Besides that, all the windows in this house were also sealed from the inside, making the light somewhat dim.
"Back then, for safety, the four of us all slept together, looking out for each other. Too bad it's just me now." Ding Longyun's face darkened slightly as he said this.
Su Li understood that there had been four living people here including Ding Longyun, but now the other three had been killed by monsters, leaving only Ding Longyun. Seeing these four beds, Su Li's mind stirred slightly, and he said, "Brother Ding, were the four of you all originally living in this building? Or did some come from elsewhere like us?"
Ding Longyun replied, "All residents. One lived on the thirtieth floor, I'm on the thirty-first, and the other two were a father and son on the top floor. That room piled with supplies was theirs."
Hearing this, Su Li fell into thought.
Ding Longyun asked, "What's up? What are you thinking about?"
Su Li said, "The building I stayed in before only had thirty floors, and I was the only survivor. Xu Xuehui's building also had thirty floors. When the great flood came, the living ones were her and her father—though her father later..."
Afraid of upsetting Xu Xuehui, he left out the part about her father dying. Ding Longyun didn't need to ask to catch Su Li's meaning, so he nodded slightly and said, "And then? What does that imply?"
Su Li continued, "This building has thirty-two floors, with three above water, and there were four survivors. So I'm wondering, for taller buildings, could there be even more survivors?"
Ding Longyun was taken aback, then hummed in agreement. "Hearing you analyze it, that makes sense. It should be right. I remember the Zifeng Building isn't far from here, is it?"
Su Li said, "Yes, the Zifeng Building has thirty-eight floors. Following this pattern, when the flood came, at least eight floors would still be above water. There might be quite a few people alive on those eight floors."
Su Li knew the Zifeng Building too. For this area, it was a fairly iconic structure, about two to three kilometers away.
In the past, two or three kilometers was nothing, but now, submerged by the flood, with hidden currents and dangers everywhere, that distance had become unreachable. So while Su Li knew of the Zifeng Building, he hadn't considered rafting there—the three-kilometer water route was too risky for him, at least for now.
Ding Longyun mused, "The Zifeng Building is about three kilometers from here. That distance isn't far, but it's not close either. For someone like me who gets seasick, it's a real killer. But you're right—there might be many survivors there. We could try to check it out. If there are a lot of people, strength in numbers, and we'd find some kind of organization."
Su Li hummed in agreement. From the moment he learned there had been four living people here, he'd considered heading to the taller Zifeng Building. The problem now was the nearly three-kilometer water route standing as a challenge before them.
After that, the three of them each picked a bed to rest on, to recharge for the night's hunt.
Having had some wine at noon and being together with the others, Su Li felt a greater sense of security than in the previous two days. He slept deeply and comfortably, only waking when Ding Longyun shook him.
Su Li opened his eyes and saw Ding Longyun standing by his bed.
Xu Xuehui, on the bed next to his, was sitting up, one hand hugging a pillow and the other rubbing her eyes, looking a bit dazed.
The clock on the wall showed it was past five in the afternoon. They'd slept a solid three or four hours.
"Hear that noise?" Ding Longyun asked softly as Su Li woke up.
Su Li immediately became alert and whispered, "What's up?"
Ding Longyun said, "Nothing much, just a few zombies showed up. But these zombies are low-level, nothing to worry about. These monsters have some patterns too—most of what comes out during the day isn't strong, and there aren't many. The dangerous ones usually come out at night, though there are occasional exceptions. What I'm saying isn't absolute, just a general rule."
Su Li knew he meant corpse-beasts, but Ding Longyun, lacking "Peek Rune," didn't know their true name and kept calling them zombies.
Su Li walked to the security door and peered through the peephole. Sure enough, a few corpse-beasts were staggering out from the stairwell at the other end of the corridor, banging on security doors one by one as they slowly approached.
"I remember you said the girl is still an ordinary person. These corpse-beasts are perfect for her to practice on."
Ding Longyun pulled a steel shovel from under the bed, opened the security door, and slipped out.
Su Li waved at Xu Xuehui, who was sitting on the bed, and said, "Come over here."
Xu Xuehui had just woken up and was still a bit groggy. Hearing his voice, she snapped to attention and quickly put down the pillow she was hugging.
Su Li handed her the hammer he'd set aside. He'd used it before, but now that he had the iron rod, he didn't need it, so he gave it to Xu Xuehui.
"Smash their heads again?" Xu Xuehui asked quietly, showing some reluctance.
Su Li knew she was unwilling, but he said seriously, "Remember, if you want to survive, you have to do it."
Hearing this, Xu Xuehui bit her lip lightly and said nothing.
When he led Xu Xuehui out, five corpse-beasts were already lying on the corridor floor.
The steel shovel Ding Longyun used was an outdoor tool, about a meter long. This specially made shovel was sturdy and heavy, packing a punch when swung.
He'd used it to break the limbs of these corpse-beasts, leaving them writhing on the ground but not dead, clearly saving the final blow for Xu Xuehui.
"Little girl, come over here. These on the ground are yours." Ding Longyun said as he headed for the last standing corpse-beast.
For someone with Ding Longyun's skills, dealing with these low-level corpse-beasts was simple. Su Li watched him raise the steel shovel and strike the corpse-beast's knee with a single blow. With a "thump," it fell to the ground, and then he swung the shovel down at its limbs.
The action was simple and brutal. Amidst flying flesh and blood, he quickly disabled all four limbs of the last corpse-beast, rendering it unable to fight back.
These corpse-beasts felt no pain, driven only by simple instincts to attack and hunt. Even knocked to the ground, they still twisted their bodies, unable to cry out, their wooden, vacant faces showing no sign of pain.