyun was so kind to him.

“I’ll go wash the dishes. I’ll walk you out in a bit.”

With that, Li Shuhui stood up and moved to the table. When she turned around, her brows furrowed tightly.

She’d been wrong.

She shouldn’t have been so foolish as to bring Liang Xiaoyan back here.

Her old friends had become strangers.

Jiang Nian, Li Kaiyun, and Li Liang knew perfectly well that Liang Xiaoyan wasn’t their kind of person. However, it wasn’t easy to cut ties, so they steered the conversation elsewhere to keep her from prying too much.

In times of peace and prosperity, Liang Xiaoyan’s little games might have seemed innocent and endearing. But now, it was different.

Nobody had the time or energy to indulge her.

Besides, excessive curiosity can easily harm yourself and others. You might have hidden motives. In this world, there were plenty of foolish and malicious people.

…

By the time it was fully dark, Liang Xiaoyan finally left. She had driven herself there, but Li Shuhui only walked her as far as the gate of the inner zone.

After watching her climb into her car and drive away from the central area, Li Shuhui let out a sigh of helplessness.

Liang Xiaoyan hadn’t been like this before.

They used to have a good relationship, helping each other through life and school.

Thanks to Jiang Nian and his team’s generosity, she, her father, and her brother had survived and reached the base safely. So, when she met her old friend again, she genuinely wanted to help in any way she could.

She hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

When she got back inside, Li Shuhui was sitting on the sofa with her head bowed.

Li Kaiyun, whose face had been warm all evening, now frowned and looked at his daughter. He spoke bluntly:

“Don’t bring her here again. You can meet her outside if you want, but if you run into any other acquaintances, don’t bring them home. We can help them in other ways, but there’s no need to get too close.”

“No matter what your relationship was with Liang Xiaoyan before, from now on, you need to keep your distance and be careful. Don’t do anything that will bring trouble down on us.”

Li Liang also spoke up.

“You should have sent us a message asking permission before bringing her here today. The world has changed. People change.”

“I know. I won’t do it again.”

Li Shuhui nodded, then turned to Jiang Nian and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Brother Jiang Nian. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“It’s fine. She can ask whatever she wants, and I can choose what to answer. In the future, it’s best to spend time with polite people and avoid those who aren’t. After all, I’m a merchant, so I’ll probably run into her again sooner or later.”

Jiang Nian comforted her lightly. He paused, then added in a gentle tone,

“But you’re right—the world is chaotic now, and you can’t predict people’s hearts. It’s smart to be cautious. Even siblings have turned against each other, let alone classmates. We’ve lived through the apocalypse long enough to see that the friendships and ideals from our ivory tower days have collapsed.”

He didn’t blame Li Shuhui.

After all, he’d been the same way in his past life, believing there was more goodness than evil in human nature and always willing to tolerate the people around him.

But reality had proven that human nature rarely survives the test.