RIACMET chapter 207

The unexpected answer left everyone exchanging bewildered glances. It took them a few moments to recall—

Before the apocalypse, there had been an accident of unknown cause at the “Special Phenomena Management Experimental Research Base,” resulting in numerous casualties.

Cheng Jing had spoken with Minister Wang about it and later shared the information with the rest of the team, so everyone present was aware of the accident.

The survivors of the accident—the professors with evolved psychic abilities—had remained silent about it ever since.

So, did this have something to do with Gao Xuyang?

Could Gao Xuyang have awakened his superpower prematurely, causing hallucinations and the subsequent disaster?

But what about his so-called “death” during the crackdown two years ago?

Furthermore, even if the professors avoided discussing the cause of the incident, surely they wouldn’t forget about Gao Xuyang. Why hadn’t they mentioned him even once?

Minister Wang had access to the supporting documents early on. Even if he hadn’t found the time to go in person, wouldn’t the incident be clearly described in the special rescue files? If not, just how classified was the situation?

In that case, Minister Wang must have known that Gao Xuyang was still alive. Yet not only did he say nothing to Yang Kai before the apocalypse struck, he didn’t drop a hint when he sent them to Guanshan Prison.

No matter how you look at it, something just doesn’t add up.

It was as if those who should have known the truth truly had no idea that Gao Xuyang was alive.

Unless…they were deliberately kept in the dark.

Since they wouldn’t be heading into the underground section anytime soon, Chu Yi had the soldiers set up a tent to shield them from the sun. Meanwhile, he and Cheng Jing continued interrogating Qi Laoer. Based on what he said, everyone’s thoughts were racing.

This time, Jiang Nian asked,

“Did Gao Xuyang awaken his superpower before entering Guanshan Prison?”

Qi Laoer paused, thought it over carefully, then nodded.

“I believe so. Even the incident at the ‘Special Phenomena Management Experimental Research Base’ was connected to his ability.”

No one said a word. Instead, they all turned to Yang Kai. After all, he knew Gao Xuyang best.

“…”

Yang Kai remained silent for a long time, seemingly recalling a flood of memories, before slowly speaking:

“The kind of work we did required an intense level of psychological resilience. A background in psychology was essential, but beyond that, specialized mental health evaluations were conducted based on real-world scenarios…”

“He was the person with the strongest mental endurance I’d ever seen. He passed every medical and psychological test in his file with flying colors. But he suffered from headaches, and before he accepted me as a partner, he was always a bit of a loner.”

Everyone nodded. Chu Yi chimed in:

“Some people are exceptional—or gifted—in certain areas. That includes mental resilience. Did you notice anything unusual about him?”

“I didn’t at the time, but now… I think maybe I did.”

Yang Kai’s voice held a note of hesitation and doubt.

“I never saw him have a headache. He said he’d get them occasionally under pressure during missions. That’s also why he avoided having teammates during operations. If there were others nearby, he’d find a way to shake them off or go in alone.”

Even when Yang Kai infiltrated Qi Laoer’s group, there was no reaction. It was only through mission debriefs later on that Yang Kai realized Gao Xuyang had definitely noticed something was wrong and had found an excuse to separate from him.

Cheng Jing nodded in understanding and picked up the thread:

“You’re saying that Gao Xuyang’s headaches flared up when he was under intense mental strain. Maybe they were signs of his psychic power manifesting passively. He could control himself, but he couldn’t protect his teammates. He might have even harmed them accidentally, so he chose to isolate himself.”

Yang Kai let out a helpless sigh and shook his head.

“I’m not sure. I never saw it for myself. I’m just piecing together the past based on what I know now. But the theory holds up, doesn’t it? If you want confirmation, go talk to him directly.”

Truthfully, he wanted to rush into the underground chamber right then to see for himself. However, his reckless behavior could easily drag his teammates down with him, so he had to restrain himself.

Qi Laoer added,

“I agree with Officer Yang’s theory. Psychic powers don’t just affect others; they can have serious effects on the user as well.
His headaches were real. There might have been a reason he had to cover them up.”

“Your organization knew he’d suffer from headaches under mental pressure, yet you still assigned him missions. That alone isn’t normal. Maybe he was just an undercover agent, but secretly, he could have been a special operative in a hidden program or a test subject.”

There are plenty of gifted individuals in the world. Why else would various countries set up strange departments for such matters?

“…”

No one disputed it. What once seemed far-fetched now felt like the most reasonable explanation.

“Hah…”

Yang Kai lit another cigarette and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the bloodied Qi Laoer.

“You ‘killed’ him. Tell me exactly what happened.”

“…”

The others fell silent. No one interrupted, all ears tuned carefully to Qi Laoer’s next words.

“At the time, it was on a cruise ship. He realized his identity had been exposed, so he broke in to rescue two hostages before engaging us. He was shot several times, but none of the wounds were fatal. We wanted to capture him alive, but he resisted until the end. He shot himself and fell into the sea.”

Without warning, Yang Kai kicked him hard in the gut.

“That’s not what your goddamn testimony said! You said you killed him and dumped his body in the ocean!”

“Ah… ugh… cough, cough…”

Qi Laoer curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach in agony.

“I forgot back then!”

Suddenly, he froze, his bruised face pressing against the ground. After taking a few deep breaths, he muttered,

“No, I only remembered the exact details of Gao Xuyang’s death after I saw him again. I didn’t deliver the final shot. He pulled the trigger and jumped into the sea.”

Technically, he could be considered responsible for Gao Xuyang’s death, but the critical detail was this:

Until he saw Gao Xuyang again, he genuinely believed he had shot him and thrown his body into the sea.

But once they met again, the memory returned—it hadn’t happened that way. Even worse, he hadn’t felt any dissonance about the contradiction in his memory.

If not for Yang Kai’s brutal beating and forced confession, he might never have realized the inconsistency in his recollection.