RIACMET chapter 161

 

Xiao Liu’s group arrived at the church in their car.

Liao Yu carefully monitored the drone footage and reported,

“There are three people in front of the church. Add Da Jun and Xiao Liu, and that makes five. There are no visible signs of an ambush in the area. As for how many people are inside the church, I’m not sure. However, there’s a helipad and a helicopter behind it. Something feels off.”

After that, he handed the remote control to Chu Yi and had him update the rest of the team.

Everyone thought for a moment, and then Uncle Li said,

“No surprise there. Da Jun and Xiao Liu already confirmed our numbers. To them, Xiaonian is just here to meet his family; his father sent him. Plus, it’s dark now. If there’s a trap, it’ll probably be inside the church.”

Frankly, it looked like a setup from the start. Just by glancing at the people in their car, you could tell that they’d be easy to take advantage of.

“Mm…”

Jiang Nian nodded.

“Uncle’s right. We already knew that Xia Weiwei had brought backup to help her father. That’s the real situation. As for the helicopter, I’m guessing they plan to grab me and fly to S Base overnight.”

It was just his gut feeling, his familiarity speaking. If they caught him, Brother Jing would definitely lose it.

After speaking, he looked down at the map and some other notes, then said to Chu Yi,

“Most churches have basements. The helipad in the back is probably connected by a hidden passageway. Brother Chu, no matter what happens, we have to make sure that helicopter can’t take off. But don’t destroy it. Something that good—we’re taking it.”

Bonus helicopter acquired!

After all, their strength was in numbers. This wasn’t a movie where the villain escapes at the last moment just because they overlooked a getaway route.

“All right.”

Chu Yi pulled out his walkie-talkie and gave instructions. At this point, all he needed to do was follow Jiang Nian’s lead. Everything the man said made sense; there was no reason to question him.

From this angle, Cheng Jing was indeed a bit too protective. Allowing his spoiled wife to grow up a bit wouldn’t hurt.

After arranging the groups’ deployment, Chu Yi asked again:

“So, what do you want to do next?”

“…”

Jiang Nian rubbed his chin and replied.

“At first, I wanted to keep a low profile. But since they lied to me about the route, I’ve changed my mind. If they’re giving me a reason to cause trouble, then I’m going to take it.”

Chu Yi raised an eyebrow. “And?”

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then said seriously,

“First, we neutralize Da Jun, Xiao Liu, and the other three the drone spotted. If they resist, just shoot. Then, send in the troops to take the church—no, the high ground. Stabilize the situation and leave the rest to me.”

Da Jun and Xiao Liu had dropped their guard since they were underestimating him and thought Liao Yu and Uncle Li weren’t a threat. That made it easier to strike first.

Chu Yi nodded.

“Got it. I was thinking the same. They all think you’re here for a warm family reunion, so it’s the perfect chance to catch them off guard.”

True, but didn’t this guy just say something about “taking the high ground”?

Did he really think they were at war?

“…”

Uncle Li didn’t drive too close, but he stopped at a relatively safe distance.

Everyone stayed in the vehicle and watched the church up ahead in the dim light.

It wasn’t a big church—just a small, three-story, domed building that mixed Chinese and Western styles. According to the map, the building was less than 300 square meters and could only hold about a hundred people.

It stood in the middle of an open square surrounded by a few intersections. Other than a public restroom and an abandoned grocery store, there were no other buildings in the area. The area looked desolate and isolated.

Before the sky went completely dark, Jiang Nian saw three people standing by the church wall:

Chen Shanmin, his wife, and Chen Lin.

To be honest, Chen Shanmin was good-looking. He was tall, about 1.8 meters, with gentle features and a calm demeanor.

However, no matter how mild and polite he appeared to others, Jiang Nian only saw hypocrisy.

His stepmother, Chen Xiuling, always looked glamorous, backed by a wealthy family. Standing next to Chen Shanmin, the two looked like the perfect couple.

Their children, Chen Yue and Chen Lin, were good-looking, too. At first glance, they fit the ideal image of a middle-class family of four.

But maybe life hadn’t been as easy this time around. All three of them looked a little disheveled.

Chen Shanmin wore wrinkled gray pants and a stained, messy, short-sleeved checkered shirt, and his hair was uncombed.

Chen Xiuling had cut her curly hair short and tied it into a small ponytail in the back. She wore a simple tracksuit like a middle-aged woman and looked completely exhausted.

Chen Lin wore a pleated school skirt and had her hair in a ponytail. She was much darker and thinner than before. She clutched her mother’s hand and wiped her tears quietly.

Clearly, Chen Yue’s illness had taken a toll on them.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Jiang Nian’s mind:

In the previous life, this family had lived comfortably at Z Base, and S Base had given them plenty of resources. Was it all because of him—the so-called “special test subject”?

Otherwise, why had things turned out so differently this time, despite everything else being basically the same?

“…”

“Damn it! A bunch of cowards, just sitting in their car waiting to die!”

Da Jun and Xiao Liu approached, cursing loudly. Chen Shanmin and his wife hesitated before stepping forward a few paces to observe.

Inside the vehicle, everyone exchanged glances and prepared.

As Jiang Nian watched the two men draw near, along with the family of three standing not far behind, he felt unexpectedly calm.

Even though flashes of memories from his previous life—which were worse than death—surfaced in his mind, his heart didn’t waver at all.

It was probably a sign of psychological damage, though it wasn’t obvious on the surface.

“Hey!”

Xiao Liu and Da Jun came up and knocked impatiently on the car window.

“We’re here already. What are you waiting for?”

Before he could finish, the window rolled down, revealing two black gun barrels.

At this range, unless you had superpowers as strong as Chu Yi’s, there was no escape.

Da Jun took a sharp breath and clenched his jaw.

“What the hell is this supposed to mean?”

Xiao Liu’s face turned pale, but he didn’t act rashly.

Liao Yu and Li Liang had their guns trained on them. The others got out of the car and swiftly surrounded them.

Amid the clinking of metal, Chu Yi stepped forward, pulled out two special handcuffs designed for superpowered individuals, and cuffed the men’s hands behind their backs.

Then, in one smooth motion, he clicked two custom-made electronic collars around their necks. He gave them a friendly reminder:

“If your superpowers fluctuate or you struggle too hard, the cuffs and collars will trigger high-voltage shocks. These are the latest generation and are very sensitive.”

He quickly removed all their gear and nodded to Uncle Li and Li Liang, leaving the two men in their care.

Jiang Nian hated the way Da Jun looked at him—nasty and filthy. Just because they were both men didn’t mean Jiang Nian didn’t know exactly what Da Jun was thinking.

He couldn’t let it slide!

Seeing the Chen family trio walk toward them after realizing something was wrong, Jiang Nian pulled out his gun and pressed it hard against Da Jun’s forehead. He coldly demanded,

“Why didn’t you tell me the route was different from the one Chen Shanmin gave us? Are you messing with me?”

It was over. Yet, pointing a gun at someone like this felt good.

This righteous hero uniform didn’t suit him anymore. It didn’t suit his personality anymore.