Chapter 27: The Waters Recede

After sharing her observations and suspicions with Lin Buwan, Lin’s expression grew increasingly grave. If Wei Qu hadn’t brought it up, she wouldn’t have noticed at all.

First, the tampered door lock showed very little damage—something Ji Dong could never have managed. He’d only be capable of smashing destructively, and most of the people in the building were ordinary civilians. Who could possess such deft lock-picking skills? Moreover, if someone had already entertained thoughts of breaking in and robbing, why choose this subtle method? Clearly, the person picking the lock likely had another motive, wanting to do something without alerting them.

The more she considered it, the more Lin Buwan felt a chill crawl up her spine, and fear surged within her. Thankfully, she had convinced Hua Xiao and the others to leave together; she dared not imagine what dangers they might have faced had they stayed home.

“If this place isn’t safe anymore, should we find somewhere safer to move to when we send them off tomorrow?” she suggested.

Wei Qu frowned at her words, not rushing to agree. He gazed out the window at the surging, muddy waters—now their greatest obstacle.

Moving elsewhere wasn’t impossible, but while people could leave, what about their supplies? An inflatable boat couldn’t carry both people and large amounts of provisions, making them easy targets. Without the floodwaters, a vehicle could solve the problem, but now, who knew when the water would recede, or whether they could hold out until then?

“Let’s send them off first and see how things go. They just took our supplies—so they probably won’t return anytime soon,” Wei Qu finally said after a long pause, keeping his reservations and not fully agreeing with Lin Buwan.

Nonetheless, he supported her idea with action, producing a map from somewhere and studying it with Lin Buwan to determine where supplies or weapons might be found. Naturally, they marked the homes of Pan Yunpeng and his companions first, planning to look around the area as they escorted them away.

Lin Buwan awoke drenched in sweat, unbearably hot. Her first thought was that she might have a fever, but glancing over, she saw Hua Xiao also soaked, her hair wet with sweat. Something was clearly wrong.

She roused Hua Xiao. “Hua Xiao, wake up.”

Hua Xiao, frowning in discomfort, opened her eyes after a moment. “What is it? It’s so hot.” She touched her forehead, discovered her sweat-soaked hair, and suddenly opened her eyes wide. “What’s happening? Why is it so hot?” she stared blankly at Lin Buwan, noticing she too was drenched.

Without answering, Lin Buwan rose and walked to the window, pulling open the curtains. Sunlight pierced her eyes, making her squint. Once she adjusted, she looked outside—and froze.

“The water has receded?” Hua Xiao joined her, and was equally stunned by the scene below. Yesterday, the floodwaters reached the sixth floor; now, they’d dropped to the second. So much had vanished overnight, utterly unbelievable.

“The temperature rise isn’t normal,” Lin Buwan glanced at the blazing sun, then fetched suitable clothes for herself and Hua Xiao.

Out in the living room, she found everyone awake, each with different expressions. Pan Yunpeng and his companions were delighted—the receding water meant returning home would be much easier. In contrast, Wei Qu and Yu Su, like Lin Buwan, showed no joy, only a vague worry in their eyes.

“At this rate, the water will be gone by tomorrow. You can go home on your own—you won’t need us to escort you,” Lin Buwan announced, issuing a clear eviction notice.

Pan Yunpeng and his companions’ faces stiffened, the atmosphere instantly turning cold. They hadn’t expected Lin Buwan to be so blunt; even Xu Yu, the seasoned schemer, was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a while, Wei Qu broke the awkward silence. “Once the water recedes, you won’t need us to lead the way. You know the route home better than we do, and we don’t have a car to take you.”

He wasn’t lying; the cars had been submerged for days, and it was hard to imagine they’d still work. Certainly, some might still run, but finding one would take effort—and without keys, starting them would be a major problem.

Understanding his meaning, Pan Yunpeng’s group relaxed somewhat. “Very well, then. Once the water’s gone, we’ll take our leave,” Pan Yunpeng said, nodding to Wei Qu.

Lin Buwan ignored them, heading straight to the kitchen to check their food supplies.

She laid out all the perishables, feeling a headache coming on.

“Xiao Wan, what are we going to eat in this heat?” Hua Xiao followed her in, staring at the food she’d laid out in surprise.

“We’ll eat these,” Lin Buwan replied, gesturing at the food.

“What?” Hua Xiao’s face crumpled. In such sweltering weather, she couldn’t stomach anything greasy, but this was all there was.

Lin Buwan, seeing her misery, felt helpless herself. She didn’t want to eat it either, but if they didn’t, it would spoil—a true waste.

Sweating profusely, they finished breakfast and looked downstairs; the water seemed to have receded further. Various buildings emerged from the flood, strewn with garbage and branches, the stench easy to imagine without even going down.

“We’re in trouble,” Wei Qu said, coming to her side.

Lin Buwan turned to him, question in her eyes.

“In this heat, who knows how long it will last? Never mind the food spoiling—just look at the garbage and animal carcasses below. If the authorities can mobilize quickly, it’ll be fine. But if not…”

Lin Buwan’s heart clenched, instantly understanding his point. The refuse and carcasses would rot rapidly in the high temperatures, breeding disease. If the government couldn’t act swiftly to clean and disinfect, the consequences would be dire.

“We need to start taking precautions as soon as possible, and while people haven’t caught on, we should try to find medicine,” Lin Buwan quickly realized what was most needed.

Wei Qu nodded, his previously wavering resolve now firm.

“We’ll need to find somewhere else, too,” he said, worried that the people in the building would again set their sights on them.

His concern was justified; in fact, those downstairs were already planning to control them, keeping them penned up like livestock.