Into the Water

Upon receiving Millie's compliment, Long's spirits lifted considerably. He chuckled, feeling somewhat buoyant, and said, "This is nothing. Unfortunately, I lack the necessary ingredients. Otherwise, I could make some of my best dishes like braised pork ribs, pickled fish, steamed pork with rice flour, and dry pot chicken feet."

Millie smiled and said, "There will definitely be opportunities. I believe not all places are submerged. There must be some dry land somewhere. Once we find it, we can return to our previous way of life."

"Let's hope so," Long replied.

At the dining table, Long was the most talkative, bombarding Millie with questions. Simon, on the other hand, quietly ate his meal, listening. He learned that Millie was twenty-one years old, still a university student, but she already owned a small company. Apart from her studies and work, she had a wide range of hobbies such as surfing, fencing, boxing, and baseball.

Knowing all this, Simon felt a pang of admiration. Millie seemed to be the epitome of a prodigy, excelling in various fields. Compared to her, he felt quite ordinary. If not for this great flood, he might never have had the chance to speak with her, let alone share a meal at the same table.

"Brother Long, Simon mentioned that you're already a Level Four Spirit Source. I'd like to ask, how did you manage to acquire so many spirit sources?" Millie's eyes sparkled with interest as she asked this question.

Simon thought to himself that such an outstanding woman would naturally have a competitive nature. Even amidst the dangers of the flood, she would not want to fall behind others. She was eager to learn how to become stronger.

Hearing Millie's question, Long became animated. He chuckled and said, "That's because I've figured out some patterns in the behavior of these monsters." He then explained how he actively hunted them at night.

Millie listened, her eyes shining brightly, and said softly, "I see."

Long laughed and said, "Now that you're with us, our strength has increased even further. After we finish eating, let's get some rest. Tonight, we can hunt together."

Simon had remained silent, but now he suddenly spoke up, "Brother Long, I'm thinking of diving down to take a look. Are you interested?"

"Dive?" Long turned his head to look at Simon.

Simon nodded and recounted what Lily had said earlier about the corpses, the flower, and the treasure she saw in the water.

"Lily's eyes are different from ours. If she says so, there must be a reason. There might be something special underwater, and she mentioned twice that it's something we must obtain. Perhaps this treasure is truly significant."

Long asked, "Lily, did you really see a treasure underwater? What kind of treasure?"

Lily shook her head. The state she had been in earlier had come upon her suddenly, and now she couldn't describe what she had seen.

"I want to dive down, not just because of what Lily said," Simon explained. "The lower twenty-nine floors of this building are submerged, but some of the supplies in those apartments should still be usable. For instance, vacuum-packed food won't spoil even after days in the water. Besides, I want to improve my swimming skills."

Though he could swim, Simon's skills were average. He couldn't compare to a swimming expert like Long, and in a flood-ravaged city, being adept in water was a crucial survival skill.

He also thought of the fugitive Ni Jianrong. If he were as good a swimmer as Long, perhaps Ni wouldn't have escaped.

Hearing Simon's reasoning, Long laughed, "You make a good point. I've thought about exploring those submerged apartments myself. There must be a lot of useful supplies down there, but it always seemed too risky, so I never went down to check."

Simon nodded, "We can go down and take a look. If it gets dangerous, we'll come right back up."

Long agreed, "Alright, let's go down together."

Millie interjected, "I'll join you."

Long shook his head, "It's too dangerous. You should stay up here."

Millie's eyebrows raised slightly, "Brother Long, I didn't expect you to be so chauvinistic, looking down on us women."

"I don't think women are necessarily inferior to men. If you can take the risk, why can't I?"

Long rubbed his hands anxiously, "You've misunderstood me. That's not what I meant." In his frustration, he turned to Simon, "Simon, please talk some sense into her."

Simon said, "Since she wants to come, let's all go together. It will be safer to have an extra person to look out for each other." He thought that this woman had a strong will, and rather than stopping her, it was better to bring her along. Only by experiencing the danger herself would she understand the risks; words alone wouldn't convince her.

Long hadn't expected Simon to agree and, after a moment of surprise, realized there was no stopping her now. He sighed and nodded, "Alright, but we must be extremely cautious. The underwater environment is ten times more perilous than up here. By the way, Millie, how good are you in the water? This is no joke; one small mistake could be fatal."

Seeing Millie's beautiful face, he couldn't bear the thought of her losing her life.

Millie responded, "Don't worry, Brother Long. One of my favorite hobbies is surfing, so I'm quite adept in the water."

Since Millie had assured them, Long had no further objections.

After the meal, the three of them took a short rest before preparing for their dive.

As for Lily, they naturally couldn't bring her along. The true nature of the underwater world was unknown; it might be safe or fraught with danger. In such uncertain conditions, bringing Lily, who could offer little help and might become a burden, was out of the question.

Lily understood her situation well and obediently didn't insist on going with them.

"Lily, stay here quietly, lock the door, and don't wander around. We will come back for you," Simon instructed.

Lily looked at Simon, nodded, and after some hesitation, whispered, "Be careful." Her large eyes were filled with worry.

Simon saw this and smiled slightly. He reached out and gently patted her head, saying, "Don't worry, we'll be careful."

He left a dagger with Lily, took his accustomed iron rod in his right hand, and headed out.

Millie left behind her baseball bat, opting instead for the machete originally used by Wang Kaikang. In the underwater world, a sharp blade was naturally more lethal than a bat.

Long continued to use his steel shovel.