RIACMET chapter 128

 

“…”

That was definitely a ‘group attack with bonus AoE damage.’ The moment those words were spoken, the couples and singles on the team fell silent. This was mostly because what the eldest brother said was factually accurate and hard to refute.

Know your enemy and maximize your lethality.

“You win,” Huang Qian admitted defeat and continued exploring with the mint still in her mouth. The others didn’t know how to respond and walked quietly, lost in thought.

After a few more steps, Huang Qian suddenly turned to Cheng Jing and said sincerely,

“Brother, please sell me that course. I want to sign up.”

There’s no shame in joining, even if your qualifications are so-so, as long as it makes you stronger.

“We’ll sign up too.”

The others chimed in one after another, looking totally serious.

The Brother Cheng they knew before wasn’t like this. Ever since he got together with Jiang Nian, his toxic mouth had leveled up a few times. It’s hard to say whether it was a hidden talent or a love-brain evolution.

Jiang Nian couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“I told you, don’t go too far…”

But one dared to ask, and the other really dared to answer.

Cheng Jing smiled and held out his hand.

“All right then. Everyone give me five thousand points.”

“Cough…”

Jiang Nian almost choked on his mint candy. His eldest brother really had the guts to name a price!

“Brother, that’s savage!”

“Bro, I thought we were family. Now you’re charging broken-bone prices?”

“Five thousand better include romantic coaching, too, right?”

“…”

What started as a bold joke got out of hand when Jian Cheng replied earnestly.

“All right then, Brother Cheng. I’ll send you the points after I get this month’s salary.”

“… ”

Their teammates’ smiles twitched and then froze.

Cheng Jing looked at him with a complicated expression.

“Ah Cheng, I never thought you’d be this easy to scam.”

He couldn’t bring himself to bully the kid anymore.

Zhao Lei asked suspiciously,

“Is this a side effect of awakening your superpower? Why do I feel like you’re getting duller by the day?”

“…”

“Pfft—Brother Zhao’s just telling it like it is…”

“Hahaha…”

The vibe was still lively, but now it had a strange undertone.

“What side effect? Can’t I just be love-deprived?”

Jian Cheng laughed, too, then turned to Jiang Nian and asked,

“Brother Nian, are you taking disciples?”

These people didn’t understand—Brother Nian was the real expert on matters like this.

Jiang Nian raised his eyebrows.

“No, but I can teach you one thing for free: If you like someone, be bolder. If you get a chance, go for it. Taking a chance on yourself also means taking a chance on them. I’m speaking from real-life experience. But keep your restraint around women.”

Then he looked calmly at his boyfriend.

“Oh…”

Jian Cheng nodded thoughtfully, and everyone agreed that what he said made sense.

Only Cheng Jing silently cursed in his heart. “Little rascal.”

It was like watching someone pretend to be kind only to be exposed—and both sides knew it. It was the romantic version of “Jiang Taigong fishing[mfn]”Jiang Taigong Fishing” (姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩) means: Waiting patiently for the right opportunity or person without forcing anything. Letting people come to you willingly instead of chasing after them. In some contexts, such as joking or romantic ones, it can mean a clever trap where someone is “willingly hooked.”[/mfn].”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Jiang Nian’s expression shifted. He quickly stepped past his teammates, pipe in hand, and charged forward several meters.

Just as everyone turned to look, they heard a loud crack-boom.

A zombie that had just crawled out of a pile of trash ahead had its skull smashed open by Jiang Nian’s purifying pipe; its head flew ten meters away.

The messy commercial district was bad for visibility, and zombies were wandering everywhere. Thanks to Jiang Nian’s ability to sense them, his teammates avoided close-contact ambushes.

With a soft snap, Cheng Jing flicked his fingers—lightning and fire appeared in the air, striking the flying zombie head mid-air. It instantly turned into a crystal core.

Then, Jiang Nian turned to Huang Qian and smiled.

“Thanks for the assist, Sister Qian.”

Huang Qian tossed away the vine she had just used and sighed helplessly.

“Looks like even the zombies are part of your little act now.”

Zombies: “…”

Their teammates burst out laughing, but Jiang Nian didn’t care. He just saw it as more face-strengthening training.

