Seeing his former companions, Xu Haishui felt a bit better. He cleared his throat and said, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Xu Haishui. You all should know me, right? Even if you didn't know my name before, you've probably seen me around at least..."
The crowd stayed silent, listening quietly. Many remembered Xu Haishui as timid and weak, but now, standing before them speaking with ease, his demeanor was clearly different. Times had changed, and no one dared underestimate him anymore, all waiting for him to continue.
"This is Brother Su, this is Brother Ding, this is Sister Gong and Sister Xu." Xu Haishui didn't give their full names, using respectful titles for all four, even addressing Xu Xuehui, who was much younger than him, as "Sister."
Ding Longyun couldn't help but grin at this, thinking the kid was pretty amusing.
"Let me tell you all something. Tao Bingjun, Wang Zhensheng, Sun Wenbo, Li Wei, and Chen Xiangyu—all five of them have been killed by us..."
Before Xu Haishui could finish, a murmur rippled through the room. Many in the living room gasped, while others let out long sighs, their expressions varied. Even the lone Level 5 Source Energy user sitting in the corner couldn't help but lift his head, a look of surprise on his face.
Su Li kept an eye on him, since he was the only Level 5 Source Energy user among this group.
He was a man around twenty-six or twenty-seven, with a rectangular face, slightly dark skin, sharp eyes, and a crew cut. Sitting there, his back was ramrod straight, a posture quite different from the others.
When he looked up and noticed Su Li observing him, he quickly lowered his head again, as if trying not to draw attention.
Bai Wenwei, who had a decent relationship with Xu Haishui, couldn't help stepping forward and asking, "Tao Bingjun and Sun Wenbo... were they really killed by you?" His face showed disbelief. To them, Tao Bingjun and the others were unimaginably powerful, like demons they dared not resist. Over the past few days, everyone had obediently followed orders, partly because Tao Bingjun's group controlled all the resources, and partly because they were so strong that anyone who resisted had been killed long ago.
"Of course. If they weren't dead, could I have brought these four women down?" Xu Haishui pointed behind him at Zhong Rongrong and the other three.
Hearing this, the crowd thought it made sense. If Tao Bingjun and his crew were still around, Xu Haishui and these outsiders wouldn't be calling the shots.
"Brother Su, what are your orders?" Xu Haishui finished and turned to Su Li.
Su Li's expression was gentle as he spoke, "It's late. Everyone should get some rest. We'll talk about everything tomorrow."
He paused, then continued, "If any of you want to stay in Zifeng Building, you're welcome. If you don't want to stay, you can leave right now, and we won't stop you."
The crowd in the hall exchanged glances, at a loss for what to do.
"Come on, let's go upstairs and sleep." Su Li was already tired, and he'd seen enough for now. Everything could wait until he woke up tomorrow.
As he said this, he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
"Oh, I forgot to ask—how many of you are here?" He had been counting quietly. Since earlier, people had been trickling out of the bedrooms, and now he could see twenty-three in total, filling the living room. But he wasn't sure if there were more in those bedrooms, and he didn't want to check each one now, so he asked again.
"Twenty-three." This time, Bai Wenwei answered promptly, matching the number Su Li had counted. It seemed everyone had gathered in the living room.
"Good." Su Li nodded at Bai Wenwei, then turned and headed for the staircase.
Zhong Rongrong watched Su Li and the others about to go back upstairs and couldn't help asking, "What about us?" The four women didn't know where to go now. She even wondered if the men would expect them to serve them tonight, and which one she'd end up with.
Su Li glanced at them and said, "Go back to where you were staying before. We'll make unified arrangements tomorrow."
He left the task of calming the rest to Xu Haishui, who was familiar with them and could communicate easily. Of course, if anyone truly wanted to leave, he wouldn't stop them.
Su Li, Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, Xu Xuehui, and the four women all returned to the thirty-sixth floor, while Xu Haishui stayed behind to talk with the twenty-three people in the dining hall.
As soon as Su Li and the others left, the place erupted into noise. Everyone started discussing, most of them crowding around Xu Haishui, eagerly asking for details about how Su Li and his group had fought Tao Bingjun and the others.
The thought that Su Li and his team could defeat or even kill Tao Bingjun's group seemed unbelievable.
