Epoch of Twilight

The weather was really hot after they finished their lunch, but there were several gray clouds covering the sky. After more than 20 days of drought, it seemed like it was going to rain.

The sky was dark by 3 p.m. and thick clouds were wallowing in the air. The backdrop was black, but lightning was flashing across every once in awhile. The thunder sounded like the roar of the giants. A cool wind was flowing through the hole, soothing everyone’s mind.

The wind outside the cave was getting stronger, causing the bushes in the forest to produce strange sounds. All the trees and bushes were bending here and there, blown by the strong wind. From time to time, they could hear the sound of tree branches breaking.

Sand and dried leaves swirled in the air like horses out of control. At times, the strong gusts of wind would turn into a tornado. The dark clouds were moving closer to ground, blocking the peaks of the mountains nearby as the wind got even stronger. The sky was barely visible as sand and stone flew around..

"Hurry up!" Luo Yuan shouted so loud, his veins bulged under his skin.

A few of the men were trying hard to push a 10-ton rock towards the entrance of the cave. The tornado was swirling around the walkway of the cliff, producing a sound similar to a wailing ghost. The wind was so strong that many of them could not even stand properly.

One of the soldiers looked completely exhausted. Unable to steady his footsteps, he almost fell.

Luo Yuan quickly grabbed him, and said, "Watch out!"

The soldier was shocked. He still looked pale, but he tried to be more alert. The entrance was 50-60 meters above the ground, which was about 16 floors high. It would be difficult for him to survive if he fell.

"Stop! That’s the spot," Luo Yuan said.

Everyone felt slightly relieved as they carefully flipped the giant rock over, and then ran inside the cave. They hid in a corner, all of them looking very pale. Dust and dried leaves were blown into the cave, making it dusty to the point that no one could even see clearly.

"We ran out of time. That’s all we could do at such short notice. Hope it helps." Luo Yuan sighed as he looked at the huge entrance and the giant rock, which was not blocking it completely.

The entrance was too big, although it might have been a bit small for the Giants. They might have needed to lower their heads before entering the cave. In fact, the entrance was about five meters tall and 150 centimeters wide. The giant rock was less than two meters tall and three meters wide, even though it weighed more than 10 tons. It did not even block a quarter of the entrance.

Of course, the main purpose of the rock was not to block the wind, but act as protection if someone was blown away.

"What the f*ck! This is the Kunlun Alps! Where did this wind come from? Even the typhoons along the coast where I used to live were not this strong!" Huo Dong cursed as he used his hands to cover his face. He was trying to protect it from the leaves slapping it.

Everyone was hiding in the corner in the cave, looking at the gray clouds in the sky.

"The coast is gone," Lin Xiaoji tried to remind him, but the strong wind rushed into his mouth as soon as he opened it.

Stunned, Huo Dong sighed. It was true. The coast was gone, and the place they were at now had become the new coast. Suddenly, a dark shadow hit the entrance of the cave, producing a very loud sound. The ground shook vigorously and part of the cliff near the entrance collapsed, the rocks falling to the ground. In the meantime, the walls inside the cave had begun to crack.

It was hard to avoid. Everyone looked frightened and pale except Luo Yuan.

"What was that?" Huang Jiahui asked.

"A tree branch," Luo Yuan said seriously.

He could identify it clearly, even though it was very dark. It had not been a small branch either, but a branch with 40-50 centimeters worth of sub-branches. That big of a branch would have been considered a tree before the mutation outbreak.

Luo Yuan felt depressed. "A wind able to break such a big branch from a mutated tree and swirl a few tons of tree branches into the air must be extremely strong. Definitely beyond Level 12. The natural environment seems to have gotten worse as the glaciers on the South and North pole melt and the solar storms in space cause major disturbances to the global weather," he silently analyzed.

A moment later, the thunderstorms merged with the rainstorms, numerous bolts of lightning formed a bright web on the sky. Perhaps the solar storms were causing electrical charges to enter the ozone layer, because the lightning seemed much more powerful than usual. Everyone was tense as they looked at the fearsome sky.

The last thunderstorm had not been long ago, and the lightning reminded them of their previous experience. This lightning seemed quite normal in terms of frequency and power compared to the previous one that was much more destructive. Still, although it was not as powerful as the last one, it was still enough to stress them out.

Luo Yuan felt mortal. He was worried, even though he knew he could be more powerful than he was now. Perhaps the drought had lasted for too long, and that was what had caused such a big rainstorm.

The rainwater entered the cave by following the wind. In just a few seconds, a big water puddle had formed in front of them. Suddenly, something heavy fell, making a very loud sound. Some rocks had fallen off the cliff, causing minor landslides.

The atmosphere inside the cave was stress inducing, and no one was talking. They could hear themselves taking deep breaths over the sound of the wind blowing.

The rainstorm lasted for about five hours. The sky was completely dark as the rain slowly subsided. Luo Yuan walked towards the entrance through a water puddle that almost reached his knees. He could see that the lawn was gone and had been replaced by a borderless swamp.

The forest looked like a mess after the storm, and most of the trees in the area had fallen. Some of them had been pulled out from the ground along with their roots and thrown against other trees. Several areas were completely bald and empty of trees.

However, Luo Yuan was not happy. The rain had been extremely destructive, although there had not been a lot of water in the area. The growth of plants had been restricted due to the drought, but the rainstorm could have caused major changes to them. The mutated beasts that had gone away might also come back again now that they would not have to worry about a water shortage.

"This place is getting more dangerous. We need to leave as soon as possible," Luo Yuan thought.

However, there were also some upsides to the rainstorm. The heat had been blown away, and now everyone could enjoy the cool, wet air. Luo Yuan turned around and walked back to the cave, savoring the feeling of the cool breeze against his face.