RIACMET chapter 217

 

Trapped in a nightmare, Cheng Jing felt awake deep within his consciousness. He could hear his teammates talking and feel Jiang Nian holding his hand.

However, his body refused to obey him. He couldn’t escape the dream, which he knew was fake yet terrifying.

He was forced to watch the revolving lantern of his own “life” from an observer’s perspective, and, strangely, his inner emotions were completely synchronized with it.

He saw Jiang Nian lying on a blood-soaked iron bed, struggling in pain with blood gushing from his neck while zombies devoured his body.

He saw himself arrive too late, holding his lover’s body as it grew colder in his arms until it changed. Pain surged from his heart to every corner of his being.

His teammates wanted to kill Jiang Nian, so he left the team with him. After discovering the conspiracy involving S Base, Xia Weiwei, and her father, he rejected all attempts at reconciliation.

He sewed Jiang Nian’s body back together with his own hands, locked his now zombified lover in a cage, and brought him back to Qingyun City, the place where they had once lived together.

He knelt outside the cage, emotionally broken and crying his heart out. He recounted their past and confessed his love, filled with regret. The only reply he received was a cold, savage growl.

While he was feeding Jiang Nian raw beef soaked in his own blood, a pale, thin, frail little girl suddenly appeared and asked him why he was raising a zombie and why he wasn’t feeding it human flesh.

After learning the truth, she offered to help. She was Xiaoya, the Zombie King of Qingyun City. She could command Jiang Nian to calm down and guide him to respond with simple, mechanical movements.

He knew it wasn’t real, but he still felt somewhat comforted.

Xiaoya recounted the whole story of how her father infected her mother and killed people to feed them. This was completely different from what he and Jiang Nian had experienced.

With Xiaoya’s help, he avenged Jiang Nian. In the end, he embraced his lover, who bit into his neck, and destroyed his crystal core with endless regret and reluctance.

The suffocating pain surged back through him. A white light appeared before his eyes, lingering for a while before disappearing.

After the light, Cheng Jing’s consciousness became drowsy and sank into darkness.

“……”

At the same time—

Inside the tent, Yang Kai reported the situation at Guanshan Prison to Minister Wang. He updated Minister Wang on Gao Xuyang’s case and asked about the contents of the accident rescue document he had received regarding the “Experimental Research Base for Phenomenon Management.”

Minister Wang was surprised by this and agreed with their decision to bring Gao Xuyang back to the base.

However, they knew nothing about Gao Xuyang’s “false death” or his transfer from the “special research base” to Guanshan Prison.

The accident rescue documents that Minister Wang had received at the time did not include a specific explanation of the cause. The classification level was high, and they had planned to go to the scene for a further investigation. In the end, however, they never had the chance.

The internal incident hadn’t been fully resolved before the apocalypse struck. The “mysterious organization” that had long kept itself hidden from the outside world was now only known by name as a mere “rumor.”

“Special bases like that, closed to the outside world, won’t be fully exposed even if a major accident happens.”

Minister Wang sighed and said thoughtfully over the phone:

“All of the professors and researchers in Laboratory Building No. 3 are survivors of the accident. I’ve asked them, but none of them know the details of what happened. They only said that many people died in the explosion and that the whole base was destroyed.”

“If they aren’t intentionally hiding something, then it’s likely related to Gao Xuyang’s superpower, similar to what Qi Laoer experienced. Bring Gao Xuyang back, and let the professors see him first.”

“Understood. We’ll bring Teacher Gao back first.”

Yang Kai replied, then listened to a few more words of advice from the elder before hanging up.

He let out a deep breath and turned to find Gao Xuyang sitting beside him, quietly watching. He smiled and said,

“Teacher Gao, my uncle has no objections to our decision. He’ll take care of everything back at the base. Don’t worry. There are professors from the ‘Experimental Research Base for Phenomenon Management’ there, too. Maybe you’ll remember something when you see them.”

Minister Wang understood Yang Kai’s feelings toward Gao Xuyang and their relationship because he was his uncle. He was now open-minded and able to adjust his plans if anything went wrong.

Since his uncle said he was willing to take him back, there was no problem.

Gao Xuyang nodded.

“As long as… you’re not… ashamed of it.”

“Not ashamed.”

Yang Kai said as he stood up, took two sleeping bags out of his backpack, and laid them out.

Seeing this, Gao Xuyang quickly gestured to explain.

“Yang Kai… I don’t want to sleep… I don’t need it.”

Then he pointed outside.

“You sleep… I’ll stand guard.”

He had looked at himself in the mirror and knew how frightening his face looked. He didn’t want to disturb his partner’s rest. Besides, he didn’t need sleep and wasn’t tired. If there hadn’t been so many people around, he would’ve just gone for a walk.

Yang Kai took his hand and asked him to sit down.

“There’s no need to keep watch. We’ve got a whole army out there. You don’t need sleep, so why don’t you just stay with me? Stay close, keep me company when I feel lost, and come back.”

Gao Xuyang couldn’t convince him otherwise. Besides, he didn’t want to upset his partner over something so small. In the end, he obediently lay down beside Yang Kai and let him hold his fingers.

Yang Kai calmly closed his eyes. Truthfully, he had more extreme thoughts in mind, but it just wasn’t the right time given the situation.