RIACMET chapter 133

 

“Huh? What a pretty dress…”

Huang Qian suddenly exclaimed in surprise. She had been happily opening packages of clothing when she pulled out several small, beautiful dresses from a delivery box marked “children’s clothes” on the outside.

There were princess dresses, school-style dresses, floral prints, a dainty little white dress, and even two pairs of ribbon hair clips—classic items that make people want a daughter.

Even macho men can’t resist cute things. The tall, long-legged, handsome men were instantly captivated, and they began discussing what it would be like to raise a daughter.

Whether they adopted an orphan in the post-apocalyptic world or had their own biological child, everyone seemed to want a daughter.

While they were chatting, they heard Huang Qian say,

“Xiaoya should be able to wear this size.”

“… ”

The teammates were a little surprised and instinctively glanced at Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing.

Ever since Xiaoya entered detention school and the official verdict was handed down, they had all quietly agreed not to bring the matter up again.

Even though she earned 200,000 points, they still had complicated feelings about her—difficult to define or judge. It was like a knot in a delicate thread—something that could be untangled but would still leave a bump.

Still, aside from Huang Qian, they were all grown men. Whether before or after the apocalypse, they couldn’t afford to show too much emotion in front of a little girl.

Logically, things were fine now. She was under proper supervision and guidance. Maybe someday her superpowers would be useful and she could contribute to humanity’s fight against the apocalypse, redeeming herself in the process.

But on their journey, they had witnessed the dark side of human nature in this post-apocalyptic world.

Whenever they saw an underage special ability user with bloodstained hands blaming the world with a childish expression on their face, they couldn’t help but think of Xiaoya.

There is no such thing as absolute justice in this world, and good and evil cannot cancel each other out. However, when the moral order lost its balance, the line between criticism and tolerance became blurred.

For example, they sometimes felt that, since the victim’s family chose to let her go and others had done worse, as outsiders, they didn’t need to dwell on her sins.

“…”

Cheng Jing said nothing. Jiang Nian picked up a dress, looked at it briefly, and said calmly,

“It’s beautiful. Put it away. There are plenty of girls this size at school.”

He folded several dresses and hair clips into a bundle and stored them in his space ring.

He had already let go of Xiaoya. Every day, he listened to satellite radio reports about horrific crimes, such as cannibalism, murder, and slaughter. His emotional tolerance and numbness were growing.

His worldview hadn’t collapsed, but that burning sense of justice and anger was no longer so easy to stir.

“Brother Nian, do you think Xiaoya will be used as a human test subject?”

Tang Yi asked. That was what they all wanted to know.

No matter the reason or timing, human experimentation always made people uneasy.

“…”

Jiang Nian frowned slightly at the memory of unpleasant things, but he still responded calmly.

“The apocalypse is fast approaching, and humans with superpowers are awakening. To find the cause, it’s understandable for officials to require those with superpowers to cooperate in research. Drawing blood and extracting power-related traits doesn’t count as human experimentation. I believe the Nancheng base wouldn’t allow that sort of thing.”

Real human test subjects either died or became disabled, trapped between life and death. The more he learned, the more certain he became that people like Xia Weiwei at Base S in his previous life were twisted and insane because of the apocalypse.

After all, zombies were mutated humans, and the ones with superpowers used to be special abilities users, before they transformed. Studying the apocalypse and superpowers didn’t require killing the living.

Cheng Jing picked up from there:

“Nancheng Base is under the jurisdiction of the national military. If the research institute were to permit human experimentation under these circumstances, it wouldn’t be saving humanity—it would be another disaster for mankind.”

According to Li Sheng, there are currently close to a thousand juvenile offenders at Nancheng Base, including nearly a hundred with superpowers. If they were turned into test subjects, they wouldn’t survive long.

What would happen when there were no more criminal subjects?

Wouldn’t they just start looking for other “test subjects”?

“Human nature can’t stand that kind of test. Human experimentation must be strictly controlled.”

“Yeah, once the major facilities start doing it, all the smaller ones and underground workshops will follow…”

Then, what starts as serious research will become a playground for perverts.

“… ”

As they chatted and debated, they finished unloading another logistics vehicle full of express parcels. They also collected a woven bag full of clothing, food, and daily supplies in various sizes.

They had completed another successful “zero-dollar shopping spree” and added to their haul. Jiang Nian’s smile was brighter than the sun.

Due to the heavy pressure, medium and large logistics vehicles were the first to collapse. Even if they weren’t destroyed immediately, they were likely the first to decay or break down from prolonged exposure.

Therefore, almost everything that was still in good condition came from smaller or lighter vehicles.

By the time the sun began to set, they had found a second logistics truck, though it had a smaller capacity than the previous one.

They opened it with high hopes, but a strong aroma of wine hit them in the face.

Someone had ordered a box of red wine. The bottles had shattered, soaking many other packages inside. The dark red stains gave the scene a horror-movie quality.

“Oh, the whole crate is now just a mess of tiny pieces—not a single bottle is left intact.”

Liao Yu announced disappointedly after inspecting the mess.

Luckily, other than the wine, the rest of the goods were still usable.

Digging through the packages while breathing in the wine fumes had a strange appeal.

Jiang Nian picked out a bottle of Fengyoujing, a box of mosquito coils, and two boxes of Huoxiang Zhengqi water. These three humble items were perfect for summer.

However, ever since the apocalypse, there had been no more mosquitoes, bugs, or ants.

Some people theorized that the apocalypse was Earth’s way of cleaning itself by wiping out parasites—and humans were one of the targets.

When death is near, people come up with all sorts of wild ideas.

“……”

“Woof woof woof!”

“Raaaarrrrgh—”

Suddenly, the sound of barking and a deafening zombie roar came from behind a collapsed warehouse.

As the sky dimmed further, the group paused mid-unpacking and looked up, only to see a dog and a figure charging toward them. Jian Cheng, who had excellent eyesight, gasped and said,

“Hiss… A zombie soldier in field combat gear… and a German shepherd.”

The dog ran ahead while the zombie soldier trailed behind, snarling.

They were half right. They weren’t a lone wolf pair of a man and his dog at the end of the world; they were a corpse and a dog.

Jiang Nian immediately activated his superpower, and Cheng Jing quickly pushed aside the unopened packages.

Soon, the corpse and the dog entered the purification field. The zombie slowed down as black smoke billowed from its body.

However, the dog did not slow down. It continued running toward them, meaning it was not infected.

As the two figures drew closer, everyone got a clear look.

Though the German shepherd was thin, to the point that its fur bristled, and its body was covered in scars, it still looked strong and agile. It gave off a sense of dignity as it ran.

The zombie soldier in combat gear who followed behind it was tall and had probably been its master.

At that moment, everyone fell silent. Their hearts clenched. Their eyes stung and their noses burned.

Instead of fear, a wave of deep sorrow washed over them.