RIACMET chapter 210

 

“Finally, how did you control him?”

Yang Kai stabbed a dagger into the gap between Qi Lao’er’s right wrist bones and listened with satisfaction to her scream.

“… ”

Qi Lao’er knew that continuing to hide the truth would only cause more suffering, so he came clean.

“I awakened my superpower not long after the chaos broke out. We found him when we took over the treatment room. He was still on medication at the time, and I realized he was the mysterious man beside me.”

“Because of the medication, his body was weak, and his mind was hazy. I originally wanted to kill him, but it turned out that he could render the infected and zombies unable to see us. I could also block energy within a certain range so that it wouldn’t affect him. That was it.”

“Twenty seconds left.”

Yang Kai withdrew the dagger and stabbed his other hand.

“Ah!”

Qi Lao’er’s breath grew weaker as he finished his explanation.

“We used drugs to control him and suppress his willpower. Then, we took a few people hostage and forced him to create illusions that worked in our favor. We lured people in. We only held women and children and let them reach out to newcomers who arrived…”

It became a cycle of tricking people into coming in and killing them.

Zhao Lei gritted his teeth and added, “That’s what I meant. Nothing in this world is crueler than the human heart, and people like him are often the most terrifying.”

Qi Lao’er no longer denied it.

“Yes, but half a month ago, after his superpower advanced, the drugs stopped working on him. He started hunting us superpowered ones. He didn’t kill ordinary people, and he never left the basement. So, I fled with a few others and waited for help.”

“…”

Yang Kai felt relieved. After his powers advanced, he became fully immune to ordinary human drugs. He had gained his freedom and officially become a zombie king. He was still protecting humans, which meant he could be reasoned with.

There was hope that a battle to the death might be avoided.

If, after his advancement, Gao Xuyang had chosen to destroy humanity, then no matter how selfish Yang Kai was, he wouldn’t have dared to risk protecting him. He would have had no choice but to kill Qi Lao’er and go down with Gao Xuyang.

Seeing that Yang Kai remained silent, Cheng Jing asked,

“How many mutant zombies are there? Where are they gathered?”

Qi Lao’er answered honestly.

“There are about two hundred mutant zombies, along with Gao Xuyang and the other survivors. They’re all in the basement. Although he didn’t say it, it seemed as if he was intentionally guiding us to ask for outside help. You can do whatever you want to me. Just please spare my wife and child.”

Hearing this, everyone held their breath. More than two hundred mutant zombies meant more than two hundred superpowered beings—several times the number of superpowered beings on their team.

A zombie king leading over two hundred mutant zombies and thirty hostages… In normal circumstances, if an ordinary team encountered this, it would be an absolute hell mission!

“Ahhh—”

Qi Lao’er shrieked again. Yang Kai had retrieved the dagger and crushed the bones in his limbs with his superpower.

“The issue is clear. We’ll settle this debt slowly. Your family’s fate depends on your performance!”

After saying that, he knocked the man unconscious with a kick. Then, he told Chu Yi to grab a sack and cover the man’s body.

“Help me out—don’t let him die.”

Chu Yi nodded.

“Don’t worry. He won’t die.”

Then, he tossed Qi Lao’er into a small, dark room in his personal space.

Having dealt with Qi Lao’er temporarily, Yang Kai quickly composed himself and shared his thoughts:

“If Gao Xuyang hasn’t killed those ordinary survivors, then let me be the one to take care of him. But if he has, then let me kill him. Whatever happens to me…”

“Don’t even think about it. I’m not letting you die with him.”

Knowing what was on his mind, Cheng Jing cut him off. The rest of the team nodded to show that they wouldn’t let him do anything reckless.

Yang Kai frowned helplessly. Just as he was about to speak up, Cheng Jing said seriously,

“Gao Xuyang originally just wanted to protect humans. His ability to make zombies and people invisible to each other wasn’t evil. It was Qi Lao’er and the others who used and manipulated his power for their own gain. Gao didn’t do anything wrong—even as a zombie, he did his duty well.”

Chu Yi added from the side:

“Exactly. Based on what Qi Lao’er said, Gao regained his freedom after advancing and didn’t harm ordinary people. He only wants revenge. Besides, even if those ordinary folks died, we still need to bring Gao Xuyang back.”

“Let the professors figure out what really happened at the trial base and uncover the truth. Like Qi Lao’er, I suspect that even the professors and others have forgotten what happened to Gao Xuyang in Guanshan Prison because of an illusion.”

Tang Ji stroked his chin and nodded.

“I agree with Brother Chu’s approach and conclusion.”

The others also voiced their agreement—no matter what, Gao Xuyang had to be brought back.

Not to mention Bai Yueguang, the one Yang Kai had been thinking about all along—even if they didn’t know him, unless he resisted, they’d still choose to subdue and bring him back alive.

A zombie king who can prevent his body from decaying—that kind of self-healing ability and immunity to the zombie virus is clearly worth researching.

“…”

Yang Kai paused for a moment, then laughed.

“You’re right. Thank you, everyone.”

This was a proper and reasonable explanation. Even if he had to enter the lab for research afterward, Nancheng Base wouldn’t use cruel methods. That was acceptable, and he’d still get to see his beloved—someone who could be considered “alive.”

After everyone reached a consensus, Jiang Nian spoke.

“Oh, right! Don’t you want to know if my purification can turn a zombie king back into a human?”

The moment he asked, everyone’s eyes lit up. Of course they wanted to know—they were dying to know!

In theory, as long as the person could endure the cleansing, keep their mind intact, and prevent their body from rotting, it was possible.

“…”

Hope lit up in Yang Kai’s eyes. His eyes were slightly red as he stared at Jiang Nian and said, word by word,

“Jiang Nian, if my teacher, Gao, can return to normal, we’ll get married, and you’ll sit in the seat of honor at the head table.”

“Teacher Gao”—that’s what he called him the first time they met at school, and he never changed it.

“Alright. You really do live up to being Brother Kai. Deal.”

Jiang Nian agreed, and the two of them made a promise.

After all the tension, the mood began to lighten up.

“… ”

Once the whole team agreed to spare Gao Xuyang and bring him back to base, they began planning how to enter the basement.

Since the basement was small and all the others were superpowered zombies aside from the thirty ordinary people, if Cheng Jing kept using his power, he’d probably advance.

In a worst-case scenario, having too many people would make controlling the situation difficult and might cause unnecessary injuries or sacrifices.

Therefore, the team decided that all of Chu Yi’s troops should wait outside the gate. Only twelve would go down.

Tang Ji’s shield depended on Jiang Nian’s purification, which could break illusions and prevent hidden zombies from using their powers. The rest would be handled by the others.

Even if the shield didn’t work on Gao Xuyang, Jiang Nian’s purification could render his illusions ineffective, so it wouldn’t be a problem.