Chapter 1, Struck by Lightning

The driver, with a face full of displeasure, said: "What now? Why are there so many ... ... Damn, what is going on?" As he spoke, he walked over and was taken aback upon seeing the large hole on the roof of the car.

Half a day later, I was still in a state of shock. There were nearly one hundred people in the car, yet I felt that bolt of lightning was aimed directly at me. In fact, if it hadn't been for the thin guy pushing me at a critical moment, I might have already been skewered like a candied hawthorn. Even so, that flash of electricity singed a tuft of my not-so-long hair on my forehead, leaving it standing upright and emitting a choking smell of smoke. Dazed, I touched the top of my head, my legs felt weak beneath me, and my student, supporting me, kept asking, "Are you okay, big brother?"

Aren't you the same? Zhao Dan, who plays badminton, said to me

Are you... alright?

The man, unwilling to show weakness, said: "If you want to leave, then leave quickly. Everyone is in a hurry and has no time to waste with your nonsense"

Finally, after a few seconds of stunned silence, people began to emit a series of exclamations.

Brother, if I take charge of you, you will hate me for cutting off your source of income. However, if I do not take charge, my conscience will not allow it—why not just rob me outright

I shook my head

The thin man and his accomplices harbored a deep-seated hatred towards me, and the thin man exerted more force as he said: "Get down here!"

I was instantly furious, stood up and waved my hand at him, and the kid immediately crouched down, covering his head, repeatedly saying: "Don't hit me"

On the bus, a thin man reached into the pocket of a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, continuously feeling around.

I stood there in a daze for a while before jumping up and cursing: "What the hell kind of world is this?"

The tall student exclaimed, "If you want to go down, then go down. Are you afraid of me?"

I shook my head again

Little did I know that upon saying this, the thin man would think I was afraid of him. Instead, he grabbed my arm and shouted, "No way, you have to get off the car with me!"

The driver glared at him and said, "Did you buy a ticket?"

After chatting for a while, I solemnly told them: "In the future, when encountering such situations, do not foolishly rush in; people's hearts are so wicked nowadays." As I spoke, I glanced at the one with the gold-rimmed glasses. He hurriedly pretended to look down.

The hole above can be fitted with a piece of glass as a window, and the one below—why not install a fence to serve as a toilet? In the future, this will be the first bus with a restroom.

As soon as the two individuals took the lead, the others in the vehicle began to chime in: "We're going to be late for work; are you going to compensate us for our perfect attendance?" "One should be lenient when possible; besides, you are not in the right here." "What kind of world is this, where even thieves are so arrogant."

My father

The middle-aged man stood right next to me, and the thin man's hand, as he was pickpocketing, was almost brushing against my chin.

Is the old man the warden

At this moment, the thin man, regaining his composure, stared at me for a long time, and suddenly waved his hand behind him, saying: "There is a master here, we should retreat"

That student said: "It must have been hit off target."

At this moment, a red-faced man behind us impatiently said, "If you want to get down, do it yourselves. Why drag others into it?" He was holding an oversized steel flask and exhaled a strong smell of alcohol, indicating that he had consumed quite a bit. Nevertheless, his words were still in support of our side

I said: "No, he was sentenced to eight years for intentional injury and is currently serving his sentence"

The long-legged one chuckled, "It is no longer fashionable to use gunpowder to blow glass; nowadays, the trend is to be a wasteful person, someone who cannot sense any elements and cannot cultivate fighting energy, that is what is most sought after now"

Someone behind me quietly comforted me, saying: "Brother, don't be angry; it might have just been a misfire"

The thin man immediately glared fiercely at the middle-aged man and said, "Did I steal your things?"

In the end, I could no longer bear to watch and sighed as I said to the thin man

I can only say that there is a kind of lie in this world that is well-intentioned, and even if the heavens themselves came down to explain to me that it was an accident, I would still look down on them! The error did not exceed 0.1 centimeters, and unless someone aimed for more than half an hour at the swirl above my head, it would be impossible to be this accurate

I have also regained my composure at this moment, and with a wry smile, I said: "Let's just forget it; we neither know how to make gunpowder nor blow glass. Wouldn't we just end up being bullied if we went?"

At this moment, the driver had already stopped the car and was looking at us with a puzzled expression

The driver, now growing impatient, shouted loudly without turning his head, "What is going on? Are you getting off or not?" as he heard the commotion inside the vehicle

The master ignored him, stuffed the money into the coin box, and sighed as he set off on the road again

I thought for a moment and replied to him seriously: "I have someone in the prison system."

The few people behind the thin man have already squeezed over, and the first two individuals unceremoniously approached to pull me away

Someone cautiously said, "Master, you should come and take a look."

