The human traffickers were numb.
They couldn’t comprehend how this had happened. In their own minds, they wondered, could it be that heaven had indeed opened its eyes? Seeing them do so much evil, it wouldn’t be enough to strike them dead once, it had to kill them completely?
But among them, Sun Chao was still the most clear-headed.
Seeing the situation, Sun Chao immediately understood what was going on. Wasn’t this lightning summoned by Lin Beichen?! This was a total extermination!
However, he had no time to explain this to the other traffickers.
Escaping was the priority!
Earlier, he had already analyzed the direction Lin Beichen had left from the footprints. At this moment, he darted out in that direction first.
"What are you all staring at?!"
"Waiting to die?!"
"Run!"
"That’s the direction Lin Beichen went!"
"Run that way!!"
Running and shouting, Sun Chao’s voice was filled with urgency and desperation.
Upon hearing his shouts, the other human traffickers snapped back to reality. At this moment, they had no thoughts, no time to think.
Just one thought: escape!
The traffickers from all directions saw Sun Chao’s back and chased after him.
If Lin Beichen had not left here, he would have caught that inexplicable feeling and observed the Electric Element in this special area...
The phantom image of the Black Tortoise seemed unable to endure this tearing sensation, its head and limbs thrashed violently in the dark ocean, and its tail flailed wildly.
For a moment, the ocean was stirred up.
In the flashes of lightning and thunder.
Huge waves surged into the sky, sweeping up the rainwater, then crashing heavily onto the already turbulent sea surface.
At the same time.
"Crack——!!!"
"Crack——!!!"
"..."
The sound of several thunderous cracks burst almost simultaneously, so loud it seemed to tear the sky apart, as if an army on horseback was charging!
Before the sound faded.
Streaks of white and purple lightning erupted from the bright spots within the clouds.
In an instant!
Several bolts of lightning descended from the sky, surrounded and flickering with electric arcs, piercing through the rain, like a purgatory of thunder, striking straight at the human traffickers running with all their might on the ground.
"Run faster!"
"Run even faster!!"
The traffickers dared not, or rather didn’t have a second to turn their heads to see what was behind them, dreading they would follow in Zhong Bai’s footsteps if they slowed down by even a moment.
However, despite not looking back.
Their necks grew stiffer, pores tightened, and their spines cooled...
These sensations made them acutely aware that the thunder was coming closer and closer.
Among them.
Only Sun Chao didn’t have this feeling, or more accurately, he had just felt it, but at the last moment, it receded like the tide.
But...
He dared not look back, dared not stop running, instinctively dodging from side to side trying to avoid the lightning strikes.
Just then.
"Boom——!!!"
"Boom——!!"
"..."
The rumbling sounds exploded almost simultaneously.
The ground trembled violently for a moment.
Sun Chao could feel the tremors coming from a distant place and heard the rumbling from far behind him.
"Has the lightning in the sky stopped striking?"
"Not striking me anymore?"
"What’s happening?"
Thinking about the sudden disappearance of that locked-in feeling, he had a sense that he might be safe now.
However, he still dared not stop running, continuing to sprint forward with all his might, suddenly taking a big step to the side and then quickly turning to look back.
After all, he had to confirm his situation, or he would eventually be exhausted even if he wasn’t struck by lightning!
Sun Chao glanced back.
Just one look, and the scene he saw would be etched in his memory forever.
Behind him, it was like a purgatory of lightning incarcerating the mortal world!
The white-purple lightning bolts had not completely faded, but the electric glow was no longer so brilliant and dazzling, it wouldn’t cause temporary blindness.
Near the ground, each bolt of lightning had a person, some engulfed in lightning, some lying outside its sphere.
Those enveloped by lightning might no longer be human, but charred, rigid corpses standing upright, preserving the posture of their final moments running, identical to Zhong Bai’s horrific remains!
Those outside the lightning sphere, few and far, only five or six, had expressions of terror and shock identical on their faces.
However, none of them stopped running, still sprinting towards Sun Chao with all their might.
In the sky.
The cloud vortex continued to spin, seemingly nearing its limit.
Only a few bright spots remained in the dark cloud layers.
But...
White-purple lightning erupted again from every bright spot, the strikes aimed at those running with all their might.
Though the scene was terrifying and shocking, Sun Chao had already prepared himself mentally before looking back. He was not overly surprised.
What caught him off guard and filled his mind with countless thoughts...
Was this second wave of lightning!
"???"
Sun Chao was dumbfounded. It was outrageous enough for so much lightning to strike down just now! How could it still be chasing people to strike? Must it kill everyone?!
This is too ridiculous!
Then he suddenly noticed...
The survivors of the first wave were running towards him, with the lightning following closely, seemingly about to strike again.
