Thunderstruck (Revised)

Thunder roared and lightning scattered; snow splashed and frost floated.

The rain at dusk in summer wasn't heavy, but the thunder and lightning were truly frightening. The rolling black clouds seemed like a million ghostly soldiers pressing in, and a cold wind blew, causing the tender yellow buds on the sycamore trees to huddle together in a shivering frenzy. The rain poured down at an angle, making Liu Chang'an's awning somewhat unusable.

Liu Chang'an casually tossed the borrowed book into the room, where it landed steadily on the table. He didn't move, but continued to stare intently at the sky above, waiting for the sudden thunderbolt to descend from the heavens.

In recent years, natural sciences have made great strides. Even if one lives a long time, all one can accumulate is experience of phenomena. When it comes to analyzing the essence and the principles behind things, one is far inferior to what we have now.

This was also the original intention of Liu Chang'an, who, decades earlier, honestly started his studies and exams from a systematic modern basic education, and eventually became the disgraced Professor Liu. He wanted to know more about the world and satisfy his curiosity, but he still felt the limitations of the times, and some fields had not opened even a crack to humanity.

It's like some RPG game maps where the next level is right in front of you, but a certain event hasn't been triggered yet. You'll be wandering all over the map, but it's impossible to enter the next level or chapter before the event is triggered.

A bolt of white lightning descended from the sky, cleaving through the dark clouds. The thick sycamore trees, heavy armored vehicles, and old houses in front of us were all illuminated, but it landed above the Baolong Center not far away and was absorbed by the skyscraper that was closest to the sky in this Junsha.

Lightning flashes and thunder roars outside the window, a common occurrence for residents of high-rise buildings in the south during the summer. Zhu Juntang lives so high up, even with lightning protection equipment, she must still feel a bit apprehensive, right? But if one really wants to watch the lightning, her floor and room are definitely the best spots... But does Zhu Juntang have the courage? She probably does, after all, she's a fairy, and the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess are her acquaintances.

Liu Chang'an was disappointed that the lightning bolt hadn't struck the coffin, and his mind began to wander. But he wasn't in a hurry; he was alive and well, carefree and at ease. The one feeling frustrated was probably the thing inside the coffin. He would just continue to watch the spectacle.

Just then, Liu Chang'an's phone rang; it was Qin Yanan calling.

You haven't eaten yet, have you?

"Not yet." Qin Yanan already knew that Liu Chang'an ate three meals a day very regularly, so he definitely hadn't started cooking dinner yet at this hour.

"I made two dishes today, come over and eat together later."

"Don't you check the weather? There's thunder and lightning outside," Liu Chang'an said, quite surprised. Qin Yanan unexpectedly showed great interest in demonstrating her culinary skills.

"It wasn't here when I started cooking. I've already finished making it. Am I supposed to eat it all by myself?" Qin Yanan said unwillingly. "But you told me to cook for you every few days, and right now there's just thunder and lightning, but the rain isn't even that heavy."

"Okay, then be careful."

"Oh, right, I heard you shouldn't use your phone during thunderstorms. I won't call you for a bit, just stay home and wait for me," Qin Yanan instructed.

"How could that be? Lightning is formed in the clouds, and its trajectory is basically predetermined. How could something as small as a cell phone possibly guide such enormous energy? Many cases of people getting struck by lightning during thunderstorms are because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even if they weren't holding their phones, they would still get struck... At most, the lightning might have been going to strike them directly, but because they were holding their phones, it struck them instead..."

Liu Chang'an's words came to an abrupt halt as his phone shattered and flew into the air.

He was struck by lightning.

Many people were struck by lightning and died, many survived, and some survived being struck by lightning multiple times.

When Qin Yanan realized the call had ended, her first thought was that Liu Chang'an must have been struck by lightning. She had already packed a food box and was sitting in the car. She tried calling him several times, but the calls wouldn't go through. She thought it couldn't be such a coincidence, since the odds were too low. But a sense of unease still crept into her heart. The car sped through the rain, moving faster than usual.

Qin Yanan arrived at the residential area, her brows furrowed as she hurried along carrying a food box, splashing mud and water. Reason told her that the chance of someone being struck by lightning was lower than winning the lottery; it must have just been a coincidence. Perhaps Liu Chang'an's phone had fallen into the water or broken, and he was on a call when the other person was struck by lightning. She had only ever read about such things in short stories.

When Qin Yanan arrived at Liu Chang'an's doorstep, her heart sank to the bottom. Women's premonitions of disaster always seem to be far more accurate than their rational analysis.

