Su Li said, "So aside from these four, including Tao Bingjun, we also need to watch out for those trusted subordinates. Do you know how many there are and what their strength is?"
Xu Haishui replied, "About six people. As for strength, yesterday they were all Level 4 like me. Today, I can't say. Anyway, anyone living above the thirty-fifth floor, except for Yan Fang, deserves to die."
"Alright, got it." Su Li nodded slightly.
The raft reached the thirty-two-story building where everyone had originally lived. After returning, Su Li changed into clean clothes, drank some water, and stayed only about ten minutes before boarding the raft again to set off.
This time, their target was the Zifeng Building, three kilometers away.
Because the distance was long, Ding Longyun needed to conserve his strength, so he just hung onto the back of the raft instead of continuing to push it.
The sky was gradually darkening.
The atmosphere on the raft was somewhat heavy, broken only by the sound of Xu Xuehui cracking sunflower seeds.
"Damn, it's embarrassing to say, but I'm actually a bit nervous," Ding Longyun suddenly spoke from behind the raft.
Su Li glanced at him and said, "Don't say that. I'm nervous too. After all, this time we're going to... kill people. With something this thrilling, how could we not be nervous?"
Hearing this, Ding Longyun laughed heartily and said, "True, so even you get nervous. That makes me feel a lot better."
Gong Xiao looked at Xu Xuehui and said, "I envy Xuehui. Among the five of us, she's probably the least nervous."
Su Li said, "I think Brother Xu Haishui might be the most nervous."
Gong Xiao looked up and noticed that Xu Haishui, who was paddling, had a flushed face and faint cold sweat on his forehead. He was clearly nervous—or maybe excited.
"I... I am a bit nervous," Xu Haishui said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, feeling his palms damp.
Su Li could understand him. After all, he was about to face the leaders who had once terrified him, and he was going to rescue Zhang Ying, whom he had long admired. He had no idea what state Zhang Ying was in now. It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous or excited.
"About halfway there. Not much longer."
Ding Longyun looked into the distance and then at the sky, which was growing darker. The water around them was eerily quiet. The sun was gone, and a breeze had picked up over the surface, making everyone feel a chill.
Gong Xiao suddenly said, "Looking at this sky, I'm reminded of a poem. It fits the mood perfectly."
"Oh? What poem? Share it so we can appreciate it too," Su Li said, thinking that a woman as refined as Gong Xiao would surely recite something with deep meaning. He wondered which famous lines it might be.
Gong Xiao cleared her throat and softly recited:
"On a moonless night, the perfect time for murder; in a high wind, the ideal moment for arson."
Everyone fell silent. Su Li was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Ding Longyun quickly flattered her: "Great poem, great poem! Gong Xiao, your recitation is truly divine flatulence—extraordinary!"
Gong Xiao shot him a glare. The guy couldn't even flatter properly. What did he mean by "divine flatulence"? That sounded awful.
Xu Haishui stopped paddling. In the dimming light, the distant Zifeng Building was now clearly visible.
In the distance across the water, there were scattered buildings protruding from the surface, but none were as tall as the Zifeng Building. It stood out like a lone peak, towering among the scattered structures, exceptionally prominent.
"We can't get any closer, or we'll be too obvious and easily spotted by the sentries on watch," Xu Haishui said, setting down the paddle. He then took a rope from the raft, with an axe head tied to it—one without a handle—to serve as the raft's anchor.
He tossed the rope-bound axe into the water, but it couldn't reach the bottom or hook onto anything, so it couldn't fully stabilize the raft. It was better than nothing.
"We'll go into the water from here and swim in underwater," Xu Haishui said, looking at Su Li for confirmation.
Su Li nodded in agreement. Then everyone grabbed their weapons and entered the water. Although Xu Xuehui hadn't strengthened her lungs, after reaching Level 5, she could hold her breath for at least four minutes without issue.
"Right now is around the time the sentries are about to switch shifts. After watching all day, most of them won't be paying close attention unless it's something really obvious," Xu Haishui said.
He had stood guard himself and knew that after a full day of staring at the water, their eyes would be strained. By now, they were probably resting and just going through the motions. Unless something as conspicuous as a raft got close, they wouldn't be noticed. Swimming underwater, even if they occasionally surfaced to catch a breath, would likely go undetected.
The five of them entered the water. Gong Xiao, being a strong swimmer, took Xu Xuehui with her. After taking a breath, they sank together. Xu Xuehui barely had to swim as Gong Xiao pulled her along underwater.
They were about a kilometer from the Zifeng Building now, quickly closing the distance by swimming underwater.
...
In the gloom, the Zifeng Building, thirty-eight stories tall, was a landmark in the area. Even submerged by the flood, eight stories still rose above the water.
About four hundred meters from the Zifeng Building stood a thirty-story structure, with only its top floor now above the surface.
Floating in the water around this building were many corpses.
There were bodies of beast beasts, arrow snakes, sea spiders, and even some unknown monsters.
On the rooftop, blood had completely stained the area. Piles of monster corpses were heaped there, the most striking being the body of a massive brown centipede.
This giant centipede was nearly ten meters long and as thick as a bucket. Such a huge body indicated it was no ordinary monster, not even an elite beast. It was at least a leader-level creature, if not stronger.
The giant centipede was covered in blood and wounds—not from blades, but irregular tears, as if ripped apart by brute force. Its head had been severed, which was the fatal blow.
Now, sitting atop the giant centipede's corpse was a man.
He looked about thirty, with a mess of curly wet hair plastered to his pale face. He wore a tight-fitting outfit under a black leather coat.
On the centipede's body beside him lay a white baseball cap and two military knives.
These were two finely crafted Nepalese kukri knives made from titanium alloy steel, top-tier in hardness and sharpness. In the world before the flood, just these two knives alone would have been worth a fortune, not something an ordinary person could own.
Now, the man slowly pulled out a stainless steel flask he carried with him, while in his left hand, he held a handful of five-spice peanuts.