Su Li wasn’t particularly power-hungry, but at this moment, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He understood it was vanity—something no one could escape. He wasn’t a saint, and he was no exception.
“No wonder so many people throughout history have fought tooth and nail to climb higher, to gain power and status. This feeling of being surrounded and obeyed is really something else.”
Su Li looked back at the long line of rafts trailing behind him, each packed with people, all under his command, their gazes tinged with awe. It was indeed an exhilarating sensation.
If the city hadn’t been submerged by the flood, he couldn’t have imagined being backed by over a hundred people, commanding more than a hundred souls.
But Su Li quickly warned himself not to let his guard down. Everything before him was temporary. If someone stronger appeared, defeated him, or even killed him, it would all vanish.
“People used to say the higher you climb, the harder you fall. It’s hard to imagine what that day would be like for me. If I don’t want to come crashing down, I have to get stronger.” Su Li thought silently, his hands slowly clenching into fists.
Over a hundred people arrived at Zifeng Tower. Under Su Li’s orders, they split into four teams. Two teams boarded the floating island—one on the left, one on the right—using rafts to paddle across the water. Another group entered the water behind the island, swimming and pushing it forward. The front team used ropes tied to some of the island’s hard rocks, dragging it ahead with their rafts.
With coordinated effort from all sides, the floating island began to move.
As Su Li had guessed, the island continued to float after the Blood Crystal Beast died. Though its upper surface was hard mineral, the material beneath was low-density. In truth, the island was far lighter than it appeared—otherwise, it couldn’t have stayed afloat. Moving it through the water didn’t require as much force as one might think.
Initially, everyone thought such a massive island couldn’t be budged. But once they started, they found it far easier than expected.
The straight-line distance from Zifeng Tower to the Golden Eagle Alliance was about six kilometers. Moving the enormous island, though easier than anticipated, still exhausted everyone by the time they arrived. It took a full two to three hours.
Golden Eagle One Building A, Building B, and Shimao Center formed a triangle. Within that triangle stood two shorter buildings, each thirty stories tall, with only their top floors above water.
Su Li’s earlier battle with Wu Feng had taken place on the roof of one of these thirty-story buildings. That building was only about four to five hundred meters from Golden Eagle One Building A, while the other was closer to Shimao Center, around six to seven hundred meters away.
Based on the positions of the five buildings protruding from the water, Su Li anchored the floating island about three to four hundred meters from Golden Eagle One Building B. He planned to use wooden planks and ropes to build floating bridges connecting the island to the five exposed buildings, making travel between them much easier.
But completing this project would require enough manpower and time.
The floating island, formed from the Blood Crystal Beast’s remains, was remarkable. Once they stopped pushing, it slowly came to a halt and stayed put, motionless, unless enough force was applied to move it again. This also indicated that the floodwaters in the city weren’t flowing, or at least their current wasn’t strong enough to shift the island.
By the time they finished, it was evening. Su Li returned to his current residence—the top floor of Golden Eagle One Building B. From there, he could survey everything around him.
The room was lavishly decorated. Su Li had just collapsed onto the leather sofa when Qi Mengyu, standing nearby, poured him a glass of hot water. He was about to take a sip and rest when Jiang Shuijue rushed in to see him.
“Su Li, we’ve got trouble.” Jiang Shuijue called out as soon as she saw him.
Hearing her urgency, Su Li set down his glass. “What’s wrong?”
Qi Mengyu gave a slight bow to Jiang Shuijue. “Miss Jiang.”
Jiang Shuijue nodded in acknowledgment, then sat down. “I’ve finally finished inventorying all the supplies. There’s a serious problem—the Golden Eagle Alliance is critically short on supplies. We might not last three days.”
Su Li froze, sitting up straight on the sofa. “You’ve inventoried everything? Including the supplies we brought and the ones Wu Feng managed at Shimao Center?”
