Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The place to settle down was ready. Cloudy even took the time to drive away the bugs inside and around the tree hole with a wooden spear, cleared out the mud, and laid some leaves picked from branches outside, turning this temporary tree hole into a single room youth hostel ready for sale.

She sealed the tree hole entrance with her delicate little door from the inside and returned to the ground. The next step was marking the way. It's easy to get lost in the rainforest just by turning your head a little and taking a few steps. First, she made a small circle on the ground with stones, then she stuck a wooden stick into the nearby moss, tying some vines at the top of the stick.

After marking around the tree hole, she started to explore slowly. Every few steps, she would cover a stone with leaves or throw a short stick on the ground as a marker. After walking about a hundred steps in this leisurely manner, Cloudy felt tired again...

The path in the rainforest was already difficult to traverse. The vegetation at the edge of the rainforest was still manageable, but as she moved further in, the soil became increasingly moist. The deep brown soil turned into a very dark black, and the plants growing on this black soil seemed to have been given an overdose of hormones, growing rapidly. The bushes and fern leaves were almost the size of small beds, with branches and foliage extending excessively.

Many palm-sized insects hung under those huge leaves, but Cloudy dared not look closely, nor did she intend to disturb unfamiliar animals.

There were too many obstacles on the path, and she couldn't feel anything riding on Titus's shoulders last time... He ran while tearing down all the leaves and other things blocking his way with his hands. Why was he so strong? Cloudy sighed at the unfairness of fate as she sat on a nearby raised tree root.

Just as she sat down, she sprang up like a spring. The thing that looked like mud on the tree root was not mud at all! It was a soft, worm-like creature?!

She stepped back in panic, staring at the thing she had inadvertently flattened... It looked like the skin of a slug, about the length of a forearm, with no clear distinction between head and tail. At one end, there was a brush-like antenna that had now drooped lifelessly.

Upon closer inspection, Cloudy felt her scalp tingling. The thing she thought was a "raised tree root" was slowly wriggling in a very sluggish manner, and the little slug she had sat on was just a larva attached to a larger organism. And there was not just one; all the things that looked like mud on the "tree root" were soft-bodied worms the size of an arm.

After a brief wriggle, the "tree root" began to move slowly forward, dragging fallen leaves on the ground, making a creepy, sticky rustling sound.

Cloudy moved back slowly, her hands and feet stiff, but fortunately, the giant root insect seemed non-aggressive. As Cloudy watched, the huge creature gradually disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving behind a sticky, sour-smelling trail.

She began to regret it a little. Should she retreat back into the tree hole and wait until the next morning? Cloudy's hands holding the wooden spear were sweating profusely; she was afraid to continue moving forward.
Cloudy crouched on the ground, sweating profusely as she realized she hadn't been careful enough. Without any tactical camouflage clothing, she decided to make a leaf hat right there on the spot. The rainforest leaves were large and thick, making it difficult to drape them over herself, so she spent time searching for smaller leaves. However, even the smallest leaves in the rainforest were as big as banana leaves. Cloudy thought for a while and decided to tear the huge leaves into strips without separating them from the stems, similar to how advertisements are posted on telephone poles in strips for passersby to tear off.

After tearing a leaf, she used a stone to soften the stem for bending. After about ten minutes of pounding, the stem felt soft enough, and Cloudy wrapped the leaf strip around her shoulders, which looked quite good. She made a few more in the same way and then connected them with vines like a bamboo mat, draping them over her back.

Then, Cloudy gathered some relatively small ferns and dried grass and leaves, connecting them with vines to create a crown-like structure to wear on her head.

Now, she might have truly blended into the forest. She adjusted her crown and leaf cloak, lying on the ground like a large, malnourished leaf fallen from a tree branch. Perched on a tree trunk, she resembled a fern trying to steal sunlight by climbing up the trunk.

Cloudy's rainforest camouflage was undoubtedly the most outstanding piece made in such primitive conditions.

Feeling more confident in her leaf cloak, she immediately stepped out from the shadow where she had been frozen with fear by a huge soft-bodied insect. As she continued, whenever she heard any suspicious sound, she would lie motionless on the ground until the noise subsided, then move forward slowly on all fours. She also made sure to leave marks on the ground as she progressed.

Although she was much slower than planned, she eventually reached the small stream she had visited before, with no major incidents. She washed her hands by the stream and took a few sips of water.

