Although Geronimo, the leader of the team, dismissed this, and most of the members of the team were very tired from today's series of events and just wanted to quickly set up camp for the night, Henry and Old Juan wanted to Although there was no insurance, it still took a lot of time to pull some of the supplies and horses to a slightly higher place.
From the front, the leeward side of the hillside where we camped looked like a bent right arm. On the hillside, which was several meters high and not particularly steep, grew some deciduous trees with well-rooted trees that are common in tropical areas. In the part next to the creek, which is three to four meters wide and half as deep as a person, the soil on the hillock forms an arched shape like the waves of the sea.
This is another disturbing fact, coupled with the tendency of nearby plant growth. The bare river bed and the small slope that has obviously been washed out of this shape by the huge current prove that the river overflows and flash floods are common during thunderstorms. Something. The torches made a whistling sound under the strong wind, and the surrounding night was pitch black. Even the river water was an ominous black beyond this small area that was barely illuminated, as if there was some terrifying existence lurking in it, and it was preparing to Select people and devour them.
If you can't find a suitable shelter in the wilderness, you won't be able to survive for even half a day. It's not an exaggeration to say that the jungle at night is full of malice for weak humans, even in calm weather and the moon is very bright. There were quite a few people who went out the first night and never came back, not to mention the howling wind, which was obviously a sign of an imminent rainstorm.
Probably prompted by the tension in their hearts, although the moon was dark and the wind was high, there was basically no natural light, but everyone managed to light up the situation in just half an hour by using torches that were blocked by the hillside and would not be extinguished by the wind. A simple tent was built and food was cooked. The metal cauldron was one of the few objects that was not completely destroyed by the collision and trampling of the snake dragon. Although there were many dents, it was still usable.
The ingredients for this night were no longer as abundant as before. Although there was still a lot of dry food and bacon in stock, no one was sure what kind of situation we would encounter next, so we could only make do with cooking. A pot of cereal soup with poor taste and nutrition, and then a dozen people quickly ate and drank it while it was hot, and quickly went to rest. Fortunately, hunger is the best seasoning. After a tiring day, everyone did not pay much attention to the taste of the meal. They just finished the meal quickly and then returned to their tents to fall asleep quickly.
The campfire needs someone to guard it, the situation is not clear, and the night watchman is naturally very important, but a lot of things have happened today, and everyone who is exhausted from the journey just wants to have a good sleep.
Therefore, the task of taking the first night watch naturally fell on our Mr. Sage, who did not seem to be tired at all and had volunteered before. He said hello and said that if nothing happened, he would come back in one to two hours. After calling him to wake up, Old Juan also went to rest with the others. He didn't know how Henry could accurately estimate the time in such weather conditions where it was completely impossible to judge the moonlight.
This is true even for experienced old mercenaries, let alone our Luoan girl. Mira, who looked tired, looked at Henry for a while as if he was hesitating about something, and the sage nodded to her to express his peace of mind. Go to sleep, so Mira also walked to the tent on one side and started sleeping. Their tents were deliberately placed slightly away from other people and close to a small slope. If a flood occurred, it would be more convenient for Mira to escape here.
Life is precious, and even if others don't value it, don't be as careless as others just for the so-called face and to avoid appearing unsociable.
After more than a dozen people behind him fell asleep, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. Apart from the "crackling" sound of burning firewood, the rest was the sound of the strong wind blowing not far away, and the occasional foreign object falling into the water. A "pop" sound comes out.
Being alone in the dark is a heart-stopping experience. Coupled with a long period of no rest, ordinary people will inevitably become neurotic in this situation because they will make a fuss at the slightest sign of trouble. But our sage But he was as calm and indifferent as ever, as if he was just making a cup of spruce tea in his backyard and taking a few sips.
——He was not idle during the night watch. The booklet he used to write down some key points of swordsmanship for Mira has not been completely finished for so long. After all, it is easy to say or write it, but you really have to practice to understand it. To master all of this is quite time-consuming. Mira is already considered to be very talented and willing to work hard. At this moment, the sage had already written down some key points when he was in Avenella. It took her nearly a year to just reach the point where she can level of understanding.
