The sky turned pitch black, as if an invisible giant hand had flipped the light switch on the entire world.
Lightning bolts tore through the rolling storm clouds like furious dragons, shredding the dark canopy of the sky into pieces.
With every blinding flash, the primeval forest was illuminated in a pale, bone-white glare. The hideous silhouettes of the trees were instantly stretched and distorted, looking exactly like a wild dance of chaotic demons.
A torrential downpour washed over the island. The dense curtain of rain severely restricted their vision, turning everything in their surroundings into a blurry, indistinct mess.
The soil rapidly saturated, and within moments, muddy torrents converged and raged aggressively through the forest floor.
CRACK!
Without warning, a massive bolt of purple-white lightning, as thick as a barrel, struck the earth with an ear-shattering explosion.
Less than fifty meters from where the group was hiding, a centuries-old redwood tree—so thick it would take six people to wrap their arms around it—was struck dead center by the celestial wrath.
BOOM!
A thick cloud of acrid, scorched smoke instantly erupted from the tree. Bark exploded outward, sending wood splinters flying like shrapnel.
The trunk, though as hard as iron, was violently cleaved perfectly in half by the lightning. The jagged, exposed wood still glowed a faint, burning red.
This terrifying display of absolute destructive power left the four people hiding beneath a giant granite boulder trembling with fear, their faces entirely drained of color.
Although the massive rock provided temporary shelter, in the face of such violent, untamed nature, it felt incredibly fragile. It felt as though the rock could be shattered by lightning or swept away by the floodwaters at any given second.
"I wonder how the others are doing right now," Banner said quietly. He was tightly clutching the ELT.
He stared out at the dark, oppressive sky that looked as if it could collapse at any moment. His voice sounded weak and shaky over the roar of the thunder.
"The people who stayed behind on the beach, and injured Barton... this kind of weather has to be an absolute disaster for them."
Alice was currently using a massive banana leaf to shield herself from the blowing rain. Hearing this, she reached out a slender hand and firmly patted Banner's broad shoulder.
"Don't worry about them, Banner."
Her voice was steady and absolute, carrying a strangely comforting power.
"Even though the beach is at a lower elevation, it's a wide-open area. There are no tall trees to act as lightning rods. Furthermore, it's mostly sand, meaning the drainage is a hundred times better than it is up here. Unless there's a massive tsunami, they are actually much safer than we are."
"A tsunami? If the tectonic plates around here are active, a storm like this could definitely trigger a tsunami."
"Shut your jinxing mouth, Doctor," Strange interjected coldly. "Miss Alice here hasn't seen a single tsunami in the entire month she's been stranded on this island. Therefore, it's safe to assume our luck hasn't completely run out just yet."
Thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and the wind and rain raged on.
The tropical storm displayed terrifying endurance. Even after the very last sliver of daylight was entirely swallowed by the darkness, the rain showed absolutely no signs of stopping.
Turning back was impossible; the mountain paths had already turned into mudslide deathtraps.
Their original plan of reaching the summit to broadcast the distress signal had become nothing more than a pipe dream. Attempting to climb to a high elevation during a severe thunderstorm was literal suicide.
They had no choice but to helplessly accept reality. Enduring the humid, damp air and the miserable sensation of wet clothes clinging to their skin, they prepared to ride out the long, agonizing night beneath the boulder.
"Eat something."
Banner reached into a waterproof bag he had been diligently protecting and pulled out several flattened breadfruits.
These were his emergency rations, packed just in case of a situation exactly like this. Now, they were literal lifesavers.
The group divided the pitifully small amount of food. Using rainwater caught from the cracks in the rock to wash it down, they practically inhaled the meal, barely managing to calm their aggressively protesting stomachs.
"Look on the bright side. At least in this kind of weather, those man-eating monsters won't be out for a stroll," Alice said, wiping her mouth. She looked out at the ink-black wall of rain and offered a rare word of comfort.
"During a torrential storm, even birds and beasts are terrified of nature's wrath. They'll be hiding in their nests, shivering just like us. For the time being, even in a crude rock cave like this, we are safe. Rest easy and conserve your body heat. We still have a tough battle to fight tomorrow."
Once night fully descended, the island was plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness.
Only the occasional flash of lightning briefly illuminated their exhausted, haggard faces.
Alice offered a few more words of comfort in the dark before moving to the driest stone in the corner. She curled up into a tight ball like a small cat and immediately fell asleep.
A month of hellish torment on this island had forced her to master the ability to instantly shut down her senses and enter a light sleep whenever and wherever possible.
This was crucial for recovering stamina.
Of course, this came paired with an intense survival instinct: the moment she detected the slightest disturbance in her surroundings, her brain would instantly jolt completely awake, as if electrified.
However, for Banner, Strange, and Hughes, tonight was destined to be completely sleepless.
They possessed zero wilderness survival experience. Compared to Alice, who had practically become a wild jungle cat, they were nothing more than pampered flowers grown in a greenhouse.