RIACMET chapter 259

 

[Timeline — During the Polar Night]

The polar night had lasted more than ten days, and the chaos brought on by the darkness persisted. In comparison, the South City base was calm.

Military-style management rules were strictly enforced. Regardless of whether someone had superpowers or was an ordinary person, anyone who disregarded base rules and acted arrogantly would, at the very least, be beaten and forced to move bricks. At worst, they would be shot in the head and cremated on the spot.

After the emergence of artificial superpowers, even though their strength was slightly below that of those who awakened naturally, most of the artificial superpowered individuals were official personnel, which greatly boosted the overall deterrent force.

This made many of the “apocalypse heroes,” who had gained extraordinary abilities and wanted to “rise in the chaos” and challenge authority, much more obedient.

The South City base valued every survivor. Those who didn’t know what was good for them had to start over with a new life.

With Gao Xuyang around, there were no zombies near the base, and it was free from zombie disturbances. Occasionally, howls could be heard in the distance, indistinguishable from those of beasts or zombies, but they were always far away.

Still, the base’s officials remained vigilant, concealing Master Gao’s identity while providing survivors with a sense of security.

“There’s nothing unusual. The brainwave induction I emit is quite effective on my own kind. It’s also effective on animals that are naturally more sensitive.”

Inside the patrol vehicle, Gao Xuyang finally opened his eyes. He had kept them closed and sensed his surroundings for half an hour. His voice carried a hint of fatigue.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

Yang Kai said as he took out a crystal core to snack on. Then, he pulled a transparent blood bag from his backpack and handed it to him.

“Drink this. It’s extracted and transformed into blood using a special method through a medium. The professors said drinking it will speed up your recovery.”

“Also, since your body is slowly recovering, you’ll need fresh blood to replenish it, similar to the effect of a blood transfusion. You can drink it directly, just as you would eat a crystal core.”

“…”

Gao Xuyang didn’t answer. He swallowed involuntarily and furrowed his brows.

“What kind of blood is this?”

“It’s mine.”

Yang Kai didn’t hide anything. He urged him on with a smile.

“Hurry up and drink it.”

“Yang Kai, I don’t—”

Gao Xuyang started to say something, but Yang Kai cut him off.

“Xuyang, this is just a standard treatment method. You don’t need to drink it often—just occasionally. Just use my blood. I’ve been storing it since I brought you back. Don’t use anyone else’s. You’re the one I love, and I want you to get better soon. That’s all.”

Blood was routinely collected and stored in preparation for emergencies. If the beloved couldn’t control himself and needed blood, he could use his own.

If it wasn’t needed, it could still be donated—either way, it was a good thing.

“… ”

After hearing that, Gao Xuyang didn’t say anything else. He opened the blood bag and drank its contents.

His hunger wasn’t as intense as before, and the allure of fresh flesh and blood wasn’t overwhelming. However, after drinking the blood infused with crystal core energy, he felt an unprecedented sense of comfort and couldn’t resist growling.

Seeing that he had finished, Yang Kai used his supernatural power to crush the empty blood bag into plastic pellets and toss them into the trash pile. Then, he turned around and asked with a smile:

“How does it taste?”

“It tastes pretty good.”

Gao Xuyang licked his lips and answered honestly.

“That’s great.”

Yang Kai smiled happily and said in a soft tone, despite his gloomy expression:

“Don’t be upset. I know how to do things in moderation. I won’t take risks, hurt myself, or hurt others. You’re my responsibility, and this is our business. Let’s work together to help you recover completely.”

“…”

Gao Xuyang hated himself for not being able to come up with a rebuttal. He took a deep breath, his heart heavy, sighed softly, and nodded.

“All right. I’ll listen to you.”

“It’s almost time. Let’s go back.”

Yang Kai was in a very good mood. To be honest, he had been afraid that Teacher Gao wouldn’t drink it and would get angry.

The professors in the lab had mentioned that it was possible to use the blood of other animals, though the effect wouldn’t be as strong. They advised him to consider this option. But he refused.

Whenever he imagined his lover being tormented by hunger, he wished he could cut off his own flesh and feed it to him.

He had already gone to find the healing professors and asked them to cut off part of his flesh and store it for Teacher Gao, just in case something happened. He planned to heal himself afterward using his power, but he was rejected.

His uncle also dealt him a long-awaited blow and gave him a harsh warning.

“If you ever have another stupid idea like that, I’ll destroy your superpower and make you build the defense wall.”

Immediately, the heat in his head cooled down.

Still, one could tell from this impulsive behavior that if this kind of special ability fell into the hands of someone with evil intentions, the consequences could be deadly.

“… ”

After returning to the base, Yang Kai threw himself into organizing a new work schedule. For now, he was personally responsible for patrolling and surveying the central research facility.

Gao Xuyang followed him silently. He listened to Yang Kai talk about the base, served him tea and water, and sat beside him so Yang Kai could lean on him when he was tired.

When they were alone together, Yang Kai liked to talk about their future life together—something they had dreamed about even before the apocalypse.

Very few people knew that Teacher Gao was drinking a special tonic. Yang Kai didn’t tell his teammates either because he was afraid they would go so far as to bleed themselves just to support him.

As long as he had everything under control, there was no need to cause unnecessary trouble for everyone else.

With the help of those around him and support from various sources, Teacher Gao’s purification sessions lasted longer and longer. His recovery speed and results were far better than expected.

Visible changes occurred day by day, and a return to normalcy was just around the corner.