RIACMET chapter 199

 

They had lost a lot of weight. Their once strong, sturdy bodies had shriveled up. Xiaoliu looked even thinner, to the point where people wondered if he would die.

Covered in dust and wearing the same vests, the two of them stood hunched over with dull, numb eyes as they lined up for supplies.

When the extreme heatwave hit, only ordinary people were allowed to stop working and stay indoors. Volunteers with superpowers still had to work. Although their shifts were shortened, they were still extremely exhausting.

Da Jun was the first to notice Jiang Nian and Tang Ji dressed in uniform and holding weapons inside the supply zone. His expression changed, and he nudged Xiao Liu, who was standing in front of him.

They both looked up at the same time, hatred and regret flashing in their eyes. However, it quickly faded back into numbness.

They and Jiang Nian were now from two completely different worlds. No matter how many feelings they had left, they were nothing more than clowns to each other.

It was better to focus on staying alive. Maybe one day they’d be chosen for a mission, earn merits, and reduce their sentences. Or maybe they’d die quickly as cannon fodder.

Word had it that, of all the bases, South City Base treated superpowered criminals the most humanely. Physical punishment was still common, but at least they wouldn’t randomly select people for dissection and research.

Soon after, two men dragged their shackles as they reached out to take a supply bundle. They glanced at Jiang Nian and Tang Ji’s expressionless faces and then left.

Jiang Nian didn’t feel anything. After all, those two hadn’t been tricked by Xia Weiwei. They knew what they were doing and chose to go through with it anyway, so they deserved what they got.

“……”

By the time the material distribution was finished, it was after 5 p.m. Jiang Nian could go home in time for dinner and prepare for the night patrol.

It was now Tang Ji’s turn to drive. Jiang Nian put on a pair of sunglasses and looked out the window. This would be their work routine for the next week.

Ring, ring, ring—

A ringtone from an unknown number suddenly sounded.

Jiang Nian lowered his head and took out his phone. He glanced at it for a moment before answering.

“Who is this?”

Perhaps because of the cold tone in his voice, there was a moment of silence before a nervous and excited voice came through.

“Brother Jiang Nian, it’s me, Xiaoya. My superpower just leveled up. My teacher said I could call you directly to let you know.”

“Xiaoya…”

Jiang Nian’s voice softened a little. Then, he smiled and said,

“Congratulations on the breakthrough. I’ve been busy lately and haven’t been able to come see you.”

Xiaoya said, “That’s okay! I just wanted to tell you that I did it.”

“Yeah, that’s amazing…”

“… ”

Tang Ji, who was driving, kept his focus on the road while listening to the conversation.

He knew about Xiaoya’s situation. When he was helping out at the research institute, he saw many underage criminals with superpowers.

Some were full of regret and self-blame. Some had no remorse at all. Others had suffered severe psychological trauma due to extreme fear.

After seeing and hearing so much, he felt incredibly heavy once he pulled himself out of the anger and sorrow.

Xiaoya’s superpower was very strong. She had received reformation education and would be very helpful in the future.

As Chu Yi had said, some of the country’s facilities and reserves were buried underground or hidden in special locations. Special individuals had guarded them since the apocalypse, and they were incredibly difficult to move.

For example, if a room containing precision engineering equipment was discovered intact, uncontaminated, and undamaged, but it could not be dismantled, then the entire room would need to be moved.

In cases like that, Xiaoya’s superpower could help once she reached a higher level.

Also, professors researching brain evolution abilities recently confirmed that crystal core transplantation isn’t a problem based on related ability attribute data.

However, once transplanted into a new host, the crystal core’s energy couldn’t be fully transferred or inherited.

In order to adapt to a new host, the crystal core would inevitably lose some of its energy, permanently weakening its supernatural power.

The amount of energy lost depended on the compatibility of the new host’s body and mental strength.

The more times a supernatural crystal core was transplanted, the greater the irreversible loss and the weaker its effects would be until it eventually vanished completely.

In other words, the original version was the best. Crystal cores could be inherited, but only to a limited extent.

This applied to most supernatural crystal cores. The only known exception so far was the medium-type crystal core.

After all, its property was to act as a repeatedly consumable medium; it wasn’t affected the same way.

Because of this, the professor recommended that, even if crystal core transplant technology advanced in the future, those who had awakened their own abilities shouldn’t swap out their powers recklessly.

People without superpowers could undergo a physical examination and receive a crystal core transplant to increase their strength.

This information was currently known only to a few people within South City Base. It wouldn’t be made public until the professor performed the first successful transplant surgery and published a summary of the procedure, clearly laying out the pros and cons.

After that, it would be up to each person to decide.

…

At the start of August, temperatures reached a peak of 65 degrees.

People were dying every day at South City Base, but the situation was relatively stable. As long as no one committed suicide, the base could keep most people alive.

In contrast, small bases and private shelters outside the base had started requesting support from major official bases.

We had already established additional private collaborations with major bases such as Base Z and Base S, so there was no need to mention it—Base S would definitely lend a hand.

As for those that hadn’t formed cooperation agreements with major bases yet, authorities would assign rescue missions to big bases based on actual conditions.

South City Base received a large number of support requests and rescue orders from top-level officials.

Just when Jiang Nian thought they would keep working at the base until the heat wave passed…

A few days later, Cheng Jing and Yang Kai were summoned by Minister Wang. He returned with photocopies of a map that was only available inside the base.

Jiang Nian returned to the dorm after a late shift. Cheng Jing had prepared a midnight snack for him and told him that their entire team was being deployed for a temporary rescue mission.

The target was Guanshan Prison, a prison built on a mountain.

According to the map, it would take about three days to travel from South City Base to Guanshan Prison.

The situation at Guanshan Prison was unique:

Before the apocalypse, many infamous criminals had been imprisoned there. After the apocalypse, the survivors of the prison, led by individuals with superpowers, quickly turned the place into a shelter.

Since all the leaders were criminals, Guanshan Shelter Prison had never interacted with the authorities.

In the ensuing chaos, the authorities had no time to address the situation, and things remained that way until now.

This time, Guanshan Prison reached out for help. They reported that the shelter was currently orderly and stable and was housing a thousand survivors, most of whom were ordinary people, including many children.

Due to the chaos that occurred previously, a school bus full of students and many fleeing civilians ended up there.

Although it sounded reasonable, Minister Wang suspected that something more was going on, so he asked his team to investigate.

After all, when dealing with a shelter led by vicious criminals, it’s only natural to imagine the worst-case scenario.

The team had access to all the prison’s resources, including guns, ammo, and various types of gear. Despite some losses during the chaos, the foundation remained intact.

As for taking in civilians and students, believe that part only halfway. Don’t be so easily fooled.