While drinking, she remained vigilant, observing her surroundings carefully. After all, the stream in front of her, though small, was a reliable water source, likely attracting other animals lower in the food chain to come and drink.

Indeed, about fifty meters away from Cloudy, a group of small animals was drinking water. They resembled turtles with trapezoidal grass-green shells but without visible eyes, covered with many thorn-like protrusions.

Their movements seemed slow, with various sizes within the group. They clearly noticed Cloudy's presence and stopped drinking. As Cloudy stood up, these turtle-like creatures hurriedly moved away at an incredible speed, almost disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"...Isn't that a turtle?" Cloudy had originally wanted to observe these animals more closely. Now she could only start looking around for things to eat.

There were many mushrooms growing nearby, in all colors - blue, yellow, red... every imaginable color was dyed on the mushrooms. They were simply referred to as mushrooms by Cloudy, but to be more precise...

Emerging from the black soil were oddly shaped solids of various shapes and colors, resembling avant-garde art sculptures in a museum that were difficult to understand.

There were even things that resembled interlocking iron chains winding up from the soil. Some of them were extremely large, with a diameter of perhaps a meter, while others were very small, maybe just the size of half a palm, but they were unusually numerous, one after another, covering a large area.

The reason these things, which didn't look like mushrooms at all, were called mushrooms was purely because Titus had previously introduced them to her by saying, "Beautiful, but eating them will be deadly."

And when these things were squeezed, they would crumble and emit a suspicious powder, looking every bit like mushrooms!

It was a pity that despite having so many of them, they were inedible. Cloudy, somewhat frustrated, poked one of the light yellow round mushrooms with a wooden spear, and the mushroom burst out a fine powder with a pop, quickly turning into an unsightly, shriveled brown.

"..." It's better not to mess with these things, lest she gets sprayed by some toxic substance and faints later. She took a few steps back away from the mushroom area, starting to look for other food near the river. Collecting food was perhaps the simplest task; it didn't take long for her to fill her waist bag with food. This would be enough for her until tomorrow morning.

Next... as Cloudy pondered what to do next, drip, a drop of water fell on her forehead. She looked up and saw many water droplets falling from the leaves, not because it was raining, but it seemed like the water droplets on the leaves were suddenly falling down at this time. Not sure what was happening, Cloudy simply pulled her leafy clothing up to cover her head.

The water dripped for about ten minutes, and it was at this moment that Cloudy suddenly felt something was amiss - the ground... seemed to be shaking?

Not an earthquake, but a more rhythmic movement - the rustling of leaves, the sound of branches and vines entwining and snapping together, the roar of something massive and the heavy footsteps approaching where Cloudy was.

There was no doubt that the water droplets on the leaves had fallen due to this commotion. What was happening? The unpleasant, elongated sound that resembled a giant iron tower falling from the sky had already hinted at the answer - some gigantic creatures were approaching, and not just one.

The sounds were coming from the south, precisely the direction of her tree hollow. Cloudy hurriedly tightened her waist bag... What to do? Run out of the forest or hide deeper inside?

She had only marked one path back to the tree hollow and outside the rainforest. At times like this, she dared not wander off the path aimlessly. The rainforest was not...
On flat ground, a few trees enclosed in a circle could easily block people from getting lost.

In a panic, Cloudy decided to run back to the tree hollow. The ground tremors grew stronger and stronger. She ran on all fours, disregarding whether she might bump into insects or small animals, just sprinting ahead. Upon reaching the tree hollow, she hastily planted the wooden spear in the ground, then swiftly climbed to the entrance of the tree hollow, blocking the opening with the wooden door.

Unfortunately, inside the tree hollow, the tremors felt even stronger, as if she was placed in a dark cradle. Cloudy felt her heartbeat racing in sync with the vibrations... Were they a group of large dinosaurs? But giant carnivorous dinosaurs wouldn't travel in groups, right? In documentaries, only herds of huge herbivorous dinosaurs were seen moving together. The sound drew closer, and Cloudy couldn't resist peeking outside by moving the wooden door slightly.

Her view hardly showed anything, but it felt safe. She closed the door again, curled up her body to find a somewhat comfortable position within the tree hollow. It was like cramming chicken breasts into a mismatched small container; uncomfortable as it was, Cloudy quickly drifted into a light sleep due to exhaustion.

