RIACMET chapter 141

 

Since it was after work hours, Uncle Li’s family of three, Li Sheng, Yang Kai, and Zhou Li, had gathered.

This way, Cheng Jing wouldn’t need to go to the admin office to report his return. He just had to check in with them, fill out the return report, and complete a full physical the next day.

Uncle Li had already finished cooking and was waiting for them to return so he could serve everything fresh.

Since they were all close, there was no need for formalities. After a few greetings, they headed straight upstairs.

Uncle Li told them to rest in the living room while he and Li Liang went into the kitchen.

The moment the aroma of food began wafting out, all the exhaustion from the long journey melted away.

Two tables were pushed together to form a large dining table loaded with over a dozen brightly colored, fragrant, and mouthwatering dishes of meat and vegetables, hot and cold.

The centerpiece was a roast suckling pig, which instantly stole the spotlight.

More importantly, it was freshly roasted, not vacuum-packed, pre-cooked food.

Of course, Jiang Nian had some packaged roast pork in his space ring, but it was different.

After asking around, Jiang Nian learned that Yang Kai had brought the pig especially for their return today.

Jiang Nian noticed that Yang Kai was in an unusually good mood tonight. He didn’t stop smiling, and leaning against the balcony door smoking made him look even more handsome than usual.

While the others set the table and chatted, Jiang Nian stared at the golden roast pig for a moment before walking over and asking,

“Brother Kai, where’d you get that fragrant pig? Are there any still alive? I want to raise one.”

Yang Kai didn’t hide anything.

“There are a few at the breeding farm, and they have piglets, too. Once your farm is ready, I’ll catch a few for you. No points are needed. Bama fragrant pigs can’t be raised in large numbers, but they have other breeds, too.”

He was pretty much part of their team already, just waiting for Brother Cheng to make it official. As long as he could contribute from his own resources, he would.

“Great! Thanks, Brother Kai!”

Jiang Nian’s eyes sparkled. He had already planned to combine crop cultivation and livestock breeding on his land. Besides clearing fields for planting, he also wanted to build pens for the livestock.

Five hectares was the perfect size for organizing it all.

Yang Kai put out his cigarette and tossed the butt in the trash.

“We’re all family. No need for thanks.”

Jian Cheng, who was gnawing on half a cucumber nearby, overheard this and gave a thumbs-up.

“Brother Kai is so cool.”

Now, he understood why he and Brother Nian had gone from being romantic rivals to being sworn brothers.

“And—”

Yang Kai smiled and nodded at Jian Cheng, then turned to Jiang Nian.

“When I go back to the breeding warehouse in the test area, I’ll see if there’s anything else that can be raised. I’ll catch some more for you, like chicks or ducklings. It’s better to raise a little bit of everything that can live on its own.”

Back when he was undercover, he used to imagine that if he could retire peacefully, he’d leave the chaos of the city behind and enjoy a quiet country life raising chickens and ducks and growing vegetables.

Things hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but he was content living a relatively stable life with friends who shared the same values in this chaotic world.

He didn’t have to worry about political games or deception. That might have been his strength, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

“I was thinking the same thing, hehe!”

Jiang Nian patted his shoulder and casually made a promise.

“Brother Kai, once the breeding is up and running, you’ll get your share. I’ll give you a leg every time I slaughter a chicken or duck.”

Yang Kai laughed and nodded. “Deal.”

“Brother Nian, I want one too!”

Jian Cheng yelled, munching on melon. He didn’t bother to lower his voice, so the others setting the table could hear what it was all about.

Young Master Liao never took anything too seriously. He moved a stool over and chimed in.

“Whatever it is, I want in too, Godfather.”

Jiang Nian: “…”

In the wild back-and-forth between these two goofballs, everyone quickly realized that Jiang Nian had just promised Yang Kai a happy ending.

They even started discussing different ways to cook chicken and duck—it was absurd!

