Epoch of Twilight

In the morning, when the sky was still dark, Luo Yuan brought a big washbasin to the creek. The washbasin was made of steel and was about half a meter in diameter. It had been made using parts from the aircraft. Although Luo Yuan had made it as thin as he could, it still weighed more than 10 kilos. It could almost be used as a shield.

Although it was still early on the morning, the temperature was already high. It was more than 30 degrees, but compared to noon, no doubt this was the coolest time of the day.

The thunderstorm had been gone for five days, and the silent forest was regaining its liveliness. There were mutated beasts around, and the chirping sound of bugs could be heard. Compared to a few days earlier, it was a lot noisier.

Luo Yuan walked slowly as he frowned. He held the Zhanmadao in his right hand and cut the branches along the way. The leaves were bright green and new, obviously grown overnight. Layers of dried leaves were covering the ground, which was soft and wet from the morning dew. Under the leaves, the soil was like powder.

It had not rained in more than 10 days. That was usually normal in the west, but given the current high temperature, it could prove fatal. Strangely, the plants were still growing very fast. Maybe their roots had already been deep within the ground, and that was why they had not been affected. However, it was a different story for mutated beasts. Because of the high temperature, the water was evaporating quickly and the water level of the creek had been dropping day by day. From what Luo Yuan had observed the previous day, there would be a water shortage within the next two days if the weather remained like that. Judging by the weather now, it was definitely going to be a hot day.

Luo Yuan arrived at the creek with a heavy heart. What he saw there was even worse than what he had imagined. Within a day, the water would be completely gone. There had still been one foot of water the previous day, yet that day there were barely 10 centimeters of water left. There were dead fish and shrimp everywhere. The fish had probably died less than two days ago, but the high temperature had accelerated their decomposition. There were already maggots all over them, and some of them had been bitten by mutated beasts. The water in the creek had turned brown from the decomposing carcasses, and there was a pungent stench all over caused by the maggots and mutated flies. Nobody would want to go near that water.

Luo Yuan frowned, his face looking gloomy. There was a scary atmosphere around as countless mutated flies the size of a fist fell to the ground. Luo Yuan followed the creek in an attempt to look for cleaner water. That creek was the only source of water in the area. There were mutated creatures all around the forest. Many of them were drinking water by the creek along the way, but fled as soon as they saw Luo Yuan. The gloom on Luo Yuan’s face gave off a scary, beast-like vibe. Before he even got close, the mutated creatures would run away.

Of course there were some rebellious ones and some with very sharp teeth, which he instantly killed using his sabre. Luo Yuan carried them on his back and walked for almost half an hour. Just as he was about to give up, he finally reached a shallow pool. The water there had been isolated from its source. What remained was only a small pool. It was barely more than a meter deep and as muddy as a quagmire, but he had no choice. Compared to the creek with the rotten fish, this was way better.

Luo Yuan filled the washbasin with muddy water and left right away. Considering the lack of water, this would be the place where the animals came to drink. Although he had gotten stronger, he did not have the confidence to romp in the forest.

He made his way back a lot faster. Although he was running on uneven ground, the water in the washbasin did not spill. In about ten minutes, he had made his way back to the campsite. The campsite was different this time, because they’d wanted to avoid what had happened to them last time. The trees within a 30-meter radius from the aircraft had been chopped off, the weeds had been cleared away, and some stakes had been planted into the ground to make it firmer.

Despite their efforts though, there were always new leaves growing from the ground the next morning. Since that was the coolest time of the day, they all practiced with their swords then. Most of the guys took off their tops and let the sweat flow down their upper bodies. They practiced repetitively without complaining. Every time they swung their swords, it sounded as if the air was being sliced.

That day, Luo Yuan focused on the use of muscles. As long as everyone practiced the same move over and over again, it would become muscle memory and eventually, turn into instinct. As a matter of fact, considering the suffocating amount of stress, everyone was more determined than Luo Yuan had imagined. Whenever they had time, they would practice vigorously.

Compared to 10 days ago, they had all improved. At least they were not as horrible as they had used to be. Maybe it was because of the correct use of force, but most of them had noticed changes in their physique. Their stiff, stubborn muscles had softened and been replaced by more defined muscles. All of them looked like they had lost weight, and gained explosive force and strength instead.

However, the ones Luo Yuan was the most proud of were the two kids, Deng Chao and Zhong Chuqiang. Maybe it was because of their immense insecurity, but they looked as if they did not care if they died during training. They were even gesturing and flexing their muscles when they were eating or sleeping. Although they were still very far behind Huo Dong, Wang Xiaguang and the rest, with their determination and innocence, they might be even able to achieve the glow or release the forcefield eventually.

When Luo Yuan got back, Huang Jiahui put down her weapon, wiped off her sweat and took the washbasin from him. Looking at the water inside it, she started shaking and asked, “Is there no more water out there?”

“I think it will all be gone in the next two days.” Luo Yuan shook his head before he went on, “It looks like we can’t count on that creek anymore. I will go into the forest in the afternoon and look for a new source of water.”

They had not lowered their voices, so most people had heard what they said. They all put down their weapons and walked up to them, looking worried. When they saw the muddy water, their expression changed. It was fatal to not have water, especially under those weather conditions. Everyone had to drink a lot of water. If there was none, they would not last for more than a day. Even Luo Yuan would not be able to last longer.

“There’s no need to worry,” Luo Yuan comforted them after thinking for a while. “Even if we can’t find a new water source, many plants contain massive amount of waters. As long as we look carefully, I’m sure we can find them.”

“How nice it would be if we could find that sap that we used to drink,” said Huo Dong.

Wang Shishi gulped. She could still remember how amazing that sap had tasted.

“That’s completely up to luck. Why don’t we just dig a well?” asked Commander Xia.

“I don’t think so, Commander. We are in the West, and water is very scarce here. We will need to dig a few dozen or even hundreds of meters deep in order to find water. Plus, we are on the mountainside. The terrain here is higher and there are only rocks below. Unless we’re lucky enough to find an underground river, we won’t find water until we’ve dug hundreds of meters deep!” said a soldier.

“Why don’t we collect morning dew? I remember there was a part about that in Amazon Crusoe!” said Cao Lin.

“I think you mean Robinson Crusoe,” Lin Xiaoji interrupted.

Cao Lin blushed, but she ignored him. “I noticed that the evaporation in the forest is intense, and morning dew comes in big droplets. We could use leaves to collect them!”

Luo Yuan’s eyes brightened up. “I think we could do that. We’d have to cover a big area to be able to collect enough water for everyone, though. Once we’re done with breakfast, let’s all go to the forest to collect leaves.”

“Do we have to go, too?” Zhao Yali asked.

“Everyone has to go. We have been practicing every day. It’s time we put your skill to the test. We have to leave this place at some point after all. I can’t be protecting you guys forever,” said Luo Yuan.

Everyone was stunned by his words.