Had someone carved those words there as a joke?
Faced with a disaster like this, who would have the heart to do such a thing? Could they be a deity's last words?
Gradually, drowsiness crept over him, and Chu Hang drifted off to sleep.
Sometimes, the more exhausted a person was, the more they dreamed. His daytime thoughts followed him into sleep, and Chu Hang's dreams were filled with disaster relief work and studies of the changing waterways.
But dreams sometimes ran counter to reality, making the things one feared turn out worse.
In his dream, Chu Hang returned to several days earlier, when he had led a crew to dredge a river channel. This time, however, they failed to accomplish their goal and were scattered by a sudden torrent pouring down from the mountains.
Cries for help rang out everywhere. He had been surrounded by companions, but before long, Chu Hang was the only one left.
Chu Hang struggled to turn in the flood, only to see a clay statue being swept along not far ahead.
"Aoooh-"
A terrifying, drawn-out roar rang out. A monster's claw suddenly emerged from the water and, with a crash, smashed the clay statue to pieces, sending a filthy wave crashing toward Chu Hang amid the raging currents of the Great Flood.
Chu Hang shuddered and jolted awake. He opened his eyes to the dim interior of his temporary lodgings, but the terror still lingered, and his heart pounded as though it might leap out of his chest.
"Hah... it was a dream..."
Several breaths after waking with a start, Chu Hang finally remembered that their earlier work had been completed without any particularly serious losses. Only then did he gradually settle down.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo~~~"
It was still dark, but roosters had begun to crow.