With a soft *pop*, the air shield shattered and vanished. Ding Shijie had already leaped into the air, his blood-red right hand spread wide, crashing down heavily onto the top of the Metal-Eating Beast’s head.
The temperature of his right hand was astonishingly high. With that single strike, it began melting straight down from the beast’s crown.
The Metal-Eating Beast let out a piercing, agonized howl, which abruptly cut off. Ding Shijie retreated, widening the distance between them, only to see that most of the beast’s head had melted into metallic liquid, flowing downward. Its massive body toppled heavily to the ground, already dead.
Ding Shijie had succeeded, killing the Metal-Eating Beast on the left. Su Li had finished his even earlier. Since this beast couldn’t withstand the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword, it was simple. Using the high speed of “Spider Walk,” he continuously circled the beast, swinging the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword in rapid succession. The first strike severed most of its giant paw, the second cut off one of its thighs, and the third split its head open from the middle.
Three strikes finished off this Metal-Eating Beast. Su Li stopped, watching a spirit source appear and sink into his forehead.
“Level 6 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 76/90”
One Level 8 elite beast had netted Su Li six spirit sources. Now, he was only fourteen spirit sources away from breaking through to Level 7, incredibly close to the Level 7 powerhouse he imagined.
Ding Shijie, having killed his beast, saw that Su Li had finished even earlier and couldn’t help but praise him. “Brother Su, you’re truly formidable. I have to admit defeat.”
Su Li smiled slightly. “Brother Ding is too modest. I’m just taking advantage of having a sharper weapon.” This wasn’t entirely false modesty—without his weapon, he wasn’t sure he could definitely beat Ding Shijie.
“Brother Su, you’re far too humble. Where do you two come from?”
Su Li gave the name of the Purple Wind Building and then asked Ding Shijie the same question.
“Purple Wind Building? I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been. Do you know of the ‘Golden Eagle Alliance’?”
Hearing this, Su Li’s heart tightened instantly.
The group he had killed, Gao Shupeng and Gao Shuxue, were members of the “Golden Eagle Alliance,” and Gao Shupeng was even the leader of “Golden Eagle Building 1A.” He just didn’t know what role Ding Shijie played in the alliance. Clearly, Ding Shijie didn’t know about Gao Shupeng and the Purple Wind Building, or he wouldn’t be acting this way now.
His mind racing, Su Li deliberately looked curious. “Golden Eagle Alliance? First time I’ve heard of it.”
Seeing Su Li’s inquiry, Ding Shijie patiently explained. “The Golden Eagle Alliance is currently made up of survivors from three buildings: Golden Eagle Building 1A and 1B, and the Shimao Center Building. We have over a hundred people total. Our idea is to unite all survivors we can, working together to find a way out for humanity.”
He paused briefly before continuing. “Brother Su, with your strength, you must have a lot of say in the Purple Wind Building. You could consider having your building join the alliance. What do you think?”
Su Li smiled. “When I get back, I’ll ask everyone’s opinion. If we can truly unite, more people mean more strength—it’s a good thing.” He thought to himself, *I’ve nearly wiped out the elite of Golden Eagle Building 1A. I wonder how Ding Shijie would react if he knew.*
A flicker of surprise crossed Ding Shijie’s face. “With your strength, Brother Su, is there someone even stronger in the Purple Wind Building?” Clearly, he suspected Su Li was the building’s leader.
Su Li didn’t answer that question, instead asking, “Brother Ding, why are you here alone?”
Seeing Su Li avoid the question, Ding Shijie caught on and gave a knowing smile, then pointed to a six-story building rising from the water in the distance—the thirty-six-story “Jinhui Center Building.”
“See that? That’s why I’m here.”
Su Li’s heart tensed. “For that?”
Ding Shijie nodded. “Yes, the Jinhui Center Building has quite a few survivors—at least twenty or more. The Golden Eagle Alliance wants them to join too. I happened to be passing by and thought I’d check it out.”
“People from the Golden Eagle Alliance went to the Jinhui Center Building?” Su Li immediately thought of Jiang Shuijue, wondering if she would join.
Ding Shijie chuckled. “Brother Su, want to come along and see?”
Su Li hadn’t planned to go to the Jinhui Center Building, but now that he knew, he couldn’t help worrying about Jiang Shuijue. If they were willing to join the alliance, fine; if not, he didn’t know if conflict would arise.