In an instant, he was unsure whether the lightning aimed at them or him, the lucky escapee.
Was he inevitably doomed?
Sun Chao had no time to think, muttering a curse under his breath. He refused to look back again, focusing on sprinting forward.
In the pouring rain, amidst thunder and lightning.
At this moment, he resembled a child running desperately without an umbrella.
"Bang——!"
"Bang——!"
"..."
The thunderous noises soon echoed from behind once more.
This time, Sun Chao didn’t look back, nor did he care what was happening behind him. His sole concern was his survival, his desperate will to live.
He kept running.
Unaware of when it started.
The thunder was no longer audible, only the rushing wind, lashing rain, and erratic panting sounds from behind.
"No more lightning?"
"Someone behind me?"
"Who could it be?"
"..."
A series of questions floated through his mind.
His stamina was nearly exhausted, thoughts were his distraction to keep running.
He wanted to ask questions, but feared speaking would disrupt his rhythm and drain his remaining energy.
And running, he didn’t know how long.
His lungs felt ablaze, legs turned to jelly, he was utterly spent.
"I can’t run anymore!"
"Been running so long without hearing thunder..."
"Maybe it’s over?"
Uncertain, but no choice—if the lightning struck him after all this, he would accept his fate.
The thought of stopping made his heart race, feeling it might leap out of his throat. Inhaling deeply, summoning courage, he bit down and halted abruptly.
"..."
The wind was calm, rain steady.
No incident occurred.
"No issue?"
Sun Chao gradually opened his eyes, relief and lingering fear in his gaze.
Just then.
A breathless voice reached him from behind.
"Ch... Chaozi, why... why did you stop?"
The voice grew nearer, very familiar.
It was Zou Huaide!
Sun Chao quickly turned around.
Zou Huaide staggered towards him, face covered with dirt, left arm severed, hastily bandaged, blood soaking the cloth and dripping.
Two others followed him, uninjured.
But their mental states seemed dire.
Their expressions bore fear, confusion, and daze, their eyes filled with unspoken terror.
Sun Chao glanced at them briefly, then turned his gaze skyward. The dark clouds were heavy, silent, with occasional flickering arcs.
"No more lightning."
"It seems we are safe for now."
The weight on his heart lifted slightly, then he looked back at Zou Huaide and the other two.
"Brother Zou, it’s temporarily safe."
"Temp... Temporarily safe???"
Zou Huaide grasped Sun Chao, eyes wide with fear and doubt, pale lips trembling: "Really safe?"
"No lightning in the sky now."
"None?"
Zou Huaide, wary and anxious, glanced repeatedly at the sky, finally dared to stare directly, then mumbled as if reborn, "Truly no more lightning."
"Brother Zou, I warned you, Lin Beichen is extraordinary, a formidable person!"
Sun Chao finally had time to recount, if not for Zou’s insistence on pursuing Lin Beichen, how did they end up like this?
Growing angrier, he said, "You didn’t believe me. Now look, all our brothers are dead, what shall we do now? Still hunt Lin Beichen? Still kill him?"
"..."
Silence.
Whether Zou Huaide or the others, hearing Lin Beichen’s name no longer harbored hate, only fear and dread, vigorously shaking their heads.
Even without encountering Lin Beichen.
But...
These unusual bolts of lightning twice enlightened them to something very wrong, though reluctant to believe Sun Chao’s words, they had no choice but to think along those lines.
Of the dozen, only four remained.
If they continued searching...
Would they all perish?
Zou Huaide pondering along the run had an epiphany, surviving was a reprieve.
Feeling faint, he quickly said, "Let’s find a place for treatment, I will report to the boss later."
Sun Chao hesitated, "We’re lost now. I fear if we continue, we might encounter Lin Beichen. If that happens, how can we escape?"
"If he appears, what then?
...
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Sun Dewang, with other officers, pursued the direction of the thunder and lightning. In the rain, they neared the first special area.
One officer, looking ahead, frowned: "See that? There’s a big dark figure lying there?"
Officers including Sun Dewang followed his gaze, vaguely seeing a dark figure on the distant clearing.
"How did a big guy end up in this forest?"
"Didn’t Zou Huaide have connections abroad? Could this big guy be...?"
"..."
They instantly linked it to the foreign associates of the trafficker gang, their expressions stern, cautiously advancing with drawn guns.
A hundred meters...
Fifty meters...
...
Getting closer, they gradually saw clearly the so-called dark figure.
"A...a body?!"
Officers quickened their pace.
For all their experiences, seeing the charred, disfigured body still made them wince.
The horror!
They quickly deduced the cause—lightning strike!
One officer, remembering something, furrowed his brows, incredulous: "Could this be Lin Beichen?"