Chapter 43: Encounter with the Police

When the outsiders entered, they met Lin Buwan and her companions’ eyes.

Seeing these unfamiliar faces, Lin Buwan and the others froze for a moment, then instinctively took two steps back, watching the newcomers with wariness.

Apparently, the men hadn’t expected anyone to be inside, either. The man in front paused, then his sharp gaze swept over the room, his brows knitting together in a deep frown.

Lin Buwan took note of his reaction, silently grateful for her earlier actions. This middle-aged man, though stern and unsmiling, had clear, composed eyes that suggested a decent character. Moreover, the way he looked around the room implied he was well-acquainted with it.

If that were true, he was probably a police officer, here to look for weapons or protect them. Nothing could be more natural under the circumstances.

“How did you end up here?” the man asked, unable to find any clues from the room and turning his attention to Lin Buwan and her friends.

“Why can’t we be here? If you can come, why can’t we?” Hua Xiao retorted, annoyed by the man’s tone.

She simply assumed he was, like them, scavenging for supplies, and didn’t think much further.

Lin Buwan tugged lightly at her arm, then replied to the man, “We were passing by and noticed the building was intact, so we came in to see if there were any supplies.”

“And did you find anything?” the man asked, as if making casual conversation.

“Nothing at all.” Lin Buwan shook her head, then shrugged. “By the time we got here, the place was empty. Maybe someone beat us to it.”

The man didn’t quite believe her, staring at them for a long moment.

Lin Buwan remained calm, meeting his gaze without flinching.

The atmosphere grew tense. Hua Xiao, only then sensing something was off, glanced between Lin Buwan and the man, biting her lip and hardly daring to breathe.

After what felt like an age, the man finally broke eye contact and nodded to Lin Buwan. “My name is Lu Dayong, a police officer here.”

Lin Buwan licked her lips, once again relieved at her earlier intuition.

“I’m Lin Buwan, and this is Hua Xiao.”

After a brief introduction, both sides exchanged a little information.

Lu Dayong had been on leave in his hometown before the disaster, narrowly escaping the flooding from the typhoon. He’d hurried back, only to be caught in the earthquake. He waited outside for the aftershocks to subside, then followed the crowds to the stadium. It wasn’t until the military took over that he managed to return and check on the police station.

“And your colleagues?” Lin Buwan asked, tilting her head.

When they arrived, they’d searched the whole station—there wasn’t a soul to be found, not even a trace. She’d found it odd.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind Lu Dayong. Several men appeared in the doorway.

Well, that answered that. His colleagues had arrived.

“What the hell? It’s all gone!” one of the younger men exclaimed, peering through the door and seeing the empty room.

“Someone got here first,” Lu Dayong said, glancing at Lin Buwan as he spoke.

Lin Buwan remained unfazed. They had no proof, nothing to tie the missing supplies to her.

“Damn it, who would dare steal from the police station?!”

“Hey, watch your language. There are two young ladies here.”

At that, the group finally noticed Lin Buwan and her friend.

After a brief explanation for their presence, Lu Dayong’s colleagues understood. They greeted the two women, then began discussing what to do now that the weapons were gone, right in front of them.

“They won’t suspect us, will they?” Hua Xiao whispered anxiously to Lin Buwan during the heated conversation.

Lin Buwan shook her head, choosing not to reply. In situations like this, it was better to keep quiet and avoid drawing attention.

Lu Dayong kept a discreet eye on them. Seeing that their whispered conversation yielded nothing of value, he felt a tinge of disappointment.

The discussion went nowhere, and Hua Xiao grew impatient. The men had been blocking them in the room for quite a while, wasting precious time—they still needed to search for supplies.

After some hesitation, Hua Xiao mustered her courage. “Um… could you let us through? We still need to look for anything useful elsewhere.”

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Hua Xiao, then to Lu Dayong for a decision.

Lin Buwan arched an eyebrow at the scene, realizing she’d underestimated the man—he must hold a fairly high rank.

“Sorry about that,” Lu Dayong said, seeming to snap back to himself. He stepped aside to let them pass.

As Lin Buwan and Hua Xiao were about to leave, he spoke again: “By the way, it’s not safe for two young women to go around alone. How about we team up for now?”

Lin Buwan paused, exchanged a glance with Hua Xiao, then turned to Lu Dayong and smiled. “Alright.”

Lu Dayong was briefly taken aback by Lin Buwan’s smile, doubting his own judgment for a moment.

He brought two men to accompany Lin Buwan and her friend, while the others scattered off on their own.

The five of them left the police station. Lin Buwan asked about the shops in the surrounding area. When she heard that the only useful places nearby were a convenience store and a supermarket, she was disappointed.

Before the earthquake, these would have been looted clean. Even if anything remained, the collapsed buildings would have buried everything under rubble—excavating it would be difficult and time-consuming.

“Are there any factories nearby?” Lin Buwan asked after a moment’s thought.

“There’s one,” Lu Dayong replied, glancing at her. “About five kilometers from here, there’s a sugar factory.”

“Five kilometers?” Hua Xiao exclaimed.

On foot, five kilometers would take at least half an hour, and no one knew what state the factory was in. If it was in bad shape, it might take even more time and effort to dig anything out, with no guarantee of success. Even if they found supplies, transporting them back would be another problem entirely.

Hua Xiao looked at Lin Buwan, troubled and reluctant to go.

“Let’s head in that direction. We can look for other supplies along the way. If we’re lucky, we won’t have to walk the full five kilometers. If not, then we’ll just have to go all the way,” Lin Buwan said, unwilling to give up so easily.

The mention of a sugar factory had sparked a thought. Sugar was an important strategic resource—if not for trade, then certainly for everyday life.

But five kilometers was a long way, and with Lu Dayong’s group tagging along, it would be difficult to take anything for free.

“Alright,” Hua Xiao muttered, still not happy but willing to follow Lin Buwan’s lead.

With their destination settled, the five of them set off toward the sugar factory. Along the way, they encountered others whose expressions were anything but friendly.

Lin Buwan frowned, realizing that having Lu Dayong and his men with them might not be such a bad thing after all.