Simon called out loudly, and soon he heard a faint response. Listening closely, he realized they were calling his name.
"Ha ha!" Simon recognized Long's voice and felt a surge of excitement. He was on the thirty-first floor and immediately rushed in the direction of the sound, quickly realizing it was coming from the water below. From the balcony, he saw a kayak with Millie and Lily aboard, both waving their hands excitedly, though Long was not in sight.
"Simon!" Long's voice followed, and Simon noticed him immersed in the water behind the kayak. Long had one hand on the kayak, waving frantically at Simon with a worried expression. "Simon, come down, hurry!" Unaware that the Nightmare Beast was dead, Long urgently beckoned Simon to escape.
The kayak was about thirty meters from the building, moving closer. Simon had lured the Nightmare Beast away, allowing the three of them to find the kayak. Instead of escaping immediately, they circled the building, hoping to rescue Simon.
When they heard the sounds of Simon and the Nightmare Beast falling into the water, they paddled towards the noise, careful not to get too close. They only heard occasional explosions and splashes, unable to see the underwater battle. They guessed that Simon was using the submerged parts of the building to evade the Nightmare Beast, hoping he would soon resurface and join them in fleeing.
Afraid to approach, they waited anxiously at a distance, praying Simon would emerge. As the water grew quiet, Long and Millie despaired, fearing the worst for Simon, while Lily steadfastly believed he was alive. Trusting Lily's conviction, they didn't leave immediately, instead circling the building and slowly moving away, hoping for any sign of Simon.
Seeing that they hadn't abandoned him despite the danger, Simon felt a warm surge of gratitude and smiled. "Come back," he called out, "that creature is dead. No need to worry anymore!"
Long and Millie could hardly believe their ears.
"What? Did you say the Nightmare Beast is dead? How is that possible?" Long exclaimed.
Millie glanced at Lily in astonishment and said, "Lily mentioned earlier that the Nightmare Beast was dead. It seems it's true after all."
Previously, Lily had stated that the Nightmare Beast was dead but didn't provide details. Long and Millie, while aware of her extraordinary vision, had their doubts, as it seemed impossible for Simon to have killed the Nightmare Beast. They were skeptical.
Now, hearing Simon confirm it, they believed it fully.
Long swam, pushing the kayak towards the building, laughing heartily. "Simon, tell us, how did you kill the Nightmare Beast?"
Simon smiled. "It's a long story. I don't have the ability to kill the Nightmare Beast."
As he spoke, he jumped out the window and back into the water. However, instead of swimming towards the kayak, he headed towards the floating corpse ship.
Seeing this, Long changed direction and followed towards the corpse ship.
Curious, Long asked, "Simon, are you interested in that corpse ship?"
Simon didn't answer immediately, but continued to approach the ship. He had heard faint sounds coming from it and, intrigued by the Nightmare Beast's lair, decided to investigate.
As he drew closer, Simon heard the sound again, this time more clearly. It sounded like a human voice.
"What's going on?" Simon frowned, pausing as the corpse ship loomed before him.
Behind him, the kayak drifted closer.
"Simon, this thing is gross. Are you really interested in it?" Long asked, puzzled.
Simon replied, "I heard a sound coming from here, so I came to check it out."
He grasped the side of the corpse ship. Though it was revolting, Simon had become desensitized to such horrors over the past few days and managed to hold back his revulsion.
Treading on the half-decayed and half-dissolved corpses, Simon reached the center of the corpse ship. A sound came from behind, and when Simon turned, he saw Millie had climbed aboard as well.
"Aren't you afraid of this corpse ship?" Simon asked curiously, noting that even Long had hesitated to come aboard, yet Millie, a young lady, seemed unperturbed.
Millie's almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly as she replied, "If you're not afraid, why should I be?"
Simon noticed something different in her gaze, an added depth he couldn't quite define. He smiled and shook his head, choosing not to comment, and continued walking towards the center of the corpse ship.
Suddenly, Millie lowered her voice, saying, "Thank you."
"Thank me for what?" Simon halted.
"Tonight, if it weren't for you... we would have been in grave danger. I'm thanking you for saving our lives."
Simon smiled faintly, teasing, "Since it's a life-saving debt, are you planning to offer yourself in gratitude?"
Millie's fair face flushed with a hint of red as she shot him a look. "Offering myself is out of the question. In the next life, I'll repay you by working tirelessly as a horse or an ox."
Simon chuckled, "Your words remind me of an old saying. If a hero saved a girl in ancient times, and the hero was handsome, the girl would often wish to repay him with her hand in marriage. If the hero was unattractive, she'd vow to repay him in the next life. Millie, are you implying I'm unattractive? I think I look quite handsome, or at least not bad."
Millie burst into laughter and retorted, "You're shamelessly narcissistic."
Long, slowly climbing onto the kayak, saw the two chatting and laughing on the corpse ship and grew anxious. "Hurry up, this place reeks. You two are really in the mood for romance on this disgusting ship?"
Millie's cheeks reddened again, and she snapped, "Brother Long, what nonsense are you spouting? Who's having a romantic moment with him? Call you Uncle Long next time if you keep this up!"
Long quickly waved his hand, "I'll keep quiet then. Just don't call me uncle; I'm not that old."
Simon reached the center of the corpse ship, where the faint sound grew clearer.