Chapter 134: Mysterious Island

Gong Xiao continued, “We women should not resign ourselves to being dependent on men to survive. We can be independent. We are not anyone’s accessories.”

Xu Xuehui listened intently, nodding repeatedly, supporting her Older Sister Gong Xiao’s statements with her actions, and incidentally, cracking a few more sunflower seeds.

Su Li smiled. He offered no comment on Gong Xiao’s proposition. “I see. We’ll discuss it later.”

After lunch, the clear sky gradually clouded over, and the sun was obscured by dark clouds.

“It looks like the weather is turning. Are we still going this afternoon?” Ding Longyun looked at the sky and asked Su Li’s opinion.

Su Li replied, “Let’s wait and see. It looks like it’s going to rain.”

Gong Xiao subtly raised her eyebrows. “The city is already submerged. If it rains now, the water level will rise even higher.”

Su Li sighed. “I hope it doesn’t rain.”

Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed. Soon, the sky was completely filled with dark clouds. The lighting dimmed entirely, and soon, lightning flashed, followed by thunder.

Heads popped up in the corridors and at the windows on all eight exposed floors of the Purple Wind Building, peering outside.

Since the city was submerged on the 15th, the weather had been sunny until today. This was the first time the weather had changed.

Su Li, Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, and Xu Xuehui also stood in the corridor, watching. Qi Mengyu and Zhong Rongrong silently stood by them.

Su Li was already convinced that Ding Longyun and Zhong Rongrong were romantically involved. They had eaten lunch together, exchanging flirtatious glances. Anyone with eyes could tell their relationship was more than platonic.

This guy is fast, and his taste is certainly… robust.

Su Li thought silently, looking at the dark sky. He guessed the impending rain would be heavy.

After about five or six minutes, the rain finally began to fall.

The rain was heavy. In an instant, a million ripples spread across the distant water surface. The world was obscured by a sheet of white rain. Many people quickly closed their windows, then admired the view from behind the glass.

“What heavy rain. This sight is truly rare,” Ding Longyun suddenly quietly exhaled.

They were standing in the corridor of the 38th floor. Looking down from their elevated position, they could see the boundless water. In the pouring rain, they could make out blurry dark shapes in the distance—the exposed buildings—now bathed in the downpour. A faint mist rose from the distant water surface.

From their vantage point, the rain was majestic and the scene magnificent.

Gong Xiao said, “This rain is heavy. The water level will probably rise significantly.”

Ding Longyun chuckled. “Look down. It seems those monsters can’t stay put either. They are all surfacing now.”

Su Li also saw it. The water surface began to stir the moment the rain started. Corpse Beasts surfaced, stretching their necks as if welcoming the baptism of the rain.

At first, they only saw one or two. Soon, more and more Corpse Beasts surfaced. The water below churned with hidden currents, and besides the Corpse Beasts, other monsters also emerged.

These monsters were large and small, some Su Li recognized, and some he had never seen before. They all surfaced, looking excited, raising their heads to the rain as if in celebration.

This was an unprecedented sight. All 32 people across the eight floors of the Purple Wind Building were utterly stunned.

They couldn’t quantify how many monsters were on the water’s surface. Looking from near to far, dark shadows surged. The sheer number was unimaginable.

The city hadn’t been flooded for long, yet how could there be so many monsters in the water?

“Oh my God—”

“The sheer number is terrifying…”

“If they all charged, they could submerge the Purple Wind Building.”

“What if these monsters charge toward us?”

Amidst the chorus of shocked exclamations, the various monsters, which seemed to be reveling, suddenly began to gather toward specific points.

And the points they gathered at were all buildings exposed above the water.

The Purple Wind Building was their primary target.

Everyone’s face changed at the sight.

“Whose damn idea was it to jinx us by saying those monsters were charging toward us?” A thickset, dark-skinned man on the 33rd floor, where seven people were gathered, cursed loudly.

The six people on the 31st floor were closest to the water. Seeing the massive number of monsters gathering around the Purple Wind Building, they immediately realized the danger. They saw the dense black horde of monsters below and instantly rushed toward the stairs.

“Quick, go upstairs!”

If those monsters truly charged into the Purple Wind Building, they would be the first victims. They dared not remain on the 31st floor.

