RIACMET chapter 234

 

The moment Jiang Nian thought about the bounty hunter organization, he became excited. His first reaction was to suggest that Brother Jing and the others “return to their old line of work.”

That night, he explained the situation to Cheng Jing and shared his thoughts:

“With the zombies evolving, it’ll only get harder for the weak to move around. Entrusting things to the powerful will become the norm. Even if an antidote is released, it can only save people. It’ll take a long time before zombies are completely wiped out.”

“Besides, we’re replacing the ‘Experimental Research Base for Managing Special Phenomena.’ A business built on entrusted tasks like this could continue even after the apocalypse. We won’t have to start from scratch again.”

Their current non-staff psychic force already operates like a group of mercenaries or bodyguards. They had recruited quite a few people, and as long as the higher-ups granted them authority, they could cooperate with the official and private sectors simultaneously.

In the apocalypse, rules must be adjusted to be effective.

“That makes sense…”

Cheng Jing nodded repeatedly after hearing this, already formulating a plan in his head.

“I get it. I’ll take care of this.”

‘Professionally, it’s a perfect fit.’ It would be ridiculous not to do it.

The next day, Cheng Jing consulted with Yang Kai, Zhao Lei, and Huang Qian. Then, he went to visit Minister Wang.

Minister Wang was one of the top officials who knew the base best. After listening carefully, he approved their idea and plan:

“This is a good idea and a solid plan. The core nature of the corps being under military supervision won’t change, and it won’t interfere with independent operations. You young folks are quick thinkers. Jiang Nian is really sharp.”

Jiang Nian sometimes seemed calm, mature, and thoughtful—nothing like his face and age would suggest.

“You’re right. He’s the smartest one on our team.”

Cheng Jing agreed, seeming more pleased to hear his boyfriend praised than if it were himself.

Zhao Lei, Huang Qian, and Yang Kai chimed in with their own compliments.

Thankfully, the brothers’ love brains and IQs were in perfect balance, which was great for the team.

“…”

They were all efficient and decisive workers. Two days later, Cheng Jing received authorization to “form a specialized bounty hunter union for post-apocalyptic superpowers.”

In addition to prioritizing cooperation with official bases, their special force team could now take on “private jobs.”

“Our grocery store… is becoming a bounty hunter union for the post-apocalyptic world?”

Li Shuhui never imagined that a small issue would turn into something so big. She thought she had misheard.

Sure enough, she had underestimated the whole thing.

She only wanted to earn a few points, but her brothers wanted to flip the whole system.

The union would have autonomy and could interact with the government on a more equal footing.

Jiang Nian smiled.

“The grocery store is still just a grocery store. Let Uncle Li make the decisions on union affairs. Pick a few helpers from the legion and discuss everything with them.”

To him, the grocery store was just a small hobby and personal obsession. Being easygoing and relaxed and doing whatever he wanted was part of his dream of a normal life, especially after the immense suffering of his previous one.

In truth, the base already had an official union that posted tasks and paid accordingly. It was located at the junction between the outer zone and the abandoned district. Survivors could earn points by checking the job postings there.

There was also a casual labor market near each of the four gates: east, west, south, and north. The first renovation team Jiang Nian discovered was near the west gate.

However, so far, the official task postings had been limited to infrastructure jobs within the base. They didn’t cover private transactions, and most were aimed at ordinary civilians.

What Li Shuhui encountered was one of those private cases. Whether psychics were trading with each other or regular people were seeking out psychics, someone was bound to be uncomfortable with private deals.

That’s when a relatively impartial and powerful third party was needed to act as a guarantor.

In a military-led base, any organization wanting to operate publicly required formal approval. If issues arose, the authorities would help resolve them, providing both oversight and protection.

Customers who often visited the grocery store naturally learned about Li Shuhui’s background and tried to use the store to set contract terms.

Li Shuhui had notified Jiang Nian in time, and thanks to that, as well as the timely decisions of Jiang Nian and the others, things had moved forward.

Forming a bounty hunter union specifically for people with superpowers was, in a way, following the trend. Where there is demand, there is a market. If there was an opportunity to do something significant, there was no reason to continue doing things on a small scale.

Secondly, having a special corps of non-staff with superpowers provided balance between the official and private sectors and between people with and without superpowers. This was one of the main reasons Minister Wang supported them.

“…”

Once you had the green light, you had to act fast.

Yang Kai and Li Sheng handled the formal procedures, and Jiang Nian purchased five shopfronts behind their current store at a high price and renovated them. With enough points, that wasn’t a problem.

Cheng Jing, Zhao Lei, and Huang Qian were responsible for drafting the rules and regulations for task assignments and handovers. Given their professional experience, they were more than capable of doing so. Of course, these also needed to be discussed with Minister Wang.

Li Shuhui and the others were in charge of spreading the word that the “Superpower Bounty Union” was about to be established.

Cheng Jing called Liang Yunhao to inform him that they had founded an “Apocalypse Security Company.” Upon hearing the news, Liang Yunhao immediately expressed his full support.

He said he would join them once he and Jiang Wenwen finished handling the chaos at Base S.

Liang Yunhao told Cheng Jing that Base S had many similar bounty unions that were usually formed spontaneously by various psychic teams.

There was no official monopoly or regulated authority, leading to intense competition among “private” teams, and bloody conflict had become commonplace.

Where there’s demand, there’s a market. And where there’s a market, there’s competition. Base S’s policy of giving preferential treatment to those with superpowers only made the competition more brutal.

Everyone was busy, and before they knew it, more than half a month had passed.

On October 22, the temperature dropped to around 35 degrees and returned to normal. The central satellite broadcast announced the end of the extreme heat.

However, the drought continued. Water sources continued to dry up and shrink, and land desertification worsened.

During the extreme heat period, each of the main base research institutes and laboratories took turns announcing their research findings and progress, focusing on apocalyptic environmental disasters.

The news that a soil restoration agent had been developed and was being mass-produced was undoubtedly a huge morale boost for the survivors.

It brought new hope to those who had barely made it through the exhausting heat.