Regarding Xu Haishui's earlier account of his experiences, Su Li chose to believe only half of it until fully verified. Although based on the current situation, it seemed ninety percent likely to be true, he still wouldn't trust it entirely. He felt that not fully trusting anyone was the most basic condition for survival in this world. Just like Chen Xiangyu—his death came partly from extreme arrogance, overconfidence in his "steel skin," but also because he chose to trust Xu Haishui, turning his back to him, unaware that Xu Haishui had already secretly figured out his fatal weakness.
Su Li had no desire to end up like that. However, now that Xu Haishui had personally killed Chen Xiangyu, he had placed himself in opposition to Zifeng Tower. He could only rely on Su Li and the others; otherwise, he'd have little chance of survival. Moreover, in that situation, Xu Haishui could have chosen to jump into the water and escape—there was no need to suddenly kill Chen Xiangyu unless everything he said was true and he truly hated him.
"If everything he says is true, he certainly wants to use us to rescue Zhang Ying, but I also need him to understand Zifeng Tower," Su Li thought silently. Still, until he fully confirmed whether Zhang Ying really existed, he chose not to trust him completely. Of course, if it was all made up on the spot, then he'd have to admit Xu Haishui's acting was too convincing—even an Oscar winner couldn't match him.
"You mean we need to find a way to win over this Yan Fang?" Su Li looked at Xu Haishui and suddenly asked.
"Yes, I've interacted with Yan Fang. Though he's deaf and mute, he's a genius engineer. I can hardly believe it—what looks like scrap metal to me becomes something miraculous in his hands. His hands seem to possess incredible magic. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."
This engineer Yan Fang, deaf and mute yet a formidable genius, surprised Su Li, Gong Xiao, and the others. Seeing Xu Haishui's admiration for Yan Fang, Su Li grew curious and wanted to meet this remarkable engineer soon.
"And it's not just Yan Fang. Not everyone in Zifeng Tower has lost their humanity. There are people like me, temporarily forced to compromise and endure. I believe good and evil coexist. It's just that no one can yet stand against those guys like Tao Bingjun and Li Wei. To survive, we have to endure. We're just missing an opportunity—or rather, a true leader."
As Xu Haishui said this, his eyes lit up as he stared at Su Li. "If we can find a way to eliminate the leaders like Tao Bingjun, we can take control of Zifeng Tower and change its current brutality and violence. Ruling by force alone won't last. We can establish a new order..."
Before he could finish, Su Li waved his hand and said, "Alright, you're thinking too far ahead. What we should consider now is what to do if Zifeng Tower sends more people tomorrow. Even Chen Xiangyu and his five men vanished without a trace. I think if Zifeng Tower doesn't come at all, and if they do send someone again, they won't be easy to deal with."
Xu Haishui's face showed worry. "I can't think of a better solution either. The safest option is to leave here, stay away from Zifeng Tower's direction, find a new foothold, and work on getting stronger. Then we can contact those inside Zifeng Tower who oppose them. Once we're strong enough, we can coordinate from inside and out, kill Tao Bingjun and his crew, and take over Zifeng Tower."
"That's a relatively safe plan, but while we're getting stronger, Tao Bingjun and Li Wei won't just wait for us. They'll grow stronger too. By the time we're strong enough, who knows how many years it'll be..." Su Li shook his head, rejecting Xu Haishui's suggestion.
Gong Xiao looked at Su Li, her phoenix eyes sparkling. "Su Li, do you have an idea?"
Su Li smiled faintly, a restrained light flickering in his eyes. "Instead of passively waiting for them to come, why don't we take the initiative?"
This statement startled the others, and they all turned to look at Su Li.
Ding Longyun laughed heartily. "Su Li, you've got guts. That's right up my alley."
Gong Xiao furrowed her delicate brows. "Su Li, courage isn't recklessness. Are we just going to charge into Zifeng Tower like this? Xu Haishui just said the four leaders there are at least Level 5 spirit source users. And that was yesterday's news—half a day has passed since. No one knows the latest situation."
As she spoke, Gong Xiao glanced at Xu Haishui.
Xu Haishui felt nervous under her gaze. Faced with a beautiful woman, he had an innate inferiority complex and dared not meet her eyes, lowering his head slightly. "Yes, what I know is from yesterday. I don't know the current situation either."
Ding Longyun said, "The higher the level, the harder it is to advance. To reach Level 5, we need at least fifty spirit sources. I reckon Level 5 and above require even more. They were Level 5 yesterday—they couldn't have become Level 6 today, right? But even four Level 5s are beyond us. Still, I trust Su Li's judgment. If he says we can go, then we can."
After just a few days together, Ding Longyun had begun to unconditionally trust Su Li's decisions.
Su Li looked at the group and said firmly, "I didn't say we go now. We can reach Level 5 in the shortest time today, then take the initiative and head to Zifeng Tower."
Gong Xiao's eyes lit up. "If we can really find enough monsters and all reach Level 5 today, then go to Zifeng Tower and seize the initiative, we might catch them off guard. We could even take them out one by one. That's a good option—at least better than waiting here passively."
"Alright, it's settled. Let's go down, grab something to eat, rest a bit, and then immediately hunt for monsters. But monsters around here seem to be getting scarce. Finding enough suitable ones won't be easy." Ding Longyun raised a concern.
Su Li said, "I have another idea about that. Let's go down first."
After the recent battle, he wasn't feeling relaxed either. He decided to rest and recharge.
Everyone nodded in agreement and then descended from the rooftop. Su Li and the others had tentatively accepted Xu Haishui, but they hadn't fully let down their guard. They would continue to observe him. Ding Longyun was more easygoing, while Su Li and Gong Xiao were cautious—though not obvious, they were secretly watching Xu Haishui.