RIACMET chapter 260

 

[Timeline — Moving Day to the New House]

“Yang Kai, let’s do it!”

It was late at night. Gao Xuyang, drunk, leaned lazily on the sofa. The loose gray pajamas he wore belonged to Yang Kai. The collar was undone, and two buttons were open, revealing his collarbone and part of his chest. He looked at the man handing him honey water with hazy, drunken eyes.

Yang Kai was so startled by the man’s sudden, forceful words that his hands trembled.

“Teacher Gao, you’re really drunk.”

Gao Xuyang snorted.

“Nonsense! How could the mighty Zombie King be drunk? I’m just slightly tipsy.”

“Okay, okay, just take a couple more sips.”

As he spoke, Yang Kai lifted the cup of honey water to Gao Xuyang’s lips.

The man, who had already shed his corpse-like appearance, looked handsome and refined. His brows were fine and elegant, but his skin was still pale, his frame was still thin, and his face still showed little sign of aging.

According to Jiang Nian, teacher Gao’s purification process was equivalent to cleansing all the dead cells in his body. While it couldn’t be called rejuvenation, it did make one look significantly younger.

The professor of brain evolution had also said that people with superpowers would live much longer than ordinary people on average, and they would maintain a youthful appearance for a much longer time as well.

After drinking the honey water, Gao Xuyang placed one hand on Yang Kai’s shoulder and supported himself on the sofa with the other. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Just tell me—do you want it or not?”

Yang Kai took a few deep breaths, then nodded.

“Yes.”

A question like that didn’t need to be asked.

“… ”

Gao Xuyang licked his lips and lightly patted his cheek with his free hand. He mumbled vaguely.

“We used to drink together before the apocalypse. Every time, you’d get me drunk on purpose and then send me home. How else would you get your chance if I didn’t drink?”

He had never denied that Yang Kai was impressive. In fact, he often pointed out that Yang Kai had a stubborn, unruly streak similar to that of a second-generation rich heir.

Even before all the workplace crises, Yang Kai had already become his biggest “crisis.”

People appeared respectful on the surface back then, but they were truly ruthless when it came to messing with him.

“Teacher Gao, are you drunk and talking about my dark history?”

Yang Kai chuckled, set down his water, bent over, picked Gao up, and carried him to the second-floor bedroom. He was delighted to see his teacher, Gao, return to his old self.

Gao Xuyang wrapped his arms around Yang Kai’s neck and huffed.

“Bringing up old grudges.”

Yang Kai laid him down on the bed and leaned over to lightly bite his neck.

“We both agreed to this. How could you call it a grudge?”

As he spoke, he began unbuttoning his pajamas one by one.

“… ”

Gao Xuyang snorted softly and pushed Yang Kai away by placing his hands on his shoulders.

“In ancient times, this kind of behavior would have been considered treasonous and outrageous.”

“That’s all thanks to your great teaching, Teacher. You spoiled me.”

Yang Kai’s tone was mischievous, and his hands were rather bold. A character as rebellious as his could only be pushed to the extreme when no one reined him in.

When he decided to pursue Teacher Gao, those around him who knew the backstory—including his family—felt like he was asking for death.

“Bah…nonsense. I never taught you any of this…”

The kisses continued. Gao Xuyang brought up the past, but he never truly pushed away the person pestering him endlessly. After all, the two things weren’t mutually exclusive.

They say that passionate love doesn’t last. But what was once considered hopeless has been rekindled.

Long-buried desire surged back up. Under the influence of alcohol, the desire blazed like a wildfire across the prairie—uncontrollable and burning through the night.

…

After moving into their new home and settling into the courtyard with their friends, Yang Kai and his lover became inseparable once more. The operation to transplant a supernatural crystal core into Yang Kai was also put on the agenda.

The procedure was successful, and he became the first artificially created dual-attribute mutant. He had a spatial-type crystal core transplanted, and now he possessed a 200-square-meter living space within him.

According to the law, crystal cores weaken after transplantation. Based on research data, the original size of this core should have been around 300 square meters.

After receiving the spatial crystal core, Yang Kai could take Gao Xuyang with him wherever he went.

This confirmed a long-standing theory.

It was possible to inherit the items stored within by transplanting a spatial crystal core.

When a user of spatial abilities dies or the ability’s core leaves their body, their gear does not explode.

Instead, the supernatural space temporarily seals off. It is reopened when the ability is transplanted into a compatible host, allowing the next person to inherit its contents.

However, after a second transplant, even if the core is strengthened to its limit, the space will not expand. It will only shrink further with each successive transplant until it disappears completely.

Fortunately, Yang Kai was satisfied with his 200-square-meter space. It was more than enough. There’s no need to be greedy.

After completing his superpower fusion, he retrieved supplies from the compressed space, including a box of instant noodles, several packs of compressed biscuits, two large containers of purified water, and medicine.

The original owner of the space was probably not wealthy, had removed most of their supplies before losing their mind, or the goods were “swallowed” as the space shrank.

“… ”

South City Base didn’t keep secret the success of the supernatural crystal core transplant or the challenge of adapting to dual attributes. They released the relevant experimental data directly as a reference for researchers in other bases.

However, although the transplant procedure appeared simple on paper, other bases couldn’t replicate it.

First, the professor of brain evolution calculated precise data tailored to each individual undergoing surgery.

Second, Jiang Nian’s purification ability ensured smooth compatibility, allowing the host to consciously control their fusion power.

Third, healing powers swiftly repaired any injuries.

Other bases lacked all three and relied on standardized formulas and medicinal injections instead. This greatly increased the risk of complications, sometimes by several or even dozens of times.

The result? The number of successfully modified mutants at other bases paled in comparison to South City’s.

Many who passed the physical screening wanted to undergo transformation surgery at South City Base. However, once they learned that they would have to stay in South City afterward and join the military-controlled corps, they hesitated.

Some high-ranking officials tried to prevent this from happening, but the behind-the-scenes twists and turns were beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

Cheng Jing and the others didn’t get involved in official disputes; they simply did what they could to help maintain peace and stability at the base.

“… ”

Knock, knock, knock—

“This is Gao Xuyang.”

As soon as the voice finished speaking, the door to Team 017’s office was pushed open. Under the gaze of everyone waiting inside, Gao Xuyang walked in with perfect posture.

Chu Yi sat in his chair and glanced at the other team members. He pulled out the signed release report from Minister Wang’s office, waved it at the minister, and smiled.

“Mr. Gao, the energy from several zombie crystal cores in the special warehouse has been fully extracted. We’ll be heading out tomorrow to expand it. We’ll need more zombies this time. Thank you in advance for your help.”

Gao Xuyang looked over at Yang Kai first, then nodded and greeted everyone with a smile. Finally, he replied:

“Alright, no problem.”

This time, he wouldn’t need to bring crystal cores. He could pack snacks and dried food to share with everyone along the way.