On the top floor, the 38th, Su Li, Ding Longyun, and Gong Xiao witnessed the shocking development. Their faces paled.

“Go downstairs quickly.” Su Li’s body blurred. He was the first to charge down the stairs.

Gong Xiao followed closely behind him.

Ding Longyun was about to follow but suddenly remembered something. He quickly turned to Zhong Rongrong and Qi Mengyu. “You two, hide in the rooms.”

Zhong Rongrong and Qi Mengyu were in a panic. Seeing the swarm of monsters surging toward the Purple Wind Building, they were terrified. They were ordinary people. They didn’t dare to charge downstairs with the others, but they were also reluctant to hide in the rooms. They remained in the corridor, peering out the windows.

“Su Li, what if this many monsters really charges us? Do we have a chance of winning?” Ding Longyun asked anxiously.

Su Li, still descending the stairs, said in a deep voice, “Even if their numbers are great, most of them are low-level. They’re nothing to fear. Did you forget your ‘Air Missile’?”

Ding Longyun’s eyes lit up. “How could I forget that? My ‘Air Missile’ is perfect for dealing with monsters clustered together like this.”

“Don’t use it rashly yet. I feel the monsters’ behavior is unusual. Let’s see the situation clearly before we strike.” Su Li reached the 34th floor, where many people had gathered, including those who had fled the lower three floors.

They all looked at Su Li and Ding Longyun with nervous anticipation.

After all, these were the ruthless men who had killed Tao Bingjun’s group last night. But facing this dense, dark horde of monsters, how many could even the strongest person kill?

The thought caused expressions of despair to surface on their faces again.

“Brother Su.” Xu Haishui also came forward, looking a little tense.

Su Li nodded at him, then looked outside.

“Something still seems wrong. They’re only gathering around the building; they’re not charging us.” Ding Longyun, who was mentally calculating where to launch his Air Missile, observed. He noticed that the countless monsters were simply floating around the building, but none were climbing the stairs or the exterior wall.

“Their target doesn’t seem to be us,” Gong Xiao suddenly commented.

Su Li nodded. “You’re right. I don’t know why they’re suddenly gathering around us, but they’re not targeting us, at least for now.”

The tense, panicked atmosphere slightly eased.

Many people poked their heads out, looking around. Indeed, the countless monsters below were only gathered there. None were climbing the wall or the stairs to attack.

“Such a big island—” Xu Xuehui suddenly cried out.

“A big island?” Ding Longyun looked at Xu Xuehui in confusion.

“An island that floats.” Xu Xuehui gestured with her hands, trying to explain to the crowd. But the more she explained, the more confused they became.

Su Li frowned slightly, looking into the distance.

The heavy rain, driven by the strong wind, intensified. The unusual behavior of the monsters below made everyone realize something major was happening, though no one knew exactly what it was.

A feeling of heavy oppression and tension filled everyone’s hearts.

Finally, through the wind and rain, Su Li spotted a blurry dark shadow on the water’s surface in the distance.

The shadow was huge and slowly growing clearer.

Everyone gathered in the corridor or at the windows also noticed it.

“What is that?”

“Look! That dark shadow seems to be moving?”

“Oh my god, that really looks like an island—”

Amidst the chorus of shocked gasps, Su Li’s expression grew serious. Ding Longyun opened his mouth and muttered, “Damn it… What the hell is that thing?”

At that moment, everyone finally saw it clearly. In the pouring rain, a small island, floating slowly from the distance, was truly appearing. They could even make out gray-black rocks exposed on its surface. It was floating on the water, about the size of a standard soccer field.

Could it be that the swarm of monsters, previously excited by the rain, suddenly scattered because of this floating island?

“Did the flood somehow wash away a section of mountain rock? And it’s been slowly drifting here all this time?” Xu Haishui mused, offering his guess.

Ding Longyun glanced at him. “Do mountain rocks in your home float on water?”

Xu Haishui defended himself. “That’s hard to say. Some rocks, due to their unique composition and pockets of gas, aren’t very dense. They can indeed float on water.”

The sound of speculation grew louder. Everyone was guessing the nature of the rocky island that was floating toward them.

Gong Xiao frowned. “If it’s just a floating rock island, why would it scare those monsters off?”

(End of Chapter)