RIACMET chapter 258

 

[Timeline: After returning to base from a zombie scavenging mission and staying for a while.]

“Crunch… Crunch…”Crunch… Crunch…

Crunch…Crunch…

The sound of something hard being chewed echoed clearly through the night.

“… ”

Yang Kai opened his eyes and stared at the empty side of the bed under the dim nightlight. He reached for his phone on the nightstand. It was 2:30 a.m.

Ever since he brought him back, no matter how tired he was during the day, he would wake up whenever Teacher Gao got up in the middle of the night.

At first, Teacher Gao would occasionally leave the room to eat a few crystal cores in the living room, then quickly return to lie back down next to Yang Kai. Yang Kai pretended not to notice.

However, since they returned from the zombie scavenging mission, Teacher Gao’s abilities had improved slightly, and he began to wake up more often at night to eat crystal cores.

He ate anywhere from a few to dozens of them. The more he ate, the longer he could go without eating more. Sometimes, when he absorbed energy from the cores, he let out a low growl.

Teacher Gao was worried about disturbing him, but he didn’t dare leave the house alone. He always moved very cautiously.

Yang Kai got out of bed and opened the door. The living room lights were on, and he followed the sound straight to the bathroom.

The bathroom door was closed, but a faint light seeped through. A figure leaned against the door, and the sound of chewing could be heard from inside.

Yang Kai didn’t immediately push the door open. Instead, he stood outside and knocked lightly, saying softly,

“Teacher Gao.”

“… ”

The chewing stopped, followed by Gao Xuyang’s slightly stiff, slow voice.

“Yang Kai… I’m eating crystal cores.”

After a while, he opened the door, stepped out, and stuffed the remaining crystal cores back into his pocket. He looked at Yang Kai with a stiff expression and asked.

“Did I… wake you?”

“No.”

Yang Kai smiled, but he felt heartache when he saw how confused he was. He stepped forward, hugged him, and guided him to sit on the sofa. Holding his hand tightly, he said seriously,

“Teacher Gao, you don’t need to go to the bathroom to eat. Just eat in the living room or bedroom. Don’t worry about bothering me. I’ll feel worse if you keep doing things like this.”

“…”

Gao Xuyang could sense his sincerity. He stared at him expressionlessly for a moment before nodding.

“Sorry, I made you worry again.”

Yang Kai shook his head.

“Don’t apologize, Teacher Gao. I just want you to be okay. Don’t blame yourself in front of me. If something’s wrong, just tell me. We’ll face it and fix it together.”

“Okay.”

After a brief silence, Gao Xuyang returned the grip of his hand and said:

“Breaking through and improving my superpowers requires a lot of energy, so lately, I’ve been eating more crystal cores at night, and more of them.”

“That’s fine. Eat as many as you want. I’ve got plenty for you.”

After Yang Kai finished speaking, he turned and took a wide-mouth glass jar from the shelf by the wall. It was filled with pure crystal cores that Jiang Nian had delivered that morning.

Gao Xuyang started eating the crystal cores again. This time, Yang Kai didn’t need to feed him. He crunched them one by one and only stopped after eating more than ten.

Looking at the man next to him, whose face was full of warmth, he suddenly asked:

“Yang Kai, are you afraid I’ll lose control?”

“…”

Yang Kai froze when he heard him ask, and then answer himself.

“I’m scared! After gradually recovering some memories, I’ve become even more scared. I’m afraid I’ll lose control and hurt you and the people around me. I’m afraid that my selfishness and greed will have irreversible consequences.”

“Teacher Gao…”

Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. Of course he was afraid. Although he had everyone’s support when he brought his lover back to the base, his selfish desires and the public interest were precariously balanced.

However, his sense of responsibility and duty as a public official constantly reminded him that his lover posed a significant threat.

If he were exposed or lost control, he knew he wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.

Gao Xuyang let out a soft sigh, lowered his head, and muttered to himself.

“Actually, I’ve been hungry ever since I turned into a zombie. Even now, I’m still hungry. The fullness I get from eating crystal cores only serves to maintain my sanity and strength. It can’t satisfy my hunger…”

“The hunger never goes away. I crave blood and raw flesh. I want to bite people. These beast-like instincts follow me everywhere, and I can’t satisfy them at all. So, I’m scared. Without Jiang Nian, I would have chosen to stay outside the base.”

