Chapter 24: Entangled in an Extortion

"There is a military doctor here; let her examine the child directly. If necessary, we can send him to the hospital afterward."

Lu Li nodded in agreement. It was certainly best if she didn't have to go to the hospital.

The boy in Lin Buyan's arms suddenly began to struggle. He made whimpering sounds, pushing the man away with his arms and arching his back. Lu Li hurried forward to support him and took the child into her arms.

A doctor in a white coat approached and led them into a makeshift tent.

"This space is prepared for emergencies and also serves as an infirmary where simple examinations can be performed."

Lu Li placed the child on the bed. The doctor scanned the boy with his equipment, and after checking the results, he immediately shooed them out.

He waved his hand dismissively. "I thought it was something major. The child is just suffering from severe malnutrition; there's nothing seriously wrong with him. He's just sleeping now."

Embarrassed, Lu Li rubbed her nose and stiffly changed the subject.

"I heard the Safe Zone has a bounty on wild boars. I caught one. Can I exchange it for 100,000 contribution points?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Buyan immediately perked up, his previously drooping eyelids snapping open.

"How heavy is it? Have you measured its contamination level?"

Lu Li hurried to open her backpack, but as the moment arrived, she grew timid.

"Does the Safe Zone have restrictions on the type of wild boar?"

Watching Lu Li rummage through her bag, Lin Buyan's disappointment was visible.

"No restrictions. Meat products are extremely scarce within the Safe Zone, and most live wild boars caught in the wild are used for breeding. Is this a small boar? Where did you catch it? Did you encounter any large ones?"

Lu Li shrank back, pulling her head into her shoulders, and paused the motion of handing over the wicker basket.

"Is it okay if the 'wild boar' I caught is a relative of one?"

Lin Buyan didn't reach for the basket, instead looking at Lu Li’s white-knuckled grip.

Since the question was already out, Lu Li gave up on stalling.

Lin Buyan pried open the tightly sealed wicker basket, and through the gap, he saw a dark gray capybara inside.

"Are you trying to scam me without even preparing a cover story? Doesn't the Safe Zone require quality inspection for contribution point exchanges?"

Seeing the man's increasingly dangerous expression, Lu Li quickly waved her hands and pulled out the long quills she had collected, holding them out before his eyes.

"A porcupine! A porcupine! It has 'pig' in the name!"

"Keep the 'pig' for now. I'll ask around to see if the breeding department wants it. Anyone can see this is a relative of a rodent; it certainly doesn't count as a wild boar."

"Pack your things up. I'll take you to get your supplies in the Safe Zone, and then you can join the first group of awakened ones heading to the temporary housing. Keep the child with you for now; we are still investigating his identity."

Lin Buyan kept walking, and Lu Li followed, feeling dazed.

A wave of someone with long, wavy hair and a faint, pleasant fragrance brushed past her nose. Suddenly, she was struck hard in the shoulder. Lu Li didn't budge an inch, and she turned around.

A woman who looked completely out of place, dressed in the latest protective gear and looking clean and polished, was clutching her shoulder and wailing.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you so hard!"

The scene of Lu Li stumbling and falling, as the woman had anticipated, never happened, which infuriated her.

She wiped the shoulder that had collided with Lu Li using a perfumed handkerchief, waved her hand in disgust as if she had touched something filthy, and looked at Lin Buyan, snapping, "What kind of trash is this? How can you let such garbage into the Safe Zone? Smell that sour, foul odor. How could someone like this pass a health check?"

Lu Li, who had been worried about being extorted, heard that she supposedly smelled foul and hurriedly raised her hand to sniff at herself. Her movements were so rushed that her large hood slipped, revealing her pale face.

After the apocalypse, various toxins had permeated the air, and people's skin quality had worsened, with their complexions growing darker. The tan woman looked at Lu Li's skin, which seemed to glow with a pale light, and was consumed by jealousy.

"Are you interested in her? How could a normal person be this pale? Especially a refugee—how could she possibly have such perfect skin! This is obviously a mutation from some dangerous biological infection!"

Although it wasn't entirely true, Lu Li was inwardly panicked at being discovered, though she forced herself to remain calm on the surface. The onlookers assumed she was an innocent person who had just arrived and was being bullied by an unreasonable socialite, and they felt a silent sympathy for her.

"Why are you acting so pitiful? You used this vixen act to seduce Brother Lin, didn't you! After you tricked someone into escorting you to the Safe Zone, you couldn't stand the loneliness, so now you're changing targets and trying to seduce my Brother Lin, right?"

The woman jabbed her finger into the air, spittle flying, her fingertip nearly poking into Lu Li's skin.

Hearing that the woman's outburst was because of Lin Buyan and not because she had truly discovered her secret, Lu Li felt a wave of relief. However, fearing the woman might say something else that would arouse further suspicion, Lu Li lowered her head and stepped back.

She could kill ten people like her with one punch, but having just obtained human status, she didn't want to cause trouble in human territory.

"Are you feeling guilty now!"

Hearing this, Lu Li snapped her head up. She had already stepped back, yet the woman was still coming at her.

"Stop it! What are you doing!" Lin Buyan interrupted her cursing and stepped in front of Lu Li.

"You're still protecting her! She really has her ways—she's already got you wrapped around her finger in such a short time!"

"Stop this nonsense. We have no relationship; this is just work!"

"Work! If it's just work, why aren't you looking after anyone else, only guarding her! Don't tell me there's nothing going on between you two. Lin Buyan, do you think that just because you were transferred to field operations, I can't do anything to you? Don't forget, my uncle is in charge of the entire military force of the Qingshan Safe Zone."

Hearing that she had such a powerful background, Lu Li curiously poked her head out—she hadn't even gotten a good look at her face yet!

As she emerged, her gaze met the woman’s.

Looking into the woman's fiery eyes, Lu Li's breathing hitched, and she hurriedly waved her hands.

"What? Too scared to even talk, just hiding behind a man and acting pitiful, waiting for your subjects to stand up for you?"

"This probably isn't some bastard child you had with some man whose name you can't even remember, is it? Let me guess, you're going to tell everyone he's your brother!"

As she spoke, she reached out to grab the child. Lu Li clutched him and quickly turned to dodge.

The woman's fingers brushed against the boy's soft hair. Seeing the boy's face and grabbing at nothing but air, her expression faltered for a moment.

Lin Buyan quickly grabbed the woman, shouting, "She is a mute that Lin Yan saved, and that child is someone she found. I am just following protocol by showing them the way!"

The woman's sharp, piercing mockery came to an abrupt halt. She forced a smile and turned the man around to face her. "Are you sure there's nothing between you two?"

The woman had completely changed from her relentless stance, and Lin Buyan, caught off guard, stared at her blankly.

"Yes."

"Do you know them?"

"No."

The woman took the man's hand, pushed him into the car, and smiled gently. "I believe you. Let's go. I'll take you to eat."

Lin Buyan was still dazed as he entered the car, and before he could say a word to Lu Li, the vehicle drove away.

The incident ended so abruptly that Lu Li stood in place, choking on a mouthful of exhaust fumes.

Inside the car, the woman looked into the rearview mirror, her expression cold. "My uncle has been feeling unwell lately. If you run into any trouble you can't solve, just come directly to me."