Jiang Shuijue nodded. “Yes. Wu Feng cooperated fully—no tricks. I’ve checked everything. Across our three buildings, we have 146 people. Other supplies are manageable, but food-wise, we’ve got at most three days. And that’s only because we brought a lot with us. Based on what the Golden Eagle Alliance had left, they’d be lucky to last two days.”
Su Li said quietly, “I’m starting to understand why Ding Shijie was so anxious. A supply shortage like this is bound to cause major problems.”
He paused, then continued, “Then organize people immediately to gather supplies from all directions. Also, search the submerged floors—there must be vacuum-sealed food left behind.”
Jiang Shuijue replied, “I’ve already asked Wu Feng and the others in detail. They’ve done all that. Within a few kilometers, they’ve basically collected everything they could. As for the flooded floors, they’ve checked a few levels, but going deeper is too dangerous. Even Ding Shijie didn’t dare go far down. And even if we find some, it’s a drop in the bucket—it won’t solve the food problem for over a hundred people.”
Su Li frowned, thinking for a moment. “Shuijue, I remember you once mentioned a kind of sea cow beast that’s edible, with no side effects. Is that right?”
Jiang Shuijue’s eyes lit up, and she smiled. “Great minds think alike. I came to talk to you about the sea cow beast.”
“Oh? Tell me more. How do you know its meat is safe? Has someone eaten it?” Su Li was curious.
Jiang Shuijue said, “I once killed a monster and gained a special ability called ‘Value Eye.’ It has no offensive power—its only use is to perceive the value of monsters: the value of their meat, bones, skin, and so on.”
Su Li hadn’t expected Jiang Shuijue to have such an ability. “Value Eye” was similar to his own “Peek Rune,” but with key differences. His “Peek Rune” could spy on monster and spirit-source user data, while hers focused on their practical value.
“Using Value Eye, I’ve observed many monsters. A lot of their meat is edible, but it comes with side effects. For example, some snake monsters’ meat can be eaten, but it numbs the nerves—the more you eat, the worse it gets, eventually leading to full paralysis. Crocodile-type monsters’ meat can cause hallucinations and is highly addictive. Rat monsters’ meat is edible too, but according to Value Eye, it’s bitter and carries a risk of plague infection.”
Su Li took a deep breath as he listened. He’d once considered eating spirit-source beast meat if food ran out, but he never imagined the meat could have such terrifying side effects, even fatal ones.
“So the sea cow beast’s meat has no side effects?”
Jiang Shuijue nodded. “Mm. A few days ago, before I knew you, when the leader of Zifeng Tower was still Tao Bingjun, I went out with Mingfeng and Ling Yi. We ran into Tao Bingjun’s group, and that’s when we encountered a sea cow beast. My Value Eye is incomplete—not perfect. I can’t assess the value of higher-level or stronger monsters, but I can handle most ordinary ones, including their names, the edible value of their meat, and the value of their blood and bones.”
Su Li nodded slightly. Her “Value Eye” really did resemble his “Peek Rune.” His had started out incomplete too, but he’d since upgraded it to a flawed level.
“So far, the only monster I’ve seen with no side effects is the sea cow beast. According to Value Eye, its meat is delicious and highly nutritious—a small piece can provide all the nutrients a person needs for a whole day.”
Su Li’s eyes gleamed. “That’s amazing. If we can find plenty of sea cow beasts, we won’t have to worry about food for a while.”
When these spirit-source beasts died, their bodies didn’t rot. If they could find sea cow beasts, kill them, and preserve the meat, it would last indefinitely. A small piece sustaining a person for a day made it the ideal food source.
Jiang Shuijue said, “I came to discuss hunting these sea cow beasts. I still remember roughly where we encountered that one. Unfortunately, it got away. Based on what I saw, sea cow beasts are social creatures and never stray far from their nests. That means the one I encountered must have had its nest nearby. If we search that area, we should be able to find it.”
“At the time, food wasn’t a pressing issue, and a lot happened in the following days, so I never got around to looking for the nest. But now that we’re facing a severe shortage, the only option is to find that nest. If we can hunt some sea cow beasts, the food problem will be temporarily solved.”