Chapter 196: Taming the Beasts

Was this an attempt to monitor him, afraid he might try something with Jiang Shuijue in the middle of the night?

Su Li forced a wry smile, feeling helpless.

There truly is no pure friendship between a man and a woman. No wonder Gu Mingfeng is so devoted to Jiang Shuijue, acting like a lovesick puppy. Every time she’s in danger, he shields her. The guy is definitely in love with her.

Su Li felt a little slow to realize the situation.

Never mind that. I’ll worry about it after I get some sleep. Su Li couldn’t bring himself to kick Gu Mingfeng and Ling Yi out. He simply closed the bedroom door and went to sleep, deciding to deal with everything when he woke up.

In the middle of the night, the rain finally stopped completely. The howling wind ceased. A profound silence descended upon the world. Even the restless Spiritual Source Beasts seemed to have vanished. Only the shattered rafts and the bloodstains outside the building remained as testament to the brutal battle tonight.

When Su Li woke up, the morning light was streaming in. A new day had finally arrived.

After a night’s rest, Su Li felt energized. With a thought, the Purple-Striped Belt, Seven-Star Bracer, and Death God’s Gauntlet materialized on his body.

Su Li gently stroked the Death God’s Gauntlet and the Seven-Star Bracer on his right hand with his left. The glove and bracer fit together perfectly.

“This Spiritual Source armor is not permeable to water or moisture. And it fits the body perfectly. If my entire body were covered in this Spiritual Source armor, I wouldn’t have to worry about my clothes getting soaked every time I went into the water.”

Every time he went into the water, his clothes and shoes got soaked. Although he had grown somewhat accustomed to the feeling, it was still uncomfortable.

Now that he knew of this Spiritual Source armor, not only did it provide powerful attributes, but it could also completely replace ordinary clothing. It was a win-win situation.

“However, to acquire Spiritual Source equipment, I need to hunt Rare Beasts. These Rare Beasts must be lurking in the deep water. I need to talk to Jiang Shuijue carefully and see if we can organize a small team specifically for hunting Rare Beasts.”

Su Li thought to himself, retracting the three pieces of equipment. He walked out of the room. Qi Mengyu had already prepared everything: various toiletries and a steaming, hearty breakfast.

Jiang Shuijue, Ling Yi, and Gu Mingfeng, who had moved in last night, were gone. Su Li asked Qi Mengyu and learned that they had left early that morning, returning to the A-Building. They were likely organizing people to move all the remaining A-Building personnel and supplies.

“Hmm.” Su Li nodded.

“By the way, how is Brother Ding? How is his emotional state?” Su Li asked, remembering the tragic death of Zhong Rongrong last night. He worried that Ding Longyun would be overcome with grief.

Qi Mengyu snorted softly. “He’s fine. It’s only been one night, but I don’t see any sadness on his face. He was even humming a little tune this morning.”

Qi Mengyu and Zhong Rongrong were good friends. Zhong Rongrong’s death still saddened her, but she saw no grief in Ding Longyun. This made her quite upset.

Su Li was stunned. He knew Ding Longyun was somewhat promiscuous, and their relationship was only a few days old. They probably didn’t have deep affection for each other. But since they were together, they must have had some fondness. Su Li doubted Ding Longyun felt no sorrow at Zhong Rongrong’s sudden death.

“Brother Ding isn’t the kind of person who shows his sadness outwardly. Maybe he’s just unwilling to reveal his grief.”

Qi Mengyu replied, “I saw him look very cheerful. He probably can’t wait to find someone new.”

Su Li scolded, “Dreamy, you shouldn’t speak ill of Brother Ding like that.”

Qi Mengyu, seeing Su Li angry for the first time, was startled. She acknowledged his reprimand and lowered her head. Soon, tears began to stream down her face, dripping onto the back of her hand.

Su Li saw her tears and felt helpless. Why do women’s tears flow so easily, like a broken faucet?

“I apologize. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. Don’t cry. Wipe your tears. Someone might think I bullied you.” Su Li picked up a tissue from the table and handed it to Qi Mengyu.

Qi Mengyu took the tissue, stopped crying, and whispered with her head bowed, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t speak ill of Brother Ding.”

Su Li shook his head and walked out of the room. He saw that the bloodstains from last night had been cleaned. Below the building, many people were busy. Some were clearing the corpses, while others were repairing the damaged rafts.

The corpse of the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle he had slain still floated nearby, temporarily untouched.

Soon, a long line of rafts appeared in the distance. It was Jiang Shuijue’s group, moving over from the A-Building.

This time, they were moving all the supplies and the remaining 17 people from the A-Building.

Su Li went downstairs and called Xu Haishui. He instructed him to coordinate with Jiang Shuijue and arrange for the newcomers’ settlement.