As someone reborn into this life, he saw the whole world as his playground.

…

The dry goods area was also a wreck and reeked. The floor was littered with spoiled dried food and processed meats of all kinds.

Mixed in were withered, blackened zombie limbs—arms, legs, and other body parts.

Jiang Nian scanned the area with his abilities, causing black smoke to rise from the corpses on the floor.

Dilapidated places were always darker. The team stopped joking around and searched seriously. The occasional retching sound echoed in the silence.

This time, they found two boxes of dried squid crushed beneath a collapsed storage shelf.

They also found a crate of mixed seasonal vegetable seeds in a nearby seed shop.

Along with fewer than a hundred zombie crystal cores, that was the extent of today’s harvest. Compared to their previous hauls, this one was pretty modest.

It was past 10:30 a.m., the heat was stifling, and the smell was unbearable. They hadn’t found much. Cheng Jing watched Jiang Nian dry-heave while smashing zombies’ heads in and finally ran out of patience.

He waved a hand.

“Head to the integrated building.”

Then he turned to his boyfriend and reminded him,

“Niannian, just shoot them with your gun.”

Although they were both killing zombies, Jiang Nian’s method looked pretty brutal.

He glanced at the “Devil-Slaying Staff” in his hand and refused without hesitation.

“This way is better for relieving stress. I’ll be careful, so don’t worry, Brother Jing. I’ll switch to a gun if things get risky.

Cheng Jing: “…”

A zombie roared from behind a column ahead, and Jiang Nian dashed forward again.

He was starting to fully grasp the benefits of his purification ability.

It could slow zombies down and accelerate the rotting of their flesh and skin. As a result, zombies instinctively avoided him.

In other words, unless he deliberately stuck his arm in a zombie’s mouth, it wouldn’t bite him.

This round’s gains were a pleasant surprise.

After clearing the area, the group finally entered the integrated building.

Floors one through three were part of the mall.

The first floor was a showroom for household appliances and furniture.
The second floor was a grocery store and a store for daily necessities.
The third floor had boutique clothing, knits, and accessories.

Due to flooding, fires, and general chaos, however, the showroom on the first floor had become a pile of filthy junk.

Dried mud and bloodstains covered the floor, clear signs of intense fighting.

The electronics were waterlogged and useless, and the large furniture pieces weren’t worth salvaging.

After clearing out a dozen zombies, they moved up to the second floor.

They had the highest hopes for supplies at the supermarket.

But once they arrived, the scene was nothing like they expected.

Looking around, they saw no zombies. Just walls covered in old stains and crooked shelves. The shelves were spotless. Not a single item had fallen to the floor.

Even the inventory room, with its door wide open, was completely empty, as if someone had neatly packed everything away.

“…”

That was definitely not normal, and the teammates exchanged confused glances.

Jiang Nian activated his powers and carefully scanned the area before speaking.

“There are faint traces of supernatural energy here, very similar to the energy in my space ring and Brother Jing’s. I’d say an ability user with a space-type power came and cleared this place out before us.”

“Damn it!”

Zhou Rongbin smacked his thigh in regret.

Liao Yu stared at the empty racks and gasped.

“Whoever it was, they really cleaned the place out. They could probably just lie low until the end of the world.

They even kept it tidy. Most likely, it was someone with foresight or someone who awakened early during the chaos.

“Yeah…” Jiang Nian sighed. Not gonna lie, he was kind of jealous. His hoarder genes were itching.

Of course, being salty wouldn’t help. They could only keep moving and hope that there were still things left to scavenge.

After all, space abilities have limits, especially in the early stages before upgrading, so maybe that person’s space was full after clearing the supermarket.

Just as they turned to go upstairs, Cheng Jing, who was standing next to the cashier and leaning against the wall, suddenly waved to them.

“Come over and take a look. There’s a message here.”

Everyone gathered curiously and saw a note written in green paint on the wall beside the cashier counter.

‘Something’s been left in the cleaning room next to the supermarket restroom.
Anyone interested can go get it.
I hope more people survive.
Left by a kindhearted person on March 25, 2037.’

“…”