RIACMET chapter 125

 

The team finally stopped at an open parking lot near the commercial district.

There were still plenty of cars scattered throughout the lot, clearly showing that this place used to be crowded.

After clearing the nearby zombies, Zhao Lei and Lu Ningzhou used their superpowers to create a protective barrier around the decaying vehicles and establish a temporary shelter within it.

It was like having an extra layer of defense.

We took shelter, set up tents, and installed alarms. It was exactly seven o’clock—the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the sky was gray and faintly lit.

I’d only eaten a few energy supplements all day. They didn’t taste good, but I wasn’t hungry.

After a quick discussion, we unanimously decided to cook a big pot of instant noodles and various self-heating hot pots for dinner to satisfy our cravings.

Hot weather makes people crave rich, flavorful food, especially when paired with chilled drinks, fresh fruit, and vegetables.

Luckily, we had all of that.

Nine of us gathered around to eat and chat. Naturally, the topic of the night turned to the special crystal core Jiang Nian had found today.

Young Master Liao, always the talker, took the initiative to describe what had happened at the medical warehouse in vivid, emotional detail.

When Jiang Nian’s turn came, he explained the medium-grade crystal core:

“Since it can absorb energy from crystal cores and redistribute that energy, it’s commonly used as a medium for energy extraction and transfer.”

“The energy extracted through a medium has no attribute and becomes a pure energy source. That’s why zombies can absorb it indiscriminately.”

Cheng Jing, sitting beside him, added at just the right time:

“In other words, with a medium like this, pure energy can easily be drawn from stable crystal cores. Once transformed, it can be used as a power source, like for generating electricity.”

“Oh…”

“Hiss…”

“Damn!”

“That actually works!”

“Amazing!”

Everyone finally understood, nodding as if something had suddenly clicked.

There was no need to get bogged down in the complexity. As long as they understood that energy from crystal cores could be refined and converted to electricity, that was enough.

Not to mention, with the scale of the South City Base right now alone, this could achieve complete energy independence.

With a stable power supply, the base could grow faster and stronger. Order, production, and supply chains could begin to recover and operate even under disaster conditions.

According to Cheng Jing, the base was optimistic about progress in researching soil purifying agents as well.

Survivors were encouraged to explore ways to rehabilitate and utilize abandoned farmland.

There was no need to worry about the authorities seizing Jiang Nian’s purification ability either—they could freely use it for farming.

If these aspects were properly coordinated, the South City Base would evolve into a stronghold for rebuilding human civilization.

This is the direction in which many major bases are heading.

“…”

At first, only Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing were excited, but now that everyone understood the situation, the entire team was fired up.

Even though Jiang Nian had only made a guess based on theory, they believed in him without question.

There was no need for reasons—they just trusted that Brother Nian was right.

Zhou Rongbin thought for a moment and suddenly said,

“By the way, last time, that guy from the chemical plant who ate his own kind got 6,000 points for a double-attribute mutant core. This medium-grade crystal core could literally represent the future of humanity. What do you think the base will offer our team for it?”

“Hmmm…”

Jian Cheng stroked his chin and offered a conservative estimate.

“I think the value will definitely double.”

Tang Yi shook his head right away.

“Doubling it is way too low. The two aren’t even in the same category.”

Liao Yu immediately raised his hand and said,

“I’d say at least ten times. If not, we’ll find a way to use it ourselves.”

Since the base had already made it clear that they would trade for crystal cores of various tiers, there was no need to appeal to emotion.

The experts at the base definitely understood the value of a medium core better than anyone.

Zhao Lei smiled without saying a word, clearly agreeing with the young master.

After some thought, Jiang Nian said,

“In my opinion, even ten times is too little. The rarer the core, the more valuable it is. This thing can be used as an energy medium and weaken zombies. It might be the only one in the entire country right now.”

Compared to the last mutant core, ten times would only be worth 60,000 points. Come on, think bigger.

Lu Ningzhou nodded in agreement.

“I’m with Brother Nian.”

This thing can convert zombie cores into usable energy. If it were put on the market, the major bases would fight over it.

Huang Qian also came up with a recycling idea.

“With this medium, the base could raise zombies to extract energy and conduct experimental research at the same time—two birds with one stone.”

The teammates immediately lit up.

“Good idea…”

“Brother Nian’s right. Sister Qian’s method is right, too.”

“This is definitely worth trying.”

“… ”

After a lengthy discussion, Cheng Jing smiled and said,

“Don’t worry. That last double-attribute mutant core was a clear sign. South City Base won’t be stingy. If they offer too little, I’ll personally take it up with Minister Wang.”

He paused for a second, then glanced at Huang Qian and added,

“I’ll also bring up Huang Qian’s method to the higher-ups. Whether or not they implement it is up to the base. After all, it involves breeding a large number of zombies.”

Based on the data from Xiaoya and the last mutated crystal core, he trusted South City Base and its officials. There was no need to worry.

He and Jiang Nian had already considered the method Huang Qian mentioned. In theory, it was feasible.

They would capture the zombies and concentrate them in a secure area. They would install energy-conversion devices there and bring the medium regularly. The equipment would draw out energy indiscriminately across the space.

There’d be no need to approach directly, which would keep things safe. Zombie crystal cores don’t contain much energy, and they aren’t too aggressive. This setup would also allow them to observe how the zombies changed over time.

They could compress and store the extracted energy or build a power station right next to the zombie cells.

He would compile a formal proposal and submit it personally to Minister Wang.

By the end of the discussion, everyone had quietly come to the same consensus. Jiang Nian grinned widely, revealing his white teeth:

“Let’s toss out the ideas and leave the rest to Brother Jing, hehe.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“…”

The team had been through a long, exhausting day. The battles had been fierce, and everyone smelled terrible, so a bath was definitely in order.

Lu Ningzhou used his earth-based powers to build a shower stall with a leaky roof. Liao Yu and Cheng Jing collected pathogen-free water in several buckets while Jiang Nian pulled out the toiletries.

Only after everyone had cleaned up did the sky turn completely dark.

Compared to where they’d stayed yesterday, this place was much noisier, even without zombies around.

Crows and a few other animals moved around in the dark. Perhaps it was because the food they’d cooked earlier smelled too good.

Zombies only reacted to the smell of human flesh and blood or loud noises. In sparsely populated areas, you could usually avoid them as long as you kept your distance and stayed hidden.

However, animals were more sensitive and could track you by scent.

Sure enough, just as a wolf’s howl pierced the night sky, Tang Yi, who was controlling a drone patrolling above, alerted the team:

“Everyone, we’ve got wolves heading this way.”