RIACMET chapter 220

 

“… ”

The excruciating pain lasted half an hour. Yang Kai felt as if every cell in his body had been violently cleansed by a purifying force.

His arm regained sensation, and the wound didn’t rot, but he was weak. The mental anguish was the worst part.

“Hah! All done!”

Jiang Nian hadn’t even broken a sweat. He used his superpower to remove the cuffs and collar. Then, he helped Yang Kai to his feet and leaned him against the sofa.

Yang Kai’s wrists were scraped, and his skin was bruised. His face was pale, and blood stained the corner of his mouth. He looked like someone who’d just been dragged out of the water.

He drank the sugary water that Jiang Nian handed him, licked his lips, and smiled faintly.

“Thanks.”

“We’re brothers—don’t mention it.”

Jiang Nian set down the cup and took out a medical kit to treat Yang Kai’s wounds.

Yang Kai closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. After a while, he spoke.

“Don’t tell anyone about this. Not even Brother Cheng. Let’s wait for the right time.”

Jiang Nian nodded.

“Don’t worry. I know this isn’t something we should publicize. I understand your intentions, but that doesn’t mean it’s something others should imitate.”

If Yang Kai’s circumstances weren’t so unique, he never would have agreed to it.

He worried that others might follow Yang Kai’s example, hoping to gain antibodies and experience the thrill.

“…”

After his wounds were treated, Yang Kai—despite having just endured that ordeal—didn’t stay to rest. He thanked Jiang Nian again and returned to his dormitory.

After changing his clothes, he called Gao Xuyang at Laboratory Building No. 3. He informed Gao Xuyang that he wouldn’t be able to visit for the next two days and that he had arranged for Tang Ji to look after him.

When Yang Kai first arrived at the Southern City Base, he had arranged for Gao Xuyang to have a cell phone. Aside from making daily communication easier, he hoped it would help Gao Xuyang return to a “normal” life sooner.

“Don’t worry… I’m fine… You… be careful too.”

Gao Xuyang replied calmly over the phone without asking many questions. His speech was slower than when they spoke in person.

“Teacher Gao, I’ll miss you. You should think of me more, too.”

Yang Kai waited a long time before hearing a soft “Mm.” Only then did he hang up.

He found comfort in knowing that someone was still keeping up with the world.

Gao Xuyang was older, though, and always more tolerant of him. Without his patience, Yang Kai never would have had the chance to get closer or cross any lines.

He exhaled slowly and lifted his bandaged hand, looking at it tiredly.

The scent of blood still lingered on him. After all, Gao Xuyang was a zombie. Even though he remained rational and fed on crystal cores daily, getting too close could still influence him.

The Psychic Legion was under the supervision of the other team members, so even with him and both captains, Cheng Jing, absent, nothing major would go wrong.

Given that, it was best that he finish his business before things got messier.

With that thought, Yang Kai’s eyes turned icy. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Chu Yi.

After two hours of rest, night fell.

Once the evening whistle sounded, Yang Kai and Chu Yi, both fully armed, signed themselves out and drove a foul-smelling garbage truck out of the base toward the dumping grounds.

Inside the tall bin, filled with domestic waste from across the base, Qi Laoer and the cannibal couple lay bound and gagged with their heads buried under heaps of trash.

Beyond the base, there was a special incineration pit used for disposing of various types of waste. Garbage trucks were responsible for the burning at night.

As they drove past the gate, Chu Yi, who was driving, asked:

“Wouldn’t it be too easy for them if we just burned them?”

The rest were sent to do menial work. To ensure that Qi Laoer and his crew didn’t get off lightly, their names were removed from the labor rotation, and Minister Wang conveniently looked the other way.

Yang Kai’s expression turned cold.

“I’ll teach them the same methods they used on others. Then, we’ll burn them. I’ll do it myself for revenge…for Teacher Gao and every unknown hero who died because of scum like them.”

Others might not be able to do this. But he could. Before the apocalypse, there was never a chance. He wouldn’t waste it now.

Chu Yi nodded calmly.

“All right. I’ll take care of burning the trash. I’ll be your driver and guard.”

Once they reached the pit at the dumping grounds, he tilted the truck bed and emptied it completely. Then, using the same iron chains employed in slaughterhouses, he dragged the three bodies out into the open as though they were dogs.

Yang Kai slowly pulled a series of “tools” from his backpack:

Knives of varying sizes, saw blades, pliers, steel nails, screwdrivers, and a handheld drill.

Along with the sharp instruments, he also had medicines—adrenaline and a special drug that heightened pain sensitivity.

They had to die, but Yang Kai didn’t want it to be quick.

The three gagged captives shook their heads in despair, their eyes filled with pure terror. Yang Kai put on gloves and a mask, then gave them a chilling grin.

“Don’t worry. You won’t live to see the sun tomorrow. Let’s begin, one by one.”

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

“Mmmphhh…”

The three trembled and wept in fear.

Yang Kai sneered.

“Cry all you want. Soon, you won’t even be able to do that.”

He brought the drill to Qi Laoer’s forehead.

“You always said that underworld justice is the most effective. Today, let’s test your theory.”

Ignoring Qi Laoer’s muffled pleas, he picked up a scalpel and waved it in front of the cannibal couple.

“You two have eaten so many people. Now it’s time for you to have a taste of each other.”

“…”

Chu Yi shuddered just from listening. He put on a pair of headphones and walked away to burn the garbage and get some fresh air.

Yang Kai did exactly what he promised. With their mouths gagged, their screams came out faintly, and the stench of blood was well-masked by the reeking garbage.

By the second half of the night, the cannibal couple were dead.

At dawn, Qi Laoer—whose body was a mangled mess—finally stopped breathing.

Covered in blood, Yang Kai changed into clean clothes. He threw his gloves, mask, and all the bloodstained tools into the incinerator and watched them burn.

Chu Yi approached and noticed bandages on his left hand.

“Brother Kai, are you hurt?”

Yang Kai lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth. He crushed the cigarette box into a ball and tossed it into the flames. He muttered to himself,

“The last one.”

Then, he raised his left hand toward Chu Yi.

“This isn’t an injury. It’s love.”

“I really shouldn’t have asked.”

Chu Yi’s expression was hard to describe. It seemed as if Yang Kai had gone “mad with delight” after executing those three criminals.

“…”

As the sun rose, the two drove the garbage truck back to the base.

Exhausted after a night of burning trash, Chu Yi returned to his dormitory to shower and sleep.

Yang Kai, full of restless energy, washed his face and went straight to the command center to get back to work.

Then, Jiang Nian sent a group message:

[Cheng Jing is awake.]