Transformation

After a quick wash, the three of them sat around the table. Long had prepared a simple breakfast of bread, milk, and fried eggs. 

Long took a bite of bread and said, "Once we finish eating, we should clean up the monster corpses outside. There are quite a few from last night. We need to move them to the rooftop and pile them up there."

Simon nodded and said, "It's strange. These corpses don't seem to decompose. In this heat, they should be rotting by now, and the smell would be unbearable."

Long replied, "I've noticed that too. I suspect it has something to do with the spirit sources. They must alter the monsters' bodies, preventing decomposition even after death."

"That's a plausible theory," Simon mused. "After we clear the corpses, I want to upgrade the raft. It's too small as it is."

"You're planning to head to Zifeng Tower?" Long asked.

"Yes," Simon admitted. "Staying here isn't sustainable. The safest course of action is to find a larger group of survivors. Zifeng Tower seems like a good option."

In his mind, Simon had an even grander plan: to find a well-populated and resource-rich place where they could build a sturdy boat and seek out un-flooded lands or cities.

Long agreed, "Alright then. Once we're done with the bodies, we'll work on the raft."

The three of them set to work. With their enhanced strength, moving the corpses was relatively easy. Soon, they had piled up all the spirit beast bodies on the rooftop.

"Who knows what kind of monsters we'd attract if we threw all these bodies into the water at once," Long wondered aloud, eyeing the heap of corpses.

Simon suggested, "Should we give it a try?"

Long was startled. "Are you crazy? That's a dangerous idea!"

Simon had been joking, but seeing Long's reaction, he laughed and said, "Alright, we won't do that. Let's go work on the raft."

When they reached the thirtieth floor, Simon noticed that the water level had risen significantly. Their feet were already submerged, with the water covering their ankles.

"It seems the water is rising faster than I anticipated," Simon said, frowning with concern.

"At this rate, the thirtieth floor will be completely submerged soon," Long said, shaking his head and sighing.

Simon looked at the raft moored outside the balcony. It was made from five wooden doors tied together with ropes, appearing fairly sturdy.

"Simon, how do you plan to modify it?" Long leaned against the balcony, watching Simon.

"This raft is too small. My ultimate goal is to build a large boat. I remember seeing a movie where someone created a floating island using wood and soil, gradually piling it up," Simon said.

"A man-made island? You certainly have big ambitions," Long replied.

Simon continued, "With water everywhere, it's not impossible to construct a large raft. Of course, that's a future plan. We're far from that stage right now."

"If you're talking about doors, there are over twenty households here. Plenty of doors to use. Shall we start moving the unused doors over?" Long suggested.

Simon nodded, and the three of them began their task. Although Lily was small, as a Level 2 Spirit Source, she could easily lift several doors at once, handling five to six hundred pounds of weight effortlessly.

Long and Lily started dismantling the doors and cabinets from the vacant apartments and carrying them to the balcony. Meanwhile, Simon gathered nails, wires, and ropes, piling them up on one side. He then began by aligning five doors together, securing them with planks, and tightly binding them with wire and ropes, creating a solid raft from the five doors.

Carefully, Simon lifted the new raft, lowered it into the water from the balcony, and attached it to the existing raft using nails and planks. With the two rafts combined, the surface area doubled, forming a more substantial structure.

"This raft will get wet once it hits the water. I'm thinking of reinforcing it with another layer, creating a double-decker raft. That way, we won't have to worry about getting our shoes and socks wet," Simon proposed, looking at the now larger raft.

Long said, "Isn't that too much trouble? Besides, it will add more weight. You can't seriously be thinking of turning this into a floating island, can you? It's just a simple means of water transportation. If we're lucky enough to find a real boat, this can be discarded immediately."

"Those fishermen or shipyard workers living on boats are indeed fortunate. No flood can scare them," Long sighed wistfully.

"Indeed, if we had a large boat now, everything would be different," Simon acknowledged. He understood that relying on this makeshift raft to cross three kilometers of water to reach the Zifeng Tower was fraught with risk. A large boat would undoubtedly be safer.

"But comparatively, the larger it is, the safer it becomes," Simon resolved to further expand the raft, as it still seemed too small in his eyes.

"Someone," Lily suddenly pointed towards the distance from the balcony.

"Someone?" Simon and Long were both startled and looked in the direction she indicated.

Gazing across the water, they could vaguely make out a faint mist, reducing visibility. They could barely discern some blurred silhouettes of buildings protruding from the water. But where were the people?

"Did you see someone? What kind of people?" Simon remembered that Lily's vision was enhanced, surpassing his and Long's. She had previously spotted the third arm of a high-level corpse beast in advance. Her sudden mention of people surely had a reason.

"Three people," Lily gestured. "Alive."

Her words made Simon and Long excited.

"Did you say three people? Are they in the water or on a boat? What's the situation?" Long asked anxiously.

Lily remained calm and said, "They're on a raft, coming this way."

"What kind of people are they? Can you see clearly?" Simon took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

Lily thought for a moment before replying, "Adults, men." She seemed at a loss to describe their appearance in more detail, looking somewhat troubled.