Remembering how Jiang Shuijue and her two companions had helped him before, Su Li changed his mind and nodded with a smile. “Sure, I’m passing by anyway. Might as well take a look.”
“Alright, let’s go together.” Ding Shijie led Su Li to the other side of the building, where Su Li saw a raft below—much more advanced than theirs. It had four lifebuoys fixed underneath for buoyancy, with guardrails on the edges, like a simple little boat.
With the lifebuoys keeping it afloat, the raft wouldn’t sink, and they could stay on it without getting their shoes wet—far better than the plank raft they’d made.
Su Li’s eyes lit up. “Your boat is really nice.”
Ding Shijie sighed. “Too bad we’re short-handed. If we had enough people, we could send teams underwater to find more lifebuoys, tires, plastic barrels, or anything rubber or plastic that floats. We could build a real ship. With that, we might leave here and search farther for land.”
Su Li nodded slightly, thinking Ding Shijie’s idea was good. With enough floating materials, building not just a ship but even a mobile floating island wasn’t impossible.
After that, Ding Shijie boarded his raft, while Su Li and Liu Jiande got on theirs. The two rafts, carrying the three of them, left the building and headed toward the distant “Jinhui Center Building.”
As they approached, Su Li soon sensed something was off.
He heard distant screams.
His heart sank at the sound.
“Hmm? Are they fighting?” Ding Shijie heard the scream too, frowning as he quickened his paddling. His raft surged ahead, overtaking Su Li’s.
“Hurry,” Su Li ordered Liu Jiande, who nodded in understanding and sped up.
Outside the “Jinhui Center Building,” several rafts of various sizes were moored. On one large raft stood five people, while on the thirty-first-floor balcony, twelve people were gathered. Su Li’s sharp eyes immediately spotted Jiang Shuijue standing in the middle of the balcony.
Gu Mingfeng and Ling Yi stood beside her, weapons in hand, the atmosphere tense as the two sides faced off.
From a distance, Su Li saw Gu Mingfeng leap from the balcony onto the large raft below, swinging his giant iron hammer at the five people on it.
The five moved to meet him. Two blocked Gu Mingfeng, while the other three lunged toward the balcony, trying to climb up.
The clash of weapons, shouts, and curses filled the air, chaos reigning. One person in the water was climbing onto another raft, a huge gash across his chest, blood streaming—clearly the source of the earlier scream.
He barely made it onto the raft, gasping for breath, looking up at the thirty-first-floor balcony and cursing.
On the balcony, Ling Yi struck, his sword thrusting repeatedly. The three trying to rush up were forced back, jumping down to the raft below.
*Bang!* Suddenly, Gu Mingfeng was kicked, tumbling into the water.
Seeing this, Ling Yi leaped from the balcony, his sword swinging repeatedly, its blade crystallizing—clearly enraged.
The few on the raft were no pushovers. One wielded an iron rod, swinging it to meet Ling Yi’s attack.
*Clang!* The rod blocked Ling Yi’s crystallized sword, but the wielder felt it lighten in his hand and was horrified to see the rod cut clean through. The sword sliced across his chest, blood spraying, leaving a long wound. He dodged just in time, or it would have been a disembowelment, not just a gash.
Su Li and Ding Shijie’s rafts drew closer, soon within fifty meters of the Jinhui Center Building. The combatants noticed the two approaching rafts and their occupants.
“Stop!” Ding Shijie suddenly roared, slapping his paddle hard against the water. *Whoosh!* Water splashed as he launched himself into the air, leaping several meters to land on another raft nearby.
Several rafts of varying sizes dotted the area. Ding Shijie stepped onto the outermost one, then bounded from raft to raft like lightning, quickly closing in on the fight.
The people on the raft heard Ding Shijie’s voice and backed off, trying to retreat. Ling Yi’s crystallized sword flickered, thrusting at them with rapid strikes.
Ding Shijie appeared almost simultaneously, stepping past the retreating figures. His right hand turned blood-red, its surface temperature reaching an incredible level. He spread his fingers and grabbed directly for Ling Yi’s crystallized sword.
Ling Yi’s eyes narrowed. The crystallized sword shifted, the crystallization spreading from the blade to his right hand, turning it crystalline too, the power within the sword increasing.
*Sizzling* sounds arose as Ding Shijie’s blood-red hand caught Ling Yi’s sword. Thick white smoke billowed from the blade, as if it had touched a red-hot iron rod.