The sycamore tree in front of her had half its branches chopped off and landed on the armored vehicle she had brought. Liu Chang'an's awning was askew, and the deck chair was littered with tattered clothes scorched by flames. Liu Chang'an's cell phone was also shattered and scattered all over the ground.

This... this is really like being struck by lightning!

Qin Yanan was extremely anxious. The food in her hands fell to the ground, spilling soup and rice everywhere. Qin Yanan looked around frantically, wondering if she'd been struck by lightning... where was he?

Leaving aside the odds of someone surviving a lightning strike, we need to find him alive or dead. Even if Liu Chang'an was truly killed, we need to leave some remains; he can't just vanish into thin air, can he?

Was she thrown somewhere else? Qin Yanan looked around, then suspected that a neighbor had taken her to the hospital, which meant there might still be hope; otherwise, why would she need to be taken to the hospital?

Lost in thought, Qin Yanan noticed that Liu Chang'an's door was ajar. Without thinking too much, she pushed the door open and saw Liu Chang'an wiping his body. She was stunned for a moment, then Rosy Cheeks and slammed the door shut.

"That scoundrel!" The situation was truly embarrassing. Although she was a mature young woman, this was the first time Qin Yanan had ever experienced such a thing. She felt awkward and a little shy, but mostly she breathed a sigh of relief. Her anxiety and irritability disappeared. She patted her chest, realizing that she had forgotten to press her chest when she was anxious and agitated, as she usually does.

Liu Chang'an isn't dead, but what's going on with this scene? It looks like something terrible has happened.

Could Liu Chang'an have really been struck by lightning and survived? The possibility is simply astonishing.

Liu Chang'an took a shower, changed his clothes, and came out. He sniffed the air, walked over to Qin Yanan, and said with great regret, "You cooked chicken? This chicken is good. Just by smelling the aroma, I know this chicken..."

"Were you struck by lightning?" Qin Yanan didn't expect that the first thing he would do after coming out was to care about the vegetables on the ground, and asked directly.

"Yes." Liu Chang'an nodded.

Qin Yanan couldn't help but raise her hand and touch Liu Chang'an's forehead. This action made her feel that Liu Chang'an had grown taller than when they first met, but that didn't matter. Liu Chang'an didn't have a fever, his eyes were clear and bright, his lips were red and his teeth were white, and his cheeks were as rosy as usual. He was perfectly fine.

"How... how is this possible?" Qin Yanan pointed to the charred clothes and the exploded cell phone on the ground. "How come you're completely unharmed?"

Although Qin Yanan had hurriedly closed the door, she had seen that Liu Chang'an's front was free of any injuries. Standing behind him, she lifted his vest and found that his back was also smooth and undamaged.

"Do you want something to happen to me?"

"That's not what I meant..." Qin Yanan stamped her foot.

"Being struck by lightning isn't necessarily fatal; some people have been struck multiple times and survived."

Don't make it sound like a trivial matter!

"That's true. In all my years, this is the first time I've been struck by lightning, at least that's the memory I have. Maybe I've been struck before, but I don't remember..."

"Who hasn't been struck by lightning before!" Qin Yanan looked at the neatly dressed Liu Chang'an in disbelief. If she saw a news report about someone being struck by lightning and surviving, she would at most sigh at their good fortune and even laugh. But to see a guy who had actually been struck by lightning and was still standing here alive and kicking, as ridiculous as ever, was astonishing. She wanted to scrutinize him and see if there was anything wrong with him before she would think it was normal.

"What a pity about the food you made." Liu Chang'an smelled the aroma and really wanted to eat it. Qin Yanan's cooking skills were definitely quite good among young girls. At least Liu Chang'an wasn't picky and wouldn't give her random instructions. Even though the dishes she made could be improved, it didn't affect Liu Chang'an's evaluation that they were "delicious".

Qin Yanan rolled her eyes at him. "It's good that you're alright. As long as you're alive, you can keep eating. I'll make you more."

If Liu Chang'an really were struck by lightning and died, Qin Yanan would definitely blame herself. If she hadn't made that phone call, how could Liu Chang'an have been struck by lightning?

As for Liu Chang'an's original claim that it was okay to make or receive calls on a cell phone during thunderstorms, Qin Yanan absolutely did not believe it.

"Alright, but let's call it a day. You can go back now." Liu Chang'an began to see the guest out. When he was struck by lightning, he clearly saw that the thickest bolt of lightning struck the armored vehicle; he was just caught in the crossfire.

After Qin Yanan left, he was able to drive the car to the remote countryside to check the situation, since no one knew what was inside.