Su Li noticed her expression and felt a slight jolt in his heart. He knew Xu Xuehui had enhanced her eyes—they were somewhat special. Could she have seen something?
But what did she mean by "flowers"? And why did she look so terrified?
"Xuehui, are you saying there are flowers underwater? What kind of flowers?"
"Corpses... so many corpses..." Xu Xuehui murmured, as if entranced, her eyes faintly glowing with a shimmering light.
Su Li frowned slightly. "So many corpses..."
At that moment, Gong Xiao also noticed Xu Xuehui's unusual state. She couldn't help moving closer to Su Li and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with her?"
Su Li replied softly, "Xuehui has enhanced eyes. She can see things we can't. She must have noticed something off underwater. It's not surprising there are many corpses, but what about the flowers? Is she referring to the flowers in the community garden?"
Many residential areas had decent landscaping, so flowers weren't unusual. But the way Xu Xuehui suddenly brought it up made him feel it wasn't that simple.
This massive flood must have drowned countless people. Su Li wasn't surprised that Xu Xuehui said there were many corpses underwater.
Gong Xiao let out a soft "oh" and said nothing more, just glancing between Xu Xuehui and the water's surface.
The water was murky, with floating debris visible from time to time—plastic bags, dead branches, fallen leaves, washbasins, shoes, and socks.
"A huge... flower, with a treasure, a very important treasure. We need to get it."
As Xu Xuehui said this, she suddenly shuddered, snapping out of her trance-like state. Her pretty face turned pale, faint cold sweat beading on her forehead, as if she had just woken from a nightmare.
A pang of sympathy rose in Su Li's heart. He reached out and gently patted her thin shoulder. "Did you see something scary just now? What were those flowers and treasure you mentioned?"
Xu Xuehui looked a bit confused. "I can't see it now... I just feel there's something very important down there, and we have to get it."
"Something very important?" Su Li murmured, staring at the murky water below. A urge to dive in and investigate surged within him.
He thought back to last night on the rooftop, when the three of them had prepared to hunt monsters.
At the time, a group of low-level corpse beasts were climbing up. Xu Xuehui had suddenly warned him about a "third hand." Neither Su Li nor Ding Longyun understood what she meant at first. It wasn't until a high-level corpse beast climbed onto the roof, its chest splitting open to reveal a third arm, that they realized what Xu Xuehui had been referring to.
This ability Xu Xuehui displayed was quite unique. When she mentioned the third hand, that high-level corpse beast hadn't even appeared yet—it hadn't surfaced, let alone shown its third arm. But Xu Xuehui had seen it in advance.
Now, Xu Xuehui suddenly brought up corpses, flowers, and a treasure. Had she also foreseen something mysterious? The corpses and flowers were one thing, but the treasure inevitably piqued Su Li's interest. Most importantly, she had said twice that they absolutely had to get it. Did that mean this treasure was extremely important?
Seeing Su Li lost in thought, Gong Xiao's heart stirred. "You're not thinking of going down to take a look, are you?"
"That thought crossed my mind," Su Li said.
Gong Xiao took a deep breath. "That's very dangerous. Who knows how many monsters are hiding in this water? The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. You've got some nerve..."
She paused for a moment before adding, "It seems your evolution level must be pretty high. Otherwise, you wouldn't have that kind of courage."
Su Li smiled faintly. "I'm at level three. Not that high—one level lower than Brother Ding. What about you? What level are you?"
He could tell from Gong Xiao's demeanor that she was no ordinary person, and the fact that she dared to come here alone in a kayak suggested she was quite capable.
Gong Xiao's eyes lit up. "Brother Ding has reached level four? He's really impressive. I'm only at level three, same as you. No wonder you're bold enough to suggest going down for a look. With a level-four spiritual source user leading the way, it might actually be worth a try."
The city had only been submerged for a few days, and the higher their evolution level, the more monsters they had killed. For Ding Longyun to become a level-four spiritual source user meant he was exceptionally strong and resourceful.
Gong Xiao considered herself no slouch, but she had only just become a level-three spiritual source user. Hearing that Ding Longyun was already level four, she genuinely felt admiration.
Though she had a bit of pride and thought highly of herself, she respected the strong—those who were better and more capable than her.
Initially, she hadn't thought much of Ding Longyun, seeing him as loud and brash, a man nearing forty who lacked composure. But now that she knew he was a level-four spiritual source user, her impression of him immediately changed.
Su Li noticed the admiration in Gong Xiao's words and smiled, playing along. "Yeah, we can ask Brother Ding what he thinks. Actually, for a girl to reach level three in such a short time is pretty impressive too."
Gong Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone half-serious, half-joking. "Are you looking down on women? Sounds a bit chauvinistic."
Su Li shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Most women are naturally physically weaker than men. I'm just stating a fact, not looking down on anyone."
Gong Xiao gave a soft snort. "Deep down, you still look down on us. Let me tell you, some women are just as good as men."
Su Li smiled and decided not to argue. He figured there was no winning an argument with a woman anyway.
Just then, Ding Longyun's voice came down from the thirty-second floor above. "Food's ready! Come up and eat!"
"Got it." Su Li looked up and saw Ding Longyun's head poking out of a window above, looking down at them.
After the three went upstairs, they found that Ding Longyun had already set up a table and chairs, even laying out a disposable tablecloth.
Gong Xiao's eyes lit up at the sight of the food on the table.
Sliced salted duck eggs, chicken feet, salted duck, ham, dried tofu, egg drop soup, and steaming white rice filled the table. Though many items were vacuum-packed, Ding Longyun had arranged them beautifully, making the spread look appetizing with its color, aroma, and flavor.
Gong Xiao hadn't had a hot meal in three or four days, surviving on dry instant noodles and bread. This feast was irresistible.
"Brother Ding, you're amazing." Gong Xiao hadn't expected that Ding Longyun, with his loud demeanor and hints of balding—a textbook greasy uncle—would not only be the strongest among them at level four but also such a good cook.