RIACMET chapter 76

 

Bang, bang, bang—

Only two breaths passed from the moment Jiang Nian spoke until he pulled the trigger. He moved so quickly that his enemies and teammates could not react in time.

After he fired that volley, two screams rang out and an iron wall shot up from the ground, blocking the bullets fired in retaliation.

The teammates were struck one by one. Cheng Jing and Huang Qian came to as well, and Huang Qian counterattacked with thorny vines.

Once all the teammates had used their powers, there was nothing left for Jiang Nian to do.

However, based on the energy fluctuations and effects he’d just experienced, he knew the two women had charm-type powers.

Though he was immune, he could still sense the attack, which allowed him to recognize the type of power without being influenced.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots and explosions echoed one after another, and the swirling dust carried a strong scent of blood.

The two women were killed, and the five men on the other side seemed determined to fight to the death. After a few rounds of shouting, however, the battlefield fell silent.

There was no room for mercy. In the apocalypse, once a fight broke out, it usually ended in life or death. Otherwise, you’d only bring disaster upon yourself.

To prevent others from seeing the bloody scene, Cheng Jing quickly cleaned up the area, leaving no trace of smoke once the battle was over.

When the dust settled and everything was quiet again, Jiang Nian stepped forward and found only three psychic crystal cores in the wreckage.

Two were pink charm-type cores and the last was a pure gray core that enhanced physical strength.

Aside from the two women, only one of the five men had high-level physical abilities; the other four were ordinary.

This was a bit unexpected, but it also made it obvious that the two women were the true masterminds behind this act.

They had just run into hunters who were pretending to be prey.

Scenes like this were clearly nothing new to them. That group’s trick had never failed before—or rather, those women had never failed before.

How many teammates they’d replaced in the past was anyone’s guess.

Charm powers could induce an overdeveloped love brain, make people obey any order, and even confuse memories.

Even worse, over time, the manipulated emotions would blend into a person’s own feelings, eventually becoming impossible to separate.

If you ever let your guard down, it was a huge problem.

If two people used charm powers at the same time, the control effect could stack, allowing them to control a dozen people far more quickly.

That was probably why they dared to target them, even though they obviously didn’t have much fighting strength themselves.

Jiang Nian held one of the pink cores and quietly analyzed it. Then, he heard Jian Cheng’s warm voice.

“Brother Nian, that reaction of yours was incredible. I thought you weren’t going to shoot.”

As soon as he said that, the others, who had been discussing the charm crystals, changed the subject.

“I really thought they were the ones who fired first. I broke out in a cold sweat.”

“It’s mainly because there were so few of them, and they were dragging two women like that. It made us let our guard down…”

“It was still our fault for not staying alert. We have to learn from this and gain experience.”

“Stop looking away from ‘indecent’ things. From now on, even if a beautiful woman is naked, I’m going to stare right at her and take a good look.”

“Talk all you want—just don’t drop the abacus beads everywhere, haha…”

“Anyway, our godfather was awesome again this time and saved all our lives!”

“…

“Not really. I just happened to give a warning this time.”

Jiang Nian was embarrassed by the praise. Whenever Liao Yu spoke, he felt his heart thump wildly. The young master’s words were always a bit too much.

“This time it really was thanks to Nian Nian.”

Cheng Jing, who was checking the vehicles and preparing to pack up the team, praised him publicly without hesitation.

If Jiang Nian had hesitated, he, Huang Qian, and the whole team would have been in danger.

Their enemies’ main objective had been to let the two women use their powers to control everyone. However, they hadn’t expected Jiang Nian to be completely immune, nor had they expected her to kill the ringleaders immediately, catching them completely off guard.

Even if they had eventually resolved it, the cost would have been huge if Jiang Nian hadn’t been there.

“He reacts like someone who’s been professionally trained,” said Zhou Rongbin, giving Jiang Nian a serious look.

They had killed countless zombies but rarely people, and certainly never Jiang Nian. He was usually adored by Brother Cheng, but this time he had shown a different side of himself.

This time, his emergency response truly shocked them all.

