Chapter 60: The Flower

Seeing Gong Xiao looking at him, hesitating as if she wanted to speak but stopped, Ding Longyun laughed and said, “Of course, I should first explain our situation. I am a resident of this building. I woke up a few mornings ago to find the outside submerged by the flood. Besides me, there were three other residents in this building, but sadly, they have all died.”

Ding Longyun paused before continuing, “As for Su Li and the little girl Xuehui, they came from other places. Their situation is similar to mine.”

While Ding Longyun spoke, Gong Xiao quietly observed him, seemingly judging the truth of his words. When he finished, Gong Xiao quietly exhaled and said, “I live in Zun Yue Mansion. I discovered the outside world was surrounded by floodwaters on the 15th. Because I enjoy a few sports in my free time, I had a kayak, a baseball bat, a skateboard, and other such equipment at home.”

Ding Longyun said, “Zun Yue Mansion? That’s a high-end residential complex. I heard they even have large, flat-floor units. You must be quite wealthy to live there.”

Su Li also knew Zun Yue Mansion; it was the most upscale residential area in the vicinity. Gong Xiao had an extraordinary demeanor and lived there, suggesting her family’s financial situation was good.

Gong Xiao listened to Ding Longyun and replied with a detached tone, “Is money useful in this situation now? The most important thing is living supplies, isn’t it?”

Ding Longyun laughed heartily. “You speak the truth.”

Upon reaching the top floor, Gong Xiao’s eyes lit up when she saw the room filled with all sorts of supplies.

Ding Longyun looked a little proud. “If it were just the four of us, these supplies would be enough for us to eat for a full month, no problem at all.”

Su Li smiled and said, “We have a new guest today. Shouldn’t lunch be a little more lavish?”

Ding Longyun chuckled, “Need you ask? I’ll go get started right now.”

“I’ll help you,” Su Li offered to help but was stopped by Ding Longyun. “You stay here and chat with Gong Xiao. She’s just arrived and isn’t familiar with this place. I can manage alone. You’d only get in the way.”

Su Li felt there was some truth to what he said, so he turned to Gong Xiao and asked, “Shall I show you around here?”

This time, Gong Xiao did not refuse. She nodded and said, “Yes, please.”

After the brief interaction, Gong Xiao slowly let down her guard against them, no longer as defensive as she was initially.

Xu Xuehui walked up to Gong Xiao and held out her small hand.

Gong Xiao asked, “What is it?”

Xu Xuehui opened her hand, revealing a handful of sunflower seeds.

Gong Xiao was briefly stunned, then smiled and accepted them.

Seeing Gong Xiao accept the seeds, Xu Xuehui became very happy, and a rare smile appeared on her small face.

Su Li’s heart stirred. He had known Xu Xuehui for a few days, and this was the first time he had seen her smile.

When she smiled, her soft cheeks revealed two small dimples, making her look incredibly endearing.

“You’re so cute, little sister,” Gong Xiao said, looking at Xu Xuehui’s smiling face. She couldn’t resist reaching out and gently stroking her cheek.

Pleased by the compliment, Xu Xuehui gave a rare expression of shyness.

“I’ll take you to see the room where we rest next door,” Su Li interjected.

“Okay,” Gong Xiao nodded at him, giving a reserved smile.

Su Li opened the security door to the adjacent apartment. He could see the four beds placed in the living room.

“This is…” Gong Xiao looked astonished.

Su Li explained the reason: “There were four survivors here initially, so they prepared four beds. They kept the beds together for safety at the time.”

Seeing Gong Xiao slightly wrinkle her brow, Su Li smiled. “Xuehui is still young, and we don’t feel comfortable letting her sleep alone. Now that you’ve arrived, it’s different. We can move two of the beds into the master bedroom. Then Brother Ding and I can sleep in the living room, and you and Xuehui can share the master bedroom. That way, you can look out for each other, and we’ll be at ease.”

He thought to himself that Xu Xuehui was a little girl, so it was fine, but Gong Xiao was an adult woman. It would be inappropriate for her to sleep in the same living room as them; there would be too many inconveniences.

Listening to Su Li’s arrangements, Gong Xiao slightly relaxed. She had been worried Su Li might suggest the four of them sleep together. Now, she felt reassured.

Su Li showed Gong Xiao around for a while. Finally, the three of them returned to the large balcony on the 30th floor. The corpses of several Corpse Beasts were still lying there. Outside the balcony were the two rafts and Gong Xiao’s kayak.

Looking at the two rafts outside, Su Li realized that this direction faced the distant Purple Wind Building. If people from the Purple Wind Building were truly coming, they would likely appear from this direction. Leaving the two rafts and the kayak here was highly unwise.

“The kayak is highly maneuverable. There’s no need to leave it outside. We should move it in. If any sudden situation arises, we can adapt quickly.”

Su Li said this while climbing over the balcony and stepping onto the raft. He pulled on the kayak’s rope and eventually managed to lift the kayak inside.

Gong Xiao stood inside the balcony and helped receive the kayak. She looked at Su Li and said in surprise, “I didn’t realize you were so cautious.”

“We have to be cautious,” Su Li smiled faintly. He thought that they not only had to guard against the monsters in the water but also against potential newcomers. Caution was essential.

However, Su Li didn’t mention the Purple Wind Building or the possibility of external threats. Gong Xiao had just arrived. They weren’t very familiar with each other, and they were not yet truly companions. Bringing up the Purple Wind Building or the escaping Ni Jianrong now wasn’t appropriate.

After moving the kayak inside, Su Li stepped onto one of the rafts and paddled it along the side of the building to the opposite face, directly backing away from the direction of the Purple Wind Building. This was done as a contingency plan.

Su Li only explained his reasons to Gong Xiao by saying they shouldn’t keep the rafts together. If they were attacked by a powerful monster, separating the rafts would make escape easier.

Gong Xiao nodded, agreeing that Su Li’s planning was thorough.

Xu Xuehui was uninterested in all this. While cracking sunflower seeds, she gazed out at the water in the distance. Occasionally, she would look down at the water below. She hadn’t forgotten the task Su Li and Ding Longyun had given her: to constantly watch for changes on the water. With her enhanced eyes, her vision was far beyond the ordinary, making her the most suitable person for the task.

Just as Su Li finished mooring the raft, Xu Xuehui, who was cracking seeds and looking down at the water, suddenly cried out, “A flower!”

“A flower? Where?” Gong Xiao also looked down at the water but couldn’t see anything. A look of astonishment appeared on her face.

Xu Xuehui didn’t speak. She just stared wide-eyed at the water below. Slowly, her face contorted in fear.

(End of Chapter)