"Look on the bright side, at least in this weather, those man-eating monsters won't be wandering around."
After finishing, Alice wiped her mouth, looked at the ink-black curtain of rain outside, and comforted them.
"In stormy weather, birds and beasts are also intimidated by the might of heaven and earth, hiding in their lairs and shivering. For now, even staying in this makeshift cave is safe. Everyone, rest easy, keep your body temperature up, there's a tough battle to fight tomorrow."
After night fell completely, the island became pitch black.
Only the occasional flash of lightning could briefly illuminate those exhausted faces.
Alice comforted everyone a couple more times in the darkness, then walked to the driest rock in the corner, curled up like a kitten, and began to sleep.
A month of hellish training had forced her to master the skill of cutting off her senses and entering a light sleep anytime, anywhere.
This was crucial for restoring physical strength.
Of course, accompanying this was the instinct that as soon as she sensed any movement outside, her brain would wake up instantly, as if electrified.
However, for Banner, Strange, and Hughes, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
They had no wilderness survival experience; compared to Alice, this little jungle wildcat, they were pampered flowers in a greenhouse.
Cold rocks, damp air, the chirping of unknown insects, and the fear of the unknown were all torturing their nerves.
Even with Alice as an example beside them, breathing evenly, they remained restless, tossing and turning.
Strange forced himself to count sheep, and by the time he reached over a thousand, his consciousness finally managed to enter a hazy state.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
The rain seemed to have stopped.
But another sound began to emerge.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
In a trance, Strange heard someone beating a drum in his ear.
The sound was dull and powerful, each beat striking at his heart.
He frowned, thinking it was a dream, and turned over, wanting to continue sleeping.
"Thump!"
This time, it wasn't just the sound; there was also a vibration.
The rocky ground beneath him seemed to jump.
Strange opened his eyes abruptly.
Before him was the dark ceiling of the cave. It took him a few seconds to realize clearly that the thumping vibration was not a dreamlike illusion, but a real physical phenomenon.
Something was walking outside.
Some behemoth was striking the ground heavily, step by step.
The rain had completely stopped, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil.
By the faint moonlight filtering through the clouds, Strange saw that in the small puddles remaining on the ground, the water surface rippled with clear concentric circles with each thumping sound.
Were those footsteps?
Judging by the sound, the footsteps were getting closer and closer, each step like a heavy hammer hitting the ground.
Strange felt his scalp tingle. He rubbed his eyes hard and quickly climbed up, his movements as light as a thief.
Having been blown by the cold wind all night in the wilderness, his body was as stiff as a frozen corpse.
While loosening his sore muscles and bones, he looked around.
By the faint light, he discovered that Banner and Hughes were just like him, having just woken up. The two were looking at each other with terrified expressions, obviously having heard the sound too.
And Alice...
Strange searched carefully before realizing that the small figure had left the corner where she had been sleeping, he knew not when.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"