The sky was dark and gloomy, as if the entire World had been plunged into darkness by an invisible giant hand.
Lightning, like an angry dragon, twisted and turned through the rolling black clouds, tearing the pitch-black firmament to shreds.
Every flash of lightning illuminated the primeval forest, casting a bone-pale light upon it, while the hideous shadows of the trees were instantly stretched, resembling a dance of demons.
A torrential downpour fell, a dense curtain of rain obscuring vision and making everything around it blurry and indistinct.
The soil on the ground quickly became saturated, soon converging into a muddy torrent that surged wantonly through the forest.
"Crack—!"
A purple-white bolt of lightning, as thick as a water bucket, struck down without warning, accompanied by a deafening boom that felt as if it could shatter eardrums.
Less than fifty meters from where the group was hiding, a towering tree with centuries of age, thick enough for six people to embrace, was struck by the bolt of lightning.
"Boom!"
The tree instantly erupted in a plume of acrid, charred smoke, its bark bursting and wood chips flying everywhere.
The iron-hard trunk was actually split clean in two by the lightning, with red light still glowing from the cut.
This terrifying scene left the four of them, hiding beneath a massive granite boulder, trembling with fear, their faces deathly pale.
Although this giant rock provided temporary shelter, it seemed so fragile in the face of such violent nature, as if it could be shattered by lightning or washed away by the flood at any moment.
"I wonder how the others are doing now?" Banner said softly, clutching the radio and gazing at the gloomy, dark sky that seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
His voice sounded weak and trembling amidst the thunder.
"Those people left on the beach, and the injured Barton—this weather is simply a disaster for them."
Alice was using a large banana leaf to block the drifting rainwater. Hearing this, she stretched out her slender hand and patted Banner's broad shoulder firmly.
"Don't worry, Banner."
Her voice was steady and firm, carrying a power that could soothe the heart.
"Although the coast is low-lying, it has a wide field of view, and there are no tall trees to attract lightning. Besides, it's sandy ground, which drains much better than here. As long as there isn't a massive tsunami, they are much safer than we are."
"A tsunami... if the plate tectonics here are active, this kind of storm could indeed trigger one."
"Shut your crow's mouth, Dr.," Strange interjected coldly from the side. "In this month, Miss Alice here has never seen a tsunami. Since that's the case, it means our luck hasn't been that bad yet."
Thunder and lightning, wind and rain intertwined.
This tropical storm displayed its most enduring stamina.
Until the last glimmer of daylight was completely swallowed by darkness, the rain showed no signs of stopping.
Returning was impossible; the mountain path had turned into a mudslide chute.
The plan to go to the mountaintop to send a distress signal had become a pipe dream.
At that altitude, during a thunderstorm, it would be nothing short of suicide.
Everyone had no choice but to accept reality, enduring the damp air and the discomfort of clothes sticking to their bodies, preparing to survive this long night under the giant rock.
"Let's eat something."
Banner took out a few squashed breadfruits from the waterproof bag he had been protecting well.
They were the rations he had brought with him, originally intended for emergencies, but now they had become life-saving food.
Everyone divided this pitiful amount of food and, along with rainwater collected from the cracks in the rocks, wolfed it down, barely keeping their protesting stomachs from feeling too uncomfortable.
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