Jiang Shuijue, Gu Mingfeng, and Ling Yi also moved into the 44th floor. However, Jiang Shuijue did not move into Su Li’s apartment. She chose another unit.

This caused Gu Mingfeng to secretly sigh in relief.

Soon, the entire morning was spent. Ding Longyun approached Su Li, suggesting a banquet to welcome Jiang Shuijue’s group.

Su Li saw Ding Longyun’s demeanor. He seemed to have genuinely moved on from his grief. Although his face wasn’t cheerful, he no longer showed any sadness.

Su Li thought that after the events of last night, everyone was mentally suppressed. Ding Longyun’s suggestion to gather and eat was a good way to lighten the mood. He agreed.

Su Li’s living room was large, with a round table that could seat ten people. The dinner was arranged in his apartment.

Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, Xu Xuehui, Jiang Shuijue, Gu Mingfeng, Ling Yi, and Su Li. Su Li invited Qi Mengyu to sit with them and called for Xu Haishui and Luo Jun. They filled the table with ten people.

Although the food wasn’t fancy, the liquor was good. White liquor, red wine, beer, and soft drinks were all available. Everyone could choose their own drink.

After days of continuous fighting and witnessing the death of many companions, everyone was emotionally suppressed. This rare gathering was a chance to release tension. Excluding Xu Xuehui, everyone drank. Jiang Shuijue, Gong Xiao, and Qi Mengyu even opened a bottle of red wine. Surprisingly, Qi Mengyu held her liquor well and drank several cups of red wine.

Jiang Shuijue was not a drinker. She was flushed after only one cup.

Gong Xiao finished one cup and showed no reaction, but she stopped drinking.

Ding Longyun drank excessively. Su Li knew that although he pretended to be unaffected, Zhong Rongrong’s death had hit him hard. He was deliberately seeking intoxication tonight.

After dinner, Su Li and Xu Haishui helped the completely drunk Ding Longyun back to his room. As soon as he lay down, he began snoring loudly. The two men left, relieved.

“Brother Ding must be hurting badly. He deliberately got drunk today,” Xu Haishui sighed.

Su Li nodded. “Zhong Rongrong’s death was a big blow to him. I just hope he snaps out of it after this drunken episode.”

As he spoke, he walked to the corridor and looked out the window.

The corpse of the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle he had severed remained floating there, untouched. They were considering using the massive shell for some purpose.

“Hmm?” Su Li looked out and suddenly saw something. He gasped softly and immediately ran toward the stairs.

“Brother Su, what is it?” Xu Haishui asked, also looking out the window. He saw several dark shadows near the giant turtle’s corpse—new Spiritual Source Beasts were appearing.

“It might be a good opportunity. Everyone come take a look,” Su Li called out as he ran down the stairs.

Gong Xiao, Jiang Shuijue, and the others, curious, stopped cleaning the dishes and rushed over.

Su Li ran down the stairs. He had casually seen dark shadows in the water near the floating corpse of the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle.

These shadows were also turtles, but much smaller than the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle, less than half its size. The shells were about three or four meters long. Compared to an ordinary turtle, they were huge, but compared to the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle, they were tiny.

Su Li descended to the 31st floor. Closer now, he saw that the surfacing turtles looked almost identical to the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle, only smaller. He activated the “Peering Rune” and immediately captured their data.

“Name: Croc-Tooth Turtle (E Chi Gui). Level: 8. Common species among Spiritual Source Beasts. Possesses a hard outer shell. Swims quickly in water, moves slowly on land. Frequently relies on its hard shell to ram enemies in the water. Has sharp teeth and a strong bite force. Possesses high intelligence and amazing endurance. Highly submissive, easy to tame, and suitable for use as a water transportation vehicle. Once it recognizes a master, it remains loyal for life. Has a certain probability of evolving into the Elite species, Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle.”

Su Li’s heart leaped.

These Croc-Tooth Turtles were similar to the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle and could be tamed for water transport. He saw at least seven or eight Croc-Tooth Turtles had appeared, and the number was still increasing. Clearly, they were attracted by the flesh and blood of the Croc-Tooth Giant Turtle.

“If we can tame them, riding them will be much more convenient than using rafts.” Su Li looked at the Croc-Tooth Turtles surrounding the corpse, suddenly realizing he didn’t know how to tame them.

Gong Xiao, Jiang Shuijue, and Ling Yi also came down.

“Brother Su, what was the good news? Are you talking about these turtles?” Jiang Shuijue looked at Su Li, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Su Li looked at her and explained to the others, “These are Croc-Tooth Turtles. They can be tamed, like horses. They are loyal to one master for life and can be used for water transport. If we can tame them, it will make things much easier in the future.”

The others’ eyes lit up. In a short time, the number of Croc-Tooth Turtles had surpassed ten, and they remained close to the building, observing the people.

(End of Chapter)