RIACMET chapter 195

 

Jiang Wenwen’s departure came as a surprise to Jiang Nian. Although he supported her decision, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Since it was still early, he decided to head to the shop. It had been closed for several days, and they still needed to earn points. Once your basic needs, like food and clothing, are taken care of, everything else you want becomes more expensive.

Of course, the more bargaining power you have with the authorities, the better. That way, you’ll have an exit strategy whether you’re moving forward or stepping back. In times like these, merely surviving the apocalypse isn’t enough—you have to plan for life after it, too.

In a catastrophe like this, power and wealth constantly shift. If you already have a solid foundation, your goal should be to maintain stability. If you don’t, then it all comes down to seizing the opportunities of civilization’s rebirth and rising to the top.

Jiang Nian arrived at the shop feeling a little down, only to discover that the store, which should have still been closed, was actually open. Li Shuhui was busy selling goods. When she saw him, she gave him a quick nod and continued tending to customers.

It was a scorching hot day, and tea and other cooling items were selling fast. As the temperature rose, the base’s daily allowance of three liters of drinking water was no longer enough for many people, especially those working outside. They had to buy more.

Of course, some people consumed very little water and stored plenty ahead of time. When the extreme heat hit, they were much better off than the rest.

The base had also issued a notice urging everyone to conserve water as much as possible. The amount of free water would not increase during the heat wave, no matter how hot it got.

In Jiang Nian’s opinion, Nancheng Base was far ahead of the rest in every way. The free resources it offered were generally enough for personal needs with a little frugality.

Other bases only provided about one liter of drinking water per day. In extreme weather, financial strain among the lower classes could cause even more chaos.

After Li Shuhui finished serving a few customers, Jiang Nian stepped out of his vehicle and walked into the shop.

“Xiaohui, are you off duty again today?”

“Wangwang—!”

Xiaoqi, who had been lounging on the counter, jumped up and rushed over, his tail wagging furiously. He stood on his hind legs and pounced at Jiang Nian.

“Hey, Xiaoqi, you’re here too…”

Jiang Nian bent down, gave his leg a shake, and rubbed the puppy’s head. Overjoyed, Xiaoqi let out little “woohoo” sounds and nudged Jiang Nian’s palm, trying to act cute.

Since they reunited, Xiaoqi had grown a little bigger, and his fur was now soft and silky. His elegant demeanor made people feel instantly at ease in his presence.

“Brother Jiang Nian, I’m on leave for a bit. From now on, you can do whatever you want. I’ll bring Xiaoqi to watch the shop.”

Li Shuhui walked out from behind the counter, wiping down the shelves with a cloth as she spoke.

Apparently, the extreme heat had reduced the number of rescue teams heading out, as well as the number of new arrivals to the base.

Her superpower was ineffective against heatstroke, so she was assigned light duties in logistics.

She just accepted the arrangement and took a short leave. She would return to regular work once the extreme temperatures passed.

“Got it. All right, then. I’ll leave the store to you for now.”

Jiang Nian smiled in satisfaction. This way, he’d finally have time to focus on other things.

Even though the store was technically in his name, it really belonged to all of them.

Any items that people found at the gate or scavenged from outside were added to the shop’s inventory. Because resources were limited, anything put on sale was guaranteed to sell.

Since there were lots of people and resources flowing in, they could earn plenty of points and precious metals without tapping into their core supplies.

The longer they kept this up, the more outsiders would understand the team’s background and capabilities.

It’s human nature to admire strength. Many would come seeking partnerships of their own accord. The team could receive goods and information and stay up to date on events outside the base without ever leaving.

“Brother Jiang Nian, Liang Xiaoyan dropped off two boxes of ice cream powder this morning. It’s pretty good quality. She said she didn’t need it and offered it as a thank-you gift. She didn’t even ask for points. She brought a new friend, too. Seemed like a decent person,”

Li Shuhui said as she pointed to a fridge.

Jiang Nian opened the fridge and saw two boxes filled with small packets of various flavors. He grinned and said,

“Feel free to do whatever you want with them. There are all kinds of cooking tutorials on the tablet on the kitchen counter—there should be one for making ice cream. We’ve got milk and sugar. You can try making it while watching over the shop.”

He had originally prepared large bags of ice cream powder as part of their supplies. However, there was too much, and he hadn’t used it all yet. It had slipped his mind.

Li Shuhui was good at this kind of thing anyway, so it was best to leave it in her hands.

It looked like Liang Xiaoyan had found a new companion. Hopefully, things were getting better for her.

…

With Li Shuhui handling the shop, Jiang Nian adjusted his daily routine accordingly.

He purified farmland in the mornings and trained with his teammates in the afternoons.

After all, now that he was officially part of the team, he still needed to keep up with training, even if he wasn’t going on patrols or standing guard every day. If you weren’t physically fit, you’d quickly fall behind in a fight.

During supernatural ability training, Jiang Nian helped his teammates improve their control and power.

As for standard physical training, those who liked to work out got their fill.

His teammates were all incredibly strong, so he could push himself to the limit.

However, talent could sometimes become an obstacle. While his teammates had undergone formal training, Jiang Nian had forged his own unconventional path, fine-tuned through trial and error and brutal repetition.

After a week of sparring, he went from slightly lagging behind to matching them evenly and eventually surpassing some of them in one-on-one matches, leaving a few of them groaning in defeat.

First, it was Liao Yu and Jian Cheng. Then came Tang Yi, Yang Kai, Huang Qian, Lu Ningzhou, and Zhou Rongbin.

Cheng Jing and Zhao Lei had the advantage of size, so naturally, they sparred with each other.

Bang—!

On the training ground, Jiang Nian feinted with a punch, used his long legs to sweep in, and threw Yang Kai over his shoulder. Slamming him down hard, Jiang Nian exhaled and grinned.

“Brother Kai, you lost again!”

“You little brat, sheesh!”

Yang Kai lay on the ground, wiping sweat from his forehead. Then he sat up with a wry grin.

“Where’d you learn that dirty trick?”

He mixed serious training with a street-fighting style. This guy was something else.

“It’s all from real battle experience. I hate pain, so I had to get good fast—haha!”

Jiang Nian laughed brightly. Even if he lacked in other areas, this was one thing he was confident in. Then, glancing toward the edge of the training field, he waved to Yang Kai.

“Brother Kai, let’s go again!”

He was at a disadvantage for the first two days because he was covered in bruises. Brother Jing had even felt sorry for him. Now that he was on a roll, he had to make up for lost time.

Yang Kai stood up.

“All right, bring it on!”

“…”

The others resting on the sidelines simply smiled and clapped at the sight. Jian Cheng couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.

“It really hurts when Brother Nian hits. It’s not the kind of pain that’s loud and dramatic; it’s the kind that goes deep into your bones and twists your soul. It makes you want to lose your mind…”

What you see and hear never captures the full truth. You only understand once you experience it yourself.

Cheng Jing chuckled.

“That kind of cunning is honed through countless battles. You can learn it, too.”

Huang Qian wasn’t impressed by the showiness but commented matter-of-factly,

“Now I understand why you’re so obsessed with him. He usually acts so obedient and sweet, always calling you ‘brother,’ but when it’s time to fight, he’s wild and cool—not boring at all—and he can protect his brothers. Who wouldn’t fall for that?

Some people are just born to fight.

“Exactly.”

Tang Yi nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on the pair locked in another intense sparring session. Then he turned to their eldest brother and asked the question that had been on his mind for a while.

“Brother Cheng, how did you manage to win Brother Nian over in the first place?”

Back in school, Brother Nian was already a fighting prodigy. Their auras didn’t match at all back then.