RIACMET chapter 194

 

“Why?”

Jiang Nian was taken aback. Leaving Nancheng Base right now was risky. There wasn’t a better place for a girl to survive these days.

Even worse, he had just lost a perfectly qualified farm manager—someone he’d been ready to hire at a high salary.

Jiang Wenwen glanced around before replying:

“I’m going to S Base to find my father.”

Jiang Nian’s expression darkened at those words. “…”

Damn it! Was she going to save the enemy?

He was too straightforward, so Jiang Wenwen quickly waved her hand and explained,

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m going to see him to get revenge. He developed the drugs that blocked my powers. Those drugs use pain to mess with your mind and make it impossible to activate your abilities, and the first-generation ones were extremely toxic.”

Knowing the twisted research her father and his group were conducting in S Base, she wanted to set things right for herself and prevent those experiments from harming more people.

Besides, even if Xia Weiwei died by her own hand, her father would surely hold a grudge against Jiang Nian and the others.

If she could sabotage her father’s work and expose their true intentions, she could save her savior and his team from a world of trouble.

Ever since awakening his special superpower, her father had tricked himself and others with twisted theories about “evolution through desperation”—and eventually, he lost his mind.

“…”

Jiang Nian kept a straight face and was silent for a long moment before asking,

“How are you planning to get revenge? I mean, that’s your father. Are you going to be okay with handling that emotionally? Besides, his superpower is pretty rare, and he’s got a lot of people backing him.”

They were friends, after all—he couldn’t help but worry.

Jiang Wenwen snorted coldly without hesitation.

“A father who treats his child like that doesn’t deserve to be called a father. Family love is the ultimate form of moral blackmail. As long as I have no morals, he has no leverage over me.”

Jiang Nian let out a breath of relief.

“I totally agree. Makes sense.”

Jiang Wenwen added,

“As for his superpower, I’m not afraid. With how he’s acting, like he’s got a death wish, he’ll destroy himself without me having to lift a finger. I just want to rip off his mask before he drags more people down with him.”

“All right. Then I support you.”

Jiang Nian nodded.

“You’ve made your decision, so I just hope you make it back safely. The weather forecast says it’s going to get extremely hot soon, so you better get going.”

Professor Xia represented a powerful faction. Taking him down alone would be impossible. They’d have to use smarter tactics and rely on other sources of strength.

“Thanks…”

Jiang Wenwen hesitated for a second, then continued, sounding slightly embarrassed.

“Actually, I wanted to borrow some supplies, or maybe shop on credit at your store. Just keep track of how many points I owe you. Once I’m done at S Base, I’ll hunt zombies, trade in crystal cores, and pay you back. Or I can work it off.”

Had she not decided to head to S Base, she would have just worked for Jiang Nian and helped out however she could. Unfortunately, plans change fast in this world.

But if things went smoothly, she fully intended to return. She preferred stability, and Nancheng Base had that in spades.

“Hmm?”

Seeing how bashful she looked, Jiang Nian chuckled and asked.

“You running short on a lot?”

“Not a lot. I just want to be well-prepared. But I don’t have any points right now, and I don’t have anything left to barter.”

Jiang Wenwen smiled awkwardly. She was trying to reach S Base before the extreme weather hit in order to avoid the chaos and get settled while others were still scrambling. That didn’t leave her with much time to earn points here.

“Oh…”

Jiang Nian nodded in understanding.

“So you just need food? Do you have weapons, medicine, maps, and so on?”

Jiang Wenwen shook her head.

“We have enough weapons and medicine. It’s food we’re short on. Just give me some compressed biscuits or bread. I have a general map with no detailed routes, but I have a good sense of direction. I’ll follow the broad directions and ask around along the way.”

Compressed biscuits last two or three days and don’t spoil easily—no wonder they’re so expensive these days.

She had no choice but to ask Jiang Nian for help.

“All right. Hang tight.”

Once he had the full picture, Jiang Nian turned back to his car. Jiang Wenwen politely stayed back and didn’t peek.

“…”

After fiddling around for a bit, Jiang Nian made sure no one was watching, then pulled out two large bags.

“Here.”

