Chapter 674 - 15: Torrential Rain
The wind howled for a while after brewing all afternoon, and eventually began to subside.
But the clouds accumulating in the sky grew heavier, lowering the air pressure and intensifying the moisture in the air. The wilderness cloaked in darkness echoed with the howls of wild beasts.
Soon, the thunder roared and lightning flashed, as if the heavens were pressing the shutter, illuminating the scene of life’s prosperity over billions of years.
A few rain droplets the size of beans started to fall sparsely. The Japanese and "Size 45" barely completed the rain shelter, and without having time to add wood to the campfire, they rushed into the shelter to avoid the rain.
Watching the curtain of rain falling from the clouds, Chen Zhou ceased his observation and returned to the Mound to rejoin Paul.
...
The two had only anticipated rain for the night but hadn’t expected it to come so swiftly and with such force.
Before climbing the Mound to observe, Paul had gathered a few sticks to build a simple shelter. By the time Chen Zhou returned to the side of the Mound, Paul had already blindly inserted the sticks into the ground, draped the protective suit over them, creating a small shelter.
However, this shelter was pitifully small and not sturdy enough. Paul had to lean against the sticks with his back to provide support to prevent it from collapsing.
Three Serrated Tiger Cubs were curled up in front of Paul, with a large cooked fish placed in between them.
But now the little ones had no appetite—
the rumbling thunder and the lightning piercing through the clouds terrified them, a display of nature’s majestic power.
Huddled together, the Serrated Tiger Cubs all lay with their ears pressed down and their short tails drooping, neither daring to eat nor move, unable to sleep but only staring wide-eyed at the sky and the grassland, all with the same terrified expression.
The Saw-toothed Tigers have night vision, allowing them to see more details in the dark than ordinary people, whether it’s the sparks hit by lightning on the tree crowns or the forked ends of root-like lightning strikes...
To the little Serrated Tigers, these were sights they had never seen before, yet they could also trigger a deep-seated fear etched in their genes.
At such times, not to mention Paul beside them, even if their mother were alive and holding them, it would probably still be difficult to give them enough sense of security.
...
"This rain is going to be heavy, we can’t stay here any longer, we’re too close to the river."
By the time he returned to the Mound, Chen Zhou’s clothes were already soaked through.
The rain wasn’t letting up; instead, it was getting stronger. The surface of the distant river was already rippling continuously, with raindrops forming a layer of hazy mist over it, and from time to time, large fish deprived of oxygen would poke their heads out for air.
Descending the mountain, they saw several tributaries of this large river. Fearing that the heavy rain would trigger floods, Chen Zhou planned to take Paul and leave this dangerous place, at least head up the Mound to avoid being inundated by the swelling river.
...
Realizing how serious the situation was, Paul struggled to crawl out of the small shelter. Chen Zhou helped him gather the sticks stuck in the ground, wrapped the remaining fish with the protective suit, and then Paul carried two Serrated Tiger Cubs while Chen Zhou carried one, and the two began to head up the Mound’s backside, towards higher ground, away from the river.
The night was too dark, and Paul could only stay close behind Chen Zhou. Once their distance exceeded two meters, it became difficult for him to make out where Chen Zhou was.
Seeing at night was difficult enough, and the heavy rain further obstructed their view. The tall Paul trudged clumsily on the Mound, too fearful of losing sight of Chen Zhou to lower his head to avoid the rain.
Paul wasn’t old; he had just turned 24 shortly before the challenge.
He had been in school up until university, and during university participated in selections, luckily becoming a challenger reserve, and in his simple life experience, he had rarely truly interacted with society; both the Ivory Tower and a disciplined military were relatively clean places.
Influenced by this, Paul still had a youthful disposition.
He was easily moved by grand dreams and heroic stories, willing to risk his life in surges of passion, yet also possessed the youthful nature of shyness, sensitivity, and compassion for living beings.
Squinting his eyes, using his long eyelashes to shield against the raindrops, Paul silently gritted his teeth.
He felt ashamed of his performance in the challenge.
Being assigned to the same group for so long, from the initial embarrassment of stumbling through the crossing, vomiting, and nearly being killed by mosquitoes, to the disgraceful show during the Cave Hyena assault;
to the disagreement over insisting on raising the Serrated Tiger Cubs, then to his lack of energy causing Chen Zhou to spare time alone for him to rest, delaying battle strategies, and until now having to be guided in the darkness, unable to take a step on this ancient plain without a guide...
All these incidents made Paul doubt his outstanding performance in the army.
He felt that in this group of challengers, his role was primarily to hold them back.
Imagining without him, with only the survival tools he had, Chen Zhou would have fared better, perhaps even already killed the other two challengers, completing the first step of snowballing.
Paul gave a definite answer—
With Chen Zhou acting alone, he’d certainly be more at ease than in cooperation with him, and be able to display even stronger combat prowess.
At university, in the army, Paul had never held others back like this, limiting their potential.
Following behind Chen Zhou, drenched by the oncoming rain, he genuinely hoped he could do something, even if it required his life. He was willing to become a true partner, a strong support like a left arm and right arm in the challenge, instead of leaving all the burden on Chen Zhou.