Chapter 203: F*ck our lives!

The sound of gushing water and the patter of rain filled the air, the leaves dipping from the force of the rain, their edges dripping with rainwater that soaked the ground.

The trees rustled in the raging wind as thunder rolled low in the sky, the clouds completely grey without a hint of sunlight, and the rain picked up, showing no signs of easing or stopping.

Zoey peeked out of the cave and into the heavy rain with a sigh. "We have been stuck here for two days. When will this rain stop falling?"

Alex and the others were huddled in the spacious cave, a fire pit in the middle of them, its flames high enough to ward off the chill from the rain. Their beast eggs were placed at their sides, the round shells glowing faintly in the flames.

"Hmm, we are stuck here until the rain stops. Fortunately, we saved up enough food to tide us over," Adrian muttered as he took out a bedcover from his ring and spread it onto the ground.

Daniel felt bored and restless, hoping the rain would stop so he could leave this enclosed space. No matter how spacious it was, he still wanted to leave.

His body tilted to the side from a sudden urge, and when he looked over, he noticed Marvin, who had scooted over at some point.

"You are quieter than usual. What’s wrong with you? Are you coming down with the flu or something?" Marvin asked, genuinely concerned about him.

"Nothing. Just bored and want to go out in the open rather than get stuck in here," Daniel muttered with a dull expression, answering him without losing his temper like usual.

Marvin didn’t notice immediately; his mind was caught on what Daniel had said, and he couldn’t help but ask.

"But we were stuck underground all our lives before, so what’s strange about staying in a cave for a while longer?"

His words caused Daniel to stiffen, then shudder unconsciously.

Adrian, who happened to hear their discussion, butted in with a now-you-know expression.

"You can understand how I felt returning to the underground city to bring back news. My breath felt like it was being squeezed out of my lungs, and the world around me felt like it was closing in... damn, so suffocating."

Adrian paled at his own words, his body trembling unconsciously as if reliving that feeling again.

"F*ck! How did we leave there so normally before? It might be because our minds had registered it as normal before we came to the surface."

Daniel answered his own question. He couldn’t, for the life of him, imagine going back and living underground. The mere thought filled him with dread.

His words sent the others into thought, each wearing a frown as if imagining themselves in that position.

"Fortunately, we came to the surface. Here, we get to experience the change in weather, night and day, not the artificial lighting we have grown up seeing all our lives. Plus, the stars look more beautiful," Zoey, who had been listening to their conversation, added as she stared at the gloomy grey sky.

"Hmm." Alex hummed as he stared at the crackling flames.

The others were grateful for Aunty Grace’s leap of faith and courage in taking up the surface project, or they would have died once the air ran out without ever knowing about such a beautiful and dangerous place as the surface.

"Growl..."

Cole rubbed his stomach, and the sleepiness in his eyes cleared up.

"Roast some for me. I’m hungry too," Daniel called out when he noticed Cole taking out meat from his space ring.

Cole paused slightly before taking out the powdered seasoning from his ring to season the meat, completely ignoring Daniel’s words.

He marvelled at Zoey’s genius idea of making this powdered spice, or they would have been eating bland roasted meat up until now.

He rubbed the spice onto the meat, coating it thoroughly before roasting it by the fire.

"Help me season this one. Your hand is already covered in spices," Daniel asked again, this time striding over with a leaf-wrapped piece of meat in hand.

Cole wanted to reject him, but the thought of Daniel pestering him made him feel even more annoyed, so he snatched the meat roughly from his hand.

"Don’t even think about it." He gave a sharp warning to the others who were slowly reaching for their rings.

He knew that if he didn’t stop them, he would be forced to roast meat for everybody. They would use him until the acid in his stomach churned from hunger.

"But you help—" Cole interrupted Marvin before he could finish.

"It’s more troublesome if I don’t help him. You have hands; do it yourself... and you call me the lazy one." Cole muttered the last part as he flipped the meat onto the other side before beginning to season Daniel’s.

Marvin was speechless at Cole’s fierce refusal. He snorted and took out the cleaned meat from his ring to roast.

Alex wasn’t hungry before, but the overwhelming smell of roasted meat made his mouth water, and he grew tempted.

But he didn’t forget to warn everyone to ration their food. They didn’t know when the rain would let up.

Zoey left the entrance and walked closer to the fire, joining them for dinner. The atmosphere was cozy amid the raging storm outside. They joked around and talked about embarrassing moments during one of the fights a few days ago, causing Zoey to nearly choke from laughter.

They were happy and relaxed, not knowing the disaster about to come their way.

Days passed, and the rain didn’t stop. The moist ground became loose, turning into a muddy river, and the roots began loosening, tilting toward the ground as the gushing stream overflowed onto the earth.

The thunder rumbled loudly in the sky, and lightning flashed, illuminating the dire situation below.

Suddenly, a raging flood came from the east, carrying with it broken trees and rocks.

The ground trembled from the force, the flood destroying everything in its wake, which had already been loosened by the continuous rain.

Alex and the others heard a loud roaring sound from the cave, the ground trembling as if the cave itself was about to uproot from the ground.

Their hearts skipped a beat, and they all rushed toward the entrance with wobbly steps, holding onto the cave wall for balance so they wouldn’t fall.

Lightning flashed overhead, showing them a glimpse of the horror approaching ahead.

The sight of the raging flood, which was huge like the behemoths they had seen that day, sent a chill down their spines.

"F*ck our lives! How are we going to escape that?" Marvin swore, saying the words that were on everyone’s mind at the moment.

Alex’s mind was racing. The flood was coming closer, and the water on the ground had risen sharply, already reaching their thighs.

"Adrian, make a space tear and send us into a dungeon! The one close to the underground city now!" Alex roared, his words almost swallowed by the rain and the clap of thunder.

Adrian didn’t ask questions. His body moved to obey as rainwater soaked him completely. He pictured the dungeon in his mind as he began tearing through space.

A tear formed in the air. The rushing flood came closer, causing his hands to tremble and the space tear to close slightly.

Adrian’s nerves were stretched taut, sweat and rainwater drenching his body as he tried to focus his mind on widening the space tear.

The weight of their lives made his heart thunder in his chest, almost drowning out the sound of the thunder and the roar of the flood rushing toward them.

He couldn’t fail. He wasn’t allowed to fail, or everyone would die.

That realization made his powers fluctuate, and the space tear couldn’t widen no matter how much power he poured into it.

"Breathe! Don’t feel pressured," Marvin whispered encouragingly, though his voice trembled slightly from fear.

Alex, on the other hand, took out a vine rope from his ring and began tying it around their hands, already making a Plan B in case Adrian wasn’t able to succeed.

With his speed, he could buy Adrian some time to make another space tear. He planned to do this no matter how long it took, until Adrian succeeded in getting them out of there.