Although the leader of the team, Jerónimo, was dismissive of this, and most of the members of the team were very tired from today's series of events, and they just wanted to camp quickly for the night, Henry and Juan Sr. still spent a lot of time pulling some of the supplies and horses to a slightly higher place for insurance. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

The leeward side of the hillside where the camp is camped looks like a bent right arm from the front, and on the slope, which is not particularly steep a few meters high, some deciduous trees with well-developed roots common in tropical regions grow, and the soil of the hill forms an arched shape like the spray of the waves in the part near the small river that is three or four meters wide and half a man deep.

This is another disturbing fact, and in relation to the tendency of nearby vegetation, the bare riverbed and the small slopes that are apparently washed out by huge currents in this shape prove that flash flooding of the river is common during thunderstorms. The torches whistled in the wind, and the night around them was pitch black, and even the river was ominously black across the barely lit area, as if some fearsome formidable presence lurked in it, ready to be devoured.

It is not an exaggeration to say that if you can't find a proper shelter in the wilderness, then you can't live for half a day, and the jungle at night is full of malice for weak humans, even on a calm day and the moon is very bright, there are not a few people who have never been able to return once they have gone out at night, not to mention that the wind is howling and it is obvious that a rainstorm is coming.

Probably prompted by the nervousness in their hearts, although the moon was dark and the wind was high, there was basically no natural light, but the people managed to set up a simple tent and start cooking food in just half an hour, using the torches that were blocked by the small hillside and would not be blown out by the wind. The metal cauldron is one of the few objects that has not been completely destroyed by the snake dragon's collision and trampling, and although there are many dents, it can still be used.

The ingredients for this night were not as abundant as before, and although there were still a lot of dry food and salted meat in stock, no one could guarantee what kind of situation would happen next, so they could only cook a pot of cereal soup that was not very good in taste and nutrition, and then a dozen people quickly ate and drank while it was hot, and hurriedly went to rest. Fortunately, hunger was the best seasoning, and everyone who had worked all day didn't pay much attention to the taste of the meal, but just finished the meal quickly, and then went back to their tents and quickly fell asleep.

The campfire needs to be guarded, the situation is not clear, and the personnel of the night watch are naturally very important, but a lot has happened today, and the people who are tired from the journey just want to get a good night's sleep.

So, naturally, the task of the first vigil in turn fell on our sage gentleman, who did not seem to have a trace of fatigue and had volunteered before, and said hello and said that if there was no situation, he would wake up after more than a month to two hours, and old Juan also went to rest with the others, and I don't know how Henry could accurately estimate the time in such a situation where it was completely impossible to judge the moonlight.

Even the experienced old mercenaries are like this, not to mention our Luoan girl, Mira with a tired face looked at Henry for a long time as if hesitating something, the sage nodded at her and signaled to go to sleep in peace, so Mira also walked to the tent on the side and began to sleep. Their tents were deliberately placed a little further away from the others, close to the small slope, and in the event of a flood, it would be easier for Mira to escape.

Life is precious, even if others don't cherish it, you shouldn't follow their example of neglect to guard against it for the sake of so-called face, so as not to appear that you are unsociable.

After a dozen people fell asleep, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, except for the "crackling" sound of the firewood burning, the rest was the sound of the wind blowing not far away, and the occasional "pop" sound of foreign objects falling into the water.

Being alone in the darkness is a palpitating experience, and after a long period of no rest, ordinary people will inevitably become nervous in this situation, and make a fuss because of the slightest disturbance, but our sage is just as calm and indifferent as ever, as if he is just making a cup of spruce tea in his own backyard to take a few sips.

- He was not idle at the vigil, and the booklet he had given to Mira to write some swordsmanship points had not been completely completed for so long, after all, it was easy to say or write, but it was quite time-consuming to practice and comprehend and master all this. Mira was already quite gifted and willing to work hard, and at this moment the sage had already written some points when Arvenella was in the first place, and she had only just reached the point where she could understand it after spending so much time.

