Chapter 186

Chapter 186

"..."

"Brother Jing, are you okay? Let's not dwell on the past."

Jiang Nian couldn't see the man's expression while being held tightly, but he could sense his emotional turmoil.

Coming back to the present, Cheng Jing hugged the man in his arms tightly for a moment before letting go:

"Yeah, I'm fine now."

For him, this was the best outcome—worth it.

In their past life, they died together after revenge, a tragic, early death. But in this life, they would live well together, growing old together peacefully.

Worried that he might be upset for his sake, Jiang Nian said optimistically:

"Brother Jing, we’ve essentially prevented the birth of a Zombie King."

At the same time, he thought to himself:

If they had killed Xiao Ya back then, would they regret killing a child after learning the truth, or would they be relieved for eliminating a 'potential Zombie King'?

"Yeah."

Cheng Jing said quietly in agreement:

"Either way, since your rebirth, the overall direction we've taken has been right. The changes you’ve made have led to good outcomes. We'll just keep doing our best and not worry about the rest."

Karma seemed to have formed a kind of closed loop here.

Xiao Ya’s mistakes, burdened by her parents, couldn’t be erased, but her help in their past life was an indisputable fact.

In this life, they dealt with Xiao Ya’s parents and took on the task of supervising her, essentially saving her life under the circumstances in Qingyun City at the time.

"Yeah, take care of ourselves and do our best..."

Jiang Nian suddenly recalled the official verdict on Xiao Ya:

The trial report stated that Xiao Ya’s Superpower Core had developed cracks due to overuse and extreme mental pressure, and carried the risk of self-destruction.

But based on his own experience with Superpower breakthroughs and information from their past life, Xiao Ya’s core condition wasn’t a sign of impending self-destruction—it was more likely a sign of an impending high-level Superpower breakthrough.

At this stage, high-level breakthroughs among Superpowered Individuals were common. But back then, during the extreme cold period, many hadn’t even formed Superpower Cores yet, making it alarming by comparison.

Excelling required innate talent, and Xiao Ya clearly belonged to that category.

The thought occurred to him, and Jiang Nian voiced it aloud. Cheng Jing considered it carefully and agreed with his speculation.

After Event 1805, Xiao Ya had never used her Superpower again, so there were no further changes. They had no idea how she was doing after being placed in the supervisory school.

"..."

After a moment of thought, Jiang Nian suggested:

"Brother Jing, I think we should visit Xiao Ya. Everyone’s breakthrough reactions are different—she might have already advanced."

Cheng Jing also found it very likely and nodded at once:

"Alright, the base-administered school is right next to the research institute. Tang Ji is also there under observation. Let’s visit him tomorrow and get an update on Xiao Ya while we’re at it."

Although visits aren't normally allowed, they have special privileges now. To prepare for any emergencies, they can request permission from Department Head Wang.

"..."

After discussing Xiao Ya, they moved on to those captured at the church—Da Jun, Xiao Liu, and the others. The injured were receiving treatment, while the unharmed had been assigned as conscripted workers for base construction.

Of course, there were casualties too. Li Hong and Li Si, who were guarding Jiang Wenwen, resisted when Chu Yi arrived and were reduced to two crystal cores.

As for Liang Xiaoyan’s team, only she got away clean because she had been sidelined by her team in this matter, coincidentally avoiding disaster. It also meant she finally got her wish—freedom from the team.

She had already expressed her gratitude through Li Shuhui’s message.

The only other person involved was Su Jing. That woman was utterly self-serving and no saint. This time, she had caused Jiang Wenwen immense suffering, and Jiang Wenwen would make her pay.

They no longer had to worry about her suddenly causing trouble or making underhanded moves against them in the future.

"..."

Huddled together, the two assessed and analyzed the current situation.

Then, they discussed the rapid-response plan implemented by Department Head Wang on behalf of the base authorities:

With the addition of mind-evolved Supers, the South City Base Research Institute officially established a specialized team to study calamities, viruses, Superpower Zombies, superpowers, crystal cores, antidote serum, and other apocalypse-related research.

Building No. 3, originally used for storing hazardous materials and enclosed by an independent wall, was cleared out and designated as the dedicated facility for post-apocalyptic research.

Isolating the research not only allowed scientists to focus without interruption but also ensured better control in case of emergencies.

Both inside and outside the walls, regular military personnel were stationed, paired with Superpowered individuals and ordinary soldiers.

The military prioritized efficiency. Just yesterday afternoon, Department Head Wang briefed command, and by evening, the central broadcast officially announced:

The former professor of the "Special Phenomena Management Experimental Research Base," now the nation’s only mind-evolved Super, had led his team to join the South City Base.

To the public, this made it seem as though the "Special Phenomena Management Experimental Research Base" had simply relocated to the South City Base.

No one would dare try to raid them for talent now.

At the same time, authorities called on all bases and shelters nationwide to actively assist the South City Base in researching an antidote serum for the zombie virus and combating various post-apocalyptic disasters.

Those with strength should contribute labor; those with supplies should provide resources—all to speed up the end of the apocalypse and restore normal living order.

The longer this dire situation dragged on, the worse it would be for humanity.

The South City Base had effectively become the "leading light" of human shelters nationwide, much like the S Base Jiang Nian knew from his past life.

Meanwhile, Department Head Wang also made an official announcement via broadcast:

The South City Base would always welcome survivors seeking refuge and sincerely recruit Superpowered individuals and construction personnel willing to work with the military in rebuilding humanity’s home.

Additionally, the base was buying up zombie crystal cores in bulk—20 points for ordinary zombies and 40 points for Superpower Zombies.

The prices, twice as high as other bases, clearly hinted at something fishy, yet no one dared call them out on it.

With government support, military leadership, and the backing of mind-evolved Supers, the South City Base’s actions were justified—as long as they didn’t cross any lines.

"..."

Among the series of planned measures, one is directly related to Cheng Jing:

Nan Cheng Base plans to recruit Superpowered individuals from outside to form an independent Superpowered unit serving the base, under military oversight, consolidating powerful Superpowered individuals.

The plan is for Cheng Jing and Yang Kai to take command as captain and vice-captain, respectively, leading the other members of Team 017 to oversee the operation entirely.

If many external recruits are brought in, they will need separate arrangements and cannot mix with the military like their team does.

Having Cheng Jing and Yang Kai collaborate with their teammates to take charge is the most suitable choice, whether for trust in them or their proven strength.

This way, Cheng Jing and Yang Kai’s rank will be on the same level as Zhou Li’s.