Henry plans to continue writing the next few details and experiences that will be used next. The main reason why he waits until Mira reaches this step is because this is a teaching guide specially written for the Luoan girl. book. Mira, what is she good at, what is she not good at, what areas need improvement, and where can she change her mind? Even if Henry has the title of sage, he can't just conjecture and list these things out of thin air. He has always been efficient. People who don't do unnecessary things, plus the price of paper and ink are high and it takes a lot of effort to write, will naturally not take the time-consuming and laborious route of trying to list all the problems that may be encountered.
The ink contained in a small pottery tablet was placed next to the bonfire. The orange firelight swayed and reflected on the surface of the oily semi-solidified ink. He poured some water from the small bamboo tube, and the temperature gradually made it turn into Diluted liquid form. Then Henry picked up the quill and wrote slowly by the light of the campfire.
Time passed slowly, and when Henry had written about three to four pages and the firewood he had collected before putting it aside had consumed a lot, the sound of the wind nearby suddenly began to quiet down. He closed the book, frowned and put everything back into the tarp and leather package, then looked up to the sky. "..." Purple-white lightning flashed across, making the surrounding area bright as daylight for a moment, followed by an earth-shattering "boom - click -" sound three seconds later as expected. Henry didn't need to shout. Most of the dozen or so people in the camp behind him had been easily awakened by the thunder.
"Pa—" The tarpaulin smeared with tung oil was easily ignited, so there were no lighting fixtures such as torches inserted around the tent, but Henry was able to judge the general outline of the light emitted from the campfire. The old hunting expert Juan came out and pushed open a corner of the tent and walked over.
"You haven't slept for long, have you?" The sage got up, and habitually carried Claymore on his back, walking into the light of the fire. Old Juan blinked repeatedly, trying to adapt to the bright orange color, the long His gray eyebrows were wrinkled together. He rubbed his eyebrows and showed that he was still very tired: "I am old and no longer useful." "Boom - click -" Another flash of lightning flashed, and Old Juan turned his head. Looking at Henry, who had not rested since about six o'clock this morning, he shook his head and sighed: "You guy, sometimes I really doubt whether you are a human being."
"Don't you feel tired at all? When I was young, I traveled around a lot, and I was in good spirits when my blood was rising. But when it came to watching the night, facing the silent darkness, I always felt sleepy for no reason. , Sigh - it’s so irritating that people are so different from each other.” In the past, it might only be considered that they had the same interests, but today during the day, Henry actually saved Old Juan’s life, plus some of the things he did to the snake dragon, The medium-sized old hunting expert now seemed to regard him as an old friend for many years, and his tone of voice became much more intimate when he spoke.
"They are all awake. Let's get ready quickly." There was no time to chat. The sage interrupted him and said. Although he had expected some situations to happen when he set up camp before, he had no choice but to do it at night again. And in the wilderness, when it is impossible to judge the way forward, options are really scarce. One after another tents were opened by people, the wind made a low "woo-woo" sound, and lightning followed one after another. It was obvious that a thunderstorm was coming soon.
"Move your things to the hillside. The river will rise soon." Old Juan turned his head to face the man who had just walked out of the tent and subconsciously covered his eyes because of the strong light from the fire. Jeronimo said this. After an hour or two of rest, the mercenary team leader also regained his senses. He just nodded, and suddenly heavy raindrops began to fall down bit by bit.
"Tick-tock-sizzle!" The strong campfire was drenched by a little rain and a large cloud of thick smoke rose up. The panicked group of people hurriedly turned around and took out the rainproof cloak in the tent. While the fire was still burning, many people quickly packed up their personal belongings. Several tents were roughly disassembled and thrown directly onto the top. The work Henry and the others had done in advance was not in vain. Most of the belongings were put away with the horses. Once on the hillside, there wasn't much to worry about.
"Crash--!" From sparse to dense, the downpour came in an instant. The sound was frightening, mixed with thunder and lightning, the wind howled, and the leaves were beaten by the huge rain to form a complex movement in the dark night, burning The campfire that had been burning for several hours quickly came to an end in the continuous heavy rain. Fortunately, the continuous lightning also provided everyone with excellent lighting - the people who had been poured out of their hearts quickly woke up from their half-asleep state. The remaining supplies, such as iron pots and tableware, were quickly packed into the carriage, and then they were driven up the hillside.
The area at the top of the hill that could be considered a safe area was very small. Henry and Old Juan did not allow anyone to pass near the other end of the river, and the terrain ahead was gentle. Therefore, more than a dozen men, horses, mules, and three carriages could only squeeze in the middle, and the carriage that came up last was naturally at the lowest point, but when everyone finally thought that they could huddle up here and spend the day in fear, That night, the ominous sound in the distance might have been expected.