Since morning, she had only briefly rested on the road, the long journey and the exertion in the rainforest had drained her energy. As she woke up from her sleep, the sounds and scents outside the tree hollow seemed different.

Feeling stiff all over, sleeping curled up in the tree hollow was not very comfortable. She pushed the wooden door slightly, and the brightness outside wasn't as intense as when she fell asleep, probably because the canopy was too dense, making time pass quicker in the rainforest than outside. She wasn't sure of the time... maybe around three or four in the afternoon?

Regardless, she didn't plan to leave the vicinity of the tree hollow today. It was time to go out and stretch her body... or she might cramp up.

Opening the wooden door, she first stuck her head out, then her shoulders and upper body followed. However, as she moved her thighs out, Cloudy sensed something unusual, a feeling she couldn't quite describe... It seemed like a few drops of sweat were trickling down her legs as she moved. She didn't pay much attention; the tree hollow was already humid. After ensuring the surroundings were safe, she planned to wash herself near a nearby stream.

Yet, something still felt off. When Cloudy climbed down the tree trunk, she felt something was amiss. Her stomach felt uncomfortable, and the sweat was still sporadically trickling down her shins.

What's going on... Could staying in the tree hollow for too long be causing some kind of abnormal reaction? She hastened back to the ground, standing still to examine her legs.

"Ah..." somewhat speechless, yet also somewhat unsurprised, something unexpected had happened.

She had started her period... Initially mistaking it for sweat, it turned out to be tiny droplets of blood trickling down, leaving three or four thin blood streaks from her thighs to her shins.

What? Now? Cloudy's surprise at this moment was no less than when she first got her period in middle school. It felt like she had aged ten years in an instant.

Since arriving here, she had been so caught up in the daily hustle for survival that she had completely forgotten about this peculiar bodily function... Not only had she forgotten, but her body, due to the scarce food and shelter...
In the past few days, it's been the middle of her second month here, perhaps because she's been eating well and sleeping soundly these days, she found herself in a bit of a pinch.

Having the right mindset is truly important. Even when encountering strange incidents like a giant creature passing by, she didn't panic or feel scared.

Cloudy stood still, pondering on what to do next. The smell of menstrual blood in the rainforest was not pleasant at all. Her stomach was a bit achy, but it didn't hinder her movements.

Moreover, if the flow was heavy, she needed to figure out something to use as a makeshift solution. Hmm... considering all aspects, the flow this time shouldn't be heavy, right? Maybe it's best to freshen up first and get rid of the smell.

Thinking this, Cloudy picked up the leafy clothes she had taken off earlier, grabbed the spear lying nearby, and headed towards the stream once again.

Not sure if it was her imagination, but the sounds in the rainforest seemed much quieter along the way. Could it be that the unidentified giant creature that passed by earlier scared off the animals and insects in this area? It was somewhat reassuring for her. This time she was faster than before, and after a few minutes, she heard the gentle sound of the stream and a sudden voice as she approached...

"Cloudy?"

Ah? What a coincidence! She looked surprised at Titus, standing not far from the stream, looking a bit dirty. Suddenly meeting her good friend Titus in such a place made Cloudy both surprised and relieved, "What are you doing here?"

Before getting an answer, Titus rushed towards her and grabbed Cloudy's hand, "What's wrong!?"

Cloudy had seen that expression on Titus before, the one he had when killing birds. At this moment, he stared intensely at the bloodstains on Cloudy's calf, his six pupils seeming to narrow in anger, "Cloudy, does it hurt? Are you injured elsewhere?"

It was only then that Cloudy noticed that the things she thought were dirt on Titus were actually not dust or mud clumps but dried blood splattered on his body.

"Cloudy, I thought you were dead." Titus held Cloudy even closer, and as he spoke, Cloudy noticed the fresh blood running along the sharp edges of his teeth, "I went to the cave to find you, but you weren't there, and everything was destroyed."

Titus pulled her close and cradled Cloudy in his arms, "Does it hurt? I'll find medicine for you."

Once in his embrace, Cloudy realized the strong smell of blood emanating from Titus, and she noticed several new wounds on his body, "Why... blood, wounds... what happened?"

Titus looked down at her, his terrifying eyes softening after confirming she was okay, "They destroyed your cave. I thought they had killed you."

"So I... I made them pay."