Chapter 63: Sea Spider

Besides their weapons, all three had changed into swimwear suitable for underwater combat.

Ding Longyun had collected all sorts of clothes from the twenty-plus units on the three floors, including various men’s and women’s swimwear. Gong Xiao’s own bags also contained a few sets of beautiful swimsuits. When she walked out in one, both men’s eyes seemed to light up.

Gong Xiao was not only pretty, but she also had a great figure: a slender build, almost 1.7 meters tall, with a slim waist, long legs, and a shapely behind. Her exposed white legs made them dizzy. Both Su Li and Ding Longyun couldn’t help but steal glances and swallow.

With such beauty before them, it was impossible to say they had no reaction.

Gong Xiao noticed the men’s gaze but remained composed. She simply said, “Let’s go.”

“Uh? Right, right.” Ding Longyun was slightly dazed, startled out of his reverie by her words. He quickly nodded and led the way.

Su Li smiled inwardly, thinking that Ding Longyun, who was almost 40 years old, had less self-control when faced with a beautiful woman than he did.

The three descended to the 30th floor. Ding Longyun asked, “Su Li, Gong Xiao, how long can you both hold your breath while submerged?”

Gong Xiao replied, “I’ve enhanced my lungs once. I should be able to hold my breath for about four or five minutes.”

Su Li looked at her and said, “I’m about the same as Gong Xiao.”

“Alright then. We’ll set it at four minutes. As soon as four minutes are up, we surface immediately.” Ding Longyun had Enhanced Lung Type III and could hold his breath for over ten minutes, but Su Li and Gong Xiao didn’t have that ability.

“I’ll go first.” Ding Longyun held the steel shovel in his right hand, braced himself on the balcony edge with both hands, and vaulted over, sliding into the water.

His swimming was excellent. As soon as he entered the water, he took a breath and sank down, observing the underwater situation.

Su Li and Gong Xiao followed, climbing over the balcony and entering the water.

Even though it was daytime and the temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius, entering the water in swimwear was still chilly. Fortunately, all three had excellent physical strength, several times that of an ordinary person, and their cold tolerance was significantly enhanced. They didn’t have to worry about getting a cold or getting sick from the water.

The three hugged the wall as they descended. The water was murky, and visibility was limited. They could clearly see the submerged 29th and 28th floors. Below that, they could only see blurred shapes. Currently, they saw no corpses or monsters in the water, only some floating debris.

The three couldn’t speak underwater. Ding Longyun signaled to them with a gesture, then led the way, sinking downward.

Su Li and Gong Xiao followed closely. Su Li noted that Gong Xiao’s swimming skills were indeed excellent. Once in the water, she moved like a mermaid, descending effortlessly with a graceful posture, instantly catching up to Ding Longyun. It seemed her swimming ability might even be slightly better than Ding Longyun’s.

Su Li thought that he was the poorest swimmer of the three. He considered himself a decent swimmer, but compared to Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao, he was far behind.

Su Li brought up the rear. The three quickly reached the balcony of the 29th floor below. Following their plan, they intended to enter the 29th floor to see if they could find any useful supplies.

Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao paused at the edge of the 29th floor balcony, not entering. They looked as if they had seen something incredible.

Su Li, a moment slower, also sank down and looked toward the balcony. He was slightly taken aback.

Inside this 29th floor balcony, they saw several floating human corpses.

These corpses were all covered in fuzzy white hair and had swollen, pale faces. They were all clearly Corpse Beasts.

Su Li activated the “Peering Rune” and observed that they were all low-level Corpse Beasts. Their heads were intact, and they were not dead, but they floated motionlessly, as if in a deep sleep.

Su Li mused: I see. These things need to rest too. They’re the opposite of humans; they mostly rest during the day and are active at night. They’ve turned the 29th floor into their nest.

The three only observed from outside. They didn’t know how many Corpse Beasts were inside, but they all seemed to be in a deep slumber and showed no reaction to the three people suddenly appearing.

Ding Longyun looked at Su Li, pointed inside the balcony, and then pointed below and above, asking if Su Li wanted to enter the 29th floor balcony to look around, continue descending, or return.

He kept his movements minimal, worried that any large movement would startle the Corpse Beasts.

Although they looked like low-level Corpse Beasts, no one knew if Advanced Corpse Beasts were hidden among them. Given the sheer numbers, startling them all would be troublesome.

With the 29th floor occupied by Corpse Beasts, collecting supplies was clearly impractical. Su Li pointed downward, signaling Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao to continue descending and check the situation on the 28th floor.

The three became even more cautious, quietly sinking further down. They soon got a look at the 28th floor.

The situation on this floor was similar to the 29th floor. As far as they could see, the area was filled with monsters, but these were not Corpse Beasts. Instead, they were large spiders with black and white stripes.

These spiders clung motionless to the walls. They were about the size of a washbasin. Like the Corpse Beasts on the 29th floor, they were resting. The three appeared quietly and did not disturb them.

Su Li immediately activated the “Peering Rune” and captured the information on these spiders.

“Name: Sea Spider. Level: 3. Common species among Spiritual Source Beasts. Cannot spin webs. Relies on sharp mouthparts to attack and capture prey. Mouthparts secrete paralyzing venom. Sea Spiders live in colonies. A large Sea Spider colony will possess a Spider Queen. The Spider Queen is a Leader-class Spiritual Source Beast, extremely powerful. It generally will not appear unless a serious incident threatens the survival of the entire Sea Spider colony.”

Su Li’s heart tensed as he processed this information.

He wasn’t afraid of the Sea Spiders, which were just a common species of Level 3 monster. After all, the Marine Iguana Monitor was also a Level 3, and he had killed it despite being a lower level. Furthermore, he was now a Level 3 Spiritual Source Wielder. What he feared was the Spider Queen mentioned in the message.

I’ve only encountered Common and Elite types of monsters before. Commons are not a concern. Elites are tough to deal with. A Leader-class is unimaginable. This Spider Queen is a Leader-class monster and must be much more terrifying than the Elite types. If we alarm it, we’ll be in serious trouble.

Su Li silently thought. Fortunately, the message indicated that the Spider Queen only appeared if the entire colony faced a grave threat and would not emerge easily.

This gave him a small measure of comfort. Otherwise, he would have already started advocating for a retreat.

It looks like all the floors of this building have become monster nests. These monsters mostly rest in their nests during the day and become active at night.

Su Li mused. He then signaled downward, indicating to Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao to continue descending.

(End of Chapter)