RIACMET chapter 131

 

“It’s fine if you give me some useful information. Otherwise, I might make a big scene. I follow orders from the Southern City Base and won’t kill innocent people. However, the reason behind this matter isn’t something that can be easily explained.”

Cheng Jing couldn’t reveal the real reason, so he acted “paranoid and unhinged” to cover it up.

He wanted revenge for Jiang Nian’s death in their previous life, so it wasn’t appropriate for those people to act so boldly the moment they entered the base.

After all, from an outsider’s perspective, the Chen Yue family had never done anything too outrageous to Jiang Nian in their previous life.

Considering their current identities and positions, this issue couldn’t be brought out into the open. It had to be handled quietly and permanently to avoid unnecessary complications.

Yang Kai let out a soft sigh.

“I’m just worried it’ll affect your relationship with Jiang Nian.”

Cheng Jing firmly rejected that idea.

“It won’t.”

Ever since learning that Xia Weiwei planned to use someone to pressure Jiang Nian morally, Cheng Jing had no intention of letting Chen Yue’s family into the Southern City Base.

If those people died in the base, Jiang Nian might feel uncomfortable staying there in the future.

Now that they had obtained advanced intelligence, they had to address any potential threats immediately. They couldn’t let their enemies get close enough to stab them in the back before they could fight back. That would be truly frustrating.

“…”

After weighing the pros and cons over the phone, Yang Kai finally agreed.

“All right. I trust you. I’ll confirm the exact meeting location tomorrow and send it to you then.”

“Okay.”

Cheng Jing nodded, then asked again.

“What about the other matter? Have you found Jiang Wenwen yet?”

“There are a few leads, but nothing has been confirmed. This information can only be used as a reference, but I want to know the reason. Is it related to Jiang Nian?”

Yang Kai asked back, clearly curious.

Cheng Jing answered honestly.

“Yes. Jiang Nian’s still looking for her.”

Although Jiang Nian didn’t say much about it in front of him, Cheng Jing knew the little brat was always worried about Jiang Wenwen’s disappearance.

To keep everyone safe, he had to ask Yang Kai for help checking out Chen Yue’s family.

Although Yang Kai hadn’t been at the Southern City Base long, he was a skilled undercover agent and had access to information through channels others didn’t understand.

Of course, Yang Kai’s willingness to help came with a condition.

“That’s what I was telling you…”

Yang Kai lost interest in asking further. Then he added,

“Jiang Wenwen didn’t leave Nancheng Base, or at least she didn’t go far. Most likely, she was imprisoned by Xia Weiwei. Based on my professional experience, the holding area is probably where Chen Yue’s family is waiting to meet with people from Base S.”

Cheng Jing nodded in understanding.

“I see. Thanks.”

It could be resolved in one go. After all, they were all connected to Xia Weiwei and Base S.

“No problem. That’s my evaluation in exchange for joining the team. You promised me that if I helped you, you’d let me join.”

Yang Kai chuckled. As long as he joined Cheng Jing’s team, he’d be able to enjoy himself in the future. There was nothing he could do about the “left-behind kids” at the base.

His uncle also said that he would leave with him as long as he joined Cheng Jing’s team.

“I’ll talk to Nian Nian about it.”

Cheng Jing didn’t agree immediately.

Yang Kai didn’t mind.

“Nian Nian will definitely agree…”

Cheng Jing cut him off coldly.

“Watch your boundaries. You two aren’t close enough for nicknames.”

“All right, sorry, bro.”

Yang Kai wisely corrected himself.

“Jiang Nian will definitely agree. I told him we could go riding together.”

“Huh?”

Cheng Jing frowned warily.

“When? Did he agree?”

Yang Kai said proudly.

“Yeah. We talked about it the last time you were out on a mission. I’ve been mapping out the route recently.”

“… ”

Cheng Jing gritted his teeth, trying to stay calm.

“He didn’t tell me.”

How many other things had that little brat kept from him while he was away?

Yang Kai sighed lightly.

“You don’t have a bike, so even if I had asked you, you wouldn’t have been able to go.”

