Su Li said, "There are all kinds of people in this world. Of course, what I’m saying is just speculation—I don’t know the specifics either. But if there’s even a chance this is true, we’re in trouble. I was originally planning for us to take the raft to the Purple Wind Building, but if my guess is right, wouldn’t we be walking right into a trap?"
"That’s not right. Those three seemed intent on killing us, but they didn’t try to kill the girl. Why is that?" Ding Longyun tilted his head slightly, suddenly looking at Xu Xuehui, struck by a strange detail.
Su Li said, "I don’t know. Maybe because she’s a child, they didn’t see her as a threat and didn’t want to harm her, or maybe they need a kid for some purpose."
Of course, there was another strong possibility—that it was because Xu Xuehui was a girl—but Su Li didn’t say it.
"Su Li, have you considered this? If your guess is true, then the Purple Wind Building is now occupied by some terrifying people. Ni Jianrong escaped, and we killed his two companions. Do you think he’ll come back with others to seek revenge?"
"Very likely," Su Li said. "That was the implication before he fled. And hearing his tone is exactly why I think my guess has some merit."
"Then what do we do? Should we try to get out of here as soon as possible?" Ding Longyun, though furious with Ni Jianrong, knew that the three of them alone couldn’t stand against him.
Su Li said, "There’s no better place around here than the Purple Wind Building. Where could we escape to? Besides, it won’t be easy for Ni Jianrong to swim back alive, let alone bring people to hunt us down. The Purple Wind Building isn’t close."
Ding Longyun frowned. Over the past few days, he had gathered a lot of supplies, all stacked in the house. Even if they wanted to flee, loading everything up would be a challenge.
"So we just do nothing? If a whole group shows up, we’ll be in real trouble."
Su Li pondered for a moment, then said, "Whether they come for revenge or not, we need to be prepared. The water all around us is a hassle, but it also has an advantage—it makes escape easy."
He thought back to Ni Jianrong’s escape, diving into the water, and how he himself had hesitated to follow.
Fighting in water was completely different from on land. No one could guarantee they’d kill an opponent in the water, and chasing blindly was too risky.
Ding Longyun’s eyes lit up. "I get it. We can stay here and see how things play out. If no one comes for revenge, great. If they do, even if we can’t fight them, we can just jump into the water, and they won’t be able to touch us."
Su Li said, "That’s one thing. Another is that Xuehui and I need to practice our swimming more. You’re already good at it, so no problem for you, but I’m still lacking. Also, I want to level up again. We need to strengthen ourselves. As long as we’re strong enough, there’s nothing to fear."
He now had 11 spirit sources, needing 19 more to reach level 4. That wasn’t too many—if enough monsters appeared, he could break through anytime.
Ding Longyun said, "I need a lot more spirit sources now. Breaking through again will be tough."
"It’s only been four days since the flood started. I doubt there’s a huge gap in strength between everyone. The Purple Wind Building just has more people. We can make multiple preparations. Now that we have an extra raft, we can set one up on the side opposite the Purple Wind Building and load some essential supplies onto it. If a large group shows up, we can just take the raft and leave. Xuehui has great eyesight—she can spot them from far away. Whether we stay to fight or leave, we can decide on the fly."
Hearing Su Li’s plan, Ding Longyun’s eyes brightened. "Good idea. Girl, you’ll have to work hard. Keep an eye on that direction, and if anything’s off, tell us right away."
Xu Xuehui felt needed, perking up with a sparkle in her eyes. She nodded firmly, signaling she understood, and began scanning the distance.
"They’re coming."
Xu Xuehui suddenly looked into the distance and called out.
"Already?" Ding Longyun was startled. Had Ni Jianrong, who had just escaped, already made it back to the Purple Wind Building to get reinforcements?
Ding Longyun tensed up and quickly asked, "How many?"
"One." Xu Xuehui stared intently, her brows slightly raised.
Su Li’s expression shifted. "One?"
Ding Longyun’s eyes widened. "You don’t mean that Ni Jianrong guy, do you? He came back alone? But the direction seems off—that’s not toward the Purple Wind Building. It’s a bit too far off."
Su Li was starting to understand. "Xuehui, you mean there’s one person in that direction? Is it that Ni Jianrong, or someone else? Besides that person, is there anything else? Like food or supplies?"
"No, it’s a sister. Pretty. Has supplies, but not much."
Hearing Xu Xuehui’s concise report, Su Li let out a long "oh" and understood.
This sudden arrival had nothing to do with Ni Jianrong or the Purple Wind Building. It was likely another survivor from somewhere else, riding a raft alone, just like he had before, searching for new survivors and a place to stay.
Ding Longyun’s eyes lit up. "A pretty sister? Are you sure? This probably isn’t someone from the Purple Wind Building coming for revenge."
Su Li glanced at him. "Brother Ding, have you forgotten the painful lesson just now? Even if they’re other survivors, that doesn’t mean they’re good people."
Ding Longyun chuckled. "The girl said it’s a pretty sister, right? A good-looking girl can’t be that bad. Besides, she’s alone—why would we be afraid of her?"
Su Li was speechless at his logic. By now, he and Ding Longyun could faintly make out a blurry dark spot in the distance.
The spot grew clearer, heading straight toward them.
In this flooded area, the three-story building rising above the water was quite eye-catching, naturally drawing survivors to it.
As the distance closed, Su Li could finally see the figure on the water.
The "pretty sister" Xu Xuehui had mentioned.
What surprised Su Li and Ding Longyun first wasn’t how pretty she was, but that she wasn’t riding the raft they had assumed. Instead, she was in an orange kayak.
The kayak was small, barely fitting three or four people. A woman sat inside, paddling swiftly with both hands, the kayak speeding toward them.