“…”

Yang Kai clenched his fists.

“Is it because we’re too close that you’re uncomfortable? Or do you need raw meat and blood in addition to the crystal cores?”

“No, no.”

Gao Xuyang shook his head and interrupted.

“Did you forget? I lived among a group of women and children who couldn’t fight. The toughest period is long behind me. I’ll eat meat again once things return to normal. I’m telling you this so you can understand my situation.”

Whether they’re zombies or people infected with corpse poison, if they can resist the urge to feed and bite and still survive, that’s a form of evolution that breaks through genetic limits.

Here at the base, he, the zombie king, was surrounded by fresh meat and blood, like a starving wolf among sheep.

He could suppress it, but he couldn’t entirely resist the temptation of fresh flesh and blood.

It was still a huge challenge.

Yang Kai calmed down and pulled him into a hug.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. All I can do is stay by your side. Jiang Nian’s purification process could free you from this torment. Let’s work together on it.”

“Yeah, Jiang Nian is strong. I believe in him, and I believe I can succeed.”

Gao Xuyang nodded and continued.

“From the day I started over and took on my father’s police badge number, I was determined to never let him down, even if it meant dying. That belief never wavered, even when my memories were a mess.”

During the most difficult times, he forgot everything around him, including his lover, yet that belief still supported him. It was a subtle, sacred feeling that words couldn’t describe.

Yang Kai patted his back.

“No one could have done better than you.”

When Yang Kai heard Teacher Gao’s family story, he felt an indescribable stir in his chest—a mix of admiration, longing, and heartache. His heart still beat faster whenever he thought about it.

Understanding Mr. Gao’s feelings, their relationship burned with passion yet remained grounded in reason.

“I also think I did a decent job…”

Gao Xuyang sighed and popped another crystal core into his mouth, crushing it. Then, he changed the subject.

“My ability can separate humans and zombies, so they won’t interfere with each other. Zombies won’t attack their own kind, but humans will.”

After turning into a zombie, he had prepared himself for destruction. Facing the cruelty of human nature while succumbing to zombie instincts, he suffered deeply.

If not for his professional ethics, which had restrained him all these years, he would have lost control long ago.

He was glad he had survived and cherished what he now had. He wanted to do something for Yang Kai, but more often than not, things didn’t go as planned.

Noticing the strange change in his mood, Yang Kai released him and smiled.

“People were like that even before the zombies came. We’ve seen it all, so there’s no need to worry. As long as the situation remains stable, everything will be fine. In today’s world, those who seek death will face consequences.”

During the “great cleansing,” some people, like Qi Lao’er, refused to repent even while seeking death. Others, after awakening their superpowers, cooperated with the authorities to fight the apocalypse and save civilians in an attempt to atone for past crimes.

In the face of despair, you have the chance to choose again. What you choose is up to you.

Gao Xuyang thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

“All right. I just said all that because I wasn’t feeling well.”

“That’s how it should be. Don’t bottle things up. Now, we can do whatever we want.”

Yang Kai snorted. During previous missions, he had to hold back, even when he was overwhelmed with grief and wanted to stab someone on the spot.

Now, that wasn’t necessary anymore. When they went out on rescue missions, they wouldn’t save people who behaved badly. If they were rude and unreasonable, a good beating would fix them.

As Jiang Nian always said, “It’s the end of the world—it’s better to make things hard for others than for yourself.”

After Gao Xuyang finished crafting the crystal cores, the two of them returned to their bedroom.

As they lay in bed holding hands, Yang Kai thought for a moment and said:

“My uncle told me that the South City Base Research Institute is developing a dual-attribute mutant program. I want to participate. If we can transplant a spatial-attribute core, it’ll be much easier for us to travel together in the future. I wanted to talk to you about it first.”

“…”

After a while, Gao Xuyang asked,

“How high is the risk?”

Yang Kai chuckled.

“Not really. It’s still manageable.”

Gao Xuyang nodded.

“All right. I’m in.”