"It hasn't been many days since the great flood appeared. Being able to reach level 7 in such a short time should count as a true powerhouse."
Among everyone Su Li had encountered so far, the highest level was only 6—whether it was Gao Shupeng from "Golden Eagle Building 1A" or Jiang Shuijue, the leader of "Jinhui Center Building," both were level 6. He hadn't met any spirit source experts above level 6, which showed that everyone's evolutionary levels were still relatively close. For now, level 6 spirit source users were likely the top tier.
However, Su Li speculated that within a day or two, some level 6 spirit source users would inevitably reach level 7. These people would become the strongest among all survivors in this city.
A level 7 spirit source expert—that was Su Li's goal for tomorrow.
When the next day came, Su Li had just woken up, and Qi Mengyu, as usual, habitually squeezed toothpaste for him and prepared hot water, ready to help him wash up.
Although Su Li had told her she didn't need to serve him, Qi Mengyu insisted, so he stopped refusing—after all, everyone enjoys being taken care of.
Su Li had just finished washing up and was having breakfast when Xu Haishui rushed over excitedly and said, "Brother Su, you asked me earlier to find a map of Nanjiang City. I didn't find a map, but I did find someone."
As he spoke, he called in a man. This man was nearly fifty, with a dark face, medium build, and a big belly, looking quite honest. Su Li felt he looked familiar but didn't know his name.
Earlier, Su Li had asked Xu Haishui to try to find a paper map of Nanjiang City, but in this era of phone navigation, finding a paper city map wasn't easy—after all, nowadays you just bring your phone anywhere.
Nanjiang's urban area was vast. Before the flood, Su Li was only familiar with this region and some landmark buildings. He didn't know the entire city well, let alone now that the flood had reached the thirtieth floor, removing many reference points. Su Li was getting confused, which was why he wanted Xu Haishui to help find a city map.
"His name is Liu Jiande. He used to be a taxi driver. He says he's been driving for years and knows Nanjiang City like the back of his hand. Brother Su, you were looking for a map to check some place, right? Just ask him directly—he's practically a living map."
Hearing Xu Haishui's introduction, Su Li was slightly pleased and smiled at Liu Jiande, gesturing for him to sit down.
"Thanks, Brother Su." Liu Jiande was a bit flattered. Though he was old enough to be Su Li's father, he respectfully called him Brother Su.
Su Li shook his head and said, "Just call me Su Li. Brother Liu, since you're so familiar with Nanjiang City, can you sketch out a map of the urban area?"
Liu Jiande's face showed hesitation: "I... I can only try..."
Seeing his expression, Su Li knew he probably couldn't draw one. He couldn't blame him—being familiar with routes didn't mean he could sketch a map. He was indeed asking too much.
After thinking it over, Su Li said, "Brother Liu, do you know Huating Residential Area? If you're going from Zifeng Tower to Huating Residential Area, do you know the way? I don't mean before—I mean under these current conditions."
Huating Residential Area was where Wang Lan lived. Her home was in Building 12, Unit 2, 9th floor. Before, Su Li naturally knew how to take a bus there, but now that the flood had submerged everything, leaving only some landmark buildings over thirty floors above water, Su Li knew the direction from his home to Zifeng Tower, but from Zifeng Tower to Huating Residential Area, he was lost and couldn't find his bearings.
If Huating Residential Area had any landmark buildings sticking out of the water, he was confident he could find it by heading in the general direction and spending some time searching. But that area was completely submerged with no landmarks, making it a challenge to find Huating Residential Area in this vast expanse of water.
That's why he asked Xu Haishui to find a map. He had planned to use it to locate some landmark references, then follow the map to find the approximate location, dive down, and search carefully—it shouldn't be a big problem.
Now, though he had no map, Xu Haishui had found him an old driver, a so-called living map. Su Li looked at Liu Jiande with hope.
"Huating Residential Area?" Liu Jiande patted his chest and said, "Brother Su, I'm not bragging—I might not be good at other things, but as long as it's in Nanjiang City, I'm definitely good with directions. Even if it's flooded, I guarantee I can find it."
"Good. How far is Huating Residential Area from here?" Su Li nodded, stood up, and showed a satisfied expression. He didn't know the exact distance from Zifeng Tower, but it definitely wouldn't exceed ten kilometers.
The thought of going to find Wang Lan at Huating Residential Area had been on his mind for a while, but the timing hadn't been right. First, without a map, he wasn't sure he could find it. Second, his strength wasn't sufficient. Now that he felt confident in his ability to protect himself, and Xu Haishui had found him an old driver, Liu Jiande, who could locate Huating Residential Area, Su Li decided to head there today. With a distance of no more than ten kilometers, a round trip in one day shouldn't be a problem, and it wouldn't delay tonight's hunting and leveling up to reach level 7.
