After that, he spotted a small bag of iron nails inside the fallen TV cabinet and immediately stashed it away—this was a rare find, perfect for reinforcing the raft.
Then he found a fruit knife and pocketed it as well, planning to give it to Xu Xuehui later for self-defense.
Opening the fridge, he saw cartons of milk and a few cans of beer inside.
Su Li was overjoyed and quickly grabbed a large plastic bag, stuffing everything into it.
"Nice, this haul is pretty impressive."
Beyond that, he took all the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar from the kitchen. Though they seemed useless for now, Su Li believed they’d come in handy later.
He was rummaging through cabinets when he suddenly noticed Xu Xuehui walking out. She was still unsteady on her feet but had recovered significantly, carrying a large bag that she slowly handed to him.
"What’s this?" Su Li took the bag and opened it to find it stuffed with all kinds of snacks—sunflower seeds, pistachios, raisins, candy, and more. The whole bag was full.
"Is this your usual stash of snacks?" Su Li looked at Xu Xuehui.
Xu Xuehui nodded.
Su Li smiled and said, "Good, this is all food. Here, take this fruit knife." He handed it to her.
Xu Xuehui took the knife, looking a bit dazed.
"Your clothes are pretty torn up. Change into something else—we need to leave this place." Deciding there was nothing else useful to find here, Su Li resolved to go. He didn’t want to waste more time.
Xu Xuehui obediently returned to the bedroom. Soon, she came out in a brand-new denim jumpsuit with black leather shoes, looking cute and neat.
Su Li nodded approvingly. "Very pretty." He picked up the two large plastic bags and said, "Let’s go."
Xu Xuehui said nothing, just silently followed behind him.
Su Li stepped out the door, watching her follow him into the sunlight. Under the sun’s rays, Xu Xuehui’s face appeared soft, fair, and almost flawless, like a porcelain doll. A thought suddenly struck him.
She wasn’t as reluctant to leave her father’s body as he’d imagined.
That put him at ease. He’d worried she might refuse to go, but Xu Xuehui was surprisingly compliant. Clearly, deep down, she was desperate to escape this place, which was why she was so obedient.
No one knew what she’d experienced or heard while hiding in that wardrobe. Perhaps, in her heart, this place was a nightmare she’d long wanted to flee, with nothing left to cling to.
Maybe it was because she hadn’t seen sunlight in a long time. Stepping out into the brightness, Xu Xuehui couldn’t help raising a hand to shield her eyes. Suddenly, she stared at Su Li as if she’d seen something terrifying, her face twisting in fear.
Su Li was watching her, his back to the long corridor, when he saw her look at him with that horrified expression.
He realized she wasn’t afraid of him—she was seeing something behind him. Her face tilted slightly upward, her gaze fixed above his head.
In that instant, Su Li acted on pure instinct, jerking his head to the side.
At the same moment, something grazed his shoulder, blood splattering out with a searing pain, leaving several deep gashes that cut almost to the bone.
"Watch out!" Xu Xuehui finally cried out, recoiling in terror and stumbling to the ground.
Before her, a dark shadow swooped over Su Li’s head and landed on the ground in front of him, right in Xu Xuehui’s line of sight.
It was a blood-red dog, its original breed unrecognizable. It had undergone a horrifying mutation—all its fur was gone, replaced by bulging, crimson muscles, as if its skin had been peeled away, leaving only raw flesh. It was hideous and monstrous, like a beast.
Its claws were hooked and razor-sharp, extending nearly ten centimeters. With those terrifying claws, it had somehow hooked onto the corridor ceiling and lunged down from above Su Li’s head.
Su Li had no warning. If not for the sudden fear on Xu Xuehui’s face triggering his instinctive dodge, those claws would have torn into his skull instead of his shoulder.
Though he’d avoided a fatal blow, Su Li was drenched in cold sweat, every muscle tensing and swelling.
The "Muscle Enhancement Type 1" ability kicked in, contracting the wound on his shoulder to slow the bleeding and prevent excessive blood loss.
With a roar, Su Li dropped the two plastic bags he was carrying. Ignoring the searing, tearing pain in his left shoulder, he gripped the iron rod in his right hand, veins bulging on the back of his hand, and charged forward.
The crimson-muscled monster had leaped over Su Li’s head and landed right in front of Xu Xuehui. One more pounce and it could sink its teeth into her throat.
Having finally found a companion, Su Li didn’t want to lose her now.
All his strength exploded in that moment. The iron rod whistled faintly through the air as he swung it with full force.
Between his brows, a faint, vertical eye-like pattern emerged—the "Peeking Rune" activated.
"Name: Glutton Hound, elite class among second-level spirit-source beasts. Voracious, fond of ambushes, with a 1% chance of evolving into a Glutton Lord. Killing a Glutton Hound may yield the special ability ‘Glutton’s Fang.’"
Su Li’s heart sank.
This Glutton Hound was an elite among second-level spirit-source beasts? The one-eyed frog he’d encountered earlier was also an elite, but only a first-level spirit-source beast. Without a doubt, this Glutton Hound was far stronger.
No time to overthink. Su Li went all out, swinging the iron rod with a faint whistle, packing considerable force.
The Glutton Hound didn’t lunge at Xu Xuehui as Su Li expected. Instead, it spun around, dodging his rod, circled, and leaped again, swooping down like a hawk to attack Su Li.
Its jumping power was astonishing—this leap carried it at least two or three meters high, nearly brushing the ceiling. Su Li calmly stepped back, his peripheral vision catching the corpse of a dead beast at his feet. He slid his toes under it.
The long corridor was littered with the bodies of dead beasts, which Su Li guessed had been killed by Xu Xuehui’s father.
Just as the Glutton Hound was about to pounce, Su Li used his foot to flip the corpse up, hurling it toward the beast.