OBS Chapter 287 Mountain Flood on a Rainy Night
Chapter 287 Mountain Flood on a Rainy Night
It was getting late, and the group planned to camp here tonight and transport the game back to the forest early tomorrow morning.
"The sky doesn't look right; it looks like it's going to rain."
Just as everyone was roasting meat around the fire, an elderly hunter looked up at the sky and said with concern.
Following the old man's gaze, Li Xiangyang saw a large patch of dark clouds looming in from the southwest.
Seeing this, the hunters knew that time was of the essence, so they quickly ate their meal and began to collect branches and vines to build several simple shelters.
Just as they finished building their third shelter, a blinding light flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
"Boom——"
With a loud bang, the rain poured down.
Rainwater washed down the hillside, and soon, small streams formed in the lower-lying areas.
The rain grew heavier, and large raindrops pounded on the leaves, making a crackling sound.
“The situation is bad,” Li Xiangyang said to Lao Zheng, frowning. “This rain is coming too fast; it could trigger flash floods. We need to move to higher ground.”
Old Zheng nodded. "You're right, this location is too dangerous." He turned to the crowd and shouted, "Everyone, take your valuables and move towards that ridge! Don't scatter!"
Although the hunters were puzzled, they instinctively obeyed Old Zheng's orders.
They gathered whatever equipment and prey they could carry and moved in the direction he indicated.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou carried the heavy bear skin, struggling to move forward on the muddy mountain road.
I had to be careful with every step I took, for fear of slipping.
Just as they reached the ridge, a loud bang came from behind them.
A large tree was uprooted by the flash flood and fell where they had just been standing.
"That was close!" Wang Ergou gasped, looking at the valley not far away that had turned into a rushing stream.
The group quickly searched for a relatively dry spot on the ridge and rebuilt their shelter.
Several experienced hunters built a makeshift rain shelter using bear skin and branches. Although it couldn't completely block the rain, it at least provided some protection.
“This rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon,” Old Zheng said, gazing at the dark sky. “We’ll probably have to spend the night here.”
"Do the people at the forest farm know we're in this location?" a young hunter asked, his voice tinged with worry.
“They should know the approximate location,” Zhang Changlin replied, “but in this weather, they wouldn’t dare to go up the mountain to look for us.”
Li Xiangyang silently considered all the possible scenarios.
If the rain continues, the flash floods could worsen; if the temperature drops sharply and they don't have enough warm clothing on the mountain, the situation will be even worse.
"Sir, let it burn; at least it can last until dawn."
With the help of several people, they finally managed to light a small fire in the middle of the shelter.
The flame was weak, but it provided at least some light and warmth.
The group sat around the fire, their wet clothes clinging to their bodies, making them extremely uncomfortable.
But having fire is better than having none; at least we can see each other's faces clearly.
"Everyone who's hungry, hurry up and eat some meat," Old Zheng said. "In this situation, preserving your strength is the most important thing."
Several people took out knives from their bags, cut off pieces of bear meat, skewered them on tree branches, and roasted them over a fire.
Soon, the aroma of bear meat filled the rain shelter, slightly dispelling the chill.
Li Xiangyang took a piece of roasted bear meat from Wang Ergou and took a bite.
The group ate their barbecue in silence, listening to the rain and the roar of the mountain torrents outside.
When will this rain finally stop?
As dawn broke, Wang Ergou looked at the still gray sky and couldn't help but complain.
Old Zheng sighed, "There's been an unusually lot of rain this year; it looks like it's going to rain for a while."
He looked at the incessant drizzle, his expression grave: "Everyone, save your food; I'm afraid we won't be able to get down the mountain anytime soon."
Even without Lao Zheng saying anything, everyone understood that the rain wouldn't stop anytime soon, and they all busied themselves with their tasks.
The group used the surrounding materials to reinforce the shelter.
They then dug a drainage ditch near the shelter to divert rainwater away from their dwelling.
The rain showed no signs of stopping the next day. Although the shelter had been reinforced, the dampness was still pervasive, and everyone's clothes never completely dried.
Fortunately, there was bear meat available for everyone to eat, so they didn't go hungry, otherwise it would have been dangerous.
In the mountains, there are no medicines or doctors; when you get sick, you can only rely on your own resistance.
Everyone took turns drying their clothes to ensure that their bodies would not be in a wet and cold state for a long time.
The rain lasted for three days until the afternoon of the third day, when the rain finally subsided and turned into a light drizzle.
"The rain is going to stop!" Wang Ergou shouted excitedly, his voice filled with excitement.
In the evening, the light drizzle finally stopped.
After three days of heavy rain, the mountain road was completely unrecognizable, with landslides and flooding everywhere. Naturally, no one dared to go down the mountain rashly, so they had to spend another night on the mountain.
"Men, young and old, get up! It's dawn. The mountain path is difficult to walk, so we need to make the most of the daylight and travel as far as possible."
At dawn, Li Xiangyang, who was on night watch, called everyone to get up.
Opening his eyes and stretching his stiff body, Old Zheng said earnestly, "Xiangyang is right. Let's pack our things first, take everything we can, and hurry back. I don't know how worried they are these past few days."
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly packed up their backpacks and weapons.
Although the mountain rains of the past few days have caused everyone a lot of suffering, thankfully there was bear meat to stave off hunger, and thankfully no one was injured or sick.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou inspected the bear pelt and other prey together.
"Ah, what a pity about those two bears that got swept away," Wang Ergou said regretfully, looking at the distant valley. "If it weren't for this damn rain, we would have had a huge harvest this time."
Li Xiangyang patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder: "Don't think too much about it. It's a blessing that you're alright. Life in the mountains is always a mix of good and bad. Sometimes you'll be caught in a storm while hunting, and sometimes you're exhausted but unexpectedly find prey. Let's just take it one step at a time."
Wang Ergou nodded, but the regret on his face didn't lessen: "That's true, but those are two black bears."
Old Zheng walked over and interrupted their conversation: "Don't worry, the most important thing is to get down the mountain quickly. This mountain path has been washed away by the rain, it's much more dangerous than when we came up, everyone be careful."
After everyone finished packing, they began to slowly move down the mountain.
Just as Lao Zheng said, the mountain road was indeed much more treacherous.
The once flat area is now riddled with potholes, and some places have been completely washed away, leaving only bare rocks and loose soil.
Li Xiangyang walked at the front of the group, using a long wooden stick to probe the way.
With each step, he would use a wooden stick to test whether the road ahead was stable.
"Be careful, the soil here is loose," Li Xiangyang said to the hunters following behind. "Take it one at a time, don't rush."