“Good grief! His farm isn’t ready yet, and you’re already fantasizing about roast chicken and beer duck. You guys are really something.”

Cheng Jing laughed. This man got better at making promises.

But it was fine. He didn’t have to fight for anything; he was always the priority in everything Nian Nian did. Everyone else was just picking up the leftovers.

Jiang Nian’s ears turned red. He glanced at the man and muttered,

“We still need a plan. It’s not impossible.”

Given their circumstances, it wasn’t too much to ask. However, discussing cooking methods was definitely getting ahead of themselves.

“Exactly. If Brother Jiang Nian says it’s possible, then it definitely is.”

Li Shuhui smiled and added with a wink,

“I don’t want a chicken leg—I want a wing.”

“Hahaha…”

“…”

“Alright, alright, let’s eat. We’ll worry about chicken legs and wings once the farm is up and running. For now, let’s take care of the food in front of us.”

Uncle Li smiled and invited everyone to sit down.

As they ate, the group chatted about recent events inside and outside the base.

Cheng Jing gave a general overview of their team’s journey, the challenges they faced, and what they had gained.

However, he left out the specifics of the medium crystal core. Instead, he focused on Xiaoqi and his former owner.

Since everyone here was considered part of the inner circle, there was no need for further explanation.

They all felt sorry for Xiaoqi’s former owner. Fortunately, Xiaoqi had a cheerful personality, and with the help of the video logs left behind, he adjusted quickly.

There was also a special military dog team at the base, but Cheng Jing didn’t intend to hand Xiaoqi over.

Zhou Li suggested that they raise Xiaoqi themselves. If they handed him over to the base, he’d get a new handler, and they might never see him again.

However, they could bring Xiaoqi to the training grounds for basic drills.

After summarizing everyone’s thoughts, they agreed that this was a great idea.

…

Once they had finished discussing Cheng Jing’s group’s travels, they moved on to the base’s recent developments.

While they were away, the base continued to accept new survivors.

Among them were people with powerful or rare superpowers, of course.

Exchanging zombie crystal cores for points had become standard trade in every base.

Nearly all new superpowered individuals arrived with a stash of zombie crystal cores.

They could trade them in for a large number of points as soon as they entered, allowing them to skip the free housing and immediately rent or buy a place in the inner zone.

Consequently, the rental and housing market in the inner zone improved significantly.

The base’s resource department also took this opportunity to evaluate and recruit new members.

“Will housing prices in our area go up?”

Jiang Nian asked curiously. He hadn’t heard about this in his previous life. Then again, no matter how much prices rose, it wouldn’t affect Xia Weiwei and the others.

Zhou Li shook his head.

“No, we’re still in the absorption phase. Most of them are ordinary people, and most of them will choose the free dorms on the outskirts. Those who get into the inner zone mostly rent. Very few people actually buy, so prices won’t spike just yet.”

“Oh…”

Jiang Nian nodded, thinking that he should buy property before prices go up.

When he and his friends went house-hunting before, the seller said that even if the apocalypse ended someday, homes built in the base would still stand. The protective walls would come down and the base would expand into a new city.

Even if that was just wishful thinking, it wasn’t impossible. If the conditions were right, he might as well invest in more fixed assets. If the apocalypse was postponed, the government would probably offer compensation.

While they were on the topic of housing, Li Sheng suddenly remembered something and asked Jiang Nian,

“By the way, Jiang Nian, do you remember the woman next door when we were investigating Jiang Wenwen’s disappearance?”

Jiang Nian replied without thinking.

“Yeah, her alias was Su Jing, right? What happened to her?”

How could he forget someone who tried to hurt him for doing the right thing?

The rest of the team remembered, too. Mentioning her brought back Jiang Nian’s bad memory. Cheng Jing frowned.

“Is she up to something shady again?”

Li Sheng responded carefully.

“She rented a house in the inner zone and spent a lot of points on supplies. It looks like she made a lot of money.”

“…”