Chapter 44

Not only inside the cave, but everything outside the cave is also murky. There is no clear sky as remembered, only pouring rain. The ground has completely disappeared under successive washouts, replaced by a swampy landscape. Almost every submerged area is over two meters deep, with tree trunks and tall bushes still standing above the water, battered by the heavy rain.

The water is extremely turbid, making it impossible to see anything when submerged, and even floating on the surface leads to eyes being shut by the pounding rain. Besides the very low temperatures, continuous downpours would likely be the reason why locals stay indoors during the rainy season, with the rainforest submerged in water.

Struggling in the swamp, Cloudy finds this murky water area most frightening. What lies within the water? Beneath the cover of the torrential rain and the slow movements in the water, if she were to encounter an attack in the water, there would be no way to escape it. Of course, setting aside the attacks from aquatic creatures... before the water covered the ground, this place was full of various plants, covered with tangled tree roots and vines; if she accidentally got entangled, it would be disastrous.

She has never had the experience of swimming in the wild water. Before coming here, the closest memory of swimming was symbolically splashing around in the spa's large pool...

Apart from the harsh weather conditions, the massive changes in the landscape make it difficult for Cloudy to recognize the route ahead. She used to navigate towards Titus' settlement based on ground plants and markings on trees, but now the ground is gone...

Cough... Cloudy clung to the nearest tree trunk, wanting to climb up, but the rain made the tree trunk very slippery. Moreover, after the onset of the rainy season, the bark of these trees naturally peeled off, taking away all the markings she had made and leaving no footholds... climbing up was very difficult, so Cloudy could only rest against the tree trunk.

Though she knew this journey wouldn't be easy, she didn't expect it to be this hard. Panting, holding onto the tree trunk, the rain hitting her head made her skull ache. And looking back, she had only swum about fifty meters.

Feeling hopeless, Cloudy panted, staring in the direction of the cave.

Reluctant to give up on Titus, but swimming out like this is no different from suicide. It's impossible to reach the settlement in a day... Will Titus die? Will she die?

She wanted to strive, to rush to the settlement as soon as possible, but the reality of the rainforest had already inscribed "You will die here" into every raindrop, then fiercely pounded her, attempting to press her into the deepest part of the swamp. Having swum only fifty meters, Cloudy felt her vision blur, unsure if it was tears or rain. Was she being foolish? Could she survive this rainy season alone without Titus?

Before leaving the cave, she didn't have so many terrifying and disgusting thoughts. When she decided to head to the settlement and jump into the water, her only thought was of Titus.

Unfortunately, this is not something she can control, when faced with...
In times of great difficulty, there is an unconscious desire to retreat and avoid, which brings forth many negative emotions that are usually ignored. Should she go back? Back to the cave... burn everything, see if Titus can recover?

The heavy rain and muddy swamp water stirred everything around her into a whirlwind. She knew that no matter how much she burned, Titus wouldn't get better because he was already sick. If Titus believed he could recover, he would never say, "I need the help of the settlement," as he had expressed his dislike for settlements just a few days ago.

If she gave up going to the settlement and went back to the cave... she would likely have to watch Titus die in front of her. Is it more terrifying to lose Titus or to die herself?

There is no right answer because both options are terrible. Cloudy held onto a tree trunk, forcing herself not to give up, and started to recall the happy days she spent with Titus, remembering how he walked towards her with a fish, how they ran around together on the green slope... instead of imagining both of them dying in this storm.

Her current choice wouldn't be wrong; Cloudy didn't want to waste any more time. She let go of the tree trunk and continued swimming forward. It was slow going, with lots of debris and tangled plants floating on the water's surface, making it exhausting to push through.

She needed a vehicle; she had to figure out how to make a suitable raft. Cloudy now had a goal in mind, about twenty meters ahead there was a huge tree root protruding from the water, surrounded by plenty of floating objects, some of which looked like sturdy branches.

Once the goal formed in her mind, all the negative thoughts vanished instantly. A raft... yes, there were materials floating all over the water's surface that could be used. She must have been startled by the sudden change in the environment outside the rainforest, making her slow to realize.

She paddled vigorously towards the tree root sticking out of the water.

...

The good news is she managed to make a rudimentary raft in a very short time.

The bad news is that the vines used to link the sticks together had become weak from soaking in water for a long time, making the raft prone to damage and falling apart during use.

Nevertheless, Cloudy wiped the rain off her face and sat on the narrow raft. With her legs in the water, the raft, made of five unimpressive sticks tied together, floated, with the central stick providing the most buoyancy and strength.