Just like the thousands of troops marching forward in unison in the final battle in the myth of the Northerners, the loud rumbling sound echoed faintly and leisurely.
——A flash flood broke out.
"Crack-boom!"
The sound of waves crashing with a huge amount of water can give people the illusion of being in the middle of the ocean tide for a moment. "Everyone stick together, be careful not to get close to the edge to avoid falling behind!" "Boom!" A flash of lightning flashed, allowing everyone to see clearly that the original camping place below was quickly engulfed by the water. All around them were In this way, only this slightly higher hillock was spared, and now it literally became an isolated island in the torrent——
But the situation obviously will not end there. No one has underestimated the power of nature. The rain clouds covering the entire area are pouring out a lot of rain crazily, causing the flash floods to rise again and again, and the waves of floods are very fast. The ground turned the surrounding area into a vast ocean, and floods began to spread behind the hillock, which was only knee-high. The packhorses pulling the three carriages were frightened by the majesty of lightning and began to neigh. Geronimo and the other orange brand The mercenaries held on to the reins hard to prevent them from retreating in fear——
And in the next moment, another wave of flash floods carrying a large amount of sediment and debris rushed from the other side, and an astonishing "Boom -" sound directly brought the small slope closer to the river bank like waves. That weak part is washed away and lost.
"Kacha!" Henry and the others explored the terrain in advance and discovered the weakness of this place. After that, they concentrated the personnel in the middle and saved everyone's lives. However, due to the huge sound and the subsequent thunder, Japan was frightened. The horse straightened up and kicked another orange mercenary away. He pulled the carriage and ran towards the rear in a panic.
"Wait!" Jeronimo shouted in panic, subconsciously grabbing the horse's reins and trying to pull it with force. Next to him were the young lower-level mercenaries Federo, Henry, Old Juan and The other six novice mercenaries nearby immediately noticed all this and rushed over to help, but the chaos spread quickly like an infectious disease. The two horses pulling the cart next to them also began to bark and run around, pulling the flatbed. The wooden carts collided with each other in the darkness and hit the mule in front. A mule loaded with supplies fell directly into the flood and disappeared after a few ups and downs.
"Stop! Stop!" The ground was wet and slippery, and the scene was very chaotic. Under the order of his team leader, he was a little confused and didn't know what to do. Six young mercenaries ran to the vicinity of the carriage and tried to pull them, but This action only further confused the horses pulling the cart.
"No! This is mine! Give it back to me!!" Seeing that the flat carriage loaded with expensive snake and dragon skins was about to be lost in the chaos, Geronimo immediately rushed forward and wanted to beat the rogue horse. "Come back! Jeronimo!" Old Juan's hysterical roar was masked by the noisy environment. He, Phaedro and Henry who were behind were desperately trying to pull the dizzy captain back. , The six novice mercenaries in front were still working hard to push the carriage back, but how could this area that had already begun to be eroded by floods withstand the tossing of so many people, horses, and vehicles at the same time.
So in the shocked eyes of Mira and several others, two bolts of lightning flashed across one after another. Within a moment, the entire dirt hillside collapsed, and Henry, a dozen of them, and three flatbed carriages disappeared without a trace.
"Teacher!" Mira exclaimed loudly. "Boom--" Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and landed not far away. There was a sound like the collapse of a big tree, but it was quickly covered up by other sounds. "Gulu gulu -" Federo choked several mouthfuls of muddy water and sat down in the flood, rising and falling with the waves. He didn't know the nature of water and could only wave it around randomly. His hands and feet were heaving up and down in the flood. Fortunately, a strong hand reached out and grabbed his collar, and immediately lifted him up.
"Keep standing! If you fall, you will be dead!" Henry had to roar loudly in the noisy environment. At this moment, the flood had reached his waist, and it was so dark that nothing could be seen clearly.
"Put down that damn thing, do you want to be swept away and drowned too!" Old Juan's roar sounded from behind, and then the light in the sky Henry and Federo turned around and saw the two of them, but they were the closest just now The six green brand novice mercenaries and the unconscious orange brand mercenary in the carriage were nowhere to be seen.