Some of the details and lessons to be used next, Henry only plans to continue writing at this time, and the reason why he waited until Mira reached this point to do it is mainly because this is a teaching guide book specially written for the person of Miss Luoan. Mira, what she is good at, what she is not good at, what needs to be improved, what can be changed - even if he has the name of a sage, Henry can't speculate and list these things out of thin air, he has always been a person who pays attention to efficiency, does not do superfluous things, and the high price of paper and ink is laborious to write, so naturally he will not take the kind of time-consuming and laborious way of trying to list all the problems that may be encountered.

The ink contained in the small clay was placed next to the campfire, and the orange light of the fire swayed and reflected on the shiny surface of the semi-solidified ink, and he poured some water from the small bamboo tube, the temperature gradually turning it back into a diluted liquid. Then Henry picked up the quill and wrote unhurriedly by the light of the campfire.

Time passed slowly, and when Henry had written about three or four pages, and had consumed a lot of the firewood he had collected before placing it next to him, the wind in the vicinity suddenly began to subside. He closed the book, frowned and retracted everything into a package made of tarp and leather, then looked up at the sky. The purple-white lightning of "......" swept through the surroundings, making the surroundings as bright as day for a moment, and then three seconds later, the earth-shattering sound of "boom-click-" came as scheduled. There was no need for Henry to shout, most of the dozen or so people in the camp behind him had been easily woken up by this thunderclap.

"Smack-" The tarpaulin was very easy to ignite, so there were no lighting appliances such as torches around the tent, but from the rough outline of the light emitted by the campfire, Henry could tell that Juan, an old hunting expert, had pushed the corner of the tent and walked over there.

"Didn't you sleep long?" the sage got up, habitually took Kramer beside him on his back, and walked into the firelight, old Juan blinked again and again, trying to get used to the bright orange, his long gray eyebrows wrinkled together, he rubbed his eyebrows, and still looked very tired: "People are old, and they are useless." "Boom-click-" Another flash of lightning flashed, and old Juan turned his head to look at Henry, who had not rested since six o'clock this morning, shook his head and sighed: "You guy, I sometimes really wonder if you are human or not. ”

"You don't feel tired at all, I was a young man who wandered about, and when my blood was rising, I was in good spirits, but when I was at vigil I always felt sleepy for no reason in the silence and darkness, alas—what a man is more like than a man. "Before, it may only be regarded as the same interests, but today during the day, Henry actually saved the life of old Juan, plus some of the things he did to the snake dragon, the old hunting expert of medium stature now seems to regard him as an old friend for many years, and his tone of voice has become much closer.

"They're all awake, so let's get ready. There was no time for small talk, the sage interrupted him and said, although some things had been expected to happen when he set up camp before, but he had no choice in this situation where it was night and in the wilderness and he could not judge the way forward. One tent after another was lifted, the wind made a low "whining" sound, and lightning followed one after another, and it was obvious that a thunderstorm was coming soon.

"Move your things up the hill, and see how the river is about to rise. Old Juan turned his head and said to Jerónimo, who had just come out of the tent and subconsciously covered his eyes because of the bright light of the fire, an hour or two of rest was considered to have brought the mercenary squad leader back to his senses, he had just nodded, and suddenly the rain was falling bit by bit.

"Tick-tock!" The exuberant campfire was so drenched by the slight rain that a large cloud of smoke rose up, and the panicked group hurriedly turned around and took out the rainproof cloaks in the tents, while the fire was still there, many people quickly packed up their personal belongings, several tents were rudely dismantled and thrown directly to the top, Henry's work in advance was not in vain, most of the items were placed on the hillside with the horses, and there was not much to worry about at the moment.

From sparse to dense, the pouring rain came in an instant, with a terrifying sound mixed with thunder and lightning, the wind howled and the leaves were beaten by the huge rain to form a complex music in the night, the campfire that had been burning for hours died quickly in the continuous rain, and fortunately the continuous lightning also provided excellent lighting for the people. The people, who had been poured a cold heart, quickly awoke from their half-asleep state, put away the rest of the supplies, such as iron pots and cutlery, into the wagon, and drove them up the hillside.

The height of the hill can be considered a safe area, and the area is very small, and Henry and Juan Sr. at the end of the river do not let everyone pass, and the terrain ahead is gentle. Therefore, a dozen horses and mules and three carriages could only barely squeeze in the middle, and the carriage that came up last was naturally in the lowest place, but when everyone finally thought that they could huddle up on it and spend the night trembling, the ominous sound in the distance should have sounded as expected.

