"Hehe, I don't really like beer—I prefer the hard stuff," Ding Longyun said, fetching a bottle of liquor and a bottle of soda from the room piled high with supplies. He handed the soda to Xu Xuehui and set the liquor on the table.
Su Li took a look—it was a bottle of Feitian Moutai.
Ding Longyun said, "You might laugh, but I've only had Moutai once in my whole life. That was one year when my uncle came to our place for New Year's and brought a bottle. That's the only time I've ever tasted it."
"My uncle's pretty well-off—used to run a company and a factory, but he stopped later. Not that I ever got much out of it, hehe." Ding Longyun chuckled as he opened the bottle, then grabbed a glass. "So, how about it? Want to have some together?"
Su Li smiled. "You've at least had it before. I've never even tried it. By the way, did you find this bottle in someone's house too? That family must have been loaded." He set the beer aside, ready to sample the Moutai's flavor.
Ding Longyun said, "This isn't exactly a high-end neighborhood. Most people living here aren't filthy rich."
Su Li knew this place was far from the city center—it used to be just a suburb, only developing slowly in recent years, still a ways off from the bustling commercial districts.
"But there are exceptions," Ding Longyun said, pouring two glasses. He handed one to Su Li, then took a sip himself, smacking his lips as if savoring the taste.
Su Li took a small sip too, but frowned slightly. Truth be told, he didn't care for the sauce-aroma style; he preferred milder liquors with a lower alcohol content.
"In one apartment on the 30th floor, the place was decorated plainly and looked unoccupied, but you know what? It had over a hundred cases of this Moutai stored there. I figure someone was using it as a warehouse."
Su Li was startled. "Over a hundred cases of Moutai?"
"Yeah, plus gold, jade, famous calligraphy and paintings, and stacks of cash. When I saw it, my eyes popped. I'm guessing it's all ill-gotten gains—someone borrowed or rented that place to stash it. Who it belongs to or where it came from, I have no idea."
Ding Longyun sighed deeply. "Back in the day, I'd have dreamed of stuff like that my whole life. But now that it's all piled in front of me, I couldn't care less. Those gold bars mean less to me than the food right here."
Su Li thought for a moment. "Brother Ding, haven't you considered that if the flood recedes and everything goes back to normal, this stuff will be valuable again?"
Ding Longyun downed his glass in one gulp, set it down, and sneered. "Do you really believe things will go back to how they were? Su Li, don't be naive. Don't kid yourself. A flood that can drown a whole city couldn't have only hit us. If it were just us, we'd have seen rescue teams by now—planes, boats. But have you? Have you seen any?"
Su Li fell silent, then tipped his glass back, feeling the fiery burn slide down his throat—unpleasant, yet oddly exhilarating.
"Everyone who drowned in the flood has turned into zombies and come back. The world has changed, heh." Ding Longyun smiled faintly, then refilled both their glasses.
"We should hold back—can't get drunk," Su Li said, stopping Ding Longyun. He'd noticed corpse-beasts prowling outside from time to time; danger could strike at any moment. If he and Ding Longyun got wasted, they'd be in trouble.
"Don't worry, I know my limits. During the day, it's usually not too risky—as long as we don't toss bodies down, there won't be a big ruckus. But night's a different story," Ding Longyun said. "So let's have a drink, then get some good rest. Nighttime is when we hunt."
As he spoke, Ding Longyun's eyes gleamed.
Su Li's fingers tightened around his glass. "Hunt?"
"That's right—hunt. Use bait to lure these monsters in, hunt them for spirit sources. That's how we get stronger. Only the strong survive."
Su Li looked at Ding Longyun. He'd killed plenty of spirit-source beasts before, but always on the defensive—they attacked him, and he fought back. Now, hearing Ding Longyun, he realized the man actively hunted these creatures to grow stronger. Suddenly, he understood why Ding Longyun had evolved so fast.
"Active hunting? And what's the bait?"
Ding Longyun explained, "The bait is the corpses of these monsters. Throw them into the water, and they'll attract more monsters fast. The more corpses, the stronger the monsters that show up. So we need to be careful—never lure in something we can't handle, or we'll be playing with fire. Big trouble."
Su Li nodded slightly. "I see." He'd piled corpses in the hallway or on the roof before, never tossing them into the water, afraid of attracting monsters. Turns out he'd stumbled onto the right approach. If he'd blindly dumped them in, who knows what horrors he might have summoned. The thought still sent a chill down his spine.
After Ding Longyun finished his second glass, he moved to pour Su Li another, but Su Li waved him off.
He wasn't a lightweight—three glasses wouldn't knock him out—but in this dangerous, unfamiliar environment, he needed to stay completely clear-headed. He didn't want alcohol to cloud his judgment.
Seeing Su Li decline, Ding Longyun didn't push it and poured himself a third glass instead.
Xu Xuehui had been quietly listening to their conversation, nibbling at her food and occasionally sipping her soda with obvious delight. In this world, even a soda was a luxury.
"Finally, a full belly," Ding Longyun said, finishing his third glass. He flipped the cup upside down to signal he was done, his face turning serious. "After we eat, let's get a good night's sleep. Tonight's the main event."
Seeing Ding Longyun's grave expression, Su Li felt a twinge of tension. Actively hunting spirit-source beasts for their energy—this would be his first time. He was nervous, but also excited.
After the meal, the three of them cleaned up the dishes together. Then Ding Longyun led them to the next apartment.
It was a three-bedroom, one-living-room unit with a spacious living area. The furniture had been cleared out, replaced by four beds lined up in a row.