Cheng Jing: “…”

He finally fell silent. Feeling pleased with himself, Yang Kai cheerfully added,

“All right, Brother Cheng, that’s it for now. Things are a bit hectic on my end. I’ll let you know once the meeting spot with your ‘future father-in-law’ and his friends is confirmed. Make sure to say hi to Jiang Nian for me and tell him that I’m almost done planning the riding route.”

After saying that, he hung up.

“…”

Once the busy tone sounded, silence returned. Cheng Jing put down his phone, his face dark, and tried to calm his breathing.

Yang Kai definitely said all that just to piss him off!

He hadn’t wanted Yang Kai on the team in the first place because he thought Jiang Nian might object. But now, for some reason, he suddenly felt like he was being hunted.

“…”

“Brother Jing!”

“Brother Jing…”

A familiar voice approached. Cheng Jing quickly pocketed his phone and turned around. He saw that little brat pulling off his mask. He had a lollipop in his mouth and was walking over with a bright smile.

Seeing that cheerful, friendly face made half of Cheng Jing’s anger melt away, but he still looked gloomy.

There was too much frustration out there. It was like wanting to bite someone but being able to only grind your teeth.

“Brother Jing, who called you for so long? Was it something urgent?”

Jiang Nian didn’t seem to notice his mood and bounced over enthusiastically.

Cheng Jing replied:

“Nothing important.”

“Oh…”

Holding the lollipop in one hand, Jiang Nian lifted the other to rest on his shoulder. Walking alongside him, he tilted his head and asked,

“Can’t you tell me?”

His tone and expression showed more curiosity than before.

Could what Sister Qian said really be true?

After thinking about it, he changed his approach.

“It’s fine if you can’t tell… Brother Jing, just stay safe and handle it well. I don’t need to gossip about you.”

He was always good at reading the room, his words hitting the mark every time.

Sure enough, Cheng Jing worried that he might be overthinking things, so he offered:

“It was Yang Kai on the phone. He mentioned some things about the base. Uh…he also said he’s almost done planning your riding route.”

Let’s see how things go once the rest is confirmed. He wanted to cremate those people quietly, without involving Jiang Nian.

But he was afraid this one might not like that.

Jiang Nian’s eyes lit up.

“Wow, Brother Kai’s really efficient!”

“So, you actually made riding plans with him?”

Cheng Jing’s tone was laced with jealousy.

Jiang Nian immediately picked up on it and knew why he was upset. He quickly tried to explain.

“It’s just a plan. I was going to tell you after I made up my mind and invite you to join us.”

Yang Kai had told him that riding involved using gravity powers to control balance and that it didn’t matter if they went full throttle until they drifted. Who wouldn’t be excited to hear that?

“I don’t have a motorcycle, though.”

Cheng Jing grumbled.

Jiang Nian hurried to comfort him.

“Black Knight is a two-seater. Even though it’s the same model as Brother Kai’s, the modifications are completely different.”

“Oh…”

The little brat looked at him expectantly as he said this. Cheng Jing felt much better and nodded calmly.

“We’ll see when the time comes. This isn’t like before the apocalypse. We need to be cautious about everything. I’ll have to reevaluate the route he planned.”

It wasn’t impossible. They could ride one bike together, and Yang Kai could ride solo.

Jiang Nian squinted and smiled.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just a plan. It doesn’t have to happen right away. We can go when everyone’s free in the future.”

He lowered his head and licked the lollipop. Suddenly, he remembered something.

“Hey, Brother Jing, would you like a candy?”

He flipped his palm to reveal a handful of different candies for Cheng Jing to choose from.

Cheng Jing didn’t answer or choose; he just reached out, took one in his mouth, and ate it.

“Hehe, the sea salt flavor’s pretty unique…”

Jiang Nian’s ears turned a little red. Then, he smiled gently and tore open a cherry-flavored one. It was sweet.

Cheng Jing nodded with mixed feelings. Honestly, he didn’t really like the flavor, but he couldn’t bite anyone, so he ate candy to calm down.