RIACMET chapter 95

 

“Thank you, Brother Jiang Nian.”

Li Shuhui nodded vigorously. She had been so happy to see her old friend that she had agreed to let her visit the house while they were talking. She really had been foolish.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Nian decided there was no point in scolding the girl further over a mistake she hadn’t meant to make. He stood up and said goodbye.

“All right, it’s late. I should head back. I’ll come by again tomorrow.”

Then he turned to Li Kaiyun.

“Uncle, please make a few cold dishes tomorrow. I’m still craving them after last time.”

In hot weather, one needed something refreshing. He liked sour, salty, and spicy food.

Li Kaiyun nodded happily.

“Sure, I’ll make them for you tomorrow.”

…

After closing the door behind him, Jiang Nian walked downstairs. He was too full. Before going to bed, he planned to train his supernatural abilities to burn off some energy—he had to make progress every day.

After all, breakthroughs in powers depended on frequency of use and proficiency.

However, once Jiang Nian left, Li Kaiyun’s face turned stern again as he scolded Li Shuhui harshly.

“Have you been living so comfortably lately that you’ve forgotten all the hardships you suffered before? It doesn’t matter if we live in the inner or outer district, but the central district is a sensitive area. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have been able to get in at all. And you didn’t even bother coming up with a decent excuse. What were you thinking?”

“Dad, I know I was wrong!”

Li Shuhui fought back tears, not because she felt wronged, but because she realized she had made a serious mistake.

Li Kaiyun ignored her tearful expression and continued:

“Your classmate is clearly not a good person. It would be one thing if it only affected us, but what if it brought trouble to Jiang Nian and the others? In that case, we’d be repaying kindness with harm. Do you understand?”

The situation hadn’t escalated that far yet, but his daughter was too naive. He had to speak firmly to teach her a lesson.

…

Li Shuhui bit her lip hard, her face turning pale with dread as she imagined the consequences of her thoughtless actions.

She had been raised with her family’s indulgence, but this time, not even Li Liang comforted her. He waited until their father finished speaking before saying,

“Tomorrow, I’ll ask Brother Sheng to adjust our schedule. Father and I will ensure that someone is always on duty at the security post across from Brother Nian’s shop. That way, we’ll be aware of any situation early on and can help out occasionally.”

Li Kaiyun nodded.

“All right. That’s good.”

Li Liang turned to look at Li Shuhui, who had her head bowed.

“Sis, if you run into old acquaintances in the future, just handle things professionally. You can lend them a few points if you want, but don’t bring them into our current circle.”

“…Understood.”

Li Shuhui wiped her tears and took a long, steadying breath.

Li Kaiyun finally stopped scolding her. He sighed, walked out to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and pulled out his phone to call Li Sheng and ask for information on Liang Xiaoyan and her team.

As members of the security force, they could use their position to quietly monitor Liang Xiaoyan’s movements.

At the same time, he sent a message to Cheng Jing, reporting everything that had happened that evening.

It might have sounded excessive to an outsider, but he believed it was absolutely necessary.

After spending so much time together, anyone who was observant could tell that Jiang Nian’s situation was unusual, and that the entire team protected him.

On the surface, Jiang Nian was just a simple young man who relied on Cheng Jing and had no supernatural powers of his own. But who knew what the truth really was?

Besides, they had just eaten vegetables and fruit that were grown in purified soil. He hadn’t seen exactly how it was made, but he strongly suspected that Jiang Nian was involved.

Cheng Jing was a soldier with close ties to the authorities after the apocalypse. He had a strong sense of collective responsibility, so there was no way he would have hidden a formula for purifying soil from his own team.

He’d seen the other team members’ abilities firsthand, and none of them had anything to do with improving soil quality.

This left only one likely answer:

Jiang Nian possessed a non-combat power that could cleanse contaminated land. However, he’d never reported it publicly for fear that it would draw too much attention.

After all, if this power were exposed, Jiang Nian would immediately become the focus of enormous pressure.

This also explained why Cheng Jing always prioritized Jiang Nian in every decision.

If he didn’t formally register Jiang Nian as part of the rescue team, Jiang Nian wouldn’t have any official obligations to the government and could retain more freedom.

They wouldn’t expose Jiang Nian’s abilities, and in the meantime, they worked hard to build up their own strength within the official system.

After Xiaoya delivered her final verdict, Li Sheng told him the whole truth, including all the ways Cheng Jing’s team had helped the authorities in Qingyun City.

For those seemingly thankless missions, Cheng Jing and his team received 200,000 points and an official letter of thanks.

Some time ago, Minister Wang, the former administrator of Qingyun’s resettlement site, and others had personally invited their team to settle in Nancheng Base, promising them priority access to resources.

In retrospect, everything Cheng Jing did in Qingyun—from agreeing to watch over Xiaoya to participating in rescue operations—was part of his plan to gain influence with the authorities.

By now, Cheng Jing’s team had earned prestige, a good reputation, and leverage.

Anyone who tried to target Jiang Nian would be courting disaster.

If Nancheng Base officials ever humiliated Jiang Nian for no good reason, they’d have to be ready for the very real possibility that Cheng Jing’s team would walk out—or even turn against them.

The state had experts capable of restoring soil, but it took time. They wouldn’t force Jiang Nian into a research facility unless it was truly the only option.

Cheng Jing’s goal was clear: As long as Jiang Nian was safe, everything else could be negotiated.

Li Kaiyun understood Cheng Jing’s approach very well. After his wife passed away, he’d devoted himself to protecting his children.

He was prepared to repay their benefactor with his own life if necessary.

In this cannibalistic world, even the slightest carelessness could get someone killed. That was why everyone took the Liang Xiaoyan incident so seriously.

…

Li Shuhui looked at her father’s back as he stood on the balcony smoking, and her throat tightened again.

Li Liang came over and patted her shoulder.

“Don’t cry. Wash your face and calm down. Everything Dad does is for our own good. He just has to consider more angles than we do. From now on, let’s learn and ask more questions.”

“Okay.”

…

After eleven o’clock, Jiang Nian, who’d just finished watching a movie, put down his tablet, lay in bed, and texted Cheng Jing.

He asked about their situation and mentioned in passing that he’d already started having the construction team build the farm.

At that moment, Cheng Jing and the others had linked up with the advance rescue squad in the target city and were preparing for the next day’s operation.

Though the advance squad was made up of ordinary people, each of them was an elite soldier and marksman.

Their firepower was overwhelming. Unless they encountered zombies with particularly powerful abilities, they could wipe them out easily.

The soldiers had already thoroughly scouted the area before they arrived.

They knew where the survivors were hiding, how many zombies there were, and if there were any special zombies among them.

All Cheng Jing’s team had to do was coordinate and follow orders.

Currently, five survivors were trapped in the cafeteria of the city government building.

They had managed to rig up a satellite broadcast device to send out a distress signal, though it kept cutting out due to damage.

The survivors had come from elsewhere, hoping to scavenge supplies, but they ran into a massive zombie horde. Their vehicle was wrecked, leaving them stranded in the small city. Of the original team of over twenty, only five remained alive.

The rescue team’s mission was clear and simple: eliminate the zombies, save the survivors, and bring them back to the base.

Cheng Jing’s team’s primary role was to handle any special zombies and provide specialized rescue support.

The operation wasn’t especially dangerous; it was also an opportunity for them to practice working with the official teams.

After confirming that everything was proceeding smoothly, Jiang Nian finally felt relieved. He wished his boyfriend goodnight and ended the chat.

Before going to sleep, he tried calling Jiang Wenwen again, but an automated voice told him that the phone was turned off.