Like the thousands of troops and horses of the Doomsday War in the myth of the northerners, they marched forward in unison, and the loud rumbling sound echoed faintly and leisurely.

-- There was a flash flood.

"Boom!"

The sound of the crashing waves, which have a huge amount of water, gives the illusion of being in the middle of the tides of the sea. "Everyone, lean together, be careful not to get close to the edge to avoid being left behind!" A bolt of lightning streaked through, allowing everyone to see clearly the rapid enchantment of the place below where they had been encamped, all around them, except for the slightly higher hill, which was now literally an island in the middle of the torrent.

But it was clear that the situation would not end there, and no one had underestimated the power of nature, and the rain clouds that covered the entire area were pouring frantically and raining down so much that the torrents rose again and again, and wave after wave of floods soon turned the surroundings into an ocean, and the back of the knoll, which was only knee-high, had begun to spread, and the pack horses pulling the three wagons were frightened by the majesty of the lightning and began to neigh, and Jerónimo and the other orange mercenary struggled to hold on to the reins to prevent them from retreating in fear.

In the next moment, another wave of torrents carrying a large amount of sediment and debris rushed from the other side, and an astonishing slap "boom" directly washed away the weak part of the small slope near the river bank.

"Click!" Henry, they had explored the terrain in advance, found the weakness of this place, and then let the people concentrate in the middle of the initiative, which saved everyone's lives, but because of the loud noise and the thunder that followed, the frightened pony straightened up and kicked away another orange mercenary in a panic, pulling the carriage and running towards the rear.

"Wait!" Gironimo shouted in panic, subconsciously grabbing the reins of the horse and trying to pull it by brute force. Henry, Juan Sr., and six other novice mercenaries nearby immediately noticed all this and hurried over to help, but the chaos spread quickly like a contagious disease, and the two horses pulling the cart next to them also began to scream and run, they pulled the flat wooden cart in the darkness, collided with each other, and bumped into the mule in front of them, and a mule full of supplies fell directly into the flood and disappeared without a trace.

"Stop, stop!" The ground was wet and slippery, the scene was very chaotic, and under the order of his team leader, he was a little confused, and he didn't know what to do, and the six young mercenaries ran to the vicinity of the carriage to pull them, but this action only made the horses pulling the cart further confused.

"No, it's mine! give it back to me!!" Seeing that the flatbed carriage laden with expensive snake skins was about to be lost in the confusion, Gironimo rushed up to beat the horse. "Come back! Jerónimo!" Old Juan's hysterical roar was muffled by the cacophony of the environment, and he, Federo and Henry, who were behind them, desperately tried to pull the dizzy squad leader back, and the six novice mercenaries in front were still trying to push the carriage back, but how could this area, which had begun to be eroded by floods, withstand the simultaneous tossing of so many people, horses, and vehicles.

So in the shocked eyes of Mira and the others, two lightning bolts slashed one after another, and in a moment, the entire dirt knoll collapsed, and Henry and a dozen of them, along with three flatbed carriages, disappeared without a trace.

"Teacher!" Mira exclaimed loudly. "Boom-" Another flash of lightning in the sky fell not far away, and something sounded like the sound of a tree collapsing, but it was quickly drowned out by other sounds. "Grunt--" Federo, who had choked on several mouthfuls of muddy dirty water, sat down in the flood with the ups and downs of the waves, he didn't know the nature of the water, but he only knew how to wave his hands and feet up and down in the flood at this moment, but fortunately a strong hand reached over and grabbed him by the collar, and immediately lifted him up.

"Stay standing!, if you fall, you'll be saved!" Henry roared loudly in the noisy environment, and now the flood had come to his waist, and there was nothing to see in the darkness around him.

"Put down that damn thing, do you want to be swept away and drowned!" Old Juan roared behind him, and then the light in the sky Henry and Federo looked back to see the two of them, but the six novice mercenaries with the green card and the unconscious orange mercenary who had just come closest to the carriage were nowhere to be seen.

