Seeing Gong Xiao looking at him with hesitation, as if she wanted to speak but held back, Ding Longyun laughed heartily and said, "Of course, I should first introduce our situation. I'm a resident of this building. A few days ago, I woke up in the morning and found the outside flooded. Besides me, there were three other residents in this building, but unfortunately, they all died."
Ding Longyun paused before continuing, "As for Su Li and Xue Hui, they came from elsewhere, and their situation is similar to mine."
While Ding Longyun spoke, Gong Xiao silently observed him, as if judging the truth of his words. When he finished, she let out a soft sigh and said, "I live at Zunyue Huafu. On the fifteenth, I discovered the outside was surrounded by floodwaters. Since I enjoy sports in my spare time, I had a kayak, baseball bat, skateboard, and some other supplies at home."
Ding Longyun said, "Zunyue Huafu? That's a high-end neighborhood. I've heard it even has penthouses. Being able to live there means you're pretty well-off."
Su Li also knew about Zunyue Huafu—it was considered the most upscale neighborhood in the area. Gong Xiao looked refined and lived there, so her family background must be decent.
Hearing Ding Longyun's words, Gong Xiao said calmly, "Is money still useful in a situation like this? The most important thing now is living supplies, right?"
Ding Longyun laughed and said, "You've got a point there."
When they reached the top floor and Gong Xiao saw the room piled high with various supplies, her eyes lit up.
Ding Longyun said somewhat proudly, "If it's just the four of us, this stuff is enough to last us a full month without any problem."
Su Li smiled and said, "We have a new guest today. Shouldn't we have a more lavish lunch?"
Ding Longyun laughed heartily and said, "Do you even need to ask? I'll go prepare it right away."
"I'll help you," Su Li offered, but Ding Longyun stopped him: "You stay and chat with Gong Xiao. She's new here and unfamiliar with a lot of things. I can handle it alone; you'd just be in the way."
Su Li thought he had a point, so he looked at Gong Xiao and said, "Would you like me to show you around?"
This time, Gong Xiao didn't refuse. She nodded and said, "Sure."
After a brief interaction, Gong Xiao gradually let down her guard toward them, no longer as wary and defensive as at the start.
Xu Xuehui walked up to Gong Xiao and extended her small hand.
Gong Xiao asked, "What is it?"
Xu Xuehui opened her hand, revealing a handful of sunflower seeds.
Gong Xiao was momentarily startled, then smiled and accepted them.
Seeing Gong Xiao take the seeds, Xu Xuehui became very happy, a rare smile appearing on her small face.
Su Li's heart stirred slightly. He had known Xu Xuehui for a few days, but this was the first time he saw her smile.
When she smiled, two small dimples appeared on her delicate cheeks, making her look indescribably cute.
"Little sister, you're really adorable," Gong Xiao said, looking at Xu Xuehui's smiling face. She couldn't help reaching out to gently touch her cheek.
At the compliment, Xu Xuehui showed a rare hint of shyness.
"Let me take you to the next room. That's where we usually rest," Su Li interjected.
"Okay," Gong Xiao nodded at him with a reserved smile.
Su Li opened the security door of the adjacent room, and the living room came into view, with four beds set up.
"This is..." Gong Xiao was a bit taken aback.
Su Li explained the reason: "There were four survivors here at the start, so we prepared four beds. For safety, we placed them all together."
Seeing Gong Xiao's brow slightly furrow, Su Li smiled and said, "Xue Hui is still young, and we didn't feel comfortable letting her stay alone. Now that you're here, it's different. We can move two of the beds to the master bedroom. Ding and I will sleep in the living room, and you and Xue Hui can take the master bedroom. That way, we can look out for each other, and we'll feel at ease."
He thought to himself that Xue Hui was just a little girl, but Gong Xiao was a grown woman—there was no way she could sleep in the same living room with them; it would be too inconvenient.
Hearing Su Li's arrangement, Gong Xiao breathed a slight sigh of relief. She had been afraid Su Li would say the four of them would sleep together, but now she felt reassured.
Su Li showed Gong Xiao around for a while, and finally, the three of them returned to the large balcony on the thirtieth floor. The bodies of several beast-like creatures still lay there, unmoved. Outside the balcony were two rafts and Gong Xiao's kayak.
Looking at the two rafts outside, Su Li realized that this direction faced the distant Zifeng Building. If anyone from Zifeng Building came, they would likely appear from this direction. Leaving both rafts and the kayak here was highly unwise.
"The kayak is highly maneuverable; there's no need to leave it outside. We can bring it in. If an emergency arises, we can adapt on the fly," Su Li said as he climbed over the balcony, stepped onto one of the rafts, and then pulled the ropes of the kayak, eventually hauling it inside.
Gong Xiao stood inside the balcony, receiving the kayak, and looked at Su Li with some surprise. "I didn't expect you to be so cautious."
"I have to be cautious," Su Li said with a faint smile, thinking that he not only needed to be wary of monsters in the water but also of potential outsiders. Being careless wasn't an option.
However, Su Li didn't mention the Zifeng Building or the possibility of outsiders, afraid it might affect Gong Xiao. She had just arrived, and they weren't familiar with each other yet, barely even companions. It wasn't the right time to bring up the Zifeng Building or the escaped Ni Jianrong.
After moving the kayak inside, Su Li climbed onto one of the rafts and paddled it along the building to the other side, directly opposite the direction of the Zifeng Building, just in case.
When Gong Xiao looked puzzled, Su Li simply explained that it wasn't good to keep the rafts together. If a powerful monster attacked, spreading the rafts out would make it easier to escape.
Gong Xiao nodded, feeling that Su Li's considerations were thorough.
Xu Xuehui wasn't interested in any of this. She munched on sunflower seeds while gazing at the distant water surface, occasionally looking down at the water below. She remembered the task Su Li and Ding Longyun had given her earlier—to keep an eye on changes in the distant water. With her enhanced eyesight, far superior to ordinary people, she was the best suited for this job.
Just as Su Li finished securing the raft, Xu Xuehui, who had been chewing seeds and staring at the water below, suddenly shouted, "There are flowers!"
"Flowers? Where?" Gong Xiao also looked down at the water but saw nothing, a look of confusion on her face.
Xu Xuehui didn't speak. She just stared wide-eyed, fixated on the water below. Slowly, a look of fear crept onto her face.