Dawn of a New Era

Chapter 658 632: Thunderstorm

The distant sunset gradually slanted towards the west.

Chen Shouyi called the two little ones, walked down the mountain, took out the bicycle, and rode leisurely.

A giant procession of self-propelled artillery, resembling a massive iron beast, crawled down the road, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Passersby quickly moved aside, whispering among themselves, a touch of unease in their expressions.

Recently, the entire city of Zhonghai has been like a bowstring, full of tension and stifling, with rumors spreading everywhere.

Yet for ordinary people, facing such drastic changes, the only thing they can do is endure, as knowing too much changes nothing.

Chen Shouyi glanced at it and then looked away.

"Now that the Divine Stone is completely exhausted, the only option left is to rely on slow, steady cultivation!"

He sighed slightly, gazing at the distant horizon where the sun's dim yellow light under the white smoke of countless chimneys carried a hint of laziness and powerlessness, like the twilight of a faltering civilization.

...

Originally planning to go straight home, Chen Shouyi suddenly felt a whim and turned the bike towards Zhonghai University.

Despite the increasingly heavy atmosphere of war, the university still conducted classes normally, seemingly unaffected.

Chen Shouyi parked his bicycle in the rack and proceeded towards the dormitory area.

"Hey, do you know Song Tingting?" Chen Shouyi called out to a girl who looked obedient and sincere.

"Ah!" The girl's face turned red upon seeing Chen Shouyi, stammering, "I... I don't know her, but I can help you ask!"

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

"No trouble at all," the girl replied quickly, stealing glances at Chen Shouyi, her heart pounding: "What year and major is she in?"

"She's a junior, but I'm not sure about her major. She just transferred from Jiangnan University this year," Chen Shouyi replied.

...

Chen Shouyi was in luck; with the enthusiastic sister's help, he found Song Tingting in just over half an hour.

When Song Tingting was called down from the dormitory, she was so surprised she was dumbfounded—it was the first time Chen Shouyi had ever come to see her since they met.

"Senior, what brings you here?"

"Just came to see you!" Chen Shouyi said with a smile.

The gentle breeze made the hem of her skirt sway slightly, and Song Tingting's heart leaped: "Senior, have you eaten yet? Let me treat you to a meal."

"No need, I'm leaving soon," Chen Shouyi replied.

Song Tingting felt slightly disappointed but soon smiled again: "Senior is always so busy."

Hearing this, Chen Shouyi couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

Indeed, ever since receiving the Book of Knowledge, he hadn't had a single day of relaxation. It was either training or missions, unknowingly neglecting the beautiful scenery.

"Let's take a walk," Chen Shouyi looked at the time and said.

Song Tingting looked up in surprise, her face showing a hint of joy, and without any pretense said, "Sure."

...

"The course pressure is so great now. Last semester, quite a few in our class were held back, and I feel so stupid!" Song Tingting softly spoke about school matters.

"You mean people get held back in college?"

"Yes, it's stricter now, even more painful than high school!"

As they walked and talked, the campus park was filled with pairs of young men and women, making them blend in seamlessly.

"Do you have the strength of a Martial Artist yet?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"Not yet!" Song Tingting lowered her head shyly.

She had only been a Martial Artist Apprentice for two years, nowhere near becoming a Martial Artist yet, although her senior was an exception.

When they first met, he was already a Martial Artist, and now he had become the God of Martial Arts for humanity, appearing in the daily news almost as often as the President, shining like the sun.

If the school knew that General Manager Chen came here, it would likely cause quite a stir.

"Don't slack off on martial arts training; the situation... isn't looking too good," Chen Shouyi thought for a moment and said.

"Okay." Song Tingting nodded vigorously.

Chen Shouyi pretended to take out three syringes of Divine Blood from his pocket and handed them over: "Take these, use them secretly, and don't let anyone see."

The Divine Blood, bathed in the sunset glow, reflected fragments of golden light, carrying a bewildering allure.

"Senior, what is this?"

"Demigod Blood!"

...

Over the Pacific Ocean, a two-seater vintage fighter jet was conducting a reconnaissance mission at high altitude.

In the distance, dark clouds loomed densely, lightning flashing and thunder roaring, the sea surface churned in terrifying waves, as a dreadful sea storm raged on.

"I heard you've got a girlfriend from the Rising Sun Country, be careful the investigation unit doesn't come looking for you," copilot Zhang Wei said with a smile.

The two were from the United Army's military base stationed in the Rising Sun Country.

The situation in the Rising Sun Country was quite severe; after three years of war, almost all men had been wiped out, and many women soldiers served in the base. Before long, many secretly became couples.

"A single man and an unmarried woman, nothing to worry about, at worst I'd resign from my position," Wang Laijun said dismissively.

After three years in the army, even a man starts looking appealing, and not reacting to women would mean not being human... or a man.

"Dream on," Zhang Wei laughed and scolded, then reminded: "Stay alert, ahead is a thunderstorm zone, we're currently flying at 30,000 feet with a speed of 0.5 Mach, fairly safe."

Cloud layers generally exist below 7,000 meters in the troposphere, and a height of 10,000 meters is already quite safe.

"Something's off about this thunderstorm!" Wang Laijun said, licking his lips as he gazed at the stormy clouds below, where lightning flickered fiercely.

He had seen many thunderstorms but never one this fearsome. The clouds seemed to hide a gigantic electrical grid with countless bolts of lightning flickering aggressively.

Feeling uneasy, he asked, "How far are we from the base?"

Zhang Wei checked the instruments and said, "900 kilometers, why?"

"Never mind, maybe I'm overthinking it," Wang Laijun replied.

A few minutes later, as the fighter jet flew over the cloud layer, both felt their skins tighten, their hair rising gently. Zhang Wei's expression changed: "There's static, climb higher."

In fact, even without being reminded, Wang Laijun had already started opening the throttle.

Their expressions grew serious.

"Snap!"

The static in the air fluctuated wildly, small electric arcs flickering occasionally inside the cockpit, instantly disappearing, making crackling sounds and filling the air with the smell of ozone.

Although the fighter jet had lightning protection,

at that moment, it seemed utterly ineffective.

"We can't continue; we need to return!" Wang Laijun said gravely.

However, just as he finished speaking,

the plane began to shake violently, arcs vaulting across the cockpit glass and even appearing on the dashboard.

...

From the outside, the entire fighter jet was engulfed in a dense web of electric arcs. Just as it completed a turn,

it began spewing blue smoke, plummeting headlong into the stormy clouds below.

The next moment, countless bolts of lightning struck the fighter jet.

With a "boom," it exploded into a massive fireball.

ps: Not in great shape lately, I'll definitely post two updates tomorrow.