RIACMET chapter 115

 

“Hehe…”

Zhou Li chuckled again over the phone. Judging from Cheng Jing’s reaction, Zhou Li guessed:

“Could it be that you and Jiang Nian both have spatial storage? That’s really enviable.”

Back in Qingyun City, he’d already had some suspicions. After all, Cheng Jing had communicated with him directly about many things, so he was able to pick up on clues.

Even though the team was strong and collaborated well with the authorities, their collective indifference toward distributing aid had always seemed suspicious.

At that time, however, they didn’t know each other well enough. To avoid unnecessary complications, he simply pretended not to see it.

He was only bringing it up now out of concern. He was worried that Cheng Jing and the others might inadvertently expose themselves and get into trouble. It was purely goodwill from a friend.

“You really are perceptive…”

Cheng Jing praised him mildly but didn’t mention what they stored in that space. Instead, he smoothly shifted the topic:

“By the way, at the temporary rescue base in Qingyun City, there was an official with an awakened space ability who could store dozens of hectares. Where is that person now?”

That kind of power was practically on a national reserve level. Countless forces would be eager to get their hands on it.

Moreover, a naturally awakened spatial domain could evolve to support life and become habitable for humans.

To be honest, he was extremely jealous.

If he had such a spatial ability, he could live safely inside it forever and never have to worry about a thing.

Zhou Li didn’t hide anything and told him frankly:

“After the extreme cold ended, he joined the national special materials rescue team. They’re traveling to collect and secure large-scale industrial resources to preserve the sparks of industry’s future revival.”

“Recovering industrial resources… I see.”

Cheng Jing understood. The apocalyptic contamination hadn’t been controlled yet—and it might even be worsening.

It was just like the industrial zone they had visited last time. Once contaminated by the apocalyptic virus, the supplies inside had quickly rotted. When the central control systems failed, the core data would gradually disappear.

Losing critical information would set civilization back decades, and starting over would be unimaginably costly.

That was why such a vast space was needed to salvage and store essential industrial facilities and preserve them for humanity’s restoration.

Zhou Li sighed.

“No matter how hard things are, the apocalypse will eventually pass. Once we enter a stable era, there will be things we won’t have to worry about anymore. We grieve the people’s suffering, but in the long run, our plans can’t always revolve around fighting zombies.”

Cheng Jing nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I understand.”

The efforts at the national level were different from their own struggles to survive by securing food, clothing, and a stable life.

They only needed to be responsible for themselves. The country had to take responsibility for everyone.

…

By the time the call ended, the crayfish and snail noodles were already finished.

Cheng Jing recounted Zhou Li’s words to Jiang Nian, who looked both amazed and delighted.

“Zhou Li really is a good person.”

Anyone who could be a leader wasn’t simple. They had vision on a much higher level.

Cheng Jing nodded in agreement. However, dealing with such a cunning person all the time was exhausting.

After their meal, the two of them got a small cup and started binding their rings together using Zhou Li’s method.

The steps were simple, and the process was not complicated.

It only took a few minutes for their blood and superpowers to merge and be absorbed by the rings, successfully completing the bond.

Cheng Jing skillfully controlled the temperature, ensuring that the cup wasn’t damaged. Even more miraculously, once the rings were fully bound, they could be hidden at will.

When you held out your hand, no one else could see the rings, but the owner could clearly sense them.

This made it both convenient and secure.

…

After binding the rings, Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian slept extremely well that night.

The next morning, they met with the rest of the team and prepared to leave.

As for the shop, some of the Li family members had volunteered to watch it while they were gone. Everything was in order.

Yang Kai wanted to come with them, but he couldn’t leave because of work.

Minister Wang had generously allowed him to swap shifts with someone from Cheng Jing’s team. However, even after offering a sky-high wage—ten times the normal pay—he was refused.

Because of this, Yang Kai was practically grinding his teeth in resentment.

