RIACMET chapter 249

 

The night before departing for Base S.

Inside Laboratory Building No. 3, Yang Kai hugged Gao Xuyang tightly. The latter had just received three consecutive doses of the detox serum. A sorrowful expression clouded Yang Kai’s face.

“Teacher Gao, Jiang Nian will be back tomorrow and can purify you properly. There’s no need for more injections.”

While Jiang Nian was away from the base, Master Gao had to rely on periodic injections every one or two days. Of course, the injections weren’t as effective as direct purification, but they kept the previous rounds of purification from being undone by the virus.

“If I were doing better, I could go with you.”

Gao Xuyang return his lover’s embrace. He wasn’t particularly concerned about the zombie wave. This likely stemmed from his evolving zombie instincts, which manifested as a lack of concern for human life or death.

The higher his level became without Jiang Nian’s purifications, the less human he would be—no matter how human he looked or how rational his thoughts remained.

Yang Kai spoke gently.

“It’s fine. Just take care of yourself and wait for me to come back.”

He was reluctant to leave, but staying together under such risky circumstances wasn’t an option. If Gao Xuyang was exposed, it would be impossible to undo.

“Alright.”

Gao Xuyang nodded and kissed his cheek.

“Let’s go back to the dorm. I’ll stay here tomorrow while you’re away.”

There were more factors to consider at the base. Since Yang Kai would be gone, Gao Xuyang wore his collar and stayed in Lab Building No. 3 to avoid trouble.

…

At the same time, Tang Ji was lying in Chu Yi’s bed, calling him.

“Brother Chu, your mission today is done. If you come back now, you can head to Base S with the Minister and Brother Kai. That’d be easier.”

Tang Ji knew that Chu Yi had finished his task ahead of schedule and thought he would return before the new deployment.

“No, I didn’t think it would wrap up so soon. I didn’t plan to come back. But since nothing needs replenishing, I’ll just head straight to Base S and wait for them.”

Chu Yi’s voice was as calm as always.

“Oh…”

Tang Ji bit his lip helplessly.

Annoying!

After a moment of silence, seeing that Tang Ji still wasn’t saying anything, Chu Yi added,

“The minister has already made arrangements. Mister Gao’s situation is special. Even if I came back, you wouldn’t be able to come with me.”

While many survivors wished they could stay safely tucked away inside the base, these “well-off” people were actively heading out to face danger—something that others couldn’t comprehend.

“No… I…”

Tang Ji tried to deny it, then cut himself off.

The words ‘I just want to see you, not to follow you’ were turned over and over on the tip of my tongue, and in the end I couldn’t say it.

Chu Yi sounded puzzled.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen at Lab Building No. 3?”

“No.”

Tang Ji quickly denied it and searched for a flimsy excuse.

“You haven’t come back to the base in a while…”

“Ha…”

Chu Yi chuckled and teased.

“What? You miss me?”

“… ”

Tang Ji’s hand trembled. He was embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed. He couldn’t deny it, but he also couldn’t admit it when it was said jokingly. He lowered his voice in an attempt to cover his mistake:

“Everyone’s been talking about you.”

“Oh…”

Chu Yi’s voice returned to its usual calm.

“Once the situation at Base S is handled, everything will go back to normal.”

“Mm.”

Tang Ji nodded silently. The conversation stalled. Usually, their calls would end here, but he didn’t want to hang up. He didn’t know what else to say, though. So he stayed silent.

“…”

“Xiao Ji.”

After a long moment, Chu Yi took the initiative to speak again.

“Hm?”

Tang Ji responded, feeling a sourness rise in his chest for no reason.

“Do you have something else to say?”

Chu Yi asked tentatively.

“Mmm…”

Tang Ji hugged the pillow and rolled over. After a pause, he softly mumbled:

“Be careful on your way to Base S.”

“You too. Take care of yourself. I’ll come back when it’s all over.”

Chu Yi’s voice softened as well, and the second half of his sentence was spoken in a gentle, comforting tone.

Tang Ji’s heartbeat suddenly quickened. His face felt hot, so he buried it in the pillow.

“Okay, come back soon. I have something I want to tell you in person.”

“Alright.”

“… ”

Ten minutes after hanging up, Tang Ji finally calmed down. His face was still flushed. Lying on his back, his mind wandered wildly.

Chu Yi is so smart. He must have figured it out by now, right?

Does his gentle tone mean there’s hope?

Is this considered a mutual understanding between us?

…

Because the zombie wave wasn’t affecting South City Base, life there continued in an orderly and stable manner.

The survivors had grown accustomed to the strict order enforced by the military.

The detox serum was improved to offer better effects, less post-injection pain, and fewer residual side effects.

The first batch of artificial mutants had been planned, and people were undergoing mutant core crystal transplant operations daily.

The detox serum and artificial mutants had significantly reduced the zombie threat. With anesthesia and healing abilities, patients barely felt pain aside from some discomfort during the compatibility phase after surgery.

The experimental data was solid. The experiments were successful. South City Base did not participate in any cruel “observation studies.”

The Superpower Bounty Union was also established. Members of Cheng Jing’s superpower corps began accepting official and private missions. Although they remained under military control, the corps operated as an independently managed unit.

Uncle Li and his son, Li Liang, were currently in charge of coordinating trust arrangements across all parties.

The grocery store business was thriving. Jiang Nian’s point card balance soared, and his collection of precious, out-of-print metals and rare items grew considerably.

Li Shuhui, the young, beautiful “little shopkeeper,” did an excellent job running the store.

At the farm, the final zoning plan was finished. Following the extreme heat wave, Jiang Nian collaborated with Li Sheng and the agricultural resource department to construct a soilless hydroponic vegetable storage facility.

No one knew when the drought would end, and water resources were limited. Several key factors had to be considered when building a hydroponic greenhouse:

First, how to avoid waste and recycle and purify water effectively, all of which required technical support from the relevant research teams.

Thankfully, despite the challenges, everything was going smoothly.

Now, all that was left was for Jiang Nian to purify the water and soil across the farmland before it could be used.

“…”

Once again, Jiang Nian was glad they had chosen South City Base.

After witnessing the zombie wave, the survivors truly understood how terrifying zombies were. Based on sheer numbers alone, humanity had no chance of winning. Add in human-made disasters and misfortunes…

How could survival be anything but difficult?