RIACMET chapter 50

 

Cheng Jing and Li Kaiyun asked the rescue team leader for other possible routes because the road ahead was blocked.

Li Kaiyun learned that the rescue team was also heading back to the Nancheng base. He explained their situation and contacted his nephew through the army’s satellite phone.

When the rescue team leader understood, he invited them to stay and return to base with him.

Li Kaiyun politely declined, not even needing to think it over.

“I’d rather travel with my friends—it’s more comfortable this way.”

If he had been alone, it wouldn’t have mattered. He would have been happy to join the rescue team and help in emergencies. But he had children to think about, so there were more things to consider.

If Cheng Jing and the others hadn’t been there, he would have joined the rescue team without hesitation.

However, the rescue teams had too many people to take care of, and their safety ratings were much lower. It was clear that following Cheng Jing’s group was the better choice.

To be honest, since the apocalypse began, the days he spent with Cheng Jing’s team were the safest he’d ever felt.

After Li Kaiyun finished talking on the phone with his nephew, he quietly returned to the car with Cheng Jing.

Cheng Jing didn’t ask many questions, and Li Kaiyun didn’t explain. Each person had their own thoughts, but they understood each other without needing words.

Before sunset, their group and the rescue team went back to an earlier intersection, took another road, and eventually stopped in a development zone on the outskirts of the city.

It looked like construction here had only just begun. All that remained were wide stretches of bare earth, a few mounds of dirt, and some excavators. There was nothing to hide behind, but at least there weren’t many zombies.

As soon as they parked, the rescue team sent people to patrol the area and look for excavator fuel tanks. They found a lot of them.

“They really thought of everything…so fast,” Jiang Nian said quietly. They didn’t need the fuel themselves and couldn’t use it, but they could probably sell it at the base later.

Cheng Jing and the others just smiled and didn’t say anything.

The night wind was cold, but after surviving the earthquake earlier, everyone huddled together shivering. They were too scared to complain. As long as they were alive, they would soon reach the base.

The rescue team’s officers and soldiers set up tents for the wounded and handed out food to the survivors.

Jiang Nian and his group deliberately kept their distance. They didn’t take any supplies, so they wouldn’t get into any unnecessary trouble.

The more people you met during the apocalypse, the more strange situations you encountered. The best way to avoid stress and trouble was to stay away.

The main group was moving slowly anyway. Now that they knew the route, they planned to leave ahead of them the next morning.

Dinner was a big bowl of noodles with eggs, sausage, a packet of dried vegetables, and chili sauce. Everyone was happy.

After working hard during the rescue, they were tired. After they ate, they rested in their vehicles.

The rescue team was on patrol that night, so they didn’t need to take turns. This was the first time they were able to get a good night’s sleep.

…

The next morning, the rescue team was still getting ready to leave. Jiang Nian’s group had already checked their vehicles and were getting ready to go.

Everyone was busy with their own tasks, and no one noticed the small problem approaching them.

“Thank you for helping us yesterday. It must be fate that we met. Could you take us with you? We’re willing to trade whatever supplies we have,”

A voice that seemed unsure called out.

Cheng Jing and Zhao Lei rescued a family of three: a middle-aged couple and their daughter.

The man speaking was the father. He was medium height and slightly overweight, with a high hairline and a polite smile. He looked like the smart type who had been in business.

“No. You don’t have enough supplies to feed yourselves. What are you trading?”

Before Cheng Jing or Jiang Nian could even speak, Zhao Lei rejected them roughly.

Just follow the rescue team. What’s wrong with you?

After Jiang Nian was tricked by that woman yesterday, none of them wanted to deal with strangers trying to be friendly.

The man stood there, embarrassed, realizing that getting into a superpower team really wasn’t easy.

Beside him, the thin woman held her daughter’s hand. She looked at the instant noodles left on Li Shuhui and Xiaoya’s hands, took a deep breath, and then smiled at Li Kaiyun.

“We can do anything. It would be easier to look out for each other since everyone here has children…”

Teams with women and children usually tried this approach first.

“You don’t need to do anything,” Li Kaiyun replied calmly. “Go back over there. The rescue team has food and water. You’ll get to the base safely.”

Then he turned away to check on his car and told his daughter to finish eating quickly.

He didn’t reject them; he understood their motivations. He would’ve done the same thing if he were in their position.

But this wasn’t his team, so he couldn’t make decisions for them.

“As long as you let us follow you, we’ll do whatever you want. We’ll work for you once we reach the base…”

The woman continued, looking at Huang Qian and Cheng Jing as if she wanted something.

Cheng Jing and Huang Qian looked at each other.

This was how many ordinary people tried to join strong teams, and how many powerful teams recruited followers, little brothers, or tools.

But their group didn’t need that. This family was very obvious about what they wanted.

At that moment, Jiang Nian walked over, took a candy from his jacket pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. Then he looked at the couple for a moment.

“You’re willing to do anything, right?” he asked in a calm voice. “Then, would you be willing to be zombie bait? For example, if we run into zombies on the road, could you lure them away for us?”

The moment he spoke, his family of three and his own teammates were all stunned.

The Li family felt a shiver run down their spines.

Jiang Nian didn’t look dangerous, but sometimes his tone and behavior made people feel scared.

Even more importantly, he was the leader of the entire team. If he really meant what he said, he was scary.

“Can’t do it?” Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow. “Then go back to the rescue team. Adults should be responsible for the things they say. Saying whatever you think will only make you look bad.”

Then he turned, got into the car, and sat in the passenger seat with a cold look on his face.

There was no point in arguing anymore. He’d rather just leave and let them decide to stop.

To him, if you didn’t say no but kept bothering him like this, it was still a form of manipulation.

After seeing this, his teammates quietly got into their vehicles one after another without saying anything.

It wasn’t until the engines rumbled to life and faded into the distance that the pale family finally came to their senses.

They looked at each other, and slowly walked back to the rescue camp.

…

After changing routes, their team took a stretch of national highway, passing through several small towns and villages. There were many obstacles, so they couldn’t move quickly.

However, they collected a lot of energy cores from waves of zombies and saved many survivors. They even told them that the rescue team was close behind.

After driving slowly for a long time, the group of vehicles finally returned to the main road a day and a half later.

Luckily, the roads got clearer as they got closer to the base. After that, their trip went well.

By now, the snow had mostly melted, and large groups of zombies were appearing everywhere.

As the weather grew warmer and more humid, the central radio reported outbreaks of deadly diseases and viral infections in many places.

After surviving the extreme cold, many people were dying again.

Finally, after a long journey, Jiang Nian’s group arrived at Nancheng Base in early April, just as they had planned.