RIACMET chapter 70

 

Cheng Jing pointed to the spot marked in red pen.

“The chemical plant we’re heading to is here. The information says it’s a small factory with just over 300 employees.”

The others already knew the details of today’s mission, but Yang Kai didn’t. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Cheng Jing patiently repeated the specifics.

“Right before the apocalypse officially broke out, an employee entered the special raw materials processing workshop after being exposed to the toxic rain. This triggered the hazardous substance control system. As a result, the entire workshop was automatically sealed off and remains shut down.”

“You mean the control system detected something unique in the toxic rain and automatically locked down the workshop?”

Yang Kai interrupted with a hint of surprise.

Cheng Jing nodded.

“According to the base’s investigation, that’s right. That chemical plant was unusual. Before the power outage, the control AI received real-time log uploads and surveillance reports. At first, we thought there was a malfunction in the system. Later, however, we discovered that the trigger was the apocalypse virus carried by the toxic rain.”

Liao Yu let out a sigh.

“Sometimes, machines really are more sensitive than humans.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. AI was created by people, but it becomes unsettling when it learns to improve and evolve on its own.

Cheng Jing continued,

“A while back, the field staff responsible for monitoring abnormal conditions around the base detected an unusually strong energy fluctuation in the sealed workshop using instruments. They requested that we come investigate.”

Yang Kai frowned.

“In any case, it’s a special raw material processing workshop in a chemical plant. Any disturbance could cause hazardous substances to leak. We can’t go in with just this equipment.”

Zhao Lei handed over the pollution monitoring report.

“Other rescue teams have dealt with many similar situations before and ultimately found that, no matter how toxic or dangerous the substances were, the apocalypse virus had already assimilated and contaminated everything.”

Then he spread his hands.

“In other words, even if there are lethal hazardous materials in that sealed workshop, they’re harmless now.”

The apocalypse contamination didn’t discriminate, affecting all substances alike. You could call it poisonous, but as long as people weren’t infected by zombies, they could survive.

Whether or not it was toxic was hard to say—once something was contaminated, it became something else entirely.

“That’s right.”

Cheng Jing nodded and continued:

“Our task is to enter the sealed workshop, confirm the situation inside, and eliminate any zombies within. Otherwise, we’ll withdraw immediately.”

“I see…” Yang Kai nodded. “Got it.”

“…”

Cheng Jing had said everything he needed to. After confirming that everyone understood, he turned to Yang Kai and asked,

“Do you have any special abilities?”

Everyone else focused on him at the same time.

“Yes, my ability is gravity. I can apply it to targets within a certain range.”

Yang Kai didn’t hide anything and answered directly.

Jiang Nian was a little surprised.

“Impressive. He’s from the special department.”

Everyone was curious, so Yang Kai demonstrated right away.

When energy fluctuations rose from his body, an invisible pressure descended from above. Everyone felt their bodies sink uncontrollably.

The tightness in their chests made them tense up and hunch over instinctively, but once they bent down, it was hard to stand up straight again.

The more tense they became, the heavier the gravity felt.

“Very good for support,”

Huang Qian commented.

Tang Yi then asked:

“Can you crush someone to death with it?”

“I haven’t tried it, but in theory, yes.”

Yang Kai smiled and withdrew his power. After everyone had settled down again, he looked at Jiang Nian and asked,

“I know the abilities of the others have been reported. Jiang Nian, what about yours?”

“…”

When he asked this, everyone’s expression changed.

Cheng Jing coldly stepped in to answer.

“He doesn’t have any abilities.”

Yang Kai shook his finger.

“You’re lying. If he really didn’t have any powers, you’d lock him up at home and worship him. You’d never let him come out here.”

Jiang Nian: “….” This was outrageous! How could a fake rival understand his boyfriend so well?

For a moment, everyone thought he made sense.

“…”

Cheng Jing didn’t know how to refute that and cursed undercover agents in his heart.

Yang Kai kept staring at Jiang Nian.

“Can’t you tell me?”

“… ”

After thinking for a moment and looking a little embarrassed, Jiang Nian nodded honestly.

“Yes, I can’t tell you. Just treat me like someone without powers, like everyone else. Do me a favor for my brother Jing’s sake. He said I don’t have any, so I don’t.”

Boyfriends exist to be used shamelessly.

“Uh…”

Yang Kai was momentarily stunned. They always said that sincere cheating was the ultimate move, and Jiang Nian was clearly very skilled at it. It felt rude to press him further.

But he did say it himself, so it was only natural to follow up, right?

Still, Jiang Nian looked at him earnestly.

“You know not reporting it doesn’t mean anything. Fine, let’s talk about this after we get to know each other better.”

Either way, he couldn’t say it now.

“Get to know each other better?”

Yang Kai thought to himself.

Is this on purpose? Are you only going to tell me after you get a Black Knight? Are you afraid he won’t keep his word? How childish.

Forget it. They’ll talk about it later. He smiled and nodded.

“All right, then. Let’s get to know each other better. I don’t mean anything else by it. I just think we’re teammates and should understand each other.”

“You’re just a temporary transfer student. You don’t count as a teammate.”

Jiang Nian said it outright. Even though his words were offensive, he looked completely harmless.

Yang Kai could join them, it just depended on how much he was willing to pay. One Black Knight was clearly not enough.

Everyone, including Cheng Jing, agreed with Jiang Nian, so no one tried to stop him or speak up for Yang Kai.

“All right. I’ll be the transfer student for now.”

Yang Kai wasn’t embarrassed at all and just smiled helplessly. He had originally thought that Jiang Nian was just Cheng Jing’s obedient lover, but Uncle Zhou had warned him not to offend Jiang Nian, saying that he was not simple.

Offending Jiang Nian meant offending Cheng Jing and the whole team.

Conversely, if you had Jiang Nian on your side, Cheng Jing and the rest would accept you too.

As humanity slowly entered a period of post-apocalyptic stabilization, tensions were rising among the different factions because resources, talent, and power were distributed unevenly.

Yang Kai didn’t want to get caught up in any chaos, which is why he left S Base. His life had been too complicated before the apocalypse. After it began, he just wanted to live simply and freely, following his own ideas.

To him, military zones were always quieter than anywhere else.

He came here after learning that Cheng Jing and the others were stationed at Nancheng Base.

Having worked with Cheng Jing’s team before, he trusted their character and abilities.

“…”

After this harmless little episode, the team finished preparing and set out for the target factory, which wasn’t far away.

Zhou Rongbin took the lead with the map while Jian Cheng and Zhao Lei, both sharpshooters, flanked him on the left and right.

The rest followed carefully and alertly behind them, with Yang Kai bringing up the rear.

As they advanced, they shot any zombies in the head on sight. Jian Cheng’s marksmanship was especially impressive; it was as if he had an automatic targeting system.

After dispatching the zombies, Cheng Jing ignited the corpses while Huang Qian used vines to collect the crystal cores. It was a perfect combination.

Gunshots rang out elsewhere—other teams had also entered the industrial zone.