RIACMET chapter 213

 

“… ”

After understanding the situation, Jiang Nian and the others—including Chu Yi—didn’t blame or lecture anyone. This was the most natural and direct response from someone who had been oppressed.

Never advise others to be kind unless you’ve endured their suffering yourself.

Qi Laoer’s fate was caused by himself. By the time they came down, they didn’t even see his body. There was nothing more to be said.

Huang Qian began organizing the survivors, telling them to pack up and get ready to leave.

“Sister.”

A barefoot boy wearing only an oversized adult T-shirt looked up at Huang Qian with his dirty face and pointed to Gao Xuyang sitting in the corner, chewing on crystal cores while listening to Yang Kai. The boy asked,

“Is Mister Gao coming with us? Are you going to kill him?”

The other women and children looked over, too, and whispered that Mister Gao was a “nice man” or a “good zombie.”

Huang Qian squatted down, patted the boy on the head, and replied firmly:

“Mr. Gao will be coming with us. We won’t hurt him. Once we reach the Nancheng base, everyone can live a good life.”

“Okay.”

The boy smiled at Gao Xuyang, his eyes sparkling. Gao happened to glance over. After staring blankly for a few moments, he turned back and continued listening to Yang Kai.

To make the operation more efficient, Huang Qian and Chu Yi discussed the plan with the survivors and moved them all into one room in the space.

Everything inside the space was under his control. Unless granted access, no one could wander outside the designated areas.

Cheng Jing, Jiang Nian, Tang Ji, and the others stayed behind to wait for Yang Kai.

Chu Yi led the rest through a back door and down another corridor to search Qi Laoer’s storage for useful items.

“…”

Meanwhile, Yang Kai had been recounting stories from their past to Gao Xuyang, including many thrilling missions they had experienced together. Each story was vivid and unforgettable.

But Gao Xuyang couldn’t remember any of them. At most, a few hazy fragments flashed through his mind.

Sometimes he nodded in response, but most of the time he sat silently with a blank expression.

Realizing that his teammates had finished their tasks, Yang Kai reluctantly stopped reminiscing—it clearly wasn’t helping. Noticing the bucket of crystal cores in front of Gao Xuyang, Yang Kai invited him:

“Teacher Gao, come home with me. Don’t worry about those crystal cores.”

Gao Xuyang needed to absorb the energy from the crystal cores at this stage to continue evolving, improving his physical awareness, reactivating his brain, and slowly becoming more like a normal human.

Only this way could his past memories gradually return.

Gao Xuyang looked at him sharply.

“Can I… refuse?”

“…”

Yang Kai’s expression froze. He whispered,

“Please don’t refuse. Come home with me, all right?”

Gao Xuyang looked at Cheng Jing and the others waiting nearby.

“I can’t refuse… you’ll… use me for research…”

He didn’t want to fall into that muddled state again, but he couldn’t escape it either.

Yang Kai quickly grabbed his unnaturally cold hand and said,

“This research won’t hurt you. I promise—as long as I’m here, no one will harm you. We’ll protect you. Jiang Nian’s superpower can help you too.”

Gao Xuyang looked at him, gripping his hand tightly.

“You’re not afraid of me?”

Yang Kai shook his head, his eyes red.

“No, Teacher Gao. Will you come home with me? Please.”

He didn’t want to tie him up and drag him back like a captive. The zombie that others feared was the lover he missed day and night.

“…”

Gao Xuyang stared at him for a long time, his eyes and expression cold. Tilting his head slightly, he pondered for a moment before asking,

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian and the others immediately drew closer.

Just when they thought he would be too embarrassed to answer, they heard his honest reply:

“I planned to wait until your memories returned to tell you. The fact that you guessed it means we’re in sync. We’re legally married in a secret ceremony. It hasn’t been made public yet, but I still have the marriage certificate and can show it to you when we get back.”

“… ”

Gao Xuyang’s face went blank as he opened his mouth slightly.

“Married partners?”

Even without memories, he understood what that meant.

Yang Kai nodded seriously.

“Yes, we agreed to go on a honeymoon to a private island after the mission. We booked the trip in advance, but you got into an accident and were taken away, so the plan was ruined. We didn’t even get a refund for the deposit, and it was a lot of money.”

Jiang Nian and Tang Ji gave a simultaneous thumbs-up. Whether or not it was true, Brother Kai really lived up to his background as a secret agent. Everything he said sounded confident and convincing.

Cheng Jing thought Yang Kai and Jiang Nian were very much alike. He didn’t know about the others, but that marriage was obviously fake. Even the certificate was probably forged. The same trick had worked on his wife, too.

“…I’m sorry.”

Although he had no memory of such things, Gao Xuyang chose to believe Yang Kai when he spoke so earnestly.

After all, they could have easily forced him to go. There was no need to lie to him.

Yang Kai smiled gently and said,

“It’s okay. We’ll make up for it once your memory returns.”

Gao Xuyang looked at Cheng Jing and the others again, then pulled his hand back and said,

“I won’t be a burden to you.”

Yang Kai nodded.

“Of course not. Believe me—since we’re partners, it’s my duty to take care of you. Staying together will help your memories return.”

“Besides, you can control other zombies, which could be very helpful to us later on. Even if you lose control, Jiang Nian is here, so we won’t have any major problems.”

“… ”

Gao Xuyang spoke slowly and hesitantly. But what Yang Kai said didn’t sound bad, so he nodded.

“Alright, I’ll go home with you. I’ll listen to you.”

He had disappeared before the apocalypse, and now he’d ended up like this. His partner had already suffered so much. It was better to go with Yang Kai than to let him endure that pain alone in a place like this.

Besides, with Jiang Nian’s superpower, he wasn’t afraid of damage from ordinary tools. He couldn’t feel pain without special medicine, and his injuries healed on their own.

If he could cooperate with the research and live a peaceful life with his partner, that would be ideal—better than hiding away alone.

Seeing that they had “reached an understanding,” Cheng Jing and the others exchanged knowing smiles.

Given Gao Xuyang’s condition, once he confirmed Yang Kai as his “partner,” the final decision would naturally lie with Yang Kai from then on.

Jiang Nian suddenly spoke up:

“Brother Kai, Brother Chu probably has a bunch of spare uniforms. You can talk to him later and get one for Mister Gao.”

Yang Kai nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Then he asked Gao Xuyang,

“Is that all right with you?”

Gao Xuyang nodded stiffly.

“Whatever you say.”

As long as he remained rational, and the whole team could vouch that he wasn’t dangerous, he wouldn’t need to stay at the institution long.

He could wear a uniform or helmet to hide from outsiders and avoid arousing suspicion.