Chapter 75: So You’re the Only One Who Knows How to Investigate

Fortunately, she had kept a low profile at the time; judging by his demeanor, he had no recollection of her. That was just as well.

Returning with a basketful of vegetables, Jiang Huan was nearly mobbed upon arrival. The entire Sixth Building erupted into excited cries. While others were still struggling for a decent meal, all they needed was to behave, live harmoniously, and rely on themselves without fighting—there was guaranteed food for them. Moreover, their "building master," Jiang Huan, was truly capable!

Fresh vegetables were unheard of, yet she brought back an entire basket. Liu Ling and the others crowded around, inhaling deeply at the basket's edge. Jiang Huan selected a few of each kind; the rest she split in two—half to sell to other residents, and half for the Sixth Building to enjoy.

Dividing the vegetables was tricky, but everyone was used to communal hotpot meals, so they simply decided to feast together that evening. Jiang Huan excused herself; she needed to forge weapons from her stock of steel. She went upstairs to show Jiang Xi how to use the whistle needle—two hundred steel needles in all. She took one to replicate, and soon the metal duplicator produced identical copies. The arrowheads she had refined could be duplicated as well; she spent more than three hours on this task.

Between tasks, she would occasionally gaze into the distance, finding the work not too exhausting. For dinner, she didn’t join the lively crowd, but curiosity about the vegetables compelled her to sample them raw. She found each one delicious; clearly, aside from their geothermal prowess, they were skilled at cultivating plants.

Jiang Xi was quite taken with the vegetables that night, praising their fragrance. Jiang Huan ate plenty herself; whether it was psychological or not, they seemed even fresher and more flavorful than those from the market—the aroma was richer.

The following day, street sweeping continued. Due to her exchanges, Jiang Huan had grown more familiar with her teammates—aside from those with too many schemes, most were ordinary survivors, neither particularly kind nor malicious, but straightforward in trade.

Today, someone tried to pass off counterfeit goods again. Jiang Huan recognized the repeat offender and sighed, "You do this every time. It’s truly disappointing. Next time, I won't even bother trading with you."

The others hadn't thought the fake goods concerned them, but hearing Jiang Huan's words, they quickly spoke up in reproach, sparing her the trouble of arguing.

After another ten days of sweeping, someone fell ill, and several strangers were brought in from the base. Jiang Huan wouldn’t have cared, but before lunch, Captain Lei inexplicably made her sit across from him to eat.

She wasn't foolish—such oddities signaled trouble. After sitting, she discreetly observed the newcomers. Two of them kept glancing at her.

"Are they from the base?"

"Yes. Keep it low-key. Recently, someone reported you for taking extra meals, though it wasn’t believed. Then you traded contribution points for gold and silver, and someone claimed you acquired pharmaceutical stock. Now more eyes are on you."

Jiang Huan thought, staying low-key brought few opportunities, while being conspicuous attracted attention. She resolved not to be stingy anymore.

Fed up with those always coveting others’ possessions, she boldly took several sausages from her bag and handed some to Captain Lei, pairing her meal openly with red sausage.

She even discussed grain exchanges in front of those newcomers. Now, instead of furtive glances, they approached openly, asking if she would trade medicine for ten pounds of gold if they had it. Jiang Huan gave them a half-smile. "Bring it, and we’ll see. But I don’t accept counterfeits."

The two exchanged looks and, upon returning, reported the incident to Chen Lin.

Previously, Chen Lin had lost his car and face during an outing, and his father had grounded him. Hearing of such a person piqued his interest; he rushed to his father, insisting he wanted to join the street sweepers and find some supplies.

"Don’t cause trouble again. You’re not allowed out," his father replied, doubting him. Last time, Chen Lin had nearly died, recklessly trying to seize others’ belongings.

"Father, we’ve got her details this time. What’s there to fear? The authorities want the goods—would she dare refuse?"

"No. Anyone bold enough to act like her must have leverage. Even if you covet the pharmaceuticals, you must investigate thoroughly first."

Seeing his father relent, Chen Lin asked for two days to investigate Jiang Huan.

Since the street sweeps required names, he soon had hers, along with her address and family info. He also discovered something else: Jiang Huan had donated a ton of food to the base’s security department and was acquainted with Security Captain Guan. It was said she had a building’s worth of personnel and supplies, though not as much as Chen Lin had imagined.

"She’s got guns and people. Her supplies only fill half a room and are mostly food. It’s not wise to attack or demand by force—everyone’s sweeping streets now, clearly aiming to restore social order. If we act rashly at this juncture..."

The other base members would likely seize the chance to criticize his father.

More importantly, there was no certainty she held large stocks of Western medicine; he only learned she had recently recruited two traditional doctors.

"Then target her associates and try to glean some inside information."

"The people in her building are tight-lipped and highly vigilant. I suspect Jiang Huan already knows she’s being investigated. I wouldn't recommend moving against her now—let’s see how the street sweeps progress."

Chen Lin fumed. That mysterious RV had already embarrassed him once—and he couldn’t even trace its existence! Now he had found someone whose information was all out in the open, yet he was still powerless!

"Just keep watching. If her building keeps quiet, perhaps another will slip up."

"Alright, I’ll arrange it."

Star City Community.

Of course, Jiang Huan was aware she was being investigated. She wasn’t passive; after learning Chen Lin’s name from Captain Lei, she contacted Captain Guan and began counter-investigating Chen Lin.

Ha—he thinks he’s the only one who can dig?

After some effort, she learned that although Chen Lin was grounded, his trusted aides still ventured out occasionally, so she kept an eye out for them.

After finishing the street sweep one day and tallying contribution points, Jiang Huan boarded the community vehicle with everyone else. She spotted a car passing by; the fool in the passenger seat, window down despite the cold, was none other than Chen Lin.

Jiang Huan clenched her fist, remembering something she hadn’t bought, and promptly got off, telling everyone to go ahead. Jiang Xi wanted to follow, but she refused him.

He removed the whistle, saying, "I’ll be fine at home."

Jiang Huan replied she didn’t need it, handed it back, and watched the community vehicle drive away. She immediately released a snowmobile, following the tire tracks of the earlier car.

The snowmobile was too loud, so after a while, she switched to a snow bike. When she noticed activity under the night sky, she abandoned the bike and approached on foot, quietly closing in.

(End of chapter)