Chapter 12: Sui City

Chapter 12: Sui City

A dazzling giant arc of electricity tore through the night sky, exploding in the air like the light scattering in a static electricity experiment inside a transparent ball, splitting into a web-like pattern.

Now, it was the sky above people's heads that was constantly bursting open with these blinding arcs of light.

The blinding arcs of light lit up the night sky like daylight, as if the heavens were being torn apart in jagged, irregular shapes.

People hiding in buildings looked out through the glass windows, witnessing this terrifying scene they had never seen before. Faced with nature's fury, they felt incredibly small and helpless.

The high-rise buildings in Sui City were generally equipped with lightning protection systems, such as lightning rods, surge protectors, and grounding devices. These devices had different names and appearances, but their principles were similar.

Although these systems were called 'protectors,' they actually attracted lightning, quickly channeling the current through the building's steel structure into the ground.

Under normal circumstances, these systems were sufficient to protect buildings during thunderstorms, but this protection wasn't foolproof. If the system wasn't properly installed, or if metal pipes or sharp wires were exposed on the exterior walls, it could still attract lightning.

Moreover, what was happening in Sui City today was not an ordinary thunderstorm.

While some people cowered in fear, others were oddly exhilarated. After all, such a scene was a rare sight in a lifetime. Many people stood inside buildings, eagerly filming the storm with their phones.

In one building in Sui City, a video blogger named Xiao Zhou was trying hard to capture the most terrifying moments of the thunderstorm through the glass and heavy rain.

"Hey everyone, come check out what's happening in Sui City—look at that lightning! This sky, flashing like a spider web, isn't some special effect; it's real!

… Don't worry, it's only dangerous to carry metal conductors outdoors during thunderstorms! As long as you're indoors and not charging, using your phone to make calls is generally safe!

… Don't worry, I know my stuff! We've disconnected all the big appliances, so we're safe. Let me show you this once-in-a-century spectacle!

… Quick, look! That lightning is so close! Oh my god! It's so beautiful, it's purple-blue!..."

However, the beautiful lightning he spoke of instantly split the night sky and struck the roof of the building he was in. The lightning was so close that there was no steel reinforcement around the window to shield it. The unusually powerful electromagnetic wave generated a huge current on the phones near the window.

The person holding the phone, trying hard to capture the moment for likes, felt a sharp pain in their palm. The phone, which had been in their hand, suddenly became scorching hot. They cried out in surprise and instinctively let go, the phone hitting the floor with a loud bang. Looking down, they saw smoke rising from their newly bought phone.

"What happened?" his parents rushed in, panic in their voices, only to find him standing far from the window, his face pale with shock.

"Didn't they say phones don't attract lightning? How did this happen?" he clutched his right hand, which was numb and painful, in disbelief.

He did have some knowledge about disasters, which gave him the courage to stand by the window and film the video during such weather. He had no idea something like this would happen.

Seeing their son who was obsessed with short videos, his parents couldn't help but complain: "Is getting famous really worth risking your life? Look at the terrifying weather outside, this isn't an ordinary thunderstorm, it's a thunderstorm! Sui City has issued an emergency disaster warning, and you were filming by the window!"

As if to mock his words, the howling wind outside suddenly intensified, slamming against the tightly closed windows with a loud slapping sound. The heavy rain instantly increased in intensity, as if a massive storm cloud had moved to this area.

The torrential rain battered against the window glass, creating crisp sounds, as if sharp objects were mixed with the rain, hitting their windows densely.

Before they could react, they heard the window make a cracking sound. As glass fragments fell into the room, gusts of wind and rain poured in, the cold and violent water vapor causing the three inside to shudder involuntarily.

Looking in shock, they saw that along with the glass fragments, large hailstone-like ice crystals the size of eggs had also fallen onto the floor.

"Wow, such large hail... Oh my god..."

Meanwhile, in the living room, Shu Fu was huddled inside the Drift Island House on the raft, preparing dinner over a portable stove. The storm raged outside, but inside, she focused on the sizzling meat in the pan, its pink and white marbling resembling delicate snowflakes.

**

This was the "M9 marbled beef ribeye" from the "premium grill set" that day. The entire portion of beef ribeye weighed 1000 grams, and probably because it was meant for barbecue rather than steak, the beef was sliced into ten thin pieces.

There are three pieces in the pan now. Next to the portable stove, apart from a rechargeable energy-saving lamp and a tablet playing a variety show, there’s also a portion of evenly sliced pork belly, two large tiger prawns, two skewers of large squid, a vegetable and mushroom platter, a grinder bottle of sea salt and black pepper, barbecue sauce, some garlic slices, and lettuce.

Except for the sea salt and black pepper grinder bottle, everything else is from the "premium grill set."

Eating alone, there’s no way she could finish the entire "premium grill set." What’s laid out is enough for now.

In no time, the marbled beef ribeye in the pan was ready. This kind of high-quality beef only needs a bit of sea salt and black pepper grind when cooked to medium-well, without any other seasoning.