She used the bark she had peeled off as makeshift paddles, and after some effort, the raft began to move faster. Now, Cloudy only needed to focus on determining the direction.

During Titus's hunting trips outside before, she
Traveling back and forth multiple times to the settlement to gather intelligence, Cloudy owes much to her past self... Even though the rainforest has undergone significant changes, all markers have disappeared. Cloudy still relies on muscle memory to move in the right direction.

Ahead, debris continues to drift into the water. If it's a stick, she fishes it out and places it in front of her. She also picks up leaves and vines to reinforce her small raft.

Sometimes, when there's no debris in the water, Cloudy propels herself forward by lying flat on the raft, using both her hands and feet to sprint a distance. She only hopes to reach an open area before sunset... or a place without swamps.

"Wait for me, Titus," Cloudy says as she frantically paddles with pieces of tree bark in the murky swamp water. Even when her arm muscles ache as if they might explode, she doesn't stop.

At this point, she can no longer see the cave's rocky walls behind her. It's been a long time, and with the sky always the same color during the rainy season, time is hard to estimate. Even if she left the cave at 9 AM, it might be close to 1 PM now.

At her current pace, she should reach the settlement before 8 PM... and if she continues forward to leave the swamp area, she will arrive even faster.

Titus' settlement is built on high ground, so as she nears it, the swamp water should become shallower... Cloudy hopes her assumption is correct, eager to reach land and run on her own two legs.

After paddling for a while, the rain eases up a bit. Cloudy slows down her paddling, glancing around to confirm her position.

She's already covered a good portion of the journey and sees the place where she killed the insects, the large tree with square-shaped leaves... Although the trunk is now peeled and the branches bare, some leaves remain untouched by the rain.

Cloudy steers the raft towards the tree, leaning against the trunk for a brief rest. She takes out some dried meat from her pouch, already soft from the dampness, and chews on it casually.

It's while she's eating that she senses a strange movement in the water. With the rain subsiding in the area, more sounds are audible, indicating something has been drawn towards her... Cloudy slowly lifts her legs out of the water and onto the raft.

She's not nervous at this moment, but rather angry that something is hindering her progress. Cloudy remains still, letting the raft float naturally on the water's surface. The water is so murky that the creatures within can't rely on sight to hunt, as long as she stays still, with raindrops continuously falling on the water, her position won't be discovered.

Raising one hand to shield her eyes from the rain, Cloudy vigilantly observes her surroundings, while her other hand grips the bone knife tightly from behind.

She holds her breath and waits. Raindrops fall on the water's surface, hit the tree trunk, and land on the debris in the water... These sounds have become very familiar to her along the way, so when she hears the "gurgling" bubbles in the swamp, Cloudy immediately pinpoints the direction.
About five meters away from the raft, Cloudy picked up the wooden stick she had placed at the front of the raft earlier and slammed it into the water where the bubbling sound was coming from. In an instant, mud and water churned as a predator lurking underwater broke the surface and attacked the stick.

It was a creature about two meters long. Its body was a beautiful light green color, without eyes, and instead of mouthparts, there were many transparent blue tentacles.

The tentacles and slender forelimbs of the creature hooked onto the stick, realizing it wasn't prey, it immediately plunged back into the water, resurfacing with half its head, slowly circling around where Cloudy floated, as if carefully listening for the whereabouts of its prey.

Images of Titus wrapped in animal hides, lying motionless on the bed, flashed through Cloudy's mind. She exhaled... there was no time to waste with it. She half crouched on the raft, steadying herself, freeing one hand to start slapping the water.

In the next moment, the creature quickly surged towards Cloudy. She gripped the bone knife tightly, the creature dove underwater near the raft, then suddenly surged upwards. Cloudy timed its breaking the surface and raised the bone knife high, thrusting it towards its head with force.

The raft capsized, and Cloudy, along with the creature, fell into the swamp due to the impact. The water churned continuously, the chaotic sounds of the struggle blending insignificantly with the rain...

Before long, the water surface returned to calm, with only concentric rain ripples spreading out continuously.

A hand covered in filth rose from the ripples, clinging to the somewhat scattered raft. Cloudy's face was smeared with the creature's innards, her mouth gripping the bone knife, she climbed back onto the raft with a dark expression. Her left arm bore several scratches, but she ignored the pain signals sent to her brain.

Quickly organizing the raft, she set off once again towards the direction of the settlement.