Chapter 38 – Tsunami
While everyone else was beginning to relax, a deep sense of fear gripped Xia Lu Nong, overwhelming his mind.
His paws started trembling, and an intense feeling of unease welled up inside him.
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes widened as he let out a cry, “Meow—”
The dizziness sapped his strength, and he couldn’t even shout louder. All he could do was weakly nudge his brother’s arm as a warning.
Everyone was still feeling disoriented from the earthquake, but the first to notice something wrong was Kong Zhi, who was sitting across from Xia Huo Qu.
“Vice Captain Xia,” Kong Zhi called, signaling him to look at the cat.
Xia Huo Qu quickly realized his brother wasn’t acting right. He hurriedly put Xia Lu Nong down. “What’s wrong? Where are you feeling unwell?”
“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong butted his brother’s hand with his fluffy head, anxiously looking around, his green eyes filled with urgency.
The earthquake could trigger a tsunami. And they weren’t too far from the coast—if a big tsunami hit, they would definitely be affected.
As Xia Lu Nong tried to piece together the cause of his anxiety, the only possibility that made sense was a tsunami. His intuition told him it had to be, but he had no way to communicate this. The thought only made him more uneasy. He looked at his brother, meowing desperately, wishing he could speak.
Kong Zhi, connecting the dots, asked, “Do you need paper and a pen?”
Both Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian realized it at the same time. They exchanged a tense look. Xia Huo Qu calmed Xia Lu Nong, while Yan Xi Nian ran to the truck, grabbing a backpack and quickly retrieving paper and a pen. He placed them in front of Xia Lu Nong’s paws. “Here, Lu Nong, what do you want to say?”
Zhang Shi Hai and the others didn’t quite understand the commotion, but they said nothing and stepped back to give space.
Ban Niu and the others, however, looked on with worried expressions, intently watching as Xia Lu Nong gripped the pen and started writing.
Despite his agitation, Xia Lu Nong held the pen in his mouth, scratching large characters on the paper: Tsunami
He pressed the pen so hard, it tore through several spots on the notebook.
With a grave expression, Xia Huo Qu asked, “You think there’s a big tsunami coming? And it will affect us?”
“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong vigorously nodded his cat head, then urged with another screeching “Meow—”
Yes! Run quickly!
As soon as Xia Lu Nong shared his guess, Zhang Shi Hai and his group found it absurd. “Even if there’s a tsunami, we’re deep inland. How could it affect us?”
“It depends on the size of the tsunami,” Xia Huo Qu firmly stood by his brother’s side. “It could still reach here. We need to leave immediately.”
With both sides at a standstill, a bird beastman from Zhang Shi Hai’s group hesitated and suggested, “How about I fly up high and take a look? We won’t know how far we need to run until we figure this out.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Yan Xi Nian agreed. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” The man took a few steps back, transformed into a red-crowned crane after removing his shorts, spread his wings, and flew up into the sky.
Xia Huo Qu urged them, “Flying up to check is one thing, but we also need to move now. Let’s discuss as we go.”
No one objected. The teenagers scrambled back into the truck bed, while the adults who could shift into beast form did so and hurried forward.
Xia Huo Qu, carrying his brother, walked toward the truck with Kong Zhi by his side. Just as they reached the truck, Kong Zhi suddenly said, “I’ll go fly up too. I can reach a higher altitude than them.”
“Hmm?”
Kong Zhi explained, “It’s safer if I get a broader view.”
Determined, he placed the cat on the front passenger seat, took a few steps, and swiftly transformed into a giant eagle after removing his shorts.
The eagle ran a few steps on the ground, flapping its wings as it took off vertically into the sky.
Xia Huo Qu urged the others, calmly saying, “Don’t wait for us, start moving now!”
Ban Niu, from the back of the truck, had already taken a headcount. “Vice Captain Xia, everyone’s here. We can go.”
“Alright.” Xia Huo Qu responded seriously, started the truck, and began driving forward slowly.
Xia Lu Nong, exhausted, lay weakly on the front passenger seat, his eyes already closed in fatigue.
The birdman from Zhang Shi Hai’s group returned first, wiping his face. “I might not have flown high enough, but I didn’t see any tsunami. The distant sea looks completely calm.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “Are you sure?”
The man nodded, “I didn’t see anything.”
Xia Huo Qu glanced at his brother. If it wasn’t a tsunami, he couldn’t imagine what other disaster could make them feel this anxious.
“Roar!” Yan Xi Nian let out a shout from beside him.
Having grown up with Yan Xi Nian, Xia Huo Qu knew him well enough to understand his thoughts with just a glance.
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “You’re right. We should wait for Kong Zhi to return and hear his findings.”
Yan Xi Nian turned to urge the others to keep moving.
