Chapter 98: Water Purifier

“Please, all of you, help me. If you can save Zhang Ying, I will do anything—”

Su Li helped him up. “Get up. Actually, we’re not just helping you; we’re helping ourselves.”

Xu Haishui looked up, excited. His forehead was red and swollen from slamming it on the ground. Hearing Su Li’s words, he paused, then understood his meaning.

Su Li had killed so many people from the Purple Wind Building. Now, even Chen Xiangyu, one of their five leaders, was dead here. The people of the Purple Wind Building, knowing this, would surely not let Su Li and Xu Haishui get away with it.

“Did anyone else know you came here?” Su Li asked.

“Yes. Yesterday, I was hunting monsters with Chen Xiangyu and Li Wei. When we got back in the evening, Ni Jianrong found us and told us what happened here. However, he didn’t mention the young woman [Gong Xiao], only that there were the two of you and a little girl. Since it was getting dark, they decided to set off early this morning to seek revenge. Li Wei had other business, so Chen Xiangyu brought the four of us. So, Li Wei knows that Chen Xiangyu brought us here.”

Li Wei was one of the five leaders of the Purple Wind Building, holding a position similar to Chen Xiangyu’s.

“That’s going to be troublesome,” Su Li said slowly. “If Chen Xiangyu doesn’t return today, Li Wei will know he ran into trouble here.”

Xu Haishui nodded. “Yes. If we don’t return by evening, it’s likely they’ll assume something went wrong. Li Wei and Chen Xiangyu are on good terms. He probably won’t come tonight, as the water is too dangerous in the dark, but he will certainly check the situation first thing tomorrow morning.”

“We don’t need to fear just one Li Wei. His strength is similar to Chen Xiangyu’s. The problem is if the other guys come too. That’s when things get complicated,” Xu Haishui knew Su Li was formidable and that Chen Xiangyu was no match for him, so Li Wei was likely no better. The fear was if other leaders joined Li Wei.

Su Li nodded. “I understand. Come help me throw these bodies down.”

As he spoke, he lifted Chen Xiangyu’s corpse and threw it straight over the edge of the roof.

Xu Haishui followed suit, although he didn’t know Su Li’s exact intention. He helped throw the corpses of Ni Jianrong and the tattooed man over the edge.

Gong Xiao picked up the tattooed man’s bayonet. Weapons were scarce, and the bayonet was far superior to her baseball bat.

As the three corpses were thrown down, the water below quickly reacted. Three low-level Corpse Beasts and one Advanced Corpse Beast climbed up.

Su Li had lured them out for Ding Longyun’s sake.

Killing one Advanced Corpse Beast and two Low-Level Corpse Beasts yielded Ding Longyun one effective Spiritual Source. The wound on his chest immediately began healing at an astonishing speed. Although his ribs were broken, it wouldn’t take long for him to recover fully.

Su Li also killed one of the Low-Level Corpse Beasts and absorbed the Spiritual Source. He felt the pain in his right hand starting to subside.

He had used full strength to continuously strike Chen Xiangyu’s face, and the force was so immense that his right hand had also been injured. Now, after absorbing a Spiritual Source, his recovery began.

“It’s strange. Throwing three human corpses only lured out a few Corpse Beasts, and only one was an Advanced one.” Su Li looked down at the water, frowning slightly.

Since the incident with the Corpse Mother and the Nightmare Beast, the monsters around the building had become mysteriously scarce. Today, this was even more apparent.

Xu Haishui suddenly asked, “Did you kill a very powerful monster?”

“Hmm? Why do you ask?” Su Li turned to look at him.

Xu Haishui explained, “Based on the experience we’ve gathered over the past few days, a powerful monster is usually hidden beneath every large building. Other monsters gradually gather and cling to it. These submerged buildings become monster nests. If the powerful monster is killed, the monsters around the building slowly disperse and go find a new nest. It may take a while for another powerful monster to be born there, and only then will the area return to normal.”

“Is that really true?” Ding Longyun was astonished.

Su Li had already suspected this. Hearing Xu Haishui’s confirmation, he nodded slightly. If Xu Haishui was right, things were complicated. The monsters around them were getting scarcer, making it difficult for him to advance to Level 5.

“Yes. I experienced this once when I was with Chen Xiangyu. It was a 30-story building. Only one floor was above water, but a very powerful monster was hiding below. The monster was huge, covered in skin and bones, but its belly was grotesquely swollen, like a mythical hungry ghost. After we teamed up to kill it, we cut open its swollen belly out of curiosity. We found a strange machine in its stomach. The machine was partially corroded by stomach acid, but most of it was intact. The hungry-ghost-like monster must have found it somewhere underwater and swallowed it whole.”

“Although we didn’t know what the machine was, we felt it might be useful, so we took it back. Later, there was a man in the Purple Wind Building named Yan Fang, an engineer. He recognized the machine. He said it was a water purifier. Even though it was corroded, after he modified it, it became what he calls a magnetic water purifier. It works by using several large magnets and coils of copper wire. It can convert even the dirtiest water into clean drinking water. He said it can continue to function as long as we periodically replace the magnets. He’s still working on inventions, apparently trying to build a solar water purifier. That guy is truly a talent.”

“A water purifier that can clean water?” Su Li and Gong Xiao looked at each other, realizing the machine’s importance. With that machine, they would have a continuous supply of clean drinking water.

“The machine is important, but the most important thing is Yan Fang. As long as he’s around, he can create more important machines. However, Li Wei and the others are shortsighted; they don’t value him. They only use violence to drive him. I could tell Yan Fang was angry but dared not speak up. I believe we should try to win him over. If we want to survive in the future, that man is vital.”

Xu Haishui was now speaking eloquently, his eyes shining. He no longer resembled the cowardly, timid man he was before.

Su Li watched him silently. He realized that Xu Haishui might be timid and somewhat weak-willed, but he was certainly not stupid. He had a long-term vision and knew how to make smart choices.

This guy might actually be a talent in his own right.

(End of Chapter)