Receiving Gong Xiao's praise, Ding Longyun felt half his burden lifted, grinning smugly as he said, "This is nothing. Too bad I'm short on ingredients; otherwise, I could whip up my signature dishes—braised ribs, pickled fish, steamed pork with rice flour, and dry-pot chicken feet are all my specialties."
Gong Xiao smiled. "There'll be a chance, I'm sure. Not every place can be submerged. There must be some dry land left. Once we find it, we can return to our old life."
Ding Longyun replied, "I hope so."
At the table, Ding Longyun did most of the talking, peppering Gong Xiao with questions. Su Li ate quietly, listening, learning that Gong Xiao was twenty-one, still in university, but already running her own small company. Beyond work and study, she had a wide range of hobbies—surfing, fencing, boxing, baseball, and more.
Hearing this, Su Li felt a pang of awe. Gong Xiao seemed like the kind of genius some people talked about, excelling in every way. Compared to her, he was just an ordinary person. If not for this great flood, he might not even have had the right to speak with her, let alone know her or sit at the same table.
"Brother Ding, Su Li mentioned you're already a Level 4 Source Awakener. I'm curious—how did you gather so much spiritual source?"
Gong Xiao's eyes sparkled as she asked, clearly fascinated by the topic.
Su Li thought to himself that this woman excelled in everything, and such excellence came with a competitive streak. Even now, with the flood and dangers everywhere, she probably didn't want to fall behind others. She was asking to learn how to grow stronger.
Ding Longyun perked up at her question, grinning. "It's because I've figured out some patterns in how these monsters move." He then explained how he actively hunted at night.
Gong Xiao's eyes flickered with interest as she murmured, "I see."
Ding Longyun laughed. "Now that you're with us, we're even stronger. After we eat, let's rest up quickly, and tonight we can hunt together."
Su Li, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. "Brother Ding, I'm thinking of going into the water later to check things out. Are you interested?"
"Into the water?" Ding Longyun turned to look at Su Li.
Su Li nodded and recounted what Xu Xuehui had said about the water's surface—mentioning corpses, flowers, and treasures.
"Xuehui's eyes are different from ours. If she said that, there must be a reason. Maybe there really is some special treasure down there. She mentioned twice that we must get it, so it might be very important."
Ding Longyun asked, "Girl, did you really see a treasure in the water? What kind?"
Xu Xuehui shook her head. The state she'd been in earlier had come and gone suddenly; now she couldn't explain what treasure she'd seen.
"I want to go down and look, not just because of what Xuehui said," Su Li added. "The twenty-nine floors below this building are flooded, but some supplies in those apartments might still be usable—like vacuum-sealed food that won't spoil even after days underwater. Plus, I want to practice my swimming."
He could swim, but his skill was mediocre, nowhere near Ding Longyun's level. In this flood-submerged city, being a strong swimmer meant an extra survival skill.
He also thought of Ni Jianrong, who had escaped earlier. If his swimming had been as good as Ding Longyun's, maybe he wouldn't have gotten away.
Ding Longyun chuckled at Su Li's words. "You've got a point. I've thought about checking it out too. There must be plenty of usable supplies in all those flooded homes, but I always felt it was too risky, so I never went down to explore thoroughly."
Su Li nodded. "We can take a look. If it's dangerous, we'll come right back up."
Ding Longyun agreed. "Alright, let's go down together."
Gong Xiao said, "I'll join you."
Ding Longyun shook his head. "It's too dangerous. You should stay up here, as a girl."
Gong Xiao's eyebrows arched slightly. "Brother Ding, I didn't expect you to be such a chauvinist, looking down on women."
"I don't think women are necessarily inferior to men. If you two can take the risk, why can't I?"
Ding Longyun rubbed his hands nervously. "You've misunderstood. That's not what I meant." Flustered, he suddenly looked at Su Li. "Su Li, talk some sense into her."
Su Li said, "If she wants to go, let her come along. More people looking out for each other makes it safer."
He thought to himself that this woman was too stubborn to be stopped. Better to bring her along; only when she saw the danger firsthand would she learn to fear it. No amount of talking now would help.
Ding Longyun never expected Su Li to agree. He paused, realizing he couldn't stop her, and shook his head with a wry smile. "Fine, but we need to be extra careful. Going into the water is ten times more dangerous than staying here. Hey, Gong Xiao, how's your swimming? This isn't a joke—one slip and it could cost you your life."
He looked at her pretty face and genuinely hated the thought of her losing her life.
Gong Xiao replied, "Don't worry, Brother Ding. One of my favorite hobbies is surfing, so I'm naturally good at swimming."
With that, Ding Longyun had no reason left to stop her.
After the meal, they rested briefly and began preparing to go into the water.
As for Xu Xuehui, they naturally didn't dare take her along. No one knew the true state of the underwater world—it might be safe, or it might be fraught with danger. In such uncertainty, they couldn't bring her, as she could offer little help and might become a burden.
Xu Xuehui understood her own limitations and obediently didn't insist on joining them.
"Xuehui, stay here quietly, lock the door, and don't wander off. We'll come back for you," Su Li instructed.
Xu Xuehui looked at him, nodded, and her lips moved before she finally managed, "Be careful." Her big eyes held a hint of worry.
Su Li noticed and smiled softly, reaching out to pat her head. "Don't worry, we'll be careful."
He left the dagger with Xu Xuehui and picked up the iron rod he was used to wielding, stepping out.
Gong Xiao set aside her baseball bat and took up the cleaver that had belonged to Wang Kaikang. In the underwater world, a sharp blade like that was far more lethal than a bat.
Ding Longyun stuck with his steel shovel.