Even without an immediate answer, they had to keep pressing forward.
Xia Huo Qu glanced at the sky. The giant eagle had already flown out of sight.
Apart from the white clouds and blue sky, nothing was visible. Only when focusing intensely could they faintly make out a small dark shadow soaring higher and higher.
The crane had also flown quite high, though still within the range of human sight.
But the eagle was different—it flew so high and fast that it disappeared.
Everyone anxiously awaited the eagle’s return, hoping he would bring back accurate information.
One minute passed, then two, then three… About ten minutes later, the giant eagle descended from the sky.
Xia Huo Qu hit the brakes.
The eagle quickly transformed back into human form, not even bothering to put on his shorts as he hastily explained, “When I first flew up, I didn’t see a tsunami either. But then I noticed the sea rapidly retreating—by at least a hundred meters!”
The sudden retreat of the sea is a classic warning sign of an incoming tsunami. The extent of the retreat is directly related to the size of the wave.
Without hesitation, Xia Huo Qu said, “A huge tsunami is definitely coming. We can’t delay any longer—everyone, head for the mountaintop!”
Since the base was in the mountains, most of their journey had already been through mountainous terrain. Now, escaping into the mountains by truck was the best option.
Xia Huo Qu climbed into the driver’s seat, slammed the door shut, and instructed Kong Zhi, who had just managed to put on his clothes, “Strap in, secure the cat, and get ready—we’re leaving now!”
Kong Zhi, exhausted from flying so high, sat quietly in the passenger seat, gently stroking the soft cat in his lap without saying a word.
Xia Huo Qu’s hands were steady on the wheel as he floored the gas pedal, steering the truck toward the mountains with determination.
The beastmen running in the air and on the ground used all their strength, racing forward.
At first, some of them doubted the accuracy of Kong Zhi’s information and ran with some reserves of energy.
But within just ten minutes, a tremendous roar echoed from the distant sea.
The sound was endless, like a monstrous beast chasing after them, relentlessly pursuing.
Everyone’s faces turned pale, and without needing further urging, they all sprinted at full speed, flapping their wings or racing ahead as fast as they could.
In the front passenger seat, Kong Zhi suddenly opened his eyes wide. “I’ll fly up and keep watch for everyone!”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t object. “Be careful!”
He stopped the truck briefly, and Kong Zhi, after transforming back into a beast, took off running a few steps before launching into the air.
Xia Huo Qu restarted the truck, driving with the intensity of a race car driver, focused on the path ahead.
The rumbling behind them grew louder.
The tsunami was chasing them faster than they could flee.
Everyone prayed that their speed would be just enough—that the tsunami would stop in time.
In the back of the truck, the teenagers’ lips turned pale with fear.
If the truck were swallowed by the tsunami, the flying bird-beastmen would have the best chance of survival. The beastmen running outside, with their strong physiques, would likely be okay too. But those most at risk were the teenagers riding in the truck.
The boys’ lips moved quickly as they whispered, praying to all kinds of gods for protection.
The sound of the tsunami behind them grew louder and louder, rumbling so intensely that it made their ears tingle.
“Caw—” A cry came from Kong Zhi in the sky.
Kong Zhi was warning them that the tsunami was getting closer.
Upon hearing this, everyone who could run sped up, and those who could fly soared higher.
Xia Huo Qu wildly drove the truck, no longer concerned about whether it would get damaged. He only cared about reaching the highest speed he could control.
“Caw—!!!”
Kong Zhi cried out again, this time with more urgency, signaling that the tsunami was almost upon them.
Everyone ran for their lives.
After some time, the sound of the tsunami gradually began to fade.
It seemed to lose momentum, stopping at a certain point before finally retreating.
Xia Huo Qu slowly pressed the brakes, rolled down the window, and shouted toward the sky, “Kong Zhi, how’s the tsunami? Is it retreating?”
His voice woke Xia Lu Nong from the front passenger seat. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The feeling of anxiety in his heart had disappeared, leaving only exhaustion, weak legs, and a headache.
Holding the cat’s paws, he looked at his brother, “Meow.”
It was clear the tsunami had started retreating—he no longer felt any danger.
At the same time, Kong Zhi let out a calmer cry from high above.
Xia Huo Qu immediately understood that the crisis was over.
He breathed a sigh of relief as the tension drained from his body. He shouted out the window, “It seems like everything’s fine. Check around, and if it’s safe, we’ll rest here.”
“Roar!” Yan Xi Nian was the first to respond.
“Chirp!” Zhang Shi Hai and the bird-beastmen in the sky echoed his response.
Suddenly, Xia Lu Nong lifted his head, sniffing the air with his pink nose.
He caught a faint scent of the sea.
Damn that’s a HUGE wave