RIACMET chapter 261

 

[Timeline: After Moving into the New House]

Yang Kai’s successful dual-attribute superpower transformation surgery fired up the rest of Team 017, who had been taking a break. They were eager to get back into action.

After careful consideration and a team meeting, Zhou Rongbin, Tang Yi, and Jian Cheng agreed to take part in the plan to artificially create dual-attribute superpowers, with support from official personnel like Li Sheng, Chu Yi, and Zhou Li.

However, only Zhou Rongbin and Tang Yi were deemed suitable for the dual-attribute transformation surgery after undergoing a series of strict physical tests.

Tang Yi was eventually grafted with a crystal core that reflected physical attacks, complementing his physical enhancements. His body could regenerate, making him practically unbeatable in close combat.

Zhou Rongbin transplanted Xiaoya’s mother’s supernatural crystal core under Gao Xuyang’s advice.

After merging with Zhou Rongbin’s original superpowers, Xiaoya’s mother’s supernatural crystal core had mutated and made a breakthrough. Now, Zhou Rongbin could use mirages that confused humans and zombies alike.

Zombies could “see” the scenes inside the mirages, meaning they could be trapped and misled.

Though not as powerful as Gao Xuyang, he was still quite terrifying to humans.

After all, awakened bug-type creatures like the Zombie King are extremely rare and not really comparable.

“…”

Everyone thought that Jian Cheng, who wasn’t eligible for the transformation, would be upset for a while. But he adjusted quickly, surprisingly.

Jian Cheng, once part of the “Happy Bachelor Trio,” started moving solo while Zhou Rongbin and Tang Yi underwent special dual-attribute fusion training.

He gradually began packing his meals after work and bringing them home instead of eating with the others.

Just as everyone was starting to worry that he was drifting away from his teammates, Jiang Nian, who had spontaneously gone to check the store one afternoon, found that Jian Cheng had packed up his food and left the cafeteria. He hadn’t gone back to the dorm, though; he was eating with Li Shuhui at the shop.

When Jiang Nian walked in, Jian Cheng waved cheerfully.

“Brother Nian, come eat with us!”

Li Shuhui also smiled.

“Brother Jiang Nian, come on over…”

At first glance, everything looked normal. But, upon further thought, what kind of guy was he?

Jiang Nian didn’t eat. He waited until they were full, then asked bluntly,

“Do Uncle Li and Li Liang know about your little secret?”

He was too direct. Jian Cheng and Li Shuhui both froze, their faces turning red.

Jian Cheng was thick-skinned and rarely looked embarrassed.

“Brother Nian, you have sharp eyes.”

Jiang Nian rolled his eyes.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

No one had noticed before, but Li Shuhui didn’t work with them, and Jian Cheng always seemed carefree. When he came to help out at the store, everyone was busy, and he was so nice to Li Shuhui that no one suspected anything.

However, once you turned a corner, it was painfully obvious.

Jian Cheng chuckled sheepishly.

“There’s no need to nitpick the facts.”

Li Shuhui blushed and laughed openly.

“Brother Jiang Nian, my dad and older brother know. We’ve officially been dating for two weeks, and we were just about to tell everyone.”

Jian Cheng had been in a bad mood ever since he was deemed unsuitable for superpower transformation. While Tang Yi and Zhou Rongbin were busy with fusion training, he often came by to help out at the shop.

It wasn’t a special occasion; it was simply two people expressing how they felt.

Her father and brother didn’t complain, oppose, or interfere; they supported them. This made their relationship go smoothly.

Jian Cheng nodded.

“Xiaohui and I talked to Uncle Li and Li Liang directly. We’ll get married once the base’s civil affairs office is built.”

Jiang Nian let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s good. Otherwise, Uncle Li and Li Liang would have beaten you up, and we wouldn’t have been able to save you.”

Jian Cheng laughed.

“I know. Anyway, the grass in the yard doesn’t taste very good.”