"Teacher!" An anxious Mira jumped directly from the halfway slope into the water as deep as her chest. Among the remaining people, two free mercenaries and three novice mercenaries jumped down to help. Ou Fei Mio and the other three mercenaries stayed above and did not come down. The six people here, including Mira, held hands and stretched out towards the few people who were struggling to move forward in the current, but in the next moment, another person appeared in the distance. There came the same earth-shattering tidal sound as before.
"Let go! Everyone come behind me and form a single column!" There was another flash of lightning, and the surrounding area was as bright as day. Henry, whose expression changed instantly, shouted loudly at a volume that Mira had never heard before. "What? Do you want to kill all of us!" Jeronimo, who had just lost his goods, still did not forget to argue with others even under such circumstances, but Mira, who deeply trusted Henry, left quickly Her action of coming over attracted five other people who also came into the water. They immediately formed a line behind Henry.
"He's right!" Old Juan shouted loudly, and the booming sound got closer and closer. Henry pulled out his big sword, turned it over and plunged it deeply into the soil. Then he turned around and said, "Size" Sort it! The thin ones stand in the back!”
As he said this, people quickly changed their formations. Geronimo gritted his teeth and stood behind Henry, while Mira stood at the back of the team.
"Hold your breath! Hold on to the person in front and don't let go!"
At the last moment when the huge flash flood came, Henry turned around and roared like this.
"boom----"
"..."
"..."
The world fell into silence, and all that filled my ears was the sound of rolling water.
The huge pressure forced Kramer's sword blade to twist and deform. In the face of the power of nature, even powerful men like Henry and Geronimo could not support it alone. The flood washed away the thin clothes of the sage. It made the skin sore, but a miracle happened. The water wave disturbed by the people in front became no longer strong when it reached the rear. It was like a "shield" that blocked the impact and weakened the momentum of the torrent. The body at the rear was supposed to be weaker. Mira and the three young mercenaries became the "support" of the people in front. They gritted their teeth and worked hard to maintain the formation, and a column of ten people actually held back even the war horses. The torrent washed away——
When the water flow began to gradually weaken, everyone's biggest emotion besides being thankful for surviving was shock.
But no one had time to explain the principles and origins of everything at this moment. 1. Taking advantage of the peak of the flood, the group quickly climbed back to the top of the hill with the lowered water level, and then waited with soaked clothes. The end of the thunderstorm.
They were lucky. The rain in the mountains came and went quickly. As the dark clouds above their heads gradually dispersed, the bright moonlight shone again, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No one had the time to wring out the wet clothes. Just clinging to each other and leaning against the trunks of the same wet trees, the group of people welcomed the dawn as if they had slept for a while or not at all.
…
"Tick tock -" Mira's little feet, which looked very white because she had not been exposed to the sun, stepped on the mudflat where there were many branches left by flash floods, and her little leather adventurer boots were twisted several times. He was still wet, not to mention the clothes on his body.
The firewood was soaked by the heavy rain and floods. It was obviously a delusion to light a bonfire to dry out the water at this moment. Fortunately, the sky cleared after the rain, and the blazing tropical sun shone on the mudflats with few trees on the riverside. It was soon possible Makes everything dry again.
If you dry your clothes and belongings, you can more or less be able to regain some optimism - the disaster caused by this flash flood is not a big one, and the three flatbed carriages and mules that were trapped did not know what had happened. What kind of place was washed away? Including the orange mercenary who was kicked unconscious by the horse and the six novice mercenaries, the team lost seven people in the past night.
When counting the supplies during the day, everyone also discovered that two more mules were missing. In the darkness and chaos, they didn't know whether they jumped or were washed down by the waves. In short, this trip changed at this moment. Not only was the prey gone, supplies and tools were also lost, and most of the important manpower was lost.
Jeronimo sat absentmindedly on the mudflat and stared at the river that had returned to calm and was sparkling in the sun. Henry checked the book in his bag and was very lucky to be thrown onto the slope in advance. They didn't get wet. Juan walked over with a wry smile on his face.
"What a disaster..." he said with a sigh. When he set off and returned in a grand way, he was already alone. Fortunately, the horses and a small amount of supplies were still there, and now they all had What man can do.
It was just a matter of returning to the town to recuperate.
…
…
Note: The column described here is the standard formation for modern outdoor rescue teams when encountering flash floods. I am too lazy to explain the details, so you can just figure it out yourself. (To be continued.)
