Xu Ming immediately slowed down and maneuvered the sailboat to stop in a relatively open area of water.
"We should be less than three hundred meters in a straight line from the Agricultural University now."
Xu Ming estimated their position,
"But the water ahead is too shallow for the boat to pass through."
"Lao Xu, you, Yu Na, and Snowflake stay on the boat. I'll go alone."
Leaving Snowflake here was a precaution—they shared a Mental Link, so Han Ning would know immediately if anything happened.
"How long will you be gone?" Yu Na frowned when she heard Han Ning was leaving temporarily.
"An hour at most if things go smoothly. If not, I'll return as soon as possible."
Han Ning glanced at the overcast sky.
"Boss, go ahead. I'll keep watch here." Xu Ming nodded weakly, leaning against the railing.
"Roar!" Snowflake also signaled that she would protect them.
"Alright, see you soon."
Han Ning took off his jacket, wearing only a fitted undershirt, long pants, and a waterproof backpack containing an empty burlap sack.
A faint cyan glow shimmered over his skin as gill slits covered by a transparent membrane formed on the sides of his face.
"Splash!"
He plunged into the murky floodwaters.
His primary goal at the Agricultural University was to obtain seeds.
If things went well, he also wanted to find someone skilled in agriculture.
Though he was a Druid, his knowledge of crop cultivation was limited.
How to improve soil fertility, how to plant scientifically, how to increase yields—he knew none of it.
An agricultural assistant would maximize their harvest.
A professor or teacher would be ideal, but even a student would suffice.
Besides an agricultural assistant, he also wanted to find a shipbuilder.
The reason was simple: they might need to expand their vessel in the future.
As amateurs, they were clueless about ship modifications—they needed a professional.
In the future, Xu Ming and the shipbuilder could handle navigation, repairs, and expansions.
Meanwhile, Han Ning and his assistant would focus on farming and food supply.
"Sigh… Being from the internet industry seems pretty useless in the apocalypse…"
With mild frustration, Han Ning swam swiftly toward the university.
...
"Haah… Haah… A Jun… I… I really can't run anymore…"
The murky water reached her chest, icy and piercing.
The girl's face was deathly pale, her lips purple. Every step felt like dragging a thousand-pound weight.
Debris floating in the water kept bumping into her, her long hair plastered to her face. Each breath seemed to drain her last ounce of strength.
She clung desperately to a lamppost protruding from the water, her body trembling violently.
A few steps ahead, two others drifted in the water.
One had a deep gash on his right arm, hastily wrapped with a torn T-shirt, dark red blood still seeping out.
With his good arm, he gripped a nearly unconscious companion.
"Don't… talk nonsense!" A Jun panted heavily, his eyes darting nervously around.
"We're... we're almost there... hold on...!"
He suddenly turned his head. Beneath the murky water, several distorted shadows were cutting through the current at an alarming speed, closing in on them.
The figures were humanoid, their bodies covered in slimy dark green scales, webbed fingers, flattened heads, and mouths split open to reveal rows of fine, sharp teeth. Their bulging eyes gleamed with malice.
"Quick! Run!" A Jun shouted nervously.
Using all his strength, he tried to push the girl and his companion toward the lamppost.
But the girl had already exhausted her strength, her arms too weak to lift.
His companion was like a limp rag, slumped in his arms.
Splash!
Several bursts of water erupted less than two meters away from them.
Two grotesque Fishmen broke through the surface, leaping in front of the trio to block their path.
They didn't attack immediately. Instead, they let out eerie, mocking laughter, like cats toying with mice, their bulging fish eyes scanning the three helpless prey.
A third Fishman silently slipped beneath the girl in the filthy water.
A clawed hand, covered in scales and withered to sharp points, reached out from the water and clamped onto the girl's slender ankle.
"Ah!"
The girl let out a piercing scream as a tremendous force yanked her off the lamppost.
She was dragged backward, crashing heavily into the water, the foul liquid flooding her mouth and nose.
"Lin Wei!" A Jun's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he tried to lunge forward to help, but the two leering Fishmen blocked his path.
He could only watch helplessly as Lin Wei was dragged deeper into the water by that skeletal claw.
Another Fishman fixed its gaze on A Jun's defenseless companion, its maw splitting open to reveal rows of jagged teeth. A bony claw reached for his neck, drool mixing with the rain as it dripped down.
"It's over…"
A Jun's heart sank into an abyss.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Suddenly.
Three dark green streaks shot through the dense curtain of rain without warning, descending from above.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull sound of blunt force piercing flesh rang out in quick succession.
Several jets of dark green blood spurted out simultaneously.
The Fishman gripping Lin Wei's ankle froze mid-motion.
Its bulging eyes bulged even further as it looked down at its own throat in disbelief.
A thick, vine-like tendril had somehow pierced straight through its neck.
"Guh… gah…"
The Fishmen convulsed violently for a few moments, the malice in their eyes rapidly dimming.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
Lin Wei, narrowly escaping death, struggled to resurface, coughing violently as she spat out the filthy water she'd swallowed, her face still dazed.
A Jun remained frozen in his attacking stance, his shocked gaze locked onto the sinking Fishmen.
"Fishman monsters? The types of monsters are changing again…"
Then, a calm voice cut through the sound of the rain, reaching both of them clearly.
They instinctively looked up.
Atop a crooked lamppost not far away, a figure crouched in the downpour.
He wore a simple tank top and pants, his body damp with water. Strangely, fine blue-green scales covered the sides of his face, extending down to his neck, and a translucent film covered his pupils, giving him an eerie appearance in the dim light.
His eyes were calm and unreadable, as if he hadn't just effortlessly killed three Fishmen with a flick of his wrist.
"Who… who are you?"
A Jun was startled by Han Ning's appearance and instinctively tried to pull his companion away to flee.
"Are you students from the Agricultural University? Do you know how to get to the seed storage warehouse?" Han Ning ignored the frightened looks from the young men below and spoke calmly.
"Y-yes... you're human."
Seeing that Han Ning could communicate normally and wasn't attacking them, A Jun's tension eased slightly.
Having narrowly escaped death, he pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly said, "Thank you! Thank you for saving us!"
"The seed storage... You must mean the Experimental Center for Low-Temperature Crop Seed Storage, right? It's in the western district of the campus. We're in the southern district now."
"Do you know the way? Take me there," Han Ning said.
"I do know the way... but..."
A Jun spoke with clear apprehension,
"That area has been taken over by those monsters. It's probably very dangerous."