"Huating Residential Area is about seven or eight kilometers from here. We'll first find 'Jinhui Center Building'—that building has 36 floors, so it's definitely above water and easy to spot. Then, heading northeast from 'Jinhui Center Building' for about three kilometers, we'll reach Huating Residential Area."
Su Li's heart stirred slightly. He thought, "Isn't 'Jinhui Center Building' where Jiang Shuijue, Gu Mingfeng, and Ling Yi are staying?" Jiang Shuijue had helped them before and even invited them to visit "Jinhui Center Building."
But he decided not to actually go to "Jinhui Center Building" to find Jiang Shuijue. The main purpose of this trip was to find Huating Residential Area, locate Wang Lan's home, and see how things were. Beyond that, he didn't want to cause any trouble.
"Brother Liu, get ready. We'll set off soon. You'll take me to Huating Residential Area."
Liu Jiande was taken aback, not expecting Su Li to want him as a guide, but after a moment's hesitation, he nodded in agreement.
Su Li was the current leader of Zifeng Tower, ruthless in his methods. Everyone had witnessed the killing scene yesterday—thirteen people on the other side, and he alone killed half of them. Su Li essentially held his life in his hands, so Liu Jiande dared not disagree.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen. We'll go quickly and come back quickly, returning before tonight." Su Li saw Liu Jiande's timid expression and smiled reassuringly.
He noticed Liu Jiande was only level 4, clearly not cut out for combat. Suddenly heading to such a distant place like Huating Residential Area, considering the potential risks along the way, it was normal to be scared.
"I know. Following you, Brother Su, nothing will happen." Liu Jiande smiled and went out to prepare.
Upon learning that Su Li was going to Huating Residential Area, Gong Xiao, Ding Longyun, Qi Mengyu, and Xu Xuehui all wanted to come along, but Su Li refused them all.
This time, he wanted to keep a low profile and not make a big scene. Besides, bringing several beautiful women would easily cause trouble when encountering outsiders. With so few women among the survivors, and even fewer beauties, having several with him would inevitably lead to problems.
This trip, he only planned to bring Liu Jiande. Two men—no one would be jealous, and nothing should go wrong.
"Su Li, come back early. Don't get stuck in a rut. Remember, everyone's waiting for you here."
Ding Longyun knew Su Li was going to Huating Residential Area to find his girlfriend, and the result might not be good—it could even be tragic. That's why he told Su Li not to overthink or get stuck in his thoughts. If the outcome wasn't what he hoped, he should remember they were still there.
Su Li nodded at him to show he understood and reassured him. Then he boarded a small wooden raft. Liu Jiande picked up the oar and started paddling, and the raft began to leave Zifeng Tower.
Su Li turned back and smiled at Ding Longyun, who was seeing him off from the balcony, then waved goodbye. Beside Ding Longyun stood Gong Xiao, Qi Mengyu, Xu Xuehui, and others.
Su Li had already prepared for the worst regarding what might have happened to Wang Lan. He felt he could handle that outcome, which was why he had made up his mind to go look for her.
No matter the result, he would have tried. He didn't want to leave any regrets.
...
...
...
Liu Jiande paddled carefully, while Su Li stood on the raft, gazing into the distance.
He was now a level 6 spirit source user. Though he hadn't specifically enhanced his eyesight and couldn't compare to Xu Xuehui, his vision was still far better than an ordinary person's. He could see many buildings scattered across the endless water.
The farther he looked, the more towering dark shapes he could see. Nanjiang City was relatively developed, with five districts and quite a few buildings over thirty floors.
This was Xinkai District, the least developed of the five, with relatively few high-rise buildings, but he still occasionally spotted structures reaching or exceeding thirty floors.
Nothing happened along the way. Su Li chatted casually with Liu Jiande and learned that he had a son studying at a university in another province, doing well academically. Mentioning his son, Liu Jiande felt both proud and sad.
Proud that his son was attending a good university, bringing him face, but sad that he had no idea about his son's current situation—whether he was alive or dead.
Seeing Liu Jiande's low spirits, Su Li comforted him, "Nanjiang City is low-lying, so it got flooded. Other places might not be as bad. Maybe your son's area didn't have such a big flood."
"I hope so." Liu Jiande smiled bitterly, knowing Su Li was just trying to comfort him. The real situation might be even worse than they imagined. After all, it had been days since the great flood appeared, and there was still no sign of rescue. What did that mean?
Everyone had some idea in their hearts, but they dared not dwell on it.