“I haven’t trained much, so I can’t compare with any of you, but it’s true that I got into a lot of fights in school, so sometimes my reflexes are just like that.”

Jiang Nian spoke lightly, then glanced at Cheng Jing nearby.

To win over Brother Jing, he’d worked hard to be a good kid for years. Those “glorious days” of beating up bullies in dark alleyways were nothing but hazy memories now.

Besides, with all the supernatural powers in play these days, there was less need for him to stand out. As long as Brother Jing sent him on missions, he wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Huang Qian understood, and when everyone finished flattering him, she said,

“Xiao Nian just wanted to protect his husband—that’s why he reacted so fast.”

Then she walked over and hugged Jiang Nian tightly.

“Thank you!”

“Sister Qian, you’re welcome!”

Jiang Nian didn’t deny it because it was true.

Those two women had used their powers almost instantly. The moment he sensed that Brother Jing was affected, Jiang Nian just wanted to kill the source and break the spell.

He hadn’t thought to use his powers to neutralize them; he was so furious that he fired the bullets before he realized it.

Once someone started talking, it was much easier to keep going. Liao Yu finally found the chance to satisfy his gossipy soul. He came over and asked curiously,

“Godfather, I heard you were willing to give up your status as the big boss and retire for Brother Cheng.”

“Who told you that?”

Jiang Nian asked, blushing, and then smiled when he saw Liao Yu’s surprised expression.

“You’re right! What’s the point of being the big boss? It’s fun for a while. But with Brother Jing, I have the whole world.”

His voice wasn’t exactly quiet, so Brother Jing probably heard him.

“Ahem…”

Liao Yu felt as if he’d been force-fed dog food and almost choked. Still, he was curious and pressed on.

“In your eyes, does Brother Cheng have no flaws?”

He’d never been in a relationship himself. When his parents were alive, he was rebellious and wild. After they died, everyone around him seemed fake. Aside from his teammates, no one was ever truly sincere.

He didn’t understand it, but he yearned for that kind of strong, honest affection.

“Everyone has flaws…”

Jiang Nian said, thought it over, and then replied:

“Brother Jing has a flaw, too. He’s too amazing.”

In every way, he didn’t care—his boyfriend was perfect.

Liao Yu said, “Huh?”

The others eavesdropping nearby: “…”

What kind of flaw was that?

“What do you mean, ‘too amazing’?”

Huang Qian always felt that there was something strange about this comment.

Jiang Nian was used to Sister Qian’s routine. He pressed a finger to his lips and winked.

“Shh! It’s rude to ask for more. If you don’t have a sweetheart, just go find one. No matter how sweet other people’s candy is, it still isn’t yours.”

With that, he walked off to where Cheng Jing was busy and grinned beside the car.

He always knew what was on his teammates’ gossipy minds. He was in a good mood today, so he’d let them have their fun for a while. Besides, Brother Jing wouldn’t mind.

“Xiao Nian, you’ve changed!”

Huang Qian sighed, a little frustrated. It was much harder to tease a man once he became thick-skinned.

“Ha…”

Yang Kai, who had silently watched their entire conversation, couldn’t help but laugh.

No wonder Brother Cheng was so thoroughly hooked. Who wouldn’t want a boyfriend who could talk like that and still be so good-natured?

“All right, let’s pack up. If we drag this out any longer, we’ll be late.”

After Cheng Jing finished speaking, he opened the car door and climbed into the driver’s seat. It was his turn to drive back, so Jiang Nian followed him and settled into the passenger seat.

Liao Yu secretly glanced at his brother’s mouth, harder to keep shut than an AK, and elbowed Zhao Lei beside him.

“Brother Zhao, look—Brother Cheng is so stifled, he’s about to burst.”

“If someone gets praised by their partner, it’s fine if they get a little quiet and happy. If you’re jealous, go find your own romance.”

With that, Zhao Lei turned and walked to the car.

Liao Yu pouted.

“I’m looking, but I can’t find one, so I’m looking for you…”

Zhao Lei said over his shoulder without turning around.

“You must be sick.”

Liao Yu shrugged.

“You talk like any of us are normal.”

They were all just weeds growing around the same nest. So what if he tried to bite one?