Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The black Hummer roared through the night, looping around part of the base before finally coming to a stop on a stretch of road headed toward the wasteland.

The streetlights here were few and far between, and the moonlight was dim and misty. Fortunately, the area was empty, giving them a clear view. The night patrol had just passed, so no one would bother them.

Cheng Jing parked the car under a streetlight just as he noticed Liang Yunhao in the passenger seat pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He immediately reminded him:

"No smoking in this car."

Liang Yunhao was taken aback:

"Why?"

He’d smoked in this car before, hadn’t he?

Cheng Jing smiled and explained:

"Jiang Nian drives this car now. If you want to smoke, let’s step outside."

With that, he turned off the engine and got out.

Other cars could be trashed for all I care, but not this one.

"Whatever..."

Liang Yunhao pursed his lips and followed, lighting his cigarette only after stepping out. He took a drag and teased:

"Never took you for the whipped type."

He genuinely hadn’t expected it. Whether in personality or appearance, Cheng Jing seemed like the poster boy for a domineering, alpha-male type who’d have others waiting on him.

This wasn’t prejudice—just his bad read.

"..."

Cheng Jing thought for a moment before denying it:

"He doesn’t control me, but if I’m gonna lay down rules for him, I should lead by example."

He didn’t allow Jiang Nian to smoke, so he didn’t smoke either. He made sure neither their home nor the car carried the smell of smoke—healthier that way.

Even with his Purification Superpower, it didn’t matter.

Liang Yunhao tutted twice:

"They say a good horse doesn’t backtrack for old grass, but you..."

"So, many good horses die on the road searching for new grass."

Cheng Jing’s expression remained unchanged as he deadpanned this nonsense with a straight face.

"Hahaha... *cough cough*..."

Liang Yunhao choked mid-laugh, waving his cigarette at him:

"Alright, alright, you got me, man!"

A full-on, top-tier simp, even his self-delusion was next-level. Guess when you’re deep in love, you’ll bend over backwards to make it work.

Of course, if mishandled, this approach could lead to "a simp getting nothing in the end," so it's best to be cautious when emulating it.

"Okay, cut it out!"

Cheng Jing formed loose fists and placed them by his mouth, clearing his throat to mask his mushy talk:

"So, what’s so important that you had to go through all this trouble to meet me alone?"

They were still having dinner when Liang Yunhao texted him.

He’d originally said they’d talk tomorrow, but who knew the drunk would pass out.

Liang Yunhao shrugged with a smile:

"I’m heading back to Base S the day after tomorrow. I’ll swing by your place for a quick bite tomorrow and formally visit Jiang Nian."

Since he’s already here, it’d be a shame not to meet the legend who turned his buddy into a simp.

Back in the military, they used to vent about their exes to each other. Liang Yunhao would rant about his ex’s outrageous behavior and promiscuity, leaving behind nothing but just straight-up bitterness.

But Cheng Jing? He was like a whiny, needy ex—no hatred, just unwillingness and reluctance, paranoid his ex would get stolen or couldn’t survive without him…

Back then, Liang Yunhao thought, if he got the chance, he’d definitely meet Jiang Nian in person.

"Welcome," Cheng Jing nodded. "I’ll make the arrangements."

"Good."

Liang Yunhao nodded, then dropped his smile and looked at him seriously:

"Down to business. Have you heard any news from your brother lately? The freeze has lasted ages—logically, they should’ve tracked you down by now."

"Hm?"

Under the cold white light, Cheng Jing’s relaxed expression went rigid, his gaze sharpening:

"Why’d you bring this up out of nowhere?"

He was always extra sensitive to questions like this.

"Chill…"

Liang Yunhao waved a hand, glancing around before continuing:

"Before coming to Nancheng Base, I heard some chatter. Xia Weiwei getting cozy with you is probably about this too."

"Oh?"

Cheng Jing slouched against the car door, frowning hard:

"What rumors?"

"Rumor has it, your brother Cheng Lei vanished after bailing from the northern military zone with your family during the extreme cold."

Liang Yunhao watched his friend’s reaction carefully as he spoke, but Cheng Jing remained expressionless, not batting an eye. When Liang didn’t continue, Cheng Jing scoffed:

"That’s all?"

"Old Cheng!"

Liang Yunhao sighed, weighed his words for a moment, and said:

"Listen, I’ll lay out some facts first. You just say yes or no. Although the higher-ups are suppressing the news now, since I caught wind of it, I owe you a heads-up. Watch your back."

"The whole squad’s riding on you. Zhou Li and Yang Kai must’ve gotten tipped off too, which is why they came at this time. Of course, compared to Base S, I think South City Base suits you better."

He said this mainly because Cheng Jing was inherently too upright—the kind of unyielding military integrity people often talked about—suited for open and aboveboard conduct.

But the power circles in Base S were more like a high-ranking "snake pit of schemers and smooth talkers," no place for straight arrows like you.

"..."

Cheng Jing thought for a long while before nodding:

"Alright, go ahead."

Liang Yunhao drew hard on his cigarette a few more times before speaking:

"The military district where Cheng Lei was stationed didn’t establish a long-term base or shelter. Just before the extreme cold ended, it split into several rescue corps, ferrying survivors to various bases, right?"

He looked at Cheng Jing, who nodded:

"Right."

After the apocalypse, they carved things up by region. Military academies and districts jointly set up temporary shelters. His younger brother and the others had indeed left once the extreme cold subsided.

After the apocalypse struck, before the internet was cut off, he had already informed his family how to reach him via satellite phone. Though frequent communication was inconvenient for various reasons, he still knew the basic situation.

Liang Yunhao continued:

"Among the rescue corps Cheng Lei was in, apart from your parents, there was also a ten-odd-strong research team of survivors. It’s said they worked at an experimental base in a border area before the apocalypse, though what they were working on was need-to-know."

"Yes."

Cheng Jing answered again. There were indeed researchers in his brother’s team, though the exact number was unclear. But he knew what they did:

"Researchers from the Special Phenomena Lab—that classified gov think tank."

In other words, the official mysterious organization Jiang Nian had mentioned.

The "Special Phenomena Management Experimental Research Base" covered a wide range of studies with a whiff of the supernatural. Normally, they flew under the radar—off the books even for most insiders, let alone ordinary civilians.

Extraordinary individuals in peaceful times, Superpowered beings and zombies in the apocalypse—theoretically, all were supposedly their turf.

But whether in Jiang Nian’s past life or now, this secretive official department had only revealed its name and a few researchers.

There were no special operations, nor any doomsday trump card either.

As for the real situation, they were stuck waiting till his brother brought those people to South City Base.

"Phew..."

Liang Yunhao exhaled his last puff of smoke, crushed the cigarette butt underfoot, and dropped the bomb:

"I heard that among those researchers, someone awakened two game-changing superpowers—healing and brain evolution. When word reached the bases, they all sent 'rescue' teams to the northern border for support and protection—really just poaching crews. But Cheng Lei’s team suddenly lost contact."

The leak got plugged almost instantly. Odds are they’ll keep it under wraps till the brain evolution Superpowered individual settled in a certain base.

Before that, no dirty laundry could air to the public.