After learning that the method of taming was so simple, Wu Feng's eyes lit up. He turned to Su Li and said with a smile, "Boss Su, can I stay in Building B for a while today?"
Knowing that the flesh and blood of the giant crocodile-toothed turtle had attracted the crocodile-toothed turtles, staying in Building B might draw more of them, giving him an opportunity.
Su Li nodded in agreement.
Jiang Shuijue chuckled, "Wu Feng, if only one comes, let me have it first."
Wu Feng nodded, "Sure, sure. From what Boss Su just said, I reckon if more come, it won't be just one."
The group returned to Golden Eagle No. 1 Building B. The crocodile-toothed turtles could be raised in the thirty-story building, half-submerged in water, and fed regularly with the corpses of spirit-source beasts. Many spirit-source beast corpses had various side effects for humans, but the crocodile-toothed turtles were immune to them.
In this world, spirit-source beasts were the most abundant, making it very easy to sustain the crocodile-toothed turtles.
Back on the forty-fourth floor, Su Li found Jiang Shuijue and proposed forming a hunting squad.
Relying solely on nightly hunts could no longer meet Su Li's leveling needs, and obtaining spirit-source equipment required diving deeper underwater to search.
In terms of combat power, teaming up with Gong Xiao was already formidable enough to handle even rare level-nine beasts, but they still lacked a safe escape skill. After all, no one knew if monsters beyond their current capabilities lurked in the depths. In such situations, Jiang Shuijue's "Fog Maze" would be crucial.
"Great, I'll ask Mingfeng and Ling Yi later, and we can form a small team together," Jiang Shuijue said happily upon hearing Su Li's proposal.
Su Li frowned slightly at her words.
In his ideal vision, the perfect team would consist of just himself, Gong Xiao, and Jiang Shuijue—three people at most, with the possible addition of Xu Xuehui to scout the underwater areas first for targeted action.
After all, the more people involved, the more complicated equipment distribution became, and the lower each person's chances of getting gear.
If they added Gu Mingfeng and Ling Yi, it would be awkward not to include Ding Longyun, adding three more people and turning it into a seven-person squad.
On average, they'd need to hunt seven rare beasts for each person to get one piece of equipment.
Although Su Li was stronger than the others and could easily take the kills, if he claimed all the equipment from every rare beast hunt, it would clearly be unfair, leading to rifts within the group and even threatening the unity of the Golden Eagle Alliance.
Originally, Su Li had envisioned a hunting squad of just himself, Gong Xiao, Jiang Shuijue, and maybe Xu Xuehui—three or four people rotating equipment. That way, after every three or four rare beasts, he'd get one piece of gear. If the depths held enough rare beasts, he could soon assemble a full set of spirit-source equipment.
But with six or seven people, the pace would slow down significantly.
This hesitation made Su Li pause, but he understood that Jiang Shuijue, Ling Yi, and Gu Mingfeng had always hunted together as a tight-knit trio. It would be unreasonable for Jiang Shuijue to abandon them and join his team alone.
If he asked her to join just him and Gong Xiao, it would undoubtedly put her in a difficult position.
"What's wrong, Brother Su?" Jiang Shuijue asked, noticing his hesitation.
"Nothing. It's getting late, and this isn't urgent. Let's discuss it tomorrow. We still have hunting tonight, so let's rest for now."
Hearing this, Jiang Shuijue murmured an "oh." She wasn't stupid; from Su Li's reaction, she vaguely guessed the reason—it had to do with Gu Mingfeng and Ling Yi.
She thought to herself, "Does Brother Su not want Mingfeng and Ling Yi in the hunting squad? But..." She felt conflicted.
She really wanted to be with Su Li, and she was thrilled when he mentioned forming a team with her. But she couldn't abandon Gu Mingfeng and Ling Yi.
After all, her growth to this point had relied heavily on their support. Gu Mingfeng alone had saved her life several times. She couldn't be ungrateful and kick them aside now that she no longer needed them.
Seeing Jiang Shuijue frozen in thought, Su Li smiled and waved a hand in front of her face. "What are you spacing out for? I said it's just a rough idea. I haven't decided yet. No need to rush it in a day or two."
Jiang Shuijue nodded in understanding, but a vague unease lingered in her heart.
By evening, a large number of monsters had gathered on the distant floating island. The group in Building B assembled, boarded rafts, and headed to the island for the nightly hunt.