The marbled ribeye had some soft fat, thick yet tender, but not greasy at all, melting in the mouth.

After eating two pieces of the marbled beef, Shu Fu felt completely refreshed, her inspiration flowing, ready to write 10,000 words of a food storyline on her computer.

While eating the marbled beef, she used the oil from the beef in the pan to add slices of zucchini, eggplant, enoki mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms. These thinly sliced vegetables and mushrooms only needed a bit of sea salt and black pepper grind to be ready to eat.

……

As another thunderclap boomed outside, this time especially close, it wasn’t long before the sound of wind and rain intensified, as if a group of people were aiming high-pressure water hoses at her windows.

Hearing the crisp sound of glass breaking, Shu Fu cursed inwardly, temporarily turned off the portable stove, got up to fetch a thick fleece jacket from the nearby coat rack, and went to the door.

There was a significant temperature difference between inside and outside the wooden house. Standing under the wooden eaves outside, she looked forward and saw the situation on the small balcony clearly illuminated by the flashing lightning outside.

Several panes of the regular outer glass of the balcony windows had indeed shattered, as if they had been hit by a hailstorm, but fortunately, the inner layer of tempered glass remained intact, protecting her small home from the raging storm, wind, rain, and hail outside.

Shu Fu felt both relieved and a bit frightened. Fortunately, she had acted quickly to reinforce the doors and windows; otherwise, with hail this large today, the glass windows facing outward would likely have been destroyed.

Naturally, no one would be outside in this weather, and the shattered glass wouldn’t hurt anyone, but the problem was that without the wind-and-rain-blocking glass, the howling wind, rain, and hail would pour in, damaging the furniture and interior.

If the wind and rain continued all night, the rain would keep pouring in, making it impossible for her to sleep inside.

But for now, Shu Fu calmly turned around, re-entered the wooden house, and continued her dinner.

The zucchini and eggplant slices were thin and cooked quickly over medium heat. Sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper, they were tender and juicy.

The grilled pork belly was even better—slices with the perfect three-fat-to-two-lean ratio were grilled until both sides were golden brown, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, then dipped in barbecue sauce, wrapped in lettuce with a garlic slice, and eaten whole.

The crisp lettuce offset the richness of the pork belly, and the garlic slice was another perfect complement to cut through the grease, leaving only the crispy, salty, meaty flavor of the barbecue.

Shu Fu had accurately gauged her appetite, not taking too many ingredients out. After finishing all the meat and vegetables on the low table, she leaned back in satisfaction, lying down on the wooden floor of the cabin.

The rain outside was noisy, but inside the floating cabin, the constant temperature and oxygen levels were far more comfortable than the artificially maintained environment in her original world’s loft apartment. Lying directly on the wooden floor didn’t feel cold at all. If only the wooden floor weren’t so firm, she thought she could sleep like this all night.

Lost in thought for a moment, she gradually returned to her senses. Currently, the floating cabin could only be used for 5 hours a day, so sleeping was out of the question—even taking a nap in the afternoon felt like a waste. She needed to focus on advancing the task progress to unlock the level 2 cabin, extending the usable time of the safe wooden cabin.

But… the appearance of task progress seemed completely random and not something she could control.

Thinking of this, Shu Fu allowed herself to shift into a more comfortable lying position.

**

By nearly 8 PM, the thunderstorm and hail that had lasted for two or three hours gradually subsided, but the fierce wind and rain hadn’t stopped. Without the dazzling arcs of lightning, Sui City’s night sky was as dark as ink.

Many buildings, having regular glass installed, couldn’t withstand the hail, and most inhabited buildings lost power or turned off their lights. Looking out the window, it was as if Sui City was submerged in a black water curtain.

Many streetlights on the main roads were also damaged. With the dim yellow lights off, visibility was even lower. People could only imagine the scene outside from the noisy rain and the windows rattling in the fierce wind.

Many unlucky folks spent the following hours busy trying to make emergency repairs to their broken windows, hoping to block the rainwater that was flooding in.

Outside, fire trucks and ambulances could now be heard. On a regular day, people would even call firefighters for trivial matters, like when a cat ran onto a balcony or when a ring was too small and stuck on a swollen finger. So, it was no surprise that they would call for help during this two-to-three-hour-long thunderstorm and large hail storm.

Even though Sui City issued a thunderstorm warning in a timely manner, some people still didn't pay attention and ended up injured for various reasons during the storm.

Even people who were initially safe at home weren't spared from accidents.

Some people got too close to their windows and were hit by shattered glass when hail suddenly struck. Others, seeing the damage the hail was causing, insisted on moving their cars that were parked haphazardly outside, despite their family's objections. They were struck by hail and collapsed in the downpour.

By 8 a.m., ambulances and fire trucks were already on the scene, responding to the emergency. At that time, the thunderstorm and hail were so loud that the sounds merged into a chaotic roar.

Once the storm passed, the sounds of rescue efforts outside became clear. Braving the downpour, they rushed to help, putting their own safety aside.

The rain pounded relentlessly through the night.