The Organization

Simon scrutinized the characters carefully; they read "Zifeng Tower." 

His heart skipped a beat as he studied the inscription, observing the central circle and the scattered ones around it, some marked with crosses. An inkling of understanding began to form in his mind.

"What... what is this?" Long asked weakly, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. 

Simon handed him the note, then removed the two daggers from Wang Kaikang's body. He proceeded to lift the corpses of Fang You and Wang Kaikang, tossing them into the water below from the balcony. 

"What do these drawings mean? Zifeng Tower... what does that imply?" Long pondered aloud.

Gazing at the endless expanse of water beyond the balcony, Simon spoke in a grave tone, "I suspect these three came from 'Zifeng Tower'."

Long was taken aback by the revelation.

"We'll discuss it later. Lily, help Brother Ding up. Monsters will be here soon."

Simon retrieved the steel shovel from the other corner of the balcony, handing it back to Long. He then took his place with the iron rod, standing guard on the balcony.

Given Long's severe injuries, Simon had disposed of the bodies to attract monsters, intending to use the spirit energy to help Long heal.

The surface of the water began to stir as low-level corpse beasts emerged, their heads popping up—there were at least five. Simon stepped back, allowing the creatures to clamber onto the balcony, then struck them down, leaving the finishing blows to Long.

Despite his grave injuries, Long managed to swing the shovel, successfully killing the first corpse beast and absorbing its spirit energy. 

With this newfound energy, dispatching the remaining beasts became easier. Once all five were defeated and their spirit energy absorbed, Long's vitality was fully restored.

Gently touching his chest, he exhaled a long breath. "I just had a brush with death; if that wound had been any closer to my heart, it would have been fatal. By the way, Simon, your reaction was incredibly swift. When Ni Jianrong ambushed me, I didn't see it coming, but you managed to dodge Fang You's attack."

His tone carried a hint of suspicion, suggesting he believed Simon might have anticipated the betrayal. Otherwise, he too would have been caught off guard.

If Simon had known they would make a move, he could have warned him, and he wouldn't have fallen for Ni Jianrong's trick.

Simon could guess Long's thoughts and replied with a wry smile, "I didn't react quickly; I just felt Ni Jianrong was untrustworthy and not worth befriending. So, I was on guard. I had intended to quietly warn you to be cautious, but I didn't expect them to strike so suddenly. I thought they would at least wait until they saw our supplies and understood the situation."

Simon's candid explanation made Long smile awkwardly, feeling somewhat embarrassed himself.

"It's my fault for being too gullible, too quick to trust them. Your intuition was sharper, noticing something was amiss," Long sighed, his expression melancholic, still unable to fully comprehend or accept the sudden betrayal.

Simon responded, "Brother Ding, you're not foolish; you're just too kind-hearted, always seeing the best in people."

Long said, "It seems we shouldn't be too eager to rejoice when we encounter other survivors. We can't tell if they're potential allies or enemies."

Simon nodded, "Indeed, it's wise to stay vigilant until we understand their intentions." Then he gestured for Lily to come over.

Lily obediently approached, looking up at Simon with a puzzled expression, as if asking what he wanted.

"Why did you suddenly rush over earlier? Do you know how dangerous that was? If it weren't for Brother Ding, you would have been struck by that machete."

Hearing Simon's reproach, Lily lowered her head and softly replied, "I… I saw you were in danger… so I rushed over…"

Though Simon's tone was scolding, he understood her intention was to help him. Her words brought a warmth to his heart. He gently patted her head and said, "Remember not to do something so reckless again."

"Okay," Lily responded. Seeing that Simon was no longer upset with her, her beautiful eyes sparkled with relief.

"Simon, do you think they really came from Zifeng Tower?" Long asked, holding the piece of paper and studying the crude diagram, his expression thoughtful.

"The likelihood is high. The central circle represents Zifeng Tower, while the surrounding circles probably denote other buildings that have emerged above the water," Simon speculated.

Long pondered, "What about the circles that are crossed out while others remain unmarked?"

Simon surmised, "I believe the crossed-out circles signify locations they have already visited, or perhaps where they have scavenged resources. It could also indicate that any survivors in those buildings have been eliminated. The circles without crosses likely represent buildings they have yet to explore."

Long remarked, "This theory seems plausible. It appears our location is one of those circles, but the map is so rudimentary that I can't discern which one represents us."

Simon, with a grave expression, said, "If this really is their makeshift map, it means they are systematically surveying the surrounding buildings, using Zifeng Tower as their base. You see, the circles closest to Zifeng Tower are mostly crossed out, suggesting those areas have already been inspected. The untouched circles are further from the center."

"To accomplish such a task, it wouldn't suffice with just the three of them. Given that Zifeng Tower has thirty-eight floors, at least eight of which are above water, we previously speculated there were numerous survivors. Based on today's events, it's likely these survivors have formed a powerful organization."

"What's frightening is that they seem to no longer need additional people, possibly due to resource shortages. With more people, consumption increases. They can't sustain or don't want that many people. That's why Ni Jianrong and his group didn't consider recruiting us; they simply aimed to kill us and seize our supplies."

Long listened to Simon's analysis, his face growing increasingly somber. He murmured, "Is such a thing possible? We were hit by a massive flood that submerged the entire city. The survivors are already few. Instead of uniting to find a way out, some are resorting to mutual slaughter? It's beyond comprehension."