RIACMET chapter 255

 

One month after moving into the new home,

Near a remote special reserve warehouse.

The distribution of reserve supplies was almost finished, and Chu Yi was leading his team in the final cleanup.

They were collecting the remaining goods, clearing the warehouse, and sealing it up.

It didn’t sound too difficult, but it was actually quite a hassle. They had to ensure that the warehouse would remain usable the next time it was opened. Some locations required modifications to their entrances, necessitating the assistance of individuals with specific abilities.

Consequently, each time they cleaned out a warehouse, they ended up staying outside for a long time.

Now, whenever Chu Yi led an expedition, Tang Ji and Xiaoya typically followed. With a female supervisor assigned to look after Xiaoya, their accommodations in the field had been significantly upgraded.

They brought a fully equipped cabin with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom—roughly 40 square meters—for the women to use.

This setup was Jiang Nian’s idea. Chu Yi thought it made sense and had enough space, so he arranged it.

This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about the discomfort of long-term outdoor living.

Everyone else, including Chu Yi, still slept in tents at the temporary camp.

However, they all ate in Xiaoya’s designated kitchen area because, whenever they went out, Jiang Nian secretly packed plenty of goodies for her.

At noon, work paused for lunch.

Chu Yi was checking the supply list in a temporary office; he looked both serious and exhausted.

Soon, Tang Ji walked in from outside.

“Brother Chu, take a break. It’s lunchtime.”

“Alright, I’m almost done. You go ahead.”

Chu Yi continued checking through the documents without lifting his head.

“I’ll wait. You keep working.”

Tang Ji didn’t leave. He remained silent and stood at Chu Yi’s side.

Seeing this, Chu Yi had no choice but to close the folder.

“Let’s go eat first,” he said.

Tang Ji handed him a wet towel.

“Wipe your face. You look tired.”

Chu Yi covered his face with the towel and said,

“We’ve finished a month’s worth of work in just half a month. Once we get back to base, I can finally rest. The exhaustion is worth it.”

After wiping his face, he saw that Tang Ji looked unhappy, so he explained again.

“This time, when we get back, I’ll finally have more personal time to spend with you.”

Tang Ji’s ears turned red, and he replied with a hint of fake indifference.

“I don’t mind if you’re busy. I’d be happy just being with you every day.”

“Well, I mind. I want more private time together.”

Chu Yi smiled as he answered. He lowered his head and planted a soft, dragonfly-like kiss on the corner of Tang Ji’s mouth. Then, he turned away to hang up the towel.

He wasn’t a saint. How could he treat his partner like a coworker after confirming their relationship?

Because he’d been busy, Tang Ji had taken the initiative to sleep in a separate room. Sometimes, when Chu Yi wanted to get closer, the moment his desire arose, the phone would ring.

If only there were enough time, no one would interrupt their moments together.

“Mn.”

The gloom vanished from Tang Ji’s face, and he followed Chu Yi out of the tent, feeling lightheaded.

Lunch was already being served at the military camp, and the entire area smelled like food.

As Chu Yi and Tang Ji stepped out of the meeting room tent, a rich, slightly burnt aroma hit them. Tang Ji instinctively swallowed.

“Stir-fried bacon with green peppers!”

Even with the same ingredients, the dish always tasted better when cooked in a small pan.

After a few knocks on the door, Xiaoya opened it from the inside, and the delicious scent rushed out to meet them.

“Mr. Chu, Brother Tang Ji, come in and eat.”

There were four dishes on the table: radish soup for the vegetarians, stir-fried cabbage, cold cucumbers, and green peppers with bacon. The portions were generous, and there was plenty of meat.

All of the vegetables were grown by Jiang Nian Farm using Huang Qian’s special abilities. The farm supplied the team with customized ingredients at a cost.

The bacon was a gift from Jiang Nian to satisfy their cravings, and it always hit the spot.

The food in their legion wasn’t bad. The rations distributed at the barracks included meat and vegetables, but the quality still couldn’t compare.

The four of them sat around a simple square table and began to eat. Everyone had a self-heating packet of rice.

Xiaoya ate only a little. The supervisor, Chu Yi, and Tang Ji were soldiers with hearty appetites, so they quickly cleaned their plates.

At first, Chu Yi had been worried that the little girl might be too shy to eat, so he always left food for her. Surprisingly, however, Xiaoya always left food uneaten. Once they became more familiar with each other, everyone stopped being so polite.

Besides, Xiaoya had candy and snacks, so no one worried that she would go hungry.

They had been out for half a month and planned to return to base the next day. Everyone was swamped, and Chu Yi was working day and night just to finish the mission faster.

During lunch, Chu Yi’s walkie-talkie and phone rang several times. Everyone quietly picked up their pace.

After they finished eating, Chu Yi handed out the afternoon assignments:

“The warehouse entrance has been modified. Xiaoya and I will move the two classified storage units to the designated locations on the new layout. After that, we’ll seal up and disguise the warehouse. You two will form a team and mobilize the survivors in the nearby village.”

It was a remote mountain village of about a dozen households and fewer than a hundred people. With only one earth-type and one physical enhancement mutant, their combat strength wasn’t particularly high.

Since the apocalypse, the villagers had been under the protection of a stationed legion, making them luckier than most.

Now that the warehouse had been emptied and was about to be sealed, the legion was preparing to withdraw. However, the villagers didn’t want to leave. They begged the legion to leave supplies for them.

“What if they really refuse to come with us?”

Considering the villagers’ “stubborn” attitude, Tang Ji felt a headache coming on. The female supervisor beside Xiaoya also looked helpless.

“Explain the stakes clearly. If they refuse to enter the base, the authorities won’t provide humanitarian aid anymore. The legion will leave, and even if there are no zombies, there will still be criminals. Sooner or later, they’ll be robbed.”

“If they still refuse, we’ll leave them with food and supplies for six months based on their numbers, along with some crop seeds and soil purification materials. After that, we’ll walk away.”

Chu Yi left after saying this. They had already warned them and tried to persuade them when they first arrived half a month ago. If they wouldn’t listen, there was nothing more they could do. Sometimes, people had to suffer, or even face death, before learning.

If they changed their minds after the team returned to Nancheng Base, the base would no longer intervene.

Today, Xiaoya wore a pre-apocalypse school uniform and followed closely behind Chu Yi.

As they passed through the military camp toward the underground warehouse, Chu Yi slowed his pace and began to explain the work Xiaoya would be helping with.

Two years had passed. Now 14 years old, Xiaoya was much taller and stronger. She no longer needed to wear the collar that suppressed her supernatural powers. This marked a new level of progress.

After consistent field training, she had learned to perform various tasks and use her abilities wisely, whether to save lives or preserve essential supplies.

Most children in her situation began assisting in apocalypse rescue efforts only after counseling and reform at supervision school.

Those who remained rebellious had their supernatural crystal cores removed, which returned them to ordinary human status. They were monitored, educated, and placed into labor reform programs at the base according to their age group.