Li Shuhui glared at him, but didn’t respond. After all, it was the truth.

Jian Cheng looked at her with affectionate eyes. After spending so much time together, there was no point in pretending that their friendship wasn’t changing.

They gave each other space and time to think it through and only confessed once they were sure. It was the best thing for themselves and the people around them.

After falling for Li Shuhui, Jian Cheng didn’t just act nice to her in public; he also made his presence known to her while hiding it from everyone else.

Zhou Rongbin and Tang Yi were definitely not as perceptive in this regard.

Jiang Nian smiled and said:

“Tang Yi and Zhou Rongbin are going to be upset when they find out.”

Jian Cheng lifted his chin proudly.

“I want them to be angry.”

He may not have dual-attribute powers, but he has a partner.

Li Shuhui couldn’t help but laugh. When she saw someone enter, she got up and walked over.

Once she was gone, Jiang Nian dropped his smile, looked straight at Jian Cheng, and warned him seriously.

“As one of us, I’ll say this first: Xiaohui’s like a sister to us. If you ever hurt her or make her suffer, you’ll be in deep trouble. Uncle Li and the others won’t even have to lift a finger.”

In some ways, this guy was bolder than the rest.

Jian Cheng grinned.

“Don’t worry, Brother Nian. I won’t give you any reason to act. Forget about anyone else—even Sister Qian could kill me.”

“You brat…”

Jiang Nian laughed too. It was true—she was like a big sister to the other team members.

“…”

After Jiang Nian accidentally discovered that Jian Cheng and Li Shuhui were dating, the two went public with their relationship.

Once Uncle Li and Li Liang confirmed it, everyone was shocked but sent their blessings.

Compared to the rest of the team, however, Zhou Rongbin and Tang Yi’s congratulations were a bit sour—especially since the three of them had promised to stay single until the end of time, yet Jian Cheng secretly jumped ship!

It wouldn’t have mattered if it had been anyone else, but Xiaohui was someone they all protected.

After the regular training camp ended, Zhou Rongbin called out.

“Ah Cheng, let’s train again.”

Tang Yi chimed in.

“Yeah, the three brothers haven’t trained together in a while.”

“Hey!”

Jian Cheng knew exactly what they were up to. He smiled and raised his chin.

“No, Xiaohui and I have dinner plans with Uncle Li and Li Liang tonight. If you want to train, I’ll ask Brother Nian to come. No need to thank me. See ya!”

With that, he quickly backed away before the two could kick him and ran straight for the entrance of the training grounds. He knew his teammates too well. If he really had to train with them after hours, he’d be crawling back home tonight.

The others overheard this and just smiled before leaving without saying anything.

Only Jiang Nian, eager for a spar, turned around with shining eyes.

“Overtime training?”

Tang Yi and Zhou Rongbin shook their heads and said in unison,

“No thanks, Brother Nian.”

Are you kidding? They wanted Jian Cheng to crawl back, not themselves!

Currently, Brother Nian and Zhao Lei are evenly matched in combat, with Brother Nian having a slight advantage. It wouldn’t be long before he took Zhao Lei down.

After his purification breakthrough stabilized, Jiang Nian’s physical fitness improved dramatically.

His five senses were sharper than average, and his combat reflexes were incredible. Like an insect, he could predict and react in advance.

The only time Jiang Nian ever lost was when sparring with Cheng Jing, but everyone figured he was just holding back to save face for his big brother.

“…”

To ease Zhou Rongbin and Tang Yi’s bitterness, Jian Cheng went all out. He treated them to meals and even asked Jiang Nian to give them dating advice. After a few rounds, the three of them returned to their usual “loving” relationship.

After that, Cheng Jing noticed that Zhou Rongbin and Tang Yi, who had always kept their distance from female espers in the legion, were acting more proactively and friendlier.

On a deeper level, the legion could be seen as a community of neighbors, with lots of interaction and understanding. It was nice to truly know one another.