Chapter 51: Mountain City

“Furthermore, we didn’t throw down a massive number of corpses, so in principle, it shouldn’t have alerted anything too terrifying. The only logical explanation is that these monsters, like us, are evolving and growing stronger with each passing day. The monsters that appear will naturally be more advanced.”

Ding Longyun said, “The main issue is the lack of people. If we only had a few more people here to watch each other’s backs, that would be great.”

Su Li asked, “Have you considered going to the Purple Wind Building?”

“Of course I have. Just as you said, the Purple Wind Building has 38 floors, and there should be many survivors there. If all those survivors are Spiritual Source Wielders like us, and we stick together, we won’t have to fear these monsters. Plus, there’s strength in numbers, and more people means more ideas. Maybe we could find a way out of this predicament. In any case, it’s definitely better than the current situation. But that almost three-kilometer water route… that’s truly a challenge.”

Su Li stated, “While there’s risk, it’s worth attempting. However, the raft is still too small. We have quite a few supplies to take. It seems we need to find a way to make the raft bigger.”

As he spoke, he was already set on the idea of traveling to the Purple Wind Building.

Although this location was temporarily habitable and their supplies were adequate, the three of them—himself, Ding Longyun, and Xu Xuehui—were simply too few. Based on the current situation, the monsters appearing could grow stronger day by day, and their numbers might continue to increase. Remaining here would only expose the three of them to ever-increasing danger.

Su Li didn’t want to die. He had a strong feeling that the best way out was to head to the Purple Wind Building, hoping for more survivors there.

While the city had many tall buildings, some even taller than the Purple Wind Building, those buildings were much farther away. The most suitable target for now was undoubtedly the Purple Wind Building.

“You have a point… Oh well, let’s talk about it tomorrow. Time to sleep…” Ding Longyun trailed off, already beginning to snore, having fallen asleep.

Su Li envied Ding Longyun’s ability to fall asleep instantly, while he found it difficult to drift off.

He rolled over and saw Xu Xuehui lying on her side on the adjacent bed, her eyes wide open and staring at him. He gently whispered, “What are you thinking about, little girl? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Hearing him, Xu Xuehui instantly squeezed her eyes shut.

Su Li smiled. He felt that this girl was certainly very obedient to him.

Listening to Ding Longyun’s snoring and the faint, intermittent howls of some unknown monster, Su Li lay in bed, unable to sleep. His mind was churning. Only three days had passed since he woke up on the morning of the 15th and discovered the city was submerged, yet so much had happened in those three days.

He had gone from being an ordinary person to a Spiritual Source Wielder with thousand-jin strength, encountering various strange creatures: Corpse Beasts, the One-Eyed Frog, the Marine Iguana Monitor, and the Tyrant Crab, which was larger than a round table.

His city was submerged, but what about the others? The terrain of major cities varied; perhaps some cities on higher ground weren’t flooded. And mountains and plateaus should also be safe. But why, after three days, had no rescuers appeared? What had happened to his family and friends?

Su Li had too many unanswered questions. For instance, in this 32-story building, even though the floors below 30 were submerged, three floors were still above water, containing many units. Why were there only four survivors, including Ding Longyun? Where did everyone else go?

Had those people mysteriously disappeared, or was there another reason? Why was the furniture in some units covered in dust, making them look like no one had lived there for a long time? Why was all of this happening?

Just as they were evolving, these monsters were also constantly evolving and growing stronger, and their numbers were increasing. The environment they faced was becoming increasingly dangerous. What was the situation like at the Purple Wind Building, which had eight floors above the water? Were there many survivors there? Would it be safe? Could they safely cross the three-kilometer water route and arrive at the Purple Wind Building unharmed?

There were quite a few buildings over 30 stories tall in the city. Based on that estimate, the number of survivors like them shouldn’t be small. What was their situation like now? Were they similar to them? Or had their circumstances changed in other ways?

If there were unflooded cities, which ones were they, and how could they get there?

Su Li thought of Chong’an City, famously known as the Mountain City, which was built almost entirely on hills and had extremely high terrain. Given the current water level, had Chong’an City escaped the flood?

If Chong’an City really hadn’t been submerged, it would certainly be sending out boats or planes to rescue the surrounding flooded cities.

However, Su Li remembered that Chong’an City was over 1,000 kilometers away from his city, Nanjiang. Waiting for rescue from Chong’an City would likely take far too long.

Besides the famous Mountain City of Chong’an, the only other place Su Li could think of was the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of over 4,000 meters. It should definitely not be flooded, but the distance was even greater.

Of course, all of this was just speculation on Su Li’s part. He didn’t know the specifics.

Su Li lay in bed, eyes closed, his mind wandering. After an unknown amount of time, he finally fell asleep.

He was awakened by Xu Xuehui.

His first instinct upon waking was to reach for the iron rod beside the bed. He only opened his eyes after gripping the rod, and then he relaxed his hand because he saw Xu Xuehui’s face, not a monster. There was no danger.

“Is Su Li awake? Kid, tell him to get up quickly. Breakfast is ready.” Ding Longyun’s voice boomed from the next room.

Su Li finally sat up in bed. He saw Xu Xuehui standing by his bed. He scratched his head and asked, “Was I sleeping that heavily?”

Xu Xuehui nodded at him.

Ding Longyun walked in through the doorway and chuckled, “You were tired last night. It’s normal to sleep heavily. That’s why the girl and I were quiet when we got up, so we wouldn’t wake you. Breakfast is ready. Get up quickly.”

Su Li smiled awkwardly and hurried to get out of bed. “Is Brother Ding making breakfast again? I really feel bad about that. I’ll help you next time.”

Ding Longyun replied, “Sounds good. You can cook lunch then.”

Su Li stammered. He realized he only knew how to make instant noodles and couldn’t actually cook rice. He quickly changed the subject: “How are your injuries?” Seeing Ding Longyun’s rosy complexion, he figured he must be almost fully recovered.

Ding Longyun slapped his chest. “I’m fine now. I told you, after absorbing those Spiritual Sources and getting a night’s sleep, I’d be okay.”

“That’s good.” Su Li breathed a sigh of relief, glad he had successfully changed the topic.

(End of Chapter)