Chapter 200 - 200 57

Words : 1366 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

200: 57. Eye of the Hurricane 200: 57. Eye of the Hurricane In the perilous swamp cabin, it was hard to fall into a deep, restful sleep. Lu Li forced himself to sleep to recover his energy, but he could hardly drift off, remaining in a state between dreaming and waking. The dense sound of heavy rain crashing onto the cabin, the clashing noise as wood was added to the fire, the sharp whistle of the wind through cracks, the sound of flipping pages—all these sounds from outside blended with the bizarre dreams to create a dizzying, indescribable mixture. The wind outside had been gradually swelling, enveloping the entire marsh with howls as if from a tiger, making the cabin too seem to shiver in the storm. Unconsciously turning in his sleep, Lu Li faced the warm fireplace. The noisy, sharp whistling from the wind began to furrow his brow until an ethereal hand swept across his forehead, soothing it, calming him down once more. Mustering her courage to smooth out the creases on Lu Li’s forehead, Anna floated back to the side of the fire, picked up the journal she had already read once, and searched for possibly overlooked clues as best she could. Soon the journal was finished, and Anna couldn’t find any new useful information. A large clump of branches or some other brush scraped noisily over the cabin, causing an unpleasant friction sound. Anna looked worriedly at Lu Li across from her; he merely frowned a little, but didn’t wake up. The fire was showing signs of diminishing, so Anna picked up a piece of firewood—although she could have easily used telekinesis instead of physically reaching out, she preferred the illusion of being able to touch things. Her transparent hand clasping the firewood reached towards the campfire. She silently placed the wood into the flames and withdrew her hand only after the deed was done, sneaking another glance at Lu Li to make sure she hadn’t disturbed his rest. The storm outside was becoming frenzied, the thin walls of the cabin issuing a grating sound of strain, the door trembling slightly. Anna moved a table to prop against it. Amid her anxious thoughts, the cabin stood struggling in the ferocious wind. Time seemed indefinite, perhaps a long while had passed, as the wood brought in earlier was almost burnt out; the apocalyptic howling outside finally began to subside. The suppressed sound of the rain picked up again, slowly diminishing along with the storm. The tempest outside seemed to be receding, and in a trance, Anna thought she saw the clear sky beginning to brighten outside. Anna floated up, intending to go outside, when a familiar voice rang beside her. “How long have I slept?” Anna turned her head and saw that Lu Li had opened his eyes, those dark eyes looking at her as he sat up. “Uh... probably a few hours...” Anna answered sheepishly; she hadn’t been keeping track of time at all. “I didn’t hear the wind,” Lu Li said, feeling the woolen coat beneath him that had completely dried and was radiating warmth just like the fire. Anna nodded emphatically, “Yes! The storm seems to have passed!” Lu Li put on his equally dried pants and coat and walked to the door. Anna moved the table blocking the door and pulled it open. A rich, earthy smell hit them, carrying a hint of chill. A few insignificant raindrops fell into Lu Li’s disheveled black hair as he surveyed the surroundings of the cabin, which looked as though they had been ransacked, resting his gaze momentarily on the owner who was still kneeling on the ground, not blown away, then lifting his eyes to the sky. Dark clouds covered the whole sky, but above the Gloomy Marsh, the clouds broke apart around what seemed like the Eye of the Hurricane, encircled by ragged clouds. The sunlight behind the clouds tore through the darkness, showering down fractured golden light. In the light of the dawn, the quiet, dark marsh took on a sacred air. This was the second time Lu Li had seen the light hidden behind the clouds in this world, and it was equally stunning as the first time. “It’s so beautiful...” Anna murmured, transfixed beside him. After watching in awe for a while, Lu Li suddenly turned back to the cabin to put on his boots, which hadn’t completely dried yet. “Are we leaving now?” “And we need to be quick.” Lu Li buttoned up his shirt, retrieved his gun holster, and put things back into his water bottle. They were in the center of the Eye of the Hurricane, where there would be a brief period of calm, but once the eye moved on, fierce winds and torrential rains would return to this marsh. Anna stared blankly as Lu Li packed his items. By the time she gathered her wits, Lu Li had returned to his original attire and was walking out of the cabin with a cane and an oil lamp in hand. The last few logs were placed by Lu Li into the fire, perhaps to be used on the return journey. If the Eye of the Hurricane hadn’t moved by then, they could escape to the Marsh Road. If they were too late, they could return to the cabin for shelter. The premise was that Lu Li would not lose his way in the marsh. If not necessary, Lu Li wouldn’t miss this opportunity. Already targeted by the marsh, he might not get the chance to venture deep into it again next time. The only thing that puzzled Lu Li was that the hurricane, thought to be a thunderstorm, arrived without any warning. Before this, Lu Li had not seen any news about it in the newspapers... With doubts in mind, Lu Li closed the wooden door, turned his head to Anna, said they should set off, and quickly headed toward the Blood-Colored Tentacles under the expanse of the sky, above the jungle. The figures of Lu Li and Anna disappeared into the jungle. The area around the cabin regained its tranquility, with the fractured beams of light from the Eye of the Hurricane illuminating the dark, moist soil, adding a touch of serenity to the place. The frozen corpse of the cabin’s female owner knelt before the cabin, like a statue, as if it had been standing here since time immemorial. At a certain moment, the statue’s fingers silently trembled. ... The hurricane had caused great damage to the marsh. The ground littered with branches and bare dead trees said it all. If the Mother of the Marsh is the consciousness of the Gloomy Marsh, it might be raging because of the destruction brought by the hurricane and had no time to consider Lu Li. The hurricane had brought trouble to Lu Li, but it also brought convenience. Lu Li ran through the marsh jungle. After a rainstorm, the swamp’s muddier areas increased, but Lu Li’s speed was faster. Fallen branches allowed Lu Li to discern where the ground was passable and where there were deep muddy pools of unknown depth. In a race against time, Lu Li was quickly approaching the landing spot of the Blood-Colored Tentacles. The scenery changed as Lu Li ventured deeper. The dead trees grew thicker, and the ground was covered with snake-like dark green vines that, before the hurricane, had hung from the branches and formed a part of the Gloomy Marsh. Farthest away in the sky, the Blood-Colored Tentacles looked motionless, staying in that position without any change. The host of the Blood-Colored Tentacles seemed to be hiding there. Minutes later, as Lu Li ran, he drew very close to the Blood-Colored Tentacles. He reached towards his waist, ready for battle and to end it quickly. But reality often turned out to be stranger and more incredible than expected. Lu Li could now see the landing spot of the Blood-Colored Tentacles. The illusionary, flickering Blood-Colored Tentacles stretched down from the edge of the clouds, forming an arc and dropping into a large tree hollow about twenty meters away.

Chapter 200 - 200 57

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