RIACMET chapter 126

 

“…”

When Tang Yi said that, everyone was stunned at first. Then, they lowered their heads to check the drone’s night-vision footage.

In the darkness beyond the parking lot, seven wolves were indeed closing in from multiple directions, half-encircling them.

“He should’ve been a permanent employee at the zoo,” joked Zhou Rongbin. They really are wolves. So much time has passed since the apocalypse, yet they still managed to survive in a city like this.

Jian Cheng stared at the wolves for a while, then suddenly said thoughtfully,
“I wonder if wolf meat tastes good.”

“…”

No one could help but seriously consider the question when he said that.

Any appetite they had disappeared as soon as they remembered what those wolves had probably been eating in this world.

Young Master Liao was the first to shake his head:
“I have an active imagination, and I’m already feeling a little sick.”

Lu Ningzhou patted Jian Cheng on the shoulder with sincere concern.
“Ah Cheng, that kind of appetite is going to hurt you someday.”

Honestly, I kind of admired the guy.

“…”

“If you really want to eat it, I’ll go get it for you!”

Jiang Nian, an action-taker, had already attached a silencer to his weapon. As he spoke, he put on night-vision goggles and stepped out with his gun.

“Niannian…”

Cheng Jing reacted immediately, following him out. The others left their hiding spot and moved out as well.

Jian Cheng was the last to follow.

Fear stems from a lack of combat power. The most effective way to eliminate uncertainty and prevent accidents is to take the initiative and eliminate the threat.

By the time Jian Cheng got outside, all seven wolves had been shot dead with clean headshots. Jiang Nian had taken down three, and Zhou Rongbin and Lu Ningzhou had taken down the other four. They were currently chatting and comparing shooting skills.

Cheng Jing shone his flashlight on the wolf corpses and said casually,
“Anyone who wants to try some wolf meat, come on over. I’ll roast it for you.”

Jiang Nian added,
“I already checked with my superpower, and they’re not carrying the zombie virus, so it’s safe to eat.”

Upon hearing this, every teammate turned to look at Jian Cheng, their eyes and gestures clearly saying:
Go on, brother. We believe in you.

“…”

Jian Cheng reluctantly stepped closer.

The wolves were skinny and covered in scars, either from fights or from who knows what else. Their gray fur was sparse, and parasites squirmed faintly visible beneath their skin.

After taking a good look, Jian Cheng shuddered and shook his head.
“I was just saying, that definitely doesn’t look edible.”

Even if Brother Nian said they weren’t infected, they smelled like zombies.

They’d clearly been in close contact with plenty of zombies, even if they weren’t carrying the virus.

Jiang Nian stepped in and said,
“Sure, it’s not food for us. But for a lot of people out there, this is rare meat.”

“Yeah, it’s a shame. Not everyone’s living as comfortably as we are in these end times…” Liao Yu murmured with a sigh, feeling lucky from the bottom of his heart.

Because he followed the rules, respected his elders, and cared for the young, he felt that his two big brothers protected him and allowed him to live a relatively peaceful life.

In a disaster like this, survival was a luxury for most.

Recently, Central Satellite Broadcasting had reported on people killing others for food. Most of the victims were vulnerable groups, such as women and children.

Investigations suggested that cannibalism wasn’t always due to a lack of food; it was often carried out by twisted and depraved individuals.

However, if things continued to spiral downward, the situation would only worsen, and that kind of moral decay would eventually become the norm.

There would always be people left behind—those who couldn’t find refuge in a formal shelter or food to eat. They would become prey for others.

Human society would descend into a brutal, survival-of-the-fittest phase.

While rescue teams from major bases were searching for survivors, central radio urged civilians to do the following:

Try to get to an official base for protection—not to harm others, but to protect yourself from being harmed.

“… ”

Since no one wanted to eat the wolves, Jiang Nian pulled out a dagger and cut off small patches of skin and muscle from several parts of their bodies. He even asked Zhao Lei to help retrieve one of the wolves’ hearts.

Once they were done, Jiang Nian sealed the samples in airtight specimen bags, wrapped them in multiple layers, and stored them in his spatial ring. He planned to bring them back for analysis by researchers.

In his previous life, he had only heard that animals wouldn’t eat zombies. But after experiencing this world firsthand, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

Animals aren’t immune to large-scale environmental changes. They just hadn’t been exposed to them as directly—yet.

As food sources became scarcer, would animals begin to attack zombies out of hunger?

Especially scavengers. After all, zombies were still a kind of corpse. Even if they didn’t intentionally eat them, they might chew on one by accident.

Yet these animals hadn’t become infected or mutated. Perhaps they had a natural antibody or resistance that allowed them to eat zombie meat without reacting.

Or maybe, like many other viruses, the zombie virus could only infect humans, not other species.

Since the apocalypse, the world had undergone constant, pollution-driven change. The butterfly effect was real. Information was never 100% reliable anymore.

“…”

After Jiang Nian finished collecting samples, he asked Cheng Jing to perform a small ritual to help the wolves reincarnate.

Lu Ningzhou dug a hole. Huang Qian tossed the corpses in. Cheng Jing used thunderfire to incinerate them into ash with extreme heat.

Then Lu Ningzhou used his superpower to bury the ashes deep underground. This prevented the smell of burning flesh from spreading and attracting trouble.

Perhaps there were unspoken rules among the animals. After the wolf howled earlier, the area had grown eerily quiet.

Even the occasional sad bird cries didn’t affect them much.

Huang Qian scanned the surroundings through her night-vision goggles and couldn’t help but ask,

“The wolves have shown up. Do you think we’ll run into any other wild beasts or national treasures?”

Thinking of the big cats, she felt a mix of excitement and fear.

Zhao Lei answered,
“Hard to say. Looking at the food chain, now that everyone’s gone back to free hunting, there are bound to be territorial fights. The weak will die off, and the survivors will claim territories. This area was probably the wolves’ domain.”

Huang Qian nodded. “Makes sense.”

Then, Zhou Rongbin suddenly had a wild idea.
“What if we run into a panda? Can we take it home and keep it as a pet?”

“No idea.”

“You could eat it in an emergency, but keeping it as a pet is another matter.”

“It’s okay to provide temporary shelter in special circumstances, but raising one long-term would be a crime.”

“Hahaha…”

“… ”

They continued chatting and joking while keeping an eye on the area. Eventually, they made their way back behind the hidden wall.

Back at the tents, they enjoyed cold popsicles and the gentle evening breeze. Jiang Nian pulled out the medium crystal core and admired it over and over again, a smile on his face the whole time.

Cheng Jing saw how happy he was. After thinking seriously for a while, he said,

“Niannian, when we get back to base, let’s deliver this core in person, negotiate the terms, and give our suggestions to Minister Wang. No one will question how you found it.”

After all, this guy had made the biggest contribution. If there was an opportunity to step up and shine, why shouldn’t he take it?