Chapter 24: Underwater Exploration

Midnight.

The torrential rain outside the window formed an endless background noise, drowning out all subtle sounds.

The entire apartment building was dead silent. Only the pale lightning that occasionally flashed past the window brought brief moments of illumination.

Han Ning opened the security door, with Snow Cake following closely behind him.

"Let's go."

The man and the lizard silently arrived at the first-floor entrance.

Compared to their first time venturing out, the floodwaters had crept several steps higher.

"Go on down," Han Ning said, crouching down to pet Snow Cake's scales.

"AWOO~"

SPLASH.

Seeing the stagnant water, Snow Cake seemed to feel an instinctive affinity and couldn't wait to slide in.

It first sniffed the water's surface curiously with its snout before burying its entire head into the murky depths. A few seconds later, it suddenly lifted its head, shaking off the water droplets, and let out an excited purr from its throat.

"Dive, swim outside."

Han Ning pointed in the direction outside the apartment building and issued a command with his mind. At the same time, he used his Animal Companion Skills to synchronize his perception with Snow Cake's status.

Instantly, a bizarre sense replaced his vision, flooding into Han Ning's mind like a tidal wave. It wasn't a clear image, but rather a radar map woven from tactile sensations and emotions.

He felt the slight resistance of the water flowing past Snow Cake's scales, the viscous sensation of the stirred-up mud at the bottom, and the faint vibrations transmitted from distant ripples. All the information gathered by Snow Cake's body was transmitted back to Han Ning's brain through their Spiritual Link.

Entering the floodwaters was like a dragon returning to the sea or a tiger entering the deep forest for Snow Cake. It displayed astonishing agility in the murky depths. Adopting a posture closer to a slithering snake, it propelled its streamlined body and glided forward silently.

"Keep swimming forward."

Under Han Ning's command, Snow Cake accelerated toward the apartment building's main gate. It easily passed through the first-floor lobby entrance, merging into the vaster world outside.

More information flooded into Han Ning's mind.

A massive billboard was half-submerged, and the hollow echoes of flowing water resonated from inside an overturned bus...

All the debris was shrouded in an oppressive deathly silence. Only the surging of the currents and the muffled sound of rain in the distance formed an eternal background noise.

[Animal Companion (Basic Level) Skill Level +1, Current 30/100]

At the same time, Han Ning noticed that as he perceived and commanded Snow Cake's movements through the Spiritual Link to gather information, the Skill Level of his Animal Companion Skills increased much faster.

"So this is how it's supposed to be used," he thought.

Normally, interacting with Snow Cake also increased his Animal Companion Skill Level, but the progress was very slow. Now, it was increasing by almost one point every minute.

After Snow Cake swam a distance of about two to three hundred meters...

HISS...

An alert emotional message suddenly transmitted over from Snow Cake.

Han Ning's heart tightened.

In his perception, three relatively massive, unfamiliar creatures carrying a strong aura of life were rapidly swimming over in a triangular formation from the murky waters not too far away.

They were three Crocodile Lizards!

"Dodge them." Worried about any unforeseen accidents, Han Ning subconsciously ordered Snow Cake to avoid them.

However, as those three Crocodile Lizards approached Snow Cake, absolutely nothing happened. The three Crocodile Lizards merely cast a fleeting glance in Snow Cake's direction.

In Han Ning's perception, it felt more like an internal method of communication belonging to the Crocodile Lizard Race, transmitting information through water vibrations or scents. They seemed to confirm that Snow Cake was of their kind.

The three Crocodile Lizards swam straight past a few meters to Snow Cake's left. The churning currents they created even knocked the tiny Snow Cake slightly off balance. Their target was obviously somewhere further away. To them, Snow Cake posed absolutely no threat.

"Snow Cake, you must still remain vigilant the next time you encounter these guys," Han Ning reminded.

He believed that Snow Cake and those wild Crocodile Lizards could no longer be considered the same Race. Those Crocodile Lizards were filled with a violent desire to attack and were completely unable to communicate. If compared to humanity, they were more like humans infected with a zombie virus.

Meanwhile, Snow Cake could be compared to a normal human. A normal human and a zombie were completely different.

Moreover, even creatures of the same kind would slaughter one another. Han Ning had seen with his own eyes a Crocodile Lizard devouring the corpse of its own kind. This proved that they would still resort to cannibalism when starving. It was only safe to say that those three Crocodile Lizards just weren't hungry.

"AWOO~"

Snow Cake continued to execute Han Ning's commands, exploring further away.

It shuttled nimbly underwater. Sometimes, it swam close to the walls, transmitting back the rough texture of brushing against concrete. Other times, it squeezed through open windows into submerged residences and navigated through floating furniture.

The "radar map" inside Han Ning's brain continuously expanded and refined as Snow Cake ventured deeper.

He heard the subtle noises of water flowing through narrow pipes. He felt the freezing outer shell of a metal trash can sunken at the bottom of the water. He smelled the foul stench of a massive animal carcass slowly decaying in the distant waters.

Under Snow Cake's perception, this urban ruin swallowed by the floodwaters assaulted Han Ning's nerves in a more primal and direct sensory manner.

It wasn't until Snow Cake swam past a spire-topped church-like building that Han Ning clearly felt the Soul Link between him and Snow Cake tremble violently. It was like a rubber band stretched to its absolute limit, suddenly becoming thin and fragile.

His originally clear perception grew blurry, and the information transmitted back became intermittent. Even Snow Cake's emotions seemed to be covered in static, cutting in and out.

"This church should be about five hundred meters away from the residential compound, making it a total of six hundred meters away from home.

"This means the perception limit of a Basic Level Animal Companion is around six hundred meters..." Han Ning deduced.

Living in the neighborhood, Han Ning naturally knew how far the church was from his house; after all, he passed by it often.

"That's the limit." Han Ning hurriedly issued a command, "Come back, Snow Cake."

"HISS-WOO~"

An emotion of lingering desire to explore transmitted from the other end of the link. Snow Cake seemed to have developed a deep interest in something hidden in an underwater corner.

However, under Han Ning's orders, it didn't hesitate in the slightest. It decisively turned around and returned to the apartment.

A moment later.

SPLASH!

The water's surface broke, and a grayish-white head covered in murky water droplets suddenly popped out.

Snow Cake shook its head, sending water splashing everywhere. Its vertical yellow pupils gleamed with excitement. It reached out its front claws from the water, grabbed onto the edge of the slippery steps, and climbed up.

The moment the little guy landed, it couldn't help but shake its body vigorously again, flinging the freezing, foul-smelling floodwater everywhere.

It let out a satisfied purr from its throat before affectionately rubbing its head against Han Ning's calf, continuously conveying its joy.

"Snow Cake can totally act as an underwater drone. Moreover, with its Crocodile Lizard appearance, it can easily deceive other wild Crocodile Lizards and lower their guard..."

Realizing the tactical value Snow Cake displayed underwater, plan after plan began to surface in Han Ning's mind.