RIACMET chapter 250

 

By the end of March, the zombie crisis in Taipei City and Base S had been completely resolved.

The “zombie wave outbreak period” passed under a barrage of powerful weapons, and everything returned to normal. As long as the zombie waves weren’t too large, they weren’t that difficult to handle.

However, the internal conflict in Base S hadn’t ended yet, and Minister Wang and the others hadn’t returned.

As the largest base in the country, the management rights and policies concerning shelters for survivors were extremely important and involved many factors. To prevent large-scale “internal strife” like this from happening again, more effort would definitely be needed to sort things out.

Everyone was focused on managing the base and wasn’t too worried.

Nancheng Base bought a large quantity of zombie crystal cores at high prices. Strong teams of superpowered individuals gained plenty of supplies by eliminating zombies, naturally widening the gap between the rich and poor within the base. This was an inevitable trend.

Fortunately, by mid-April, Nancheng Base began selling soil restoration chemicals and crop seeds to the public and introduced some “humanitarian” policies to help ordinary people struggling to survive.

Those with usable land could use the chemicals to improve the soil for farming.

Although the first-generation enhancement formulas weren’t that effective and the types of crops that could be grown were limited, it was better than being unable to grow anything.

At this point, the means and direction of survival for the survivors shifted once again.

Additionally, since the base was expanding, land in the newly planned agricultural and industrial zones was being leased out. Therefore, the cost of renting farmland was still reasonable.

The expansion of the base provided more ordinary survivors with opportunities to find work.

Building walls, clearing land, transporting goods, running errands, and working on short- and long-term infrastructure projects are a few examples.

Those with superpowers would go to their exclusive mercenary guilds to take on harder tasks, which could be seen as a “clear division of labor.”

This way, everyone could post and accept tasks suited to them in exchange for points or supplies. It was tough, but it allowed people to survive.

…

Jiang Nian’s farm had been fully purified, and the nutrient-rich soil gathered was successfully put to use. He hired over a dozen professionals familiar with planting and seed cultivation, including ordinary people and those with superpowers, as long-term workers.

In addition to the natural farmland, Jiang Nian set aside half a hectare for Huang Qian to grow “instant vegetables” using her plant-based powers.

She wasn’t the only plant-based mutant in the base, of course. Once the land was restored and seeds were available, fresh fruits and vegetables began appearing on the commercial streets of the base.

If they could grow crops, raising livestock would be the next logical step. Yang Kai had made arrangements ahead of time, capturing many young animals from the research institute’s greenhouse.

The “Niannianyouyu” farm was officially on the right track.

Before Jiang Wenwen returned, Jiang Nian temporarily took over all farm operations and enjoyed the peaceful farm life. As long as he stayed inside the base, the chaotic outside world was irrelevant to him. He felt he’d earned this peace.

Minister Wang kept his promise and sent a special patrol team to guard the farm at night.

Honestly, semi-official teams like that were great. There was no need to worry about being harassed or pushed around. It wasn’t something he needed to handle personally, and there was no shortage of manpower.

Jiang Nian liked this feeling. He had clear plans, acted like a hands-off boss, and used the points he earned to expand his asset portfolio.

According to the base development policy, the assets would later be distributed to everyone.

Their team had territories in the newly planned agricultural and industrial zones.

Lunch break.

As usual, Jiang Nian prepared the food he had brought back from the cafeteria while Cheng Jing cooked for them in the kitchen.

Though they worked separately during the day, they still ate together three times a day. Breakfast was more relaxed. Lunch was eaten together at the dorm. After work, they went to their parents’ house for dinner.

“Ding——”

A message arrived. Jiang Nian set the plate on the table and pulled out his phone. It was from Jiang Wenwen. Just three words:

“He’s already dead.”

At first, Jiang Nian was stunned, but he immediately realized who Jiang Wenwen was referring to. Professor Xia had died.

At that moment, Cheng Jing’s phone rang in the kitchen. Liang Yunhao was calling about the same thing. Cheng Jing brought the plates over and put his phone on speaker.

The two of them listened as they ate.

Compared to Jiang Wenwen’s short message to Jiang Nian, Liang Yunhao’s version was much more detailed and clear.

Everything had been exposed. The high-ranking officials who had originally wanted to protect Professor Xia and his group gave in under pressure from the Four City Base and the authorities.

Professor Xia and his group knew there was no hope of escape, so they locked themselves and their collaborators in their private lab, set it on fire, and blew themselves up.

Many people died, and all of Professor Xia’s important research data was lost. Base S suffered massive losses.

“…”

“That’s pretty much what happened. The fallout from the Base S incident is almost over. Professor Xia never believed he did anything wrong.”

Liang Yunhao let out a long, emotional sigh before continuing.

“Old Cheng, remind Jiang Nian not to call Wenwen for now. Leave her alone. If you have anything to say, tell her in person when she returns to Nancheng Base.”

Cheng Jing glanced at Jiang Nian and replied,

“Got it. Once you’re done dealing with things, come over.”

Hearing this, Jiang Nian sent Jiang Wenwen a message: Take care of yourself, and then quietly put his phone down.

If Jiang Wenwen had wanted to talk, she wouldn’t have just sent a three-word message. She had never been polite with him.

Whether it was grief or hatred, no one could truly empathize with how she felt right now. Respecting her space and letting her adjust on her own was the best approach.

“Alright, we’ll act as soon as we can.”

Liang Yunhao agreed and exchanged a few more words before hanging up.

“Paranoia might’ve been one of the results Professor Xia wanted.”

Jiang Nian let out a small sigh. He wasn’t sure why, but when he found out that Jiang Wenwen hadn’t personally killed Professor Xia, he felt a strange sense of relief.

After all, he still believed that girls had softer, more sensitive hearts. They hadn’t experienced life-or-death trials like he had. Killing her own father with her own hands would leave a scar on her heart for the rest of her life.

Cheng Jing placed some food in his bowl.

“Eat. You don’t need to worry about these messy things anymore. Jiang Wenwen isn’t that fragile. With Yunhao around, she’ll be fine.”

Honestly, he was worried that information left behind by Professor Xia after being captured would hurt Jiang Nian, so a clean death like this wasn’t a bad outcome.

“Yeah.”

Jiang Nian nodded and smiled.

“We have to take Teacher Gao out on patrol outside the base this afternoon, so we might work late. Brother Jing, go to our parents’ house first and wait for me.”

“No, you’d better come back on time. Don’t even think about speeding on your motorcycle again.”

Cheng Jing saw right through his thoughts and refused flat out, shutting down the topic before Jiang Nian could argue.

“Our custom RV is almost ready. There’ll be plenty of chances to head out and have fun in the future. You can do whatever you want with me by your side. I’m too busy right now. If you don’t behave, I’ll get distracted.”

“… ”

What Jiang Nian couldn’t resist most was this kind of firm gentleness. He softened and said,

“All right, all right. I’ll come back on time so we can have fun together.”