"Teacher!" the anxious Mira jumped directly from the halfway slope into the stagnant water that was chest-deep, and among the remaining people, there were also two free mercenaries and three novice mercenaries who jumped down to help, Opimio and the other three mercenaries stayed on top and did not come down, including Mira, six people on this side grabbed hands and stretched out towards the few people who were struggling to move forward in the current, but in the next moment, there was a loud tidal sound like the previous earth-shattering tide in the distance.

"Let go!" all of them came behind me and formed a column!" Another flash of lightning, and the surroundings were as bright as day, and Heng, whose expression changed instantly, shouted loudly at a volume that Mira had never heard before. "What? do you want to kill all of us!" Gironimo, who had just lost his goods, did not forget to open his mouth to raise the bar with others even in such a situation, but Mira, who trusted Henry deeply, quickly walked over, and her movements led the other five people who also entered the water, and they immediately formed a line behind Henry.

"Listen to him!" Old Juan shouted loudly, the boom getting closer and closer, Henry drew his great sword and plunged deep into the dirt, and then turned back: "Sort of size!

As he spoke, the people quickly changed formations, with Gironimo gritting his teeth and standing behind Henry, while Mira stood at the back of the group.

"Hold your breath! Hold on to the person in front of you and don't let go!"

In the last moments of the great flash flood, Henry turned back and roared.

"Boom--"

“......”

“......”

The world fell silent, and all I could hear was the sound of the water.

The huge pressure forced Kramer's blades to be twisted and deformed, in the face of the power of nature, even Henry and Jerónimo and other levels of strength could not support alone, the flood washed away the sage's thin clothes and made the skin hurt, but a miracle happened, the water waves disturbed by the people in front of them became no longer strong in the rear, like a "shield" blocking the impact itself and weakening the momentum of the torrent, and the rear should have been thinner and weaker Mira and three young mercenaries became the "support" of everyone in front , They gritted their teeth and worked hard to maintain the formation, and the column composed of ten people really held up the torrent that even the war horses were washed away like this-

When the current began to gradually weaken, the most emotion of everyone besides the joy of surviving was shock.

But no one had time to explain how it all worked.1 Taking advantage of the fact that the flood had passed, the group quickly climbed back to the top of the hill by feeling the lowered water level, and then waited for the end of the thunderstorm with their soaked clothes.

They were lucky, the rain in the mountains came and went quickly, and as the dark clouds overhead gradually dispersed, and the bright moonlight fell again, everyone finally breathed a real sigh of relief.

No one had the time to wring out the wet clothes, so they snuggled up to each other against the trunks of the same wet trees, and the group was groggy as if they had slept for a while and then as if they had not slept at all and ushered in the dawn at all.

......

"Tick-tock-" Mira's little feet, which looked very white because she had not been exposed to the sun, stepped on the mudflats where there were still many branches left by the flash flood, and her adventurer's little leather boots were still wet after several twists, not to mention the clothes on her body.

It was obviously a delusion to light a bonfire to dry the firewood from the rain and floods, but fortunately the rain was clear and the tropical sun shone on the mudflats by the river, which was not sheltered by many trees, and everything was quickly dry again.

If you dry your clothes and belongings, you can regain some optimism - the disaster caused by this flash flood is not insignificant, the three flatbed carriages and mules that were carried do not know where they were washed, and the team was directly reduced by seven people after the night passed, including the orange mercenary who was kicked unconscious by the horse and the six novice mercenaries.

During the day, when the materials were counted, everyone also found that there were two mules missing, and in the darkness and chaos, they didn't know whether they jumped down or were swept down by the waves.

Geronimo sat distracted on the mudflats, staring at the sparkling waters of the river, which had regained its calm and glistening in the sun, and Henry checked the books in his purse, and fortunately they had not been wet when they had been thrown onto the slope beforehand. Juan walked over with a wry smile on his face.

"What a disaster......," he said, sighing, and when he returned, he was alone, but fortunately the horses and a small part of the supplies were still there, and all of them could do at the moment.

It's just a matter of going back to town and recuperating.

......

......

Note: The column described here is the standard formation of modern outdoor rescue teams when encountering flash floods, and the details are too lazy for me to explain, so you can go x degrees by yourself. (To be continued.) )