Xu Haishui relished this feeling of being the center of attention. He sat down, shedding his former timid and weak demeanor, and began to speak with great enthusiasm about the battle that night, embellishing it with some exaggeration.
"I know Wang Zhensheng," said a bearded man in his thirties, looking skeptical. "That guy's like a lunatic, but he's terrifying. He can regenerate severed limbs, can't be killed, and can control bombs. He's a total monster. I don't believe you had the ability to kill him."
Xu Haishui glanced at him and said, "Ignorant. When he and Sun Wenbo teamed up to attack Brother Su, Brother Su just swung his sword once—one strike—and turned them into minced meat. He even split the corridor floor with that blow. If you don't believe me, go downstairs and check the floor. There's a huge crack and blood and flesh everywhere, all from Wang Zhensheng and Sun Wenbo."
"Turned into minced meat with one sword strike?"
"Split the concrete floor?"
"Is that really possible?"
"How could that be?"
The crowd was stunned, struggling to imagine the power of that sword.
"If you doubt it, let's go see for ourselves." Xu Haishui had never felt as impressive as he did tonight. Even his injuries seemed healed, and instead of being tired, he grew more energetic.
"Alright, let's all go check it out." Many stood up, finding it harder to believe the more they thought about it. Most wanted to see for themselves.
Led by Xu Haishui, someone grabbed a lit candle for light, and the group filed downstairs in a noisy procession.
Of course, some who weren't interested or didn't care returned to their rooms, deciding to wash up and sleep instead of getting involved.
When they reached the thirtieth floor, Xu Haishui led them to the corridor where the fight had happened. Seeing the long crack in the floor, they were all shocked and impressed.
"Hai Ge, tell us, how did he swing that sword? That's incredible!" Bai Wenwei clung to Xu Haishui, even changing his form of address, his face full of admiration.
Xu Haishui smiled. "Brother Su is really something. I've never seen anyone so powerful. Li Wei was tough, right? But when he faced Brother Su, he didn't even get his knife up before Brother Su chopped his head off with one swing. And Tao Bingjun—everyone thought he was mysterious and scary, but in front of Brother Su, he was nothing. He was sitting on those steps, wearing a hat, holding a candle, trying to look cool, but Brother Su swung his sword, and he ran for his life. If he hadn't been fast, all three of them would have died from that one strike."
"Look, here's Li Wei's head. It really got chopped off—amazing!"
Soon, someone found Li Wei's head, sparking more shock and commotion.
Meanwhile, Su Li had found a large, luxurious Simmons bed and collapsed onto it. He was too exhausted tonight, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep, completely unaware that Xu Haishui was now boasting about his exploits. In the eyes of these people, Su Li's image was growing larger and larger, an invincible presence.
Xu Haishui wasn't just enjoying being the center of attention by exaggerating Su Li's feats. He wanted everyone to understand how powerful Su Li and his group were, so no one would think of rebelling and causing unnecessary trouble.
Before, Tao Bingjun and his crew ruled with brutal force, keeping everyone in line through fear. Now that the leadership had changed, Su Li's methods were clearly gentler.
Human nature was strange. These people might have obeyed Tao Bingjun's iron fist, but with a softer approach, they might become harder to control or even develop other ideas.
That was Xu Haishui's worry, which is why he deliberately hyped up Su Li and the others—to instill awe and prevent anyone from harboring disloyal thoughts.
Su Li slept soundly. When he woke up and opened his eyes, he could see through the floor-to-ceiling curtains that the sky outside was clear and bright.
There was no clock in the room, so he didn't know the time. He got dressed, got up, and opened the bedroom door to find someone waiting in the living room.
It was a woman wearing glasses, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She wasn't particularly pretty, just moderately attractive, but her biggest asset was her fair, smooth skin, which added a lot to her overall appeal. She had a good figure, somewhat full-figured, exuding the unique charm of a mature woman. With her glasses, she gave off the impression of a learned, cultured lady.
Su Li remembered her name was Qi Mengyu, one of the four women he'd seen last night.
Seeing Su Li come out, she quickly approached him.
"Brother Su, I've prepared a toothbrush, cup, and towel for you—all new. Please wash up quickly. Breakfast is ready too." She smiled warmly.
Su Li noticed a table laid out with various items: a toothbrush, toothpaste, cup, thermos, and a large basin of water.