Chapter 88: Hawk Eye

Facing the disabled spider Su Li kicked toward her, Xu Xuehui swung her iron hammer. She had gained some experience now and was no longer panicked when facing these monsters.

She was only Level 2, and by killing a Level 3 Sea Spider, she could gain two Spiritual Sources from a single monster.

Afterward, Su Li, Gong Xiao, and Ding Longyun all focused on assisting Xu Xuehui, severely injuring the monsters and leaving the final blow for her.

Xu Xuehui, who needed fourteen Spiritual Sources, successfully killed six Sea Spiders and two Advanced Corpse Beasts with the help of the three, breaking through and advancing to Level 3.

She then chose to enhance her Eyes again.

“Acquired Hawk Eye Type III”

A message sounded in her mind.

She gave up enhancing her muscles, which would increase her strength, and her lungs, which would improve her water survival ability, because she felt that enhancing her eyes made her useful to the group.

“That should be enough for tonight.” Seeing Xu Xuehui successfully advance to Level 3, Su Li quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Gong Xiao killed the last climbing Sea Spider and also stopped.

“Let’s go down and rest. I’m genuinely tired.” Ding Longyun was also panting.

Su Li was more exhausted than him. Although “Spider Walk” was effective, it severely depleted his stamina. Su Li felt that despite four muscle enhancements, which granted him enormous strength, his physical endurance seemed to be getting worse.

Su Li understood that his stamina wasn’t truly deteriorating; it was still increasing as he leveled up. However, the increased stamina couldn’t keep pace with the power unleashed by his enhanced muscles. The stronger his power became, the faster he depleted his stamina, making his endurance seem worse by comparison.

It was like a car whose fuel tank capacity didn’t increase much but whose engine power doubled. The fuel consumption would also double, and naturally, the distance and time the fuel tank could last would be shortened.

“It seems I can’t just blindly focus on muscle enhancement, or stamina and endurance will become serious issues. I don’t want to become a ‘three-second man’ in a fight.”

Su Li felt his heart pounding fiercely and knew that single-minded muscle enhancement wasn’t the best choice.

“I hope the option to enhance my Heart appears next time.” Su Li thought silently. Of course, if no better option presented itself, he would still prioritize muscle enhancement. In the short term, muscle enhancement yielded the greatest return, and he was unwilling to waste precious enhancement opportunities on strengthening his lungs or stomach.

The four went downstairs. Su Li and Ding Longyun changed into clean underwear and collapsed onto their beds. Gong Xiao, however, did not. Though it was late, she locked the bedroom door and began washing herself with water.

The room held several large storage boxes, all filled with water. After sitting for a day, much of the sediment and impurities had sunk to the bottom.

On the side were several layers of gauze stretched out, with an empty storage box beneath.

Gong Xiao lifted one of the water-filled boxes and carefully poured the water through the gauze and into the empty box below.

By filtering the water through multiple layers of gauze, she obtained relatively clean water.

Ding Longyun used this method to create purified water before Su Li arrived. Although they were drinking the cooled boiled water Su Li brought, they still used the filtered water for washing.

Even though it was cold water, Gong Xiao was grateful to have water to wash herself. Taking a hot shower was an unreachable luxury.

They had one can of LPG, but it was finite. Once the gas ran out, even drinking a hot beverage would become a problem.

Su Li and Ding Longyun, lying in their beds, listened to the sound of water splashing in the next room and found it hard to sleep.

“Hey, she’s taking a bath,” Ding Longyun whispered.

Su Li acknowledged him. “I know. You’re getting ideas?”

Ding Longyun rolled over. “I’m not getting ideas. I just find the sound a little distracting.”

Su Li felt the same way. Hearing the water sounds and thinking of Gong Xiao bathing made his mind wander.

As an energetic young man who had been repressed for days, he was naturally experiencing some impulses.

“Brother Ding, you’re nearly forty. Your energy levels seem quite high,” Su Li teased, looking at Ding Longyun.

Ding Longyun immediately perked up at the question. He rolled over, sounding excited. “I’m not bragging, my energy is genuinely high. Do you know what everyone called me when I was your age? ‘Little Electric Motor,’ ‘Human Pile Driver.’ Those weren’t nicknames I earned lightly.”

Su Li blinked, internally thinking Ding Longyun was exaggerating, but externally praised him: “Brother Ding, you’re amazing.”

Ding Longyun beamed proudly. Then, remembering something, he said, “By the way, I think Gong Xiao has a good impression of you. If you make an effort, you have a very good chance. I truly envy you. You might soon avoid being like me, lying on this bed, letting my left and right concubines keep me company.”

Su Li said, “Brother Ding, you’re overthinking it. Gong Xiao is somewhat arrogant and cold at heart. Winning her over won’t be easy. Besides, I already have a girlfriend. I can’t do that to her.”

Ding Longyun scoffed. “Girlfriend? Do you think your girlfriend is still alive?”

Su Li fell silent immediately.

That’s right. In the face of this disaster, where was Wang Lan? Was she still alive? Would he ever have the chance to see her again?

The thought that she might be dead, or even turned into one of the Corpse Beasts, made Su Li’s heart clench in pain.

Ding Longyun realized immediately after speaking that he had made a mistake. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Su Li, I didn’t mean that. I was just talking nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“I know,” Su Li said with a bitter smile. “But what you said is true. I really don’t know what happened to her, whether she’s alive or dead. And my parents, I don’t know if their area was flooded.”

Su Li’s parents didn’t live in this city. They lived in a smaller third-tier city with relatively high terrain. The only thing Su Li could do now was pray that the small city hadn’t been submerged by the flood.

Ding Longyun was affected by Su Li’s low spirits. He murmured, “I don’t know where Ding Han is either…”

Ding Han was his daughter, the same age as Xu Xuehui.

Exhausted, Su Li fell asleep shortly after lying down.

When he woke up, the sun was high in the sky, and soft light was streaming in.

Su Li felt the fatigue had vanished. He was full of energy and felt intensely hungry.

As his strength continually increased and his muscles underwent four enhancements, he gained immense power, but the body’s constant enhancement also led to an astonishing energy consumption. This resulted in a powerful hunger, demanding sufficient food replenishment.

It wasn’t just him; the appetites of Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, and Xu Xuehui had all unconsciously increased. Although there were only four of them, they were now consuming food equivalent to at least seven or eight people daily.

(End of Chapter)