Chapter 61: Corpses, Flower, and Treasure

Su Li looked at her face, his heart trembling slightly. He knew Xu Xuehui had enhanced her eyes and that they possessed special properties. Had she seen something?

But what was this “flower” she mentioned, and why did she look so afraid?

“Xuehui, are you saying there’s a flower under the water? What kind of flower?”

“Corpses… so many corpses…” Xu Xuehui murmured, as if mesmerized. Her eyes faintly glowed with a sheen.

Su Li frowned slightly. “So many corpses…”

At this moment, Gong Xiao also noticed Xu Xuehui’s unusual state and involuntarily moved closer to Su Li, asking in a low voice, “What’s wrong with her?”

Su Li whispered, “Xuehui enhanced her eyes. She can see things that we can’t. She must have sensed something wrong under the water. Seeing many corpses is normal, but what about this ‘flower’? Is she referring to the flowers in the community’s flower beds?”

Many residential areas have good landscaping, so flowers wouldn’t be surprising. Yet, the way Xu Xuehui brought it up made him feel there was more to it.

The great flood had killed an unknown number of people. Su Li was not surprised that Xu Xuehui saw many bodies under the water.

Gong Xiao quietly acknowledged this and said nothing more, simply looking at Xu Xuehui and then at the water surface.

The water was murky. They could occasionally see floating debris: plastic bags, dead branches, fallen leaves, washbasins, or shoes and socks.

“A very large… flower. And a treasure. A very important treasure. Must get it.”

As Xu Xuehui said this, she suddenly shuddered, snapping out of her trance-like state. Her delicate face was chalk-white, faintly covered in cold sweat, as if waking from a nightmare.

A wave of pity rose in Su Li’s heart. He reached out and gently squeezed her slender shoulder, asking, “Did you just see something scary? What are the flower and the treasure you mentioned?”

Xu Xuehui looked confused. “I can’t see it now… I just feel there is something very important down there. Something we must get.”

“Something very important?” Su Li quietly repeated, staring down at the murky water. An urge surged within him to dive down and find out.

He recalled last night on the roof, when the three of them were preparing to hunt monsters.

A group of low-level Corpse Beasts was climbing up, and Xu Xuehui suddenly warned him about “a third hand.” At the time, neither Su Li nor Ding Longyun understood what she meant until an Advanced Corpse Beast climbed onto the roof, its chest split open, and a third arm extended from inside. Only then did they understand Xu Xuehui’s warning.

The ability Xu Xuehui demonstrated was unique, as the Advanced Corpse Beast hadn’t even appeared yet, hadn’t surfaced, and certainly hadn’t revealed its third arm when she first spoke of it.

Now, Xu Xuehui was suddenly talking about corpses, a flower, and a treasure. Could it be that she was again seeing some kind of mysterious thing in advance? Corpses and flowers aside, the mention of a “treasure” was intriguing to Su Li, and the fact that she repeated that they must get it suggested this mysterious item was extremely important.

Gong Xiao saw Su Li deep in thought and said, “You aren’t actually thinking of going down there to see, are you?”

Su Li admitted, “I am.”

Gong Xiao took a deep breath. “That’s very dangerous. Who knows how many monsters are hiding in that water? The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. You have quite the nerve…”

She paused before adding, “It seems your evolutionary level must be quite high, or you wouldn’t have that kind of courage.”

Su Li smiled faintly. “I’m only Level 3. I wouldn’t call that high; I’m one level below Brother Ding. What about you? What level are you?”

He judged Gong Xiao by her extraordinary temperament and the fact that she dared to come here alone in a kayak, assuming her skills were formidable.

Gong Xiao’s eyes lit up. “That Brother Ding has actually reached Level 4? He’s truly amazing. I’m only Level 3, the same as you. No wonder you’re so brave to talk about diving down. With a Level 4 Spiritual Source Wielder nearby, maybe it truly is worth a try.”

Only a few days had passed since the city was flooded. The higher their evolutionary level, the more monsters they had killed. Ding Longyun’s achievement of becoming a Level 4 Spiritual Source Wielder meant his strength and methods were truly extraordinary.

Gong Xiao considered herself strong, but she had only just advanced to a Level 3 Spiritual Source Wielder. Hearing that Ding Longyun was already Level 4, she was genuinely impressed.

Although she was inherently aloof and thought highly of herself, she deeply admired strength and people who were superior and more capable than she was.

She had initially held a low opinion of Ding Longyun, finding him loud and crass, a man nearly 40 years old who lacked composure. Now that she knew he was a Level 4 Spiritual Source Wielder, her impression of him changed completely.

Su Li listened to Gong Xiao’s admiration for Ding Longyun, smiled, and played along. “Yes, we can ask Brother Ding what he thinks. In fact, for a girl to advance to Level 3 in such a short time, you’re also very capable.”

Gong Xiao slightly lifted an eyebrow, her tone half-serious and half-joking: “Are you looking down on girls? You sound a bit chauvinistic.”

Su Li shook his head. “I don’t mean that. It’s just a fact that most women are naturally physically weaker than men. I’m merely stating a fact; I’m not looking down on women.”

Gong Xiao simply grunted. “You’re looking down on us deep down. I’d like to point out that some women are not necessarily inferior to men.”

Su Li smiled and didn’t argue further, knowing it was fruitless to argue with a woman.

Just then, Ding Longyun’s voice called down from the 32nd floor: “Food’s ready! Hurry up and come eat.”

“Coming!” Su Li looked up and saw Ding Longyun’s head poking out of the window above, looking down at them.

When the three went upstairs, they found that Ding Longyun had already set up the table and chairs, even finding a disposable tablecloth to spread on the table.

Gong Xiao’s eyes lit up when she saw the food arranged on the table.

Sliced salted duck eggs, chicken feet, braised duck legs, sausage, dried tofu, egg drop soup, and steaming white rice filled the table. Although much of it was vacuum-packed food, prepared by Ding Longyun, the meal was visually appealing, fragrant, and highly tempting.

Gong Xiao hadn’t eaten a hot meal in three or four days. She had relied solely on dry instant noodles and bread for sustenance. The spread before her now completely broke her resistance.

“Brother Ding, you are truly amazing,” Gong Xiao exclaimed. She was surprised that Ding Longyun, who looked so boisterous and even showed signs of going bald—a standard image of an aging, somewhat uncouth man—was not only the strongest among them, having reached Level 4, but also possessed such excellent cooking skills.

(End of Chapter)