He had been a free spirit all his life, yet now he couldn’t even leave the base. How had it come to this?

Tang Yi, Jian Cheng, Zhou Rongbin, Lu Ningzhou, and Huang Qian took one vehicle. Tang Yi was driving, with Jian Cheng in the passenger seat thanks to his sharp eyesight.

Cheng Jing, Jiang Nian, Liao Yu, and Zhao Lei were in the other vehicle.

Jiang Nian volunteered to drive while Cheng Jing sat in the passenger seat, resting his chin on his hand and watching his lover.

They were all wearing black tactical combat uniforms for outdoor missions today—a treat for anyone who appreciated good looks and idle moments.

Cheng Jing radiated a blend of obedient and untamed energy, the particular allure that only uniforms can bring out.

However, he had to boast a little: Jiang Nian had been raised well by him. Unlike most tough guys with coarse manners like rough bark, his little rascal still had soft red lips and white teeth, like a charming young master.

Jiang Nian felt a warm gaze on him from the side. He wanted to toss out a teasing remark, but when he glanced back at his teammates, he restrained himself and said in a quiet voice,

“Does Brother Jing want to drive?”

He winked slyly as he spoke. After all, they hadn’t done anything last night so that they’d have the energy to go out today.

“… ”

Cheng Jing immediately picked up on the naughty subtext. His brows twitched, and the corners of his lips lifted involuntarily. He coughed lightly and denied it.

“I don’t.”

Shameless little brat!

“But to me, it looks like you really, really want to.”

Jiang Nian smiled, convinced that Brother Jing had a thing for suits and uniforms.

Every time Brother Jing wore something like this, his gaze changed—like a pervert’s—but Jiang Nian actually liked it!

“Ahem…”

Worried he might blurt something out, Cheng Jing swiftly changed the topic.

“Focus on driving. Let me take over when you get tired.”

He turned away, his face calm as he looked out the windshield.

Zhao Lei and Liao Yu were chatting about something else in the back and hadn’t really been listening. They only noticed that Cheng Jing seemed reluctant to let Jiang Nian drive.

Everything was ready. The two vehicles rolled forward toward the base’s outer exit.

Many teams like theirs were heading out today. In fact, they ran into Liang Xiaoyan and her squad in a lane parallel to the exit.

Besides Da Jun and Xiao Liu, whom they had met previously, there were two more people: a man and a woman in their mid-thirties to mid-forties.

Da Jun and Xiao Liu were in a green pickup truck. Liang Xiaoyan and the two newcomers were in a modified jeep; the man was driving, and the woman was in the passenger seat.

According to their prior investigation, the woman was named Li Hong. She was the captain of Liang Xiaoyan’s team. Everyone called her “Sister Hong.”

She still had her charm, holding a cigarette between her lips and exuding the vibe of a tough older sister.

The man’s name was Li Si. He was of medium height and somewhat stocky. He was the vice-captain and was usually called “Brother Si.”

The two were siblings. Li Hong was a water-type superpowered user, while Li Si was a fire-type, both with single-attribute abilities without mutation.

Combined with Da Jun’s enhanced physique, Xiao Liu’s spatial sound insulation, and Liang Xiaoyan’s spatial distortion artifact, their squad was formidable.

Liang Xiaoyan was sitting in the back. After saying something to the pair in front, she rolled down the window and called out to them.

“Sister Huang Qian, are you heading out to hunt zombies too? Want to team up? We found a zombie gathering point with an uncleared warehouse.”

“No, thanks. Goodbye.”

Huang Qian replied coolly. She only spared the other vehicle a quick glance, showing zero interest in their unopened warehouse.

Once they drove on, Jian Cheng handed the team’s travel registration materials to the exit checkpoint guard. Then, Tang Yi stepped on the gas, and their vehicle headed out of the lane.

Jiang Nian didn’t look at Liang Xiaoyan again. He rolled up the window and followed behind them.