The monster levels that night had risen again.
Monsters below level five were almost nonexistent, making up only about five percent. Level-five monsters were also scarce, accounting for roughly ten percent of the total.
Clearly, this meant the overall strength of spirit-source beasts was increasing, with most monsters surpassing level five.
Level-six monsters became the norm, comprising about sixty percent of the total.
With more level-six monsters, it meant many level-seven spirit-source users would emerge that night.
According to Su Li's estimation, level-seven spirit-source users were likely the mainstream among all human survivors.
This could be inferred from the monster levels appearing.
Level-seven monsters had increased slightly, accounting for about twenty percent.
As for the level-eight monsters Su Li wanted, they were as rare as those below level five, making up less than five percent. This meant that out of a hundred monsters, at most five were level-eight.
This made it very difficult for Su Li, a level-eight himself, to level up further.
He now faced two options: either form a squad and risk diving into the depths to find high-level monsters—a path full of opportunities but also deadly dangers, essentially gambling with his life—or wait, since monster levels and strength increased daily. For example, if level-eight monsters made up less than five percent tonight, that proportion might rise to ten percent tomorrow night and even higher the night after.
With Building A and Building B combined, Golden Eagle No. 1 Building B now housed sixty-six people. Forty-one participated in the hunt that night. Ding Longyun, finally sober by dinner, also joined.
After that night, level-five spirit-source users nearly vanished. Among those in Building B, some had given up hunting entirely to focus on logistics, their strength stagnating, while others had at least reached level six.
As Su Li predicted, most level-six users advanced to level seven after that night, and three others rose from level seven to level eight.
They were Gong Xiao, Ling Yi, and Wu Feng, the leader of Shimao Center.
As for Su Li, he collected forty-two effective spirit sources, bringing his total to eighty-two. Barring surprises, he would break through to level nine during the next night's hunt.
Based on his estimates, level seven was the mainstream among human survivors in the city, with level-eight users being the elite. The Golden Eagle Alliance now had four such individuals: Gong Xiao, Ling Yi, and Wu Feng.
Ling Yi, usually quiet and unremarkable, had been increasingly impressive—whether in taming the crocodile-toothed turtle or reaching level eight that night, his performance was stunning, nearly rivaling Gong Xiao.
As for whether any level-nine spirit-source users existed, Su Li couldn't say. But he was certain that if there were any, they must have encountered some extraordinary opportunity or ventured deep underwater to hunt monsters. Otherwise, through normal, relatively safe methods, the current limit was level eight.
Even he, with all his effort, had only reached level eight that day. To reach level nine, he needed to wait for the next night's hunt.
Once that hunt was over, he would truly become a level-nine spirit-source user.
He believed this level would put him on par with anyone.
What he looked forward to most was that after reaching level nine, his "Demon Muscles" would undergo another massive enhancement, entering a stronger third state.
Between level nine and level eight, there was another qualitative leap.
The next day, the weather was clear, and the temperature had slightly risen.
In a good mood, Su Li got up early and left, only telling Qi Mengyu that he would be away from Building B for a while. If anyone asked, she should say he was busy and would return before nightfall.
Qi Mengyu nodded obediently, not daring to ask where he was going.
Su Li didn't tell Gong Xiao or Xu Xuehui, fearing they would insist on coming along.
He decided to head to "Huating Compound" again to find Wang Lan's home. He didn't want to bring too many people this time, not even Liu Jiande. With Liu Jiande's guidance last time, he had memorized the exact location and could find it alone.
Bringing some food, Su Li summoned his crocodile-toothed turtle Number One, climbed onto its back, and gripped the rope attached to it.
"Let's go." Su Li patted the turtle's head with his left hand, and Number One extended its limbs, gliding smoothly across the water.
It was incredibly fast and had great endurance, able to swim for long periods without tiring.
Riding on its back, Su Li sped eastward across the water toward Golden Eagle No. 1 Building B.
He first needed to head to the Jinhui Center building, where Jiang Shuijue had once lived, located directly east of Golden Eagle No. 1 Building B, about five kilometers away in a straight line.
Perched on the turtle's back, his shoes and socks stayed dry as the wind blew in his face. Looking up, he could see the rising sun—a pleasant feeling.
It was only around eight in the morning, and Su Li, rarely up early, had set off quite early.