RIACMET chapter 157

 

“… ”

After hearing all that, Liao Yu paused to think for a few seconds before confidently saying:

“This has to be a trap. Your father is using family ties to kidnap you. It’s definitely connected to Xia Weiwei’s scheme and S Base.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had cursed. Master Liao tapped his lips with his finger.

“Sorry, that slipped out.”

Jiang Nian chuckled dismissively.

“Nice one. I’m too lazy to curse him myself.”

Then he said,

“Even if it’s a trap, I’m still going. I have to find out how Chen Shanmin knows that my superpower can counter the zombie virus.”

Liao Yu clapped his hands.

“All right, let’s go! I’ve got my superpower, you’ve got a rocket launcher, and there are only six other superpowered people. We can handle that easily.”

Even if the number doubled, he wouldn’t panic. His superpower had grown much stronger after the upgrade.

Since no one else was around, he wanted to show off a little, of course. Hehe.

Jiang Nian saw that Liao Yu was eager and clearly shared the same goal.

Still, he pressed a fist to his lips, coughed lightly, and shook his head firmly.

“Just the two of us won’t be enough. We need to talk to Uncle Li, Li Liang, and the others. Let Minister Wang and Zhou Li help us find reinforcements. Let’s stay calm and be safe.”

Rushing in without thinking would land them in an enemy trap, leaving their partners and teammates to clean up the mess and putting the whole team in a bad position. Who knows, they might even get hurt.

Just imagining such a bloody, avoidable situation made Jiang Nian’s scalp go numb.

That kind of thing couldn’t be allowed to happen. Otherwise, he’d start questioning whose brain he’d borrowed to get into college.

You could walk into a tiger’s den knowing there were tigers inside, but only if you were prepared or had a couple of “Wu Song”[mfn]Wu Song is a character from Water Margin (also known as Outlaws of the Marsh), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is best known for killing a tiger with his bare hands after getting drunk, one of the book’s most iconic scenes. Because of this scene, his name has become a symbol of bravery, fearlessness, and incredible strength.[/mfn] types to help you.

Liao Yu set aside his playful attitude and thought about it seriously for a moment before nodding.

“That makes sense. Safety first.”

“…”

While the two were talking, there was a knock on the door. Uncle Li had arrived with Li Liang and Li Shuhui. However, they didn’t go straight to Minister Wang’s office.

The moment they entered the room, Uncle Li asked in a serious tone,

“Xiao Nian, you seem really anxious. Is there any news about Cheng Jing? I was worried it might be hard to talk freely in the minister’s office, so I came to ask first.”

His nephew had said that if Cheng Jing and the others lost contact, Jiang Nian might panic and act recklessly. Thankfully, he had the sense to call them for help.

“No, Uncle. This isn’t about Brother Jing and the others. I’m sure they’re fine. Something just came up, and I wanted to ask for your help…”

Jiang Nian explained with a smile and invited them to sit down. Uncle Li was a thoughtful and cautious man. Other than Liao Yu, Jiang Nian had thought of him and the others first when it came to asking for help.

“I see. The base has already sent out a support team—it’s officially a military operation now. There’s no point in getting anxious. I was just worried you’d lose your cool.”

Uncle Li let out a sigh of relief, and Li Liang and Li Shuhui relaxed as well.

Jiang Nian smiled. “Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ve got a handle on things.”

Wait, did he really look like the impulsive type?

Why were they acting like he was about to lose his mind and chase after Brother Jing?

“…”

After they understood the situation, the three listened to Jiang Nian’s plan and had no objections.

Uncle Li had initially been worried that Jiang Nian might act recklessly. However, after seeing how calm and rational he was, he readily supported him—as did Liao Yu. He said,

“With the five of us, we should be able to ask Minister Wang to loan us a special ops team.”

Liao Yu pinched his chin and nodded.

“Hmm…”

Jiang Nian couldn’t help but glance at Li Shuhui. Before he could say anything, she spoke up first.

“Brother Jiang Nian, don’t even think about telling me not to come.”

“… ”

Caught red-handed, Jiang Nian scratched his ear in embarrassment and gave in.

Uncle Li took over the conversation.

“Xiaohui’s superpower is rebound. Her defense is solid.”

Li Liang chimed in as well.

“Yeah, and we’re going to be a family that lives together in the future. Brother Nian, there’s no need to be polite. We might not be able to help with everything, but…”

At this point, he glanced at his dad and sister.

“We haven’t left the base since we entered it. This is a good chance for us to get out and look around.”

They had stable jobs and decent lives in the base—better than most, really. But humans are strange. Once their bellies are full, they start to feel restless.

Jiang Nian was truly grateful, but he knew that saying too much would sound insincere. He simply smiled and nodded.

“All right, then. Let’s go together.”

It made him feel a lot more at ease knowing he had reliable partners:

himself; Li Shuhui, who had a defensive superpower; Li Liang, who had a wind element. Liao Yu, who had an ice element for offense and defense. and Uncle Li, who had an enhanced physique. The lineup was well-balanced.

In superpower fusion simulations, combining wind and frost often left nothing but icy shards in their wake.

After discussing it a bit more, the five of them had lunch and went to Minister Wang’s office together.

Minister Wang, Zhou Li, and Li Sheng had just finished their work and were waiting for them.

Jiang Nian got straight to the point, explaining the reason for their visit and what they were asking for, including the situation with Jiang Wenwen.

Although it didn’t concern Cheng Jing and the others, Minister Wang and the others could tell that this wasn’t a simple matter.

Without hesitating much, Minister Wang said bluntly,

“All right. I’ll have Chu Yi lead a team and accompany you.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Nian thought he had misheard.

Could Chu Yi really be sent out of the base so easily? Wasn’t he needed to guard the important assets back home?

But before he could say more, Minister Wang continued.

“Chu Yi’s people are low-profile and capable. Sending a large force would only alert the enemy and cause more problems.”

Zhou Li nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. Since we know it’s a trap, we should prepare something unexpected.”

They had learned quite a bit about Jiang Nian’s background from Cheng Jing, Yang Kai, and other indirect sources.

According to Cheng Jing, Jiang Nian had been abused by his biological father and stepmother’s family. His life had even been in danger, which was why he’d run away in the first place.

For someone so kindhearted to hate his own father so deeply, you can imagine how much pain he must have endured.

Now, that family was being used as a tool by S Base and Xia Weiwei. They were trying to manipulate Cheng Jing’s team by using Jiang Nian’s feelings as leverage.

The base had promised not to interfere in Jiang Nian’s personal affairs. Considering all that Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing had contributed, there was no reason not to support them when they asked for help.

Still, Minister Wang was concerned because they didn’t have many people to spare. If anything happened to Jiang Nian, how could they explain it to Cheng Jing? No one wanted to see a powerful dual-element esper lose control.

Everyone has a weak spot. Even dragons had reverse scales. For Cheng Jing, Jiang Nian was that weakness.

However, if they sent too many people, it would draw too much attention. That’s why it was time to bring out Chu Yi.

Minister Wang acted decisively. Before Jiang Nian could recover from his surprise, Minister Wang had already ordered his guards to summon Chu Yi.

As the guards left, Jiang Nian finally snapped out of it.

“Thank you, Minister.”

He had a feeling…
This emergency team of theirs was going to be incredibly powerful!