Inside were compressed biscuits, instant noodles, bread, a bag of salt, a bag of sugar, some snacks, and a national map.

Taipei City and S Base were circled. It was the kind of map the team used for strategy discussions. He’d recently replaced it with a fresh one, so this one wouldn’t draw any attention.

“This is…”

Jiang Wenwen was stunned.

“This is way too much…and the map…”

These were all valuable supplies—well beyond what she could afford right now.

Jiang Nian pressed them into her hands.

“Take them. It’s just a ledger entry. Just remember to pay me back later. It doesn’t matter if you’re out of points—you can pay me back with something else. I like gold.”

These supplies meant little to him. Losing them wouldn’t hurt.

However, if Jiang Wenwen could really stop Professor Xia, it would be a huge favor.

Nipping things in the bud now would prevent many people from being hurt later by that madman’s experiments.

He could also have Brother Jing keep an eye on Jiang Wenwen’s whereabouts around Taipei and S Base to see if she’s a friend or foe.

If she went rogue and helped the enemy, they would find a way to eliminate her. If not, at least they’d know to stay alert.

But if she was on their side, they’d support her. With Liang Yunhao’s resources and Jiang Wenwen’s involvement, reforming S Base wouldn’t be difficult.

Additionally, Minister Wang said he would collect and report the evidence they found at the church—proof of the rogue doctor’s experiments. That could serve as additional evidence, even if Professor Xia denied everything.

Unless Liang Yunhao was secretly working with Xia, there was no need to worry. If he was, though, then Brother Jing would just have to kill a few more people.

“…”

Jiang Nian had run through all these possibilities in a flash and decided the plan was solid.

Jiang Wenwen had no idea what he was thinking and asked hesitantly,

“Won’t Brother Jing be mad if he finds out you gave me all this?”

“No, don’t worry. Brother Jing has a kind heart.”

Jiang Nian smiled and gently patted her hand.

“Just take it.”

“…”

Jiang Wenwen had held back her tears for so long, but at that moment, they finally slipped down her cheeks.

Jiang Nian hated seeing girls cry; it made them look miserable. So, when he saw her open the car door, he kindly reminded her,

“Better stash the stuff in the trunk—less chance someone else will see it.”

Jiang Wenwen wiped her tears and nodded gently.

“I know. But I have something in the trunk right now. I’ll move the food once I leave the base.”

“…”

Jiang Nian suddenly had an idea. He stepped closer and asked,

“What is it?”

Jiang Wenwen looked around, then clenched her jaw and spoke in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.

“Su Jing. I’m taking her out of the base, and I’m going to use my superpower to make her bleed. I’ll get my revenge, and you’ll be able to live in peace.”

She used Su Jing’s points to prepare the car and purchase supplies. Of course, she’d also raided the woman’s stash; otherwise, there was no way she could have afforded it.

The truth was that, in times like these, formalities didn’t mean much anymore. If you had resources, you could quickly get what you needed. Everyone was just trying to survive, and if you were smart, you stayed under the radar.

Su Jing was their common enemy, so Jiang Nian probably wouldn’t report her.

“I see.”

Jiang Nian nodded. No wonder she’d been able to prepare for a long journey so quickly. Nicely done.

When used properly, water powers could strip someone clean or drain every drop of water from their body. It was a terrifying ability.

He had briefly worried that Jiang Wenwen had forgotten about Su Jing and wondered whether he should remind her. Now, he was relieved. When it comes to revenge, never underestimate a beautiful woman.

Su Jing had made it sound like a bunch of people were after Jiang Wenwen, but that had been a lie. She was just trying to meddle and cause confusion.

She would get what was coming to her for hurting others and betraying herself.

After finishing up and checking her car, Jiang Wenwen rinsed her face with water to calm down. Then she formally said goodbye.

“All right, Jiang Nian. Goodbye. I’ll contact you when I reach S Base.”

With that, she opened the driver’s door and climbed in.

“All right, safe travels. Keep the same phone number—I might call you, too.”

Jiang Nian waved as she started the engine, rolled up the windows, honked twice, and drove off.

The dust was thick, so Jiang Nian quickly got back in his car, turned on the AC, and sent Brother Jing a message explaining the situation.