The Note

Summoning an unexpected surge of courage upon witnessing Simon in peril, Lily lunged forward, plunging the dagger into Wang Kaikang's body. However, as Wang Kaikang swung his blade towards her, she found herself paralyzed by fear, unable to move as the weapon grew larger in her vision.

A message flashed in Simon's mind.

"Level 3 Essence Bearer: Essence 10/30."

On the ground, Fang You exhaled his final breath, releasing an essence that merged into Simon's forehead.

"So, killing an Essence Bearer also grants their essence."

With this realization, Simon saw Lily in imminent danger. Letting out a resonant shout, he threw himself at Wang Kaikang, disregarding Ni Jianrong's bone spur. He accepted the spur's piercing into his abdomen as the price for saving Lily, swinging his iron rod with all his might.

Ni Jianrong's face showed a flicker of surprise as Simon lunged into him, the foot-long bone spur penetrating Simon's belly. Simon's extended right arm, holding the iron rod, swung from right to left, smashing into Wang Kaikang's head. The blow exploded with the force of a sledgehammer, causing Wang Kaikang's head to shatter like a watermelon. His attack halted, and his right hand instinctively released the machete, which flew away due to its momentum.

"Girl, get down!" Long, lying on the ground, roared, disregarding his own severe injuries. Summoning his last ounce of strength, he dashed forward, tackling Lily to the ground just in time to avoid the airborne machete.

A new message appeared in Simon's mind.

"Level 3 Essence Bearer: Essence 11/30."

The essence from Wang Kaikang's death, combined with that from Fang You, fused within Simon, transforming into a healing energy that rapidly mended his grievous wounds.

Simon's self-sacrifice to save Lily, risking the bone spur's impalement, was driven by his intent to keep her alive and the essence he absorbed from Fang You, knowing it would heal him. With Wang Kaikang eliminated, only Ni Jianrong remained—a manageable foe.

This series of unexpected events left Ni Jianrong's face etched with shock and gravity. Initially, he had assumed Long, the Level 4 Essence Bearer, was the greatest threat. Hence, he had targeted Long first, believing that once Long was dealt with, the remaining two would be easy to handle.

However, he could never have anticipated that the seemingly quiet and reserved Simon was, in fact, the most formidable of the trio. He had miscalculated gravely.

Having vanquished Wang Kaikang, Simon's left hand extended his voracious fangs. Ni Jianrong's bone spur had the potential to disembowel Simon if it were to be dragged downward. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Simon's voracious fangs countered, poised to eviscerate Ni Jianrong as well.

Reacting with astonishing speed, Ni Jianrong seemed to grasp the situation the moment Simon killed Wang Kaikang. With a powerful push of his legs, he leapt backward, creating a significant gap between himself and Simon. He took another stride and bolted into an adjacent room.

Though Simon's body had been pierced by the bone spur, his wounds were healing at a miraculous rate. He pursued Ni Jianrong relentlessly. Upon entering the room, he saw Ni Jianrong already perched on the window sill, diving through the window with a splash into the water below.

Simon rushed to the window, only to find that Ni Jianrong had vanished beneath the water's surface. "This guy…" Simon suspected he was a Level 4 Essence Bearer. The instant Wang Kaikang was slain, Ni Jianrong had immediately opted for escape. His swift reactions had outpaced even Simon's pursuit.

Ni Jianrong had submerged himself, disappearing into the depths. Simon hesitated; his swimming skills were mediocre at best, and he had no idea about Ni Jianrong's prowess in the water. He debated whether to dive in after him.

Suddenly, Ni Jianrong's head resurfaced, now several meters away. "You've got some nerve, kid. I'll remember you. You killed two of my comrades, and I will settle this score." With that, he dove back into the water, vanishing from sight.

Simon fixed his gaze on the water, vaguely discerning a dark silhouette moving swiftly away like a fish. "He's a better swimmer than I am," Simon muttered, furrowing his brow. With Long gravely injured and unable to join the chase, Simon realized that pursuing Ni Jianrong in the water would be futile. Engaging in an underwater battle would likely be to his disadvantage, possibly leading to his demise.

"He said I killed two of his comrades… Judging by his words, could there be more of them? But without a raft, how far can he swim in these perilous waters?"

Simon contemplated for a moment before finally abandoning the chase, turning back to the balcony. 

Long lay on the ground, gasping for breath. "How... did it go?" he wheezed, blood frothing at his mouth, indicating his serious injuries. 

Simon shook his head. "He escaped. Ni Jianrong is quite a swimmer. Only you could probably catch him. How are you holding up?" 

"Not... good," Long replied bitterly, glancing at the two lifeless bodies on the ground. "I still can't understand why they suddenly attacked us. Wouldn't having three more allies be better?" 

Simon said, "When Ni Jianrong left, he mentioned that we killed two of their people. From his tone, it seems he plans to return for revenge. Also, they didn't have any supplies on their raft, unlike us. It suggests they might have a base nearby. Perhaps they already have a group, and these three were just out scavenging for resources. They don't need a new place to live, nor are they moving, so they didn't bring supplies."

Long was startled by Simon's analysis. "You mean they have a larger group, and these three were just out looking for resources? But even if that's the case, why resort to killing? The more people, the safer it should be."

"I'm not sure," Simon replied. "Maybe they have enough people already and are short on resources. They might have wanted our supplies, not us."

As he spoke, Simon searched the bodies of Fang You and Wang Kaikang, rummaging through their pockets for anything useful. 

Soon, he found a folded note and a pen refill in Fang You's pocket. Simon unfolded the note, revealing a page torn from a notebook. The top of the page was marked 'North', the bottom 'South', with various circles drawn in between, some crossed out. At the center was another circle, annotated with four small characters.