However, the thin man's skills were indeed a bit too clumsy. As the vehicle moved, his hand was jolted out, and then he reached back in, seemingly searching for his wallet for quite some time. Yet, he appeared to be at a loss, as it was stuck at the edge of his pocket and he couldn't pull it out no matter what. The thin man was drenched in sweat, tugging and pulling, with the veins on his emaciated hands bulging. He was just short of calling on the bear, the pig, and the rabbit to help him pull it out.

A young white-collar worker beside the man, holding a large bouquet of roses, also chimed in: "Exactly, I still have a date with my girlfriend."

The people in the car all looked at me with unusual gazes

I forcefully swatted away his hand that reached for me, subtly threatening, "Think carefully!"

I shook him off, and the few people behind him immediately filled the gap. The two students also began to grapple with each other, and the carriage was suddenly in complete chaos

Then the middle-aged man shouted, "Oh no, that wallet is mine!" Saying this, he snatched it away and held it tightly to his chest

Naturally, we were too preoccupied to pay him any attention, and the fat man began to tirelessly hand us his business cards: "Please do me a favor; if you need anything in the future, feel free to contact me"

My hands were both busy dealing with the thin man, so I gestured for him to slip the business card into my pocket, while kindly reminding him: "Be careful with your bag!"

At first, I looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, pretending as if it had nothing to do with me

What do you intend to do

Lin Hexiang was taken aback for a moment and then laughed: "Brother, you are truly humorous"

The driver also caught the smell of burnt hair from my hair, and while preparing to start the car, he said without turning his head: "Those who smoke, put out your cigarettes"

The overweight man hurriedly took out 100 yuan from his bag and handed it to the driver, saying, "Please."

But how can I explain this to the team? Do you think they will believe it?

People turned their attention to me, whose head was still smoking, and then they all began to recount what had happened.

As people discussed, the thin man, after all, felt guilty for his actions, showing a bit less arrogance. However, the look in his eyes was filled with resentment. He pushed me hard in the chest and cursed, saying: "You just wait!"

Originally, if it were just me, there would still be room for negotiation, but with two more students, it became difficult to handle. I grasped the thin one's arm and whispered, "Everyone knows the situation; if you find it inconvenient later, feel free to contact me privately. Let's leave each other a way out."

The thin man started glaring: "Mind your own business!"

Upon hearing this, the thin man pulled me even harder, saying: "Get down!"

I said with a smile, "I am doing this for your own good. There is no shame in earning a living through skill, but your abilities are not quite up to par—are you not a trained professional?"

The driver helplessly pointed behind him and said, "Can we really leave like this?"

The thin guy was taken aback, somewhat confused about the situation. He probably didn't expect that someone would dare to step forward under these circumstances. Seeing my not-so-easy-to-deal-with demeanor, he then directed his hostility towards the student carrying the racket: "Watch your words, you little brat. Which of your eyes saw me as a thief? Do you want me to teach you a lesson?"

The chubby man who came up behind said anxiously: "Master, let's go, I really am in a hurry"

I am deeply troubled; the thin man is right. It was indeed me who was struck by lightning, named specifically without any bias. I feel as though this bolt was aimed at me after the heavens had been watching from the clouds for quite some time.

I sighed; these two young men have good intentions, but they are too reckless in their actions. The other side has at least six or seven people, and it seems they are armed. While in the car, they do not dare to go too far, but once they get out, they could face a beating at the very least, or worse. What are these thieves not willing to do nowadays?

Then all the passengers in the vehicle turned their attention to this side, staring wide-eyed as he held up someone else's wallet in his hand

I am speechless

I am indeed different from you all

The student confronted the middle-aged man: "Caught red-handed, yet you still deny it in front of the owner and *the evidence*?"

The stout man saw the two groups of people grappling with each other, and he squeezed his way over, smiling apologetically as he said, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, if you have any issues, please handle them outside; I am in a hurry"

Lin Hexiang wondered, "What gives you the audacity to stand out?"

I stumbled backward, and fortunately, the student with the tennis racket caught me. I was furious and pointed my finger at him, shouting, "Watch out or you'll get struck by lightning!" At the same time, I braced myself to charge forward with all my might

The two students immediately appeared somewhat disappointed, but in the end, Zhao Dan could not help but curiously ask: "Who is it...?"

Many people witnessed this moment with their eyes wide open; it came suddenly and without warning, and then returned to tranquility in an instant. The sky outside was clear and blue, and if it weren't for the bowl-sized hole at my feet, I would have almost thought it was all just a dream.

The overweight man instinctively covered himself, as the phone in his bag had already been pinched out halfway by a person behind him. He quickly realized the current situation and obediently hid to the side

I touched my singed hair and said, "It's all right."

Do you practice martial arts

In the midst of the chaos, no one noticed that on the adjacent motor vehicle lane, a Mercedes-Benz that had been stuck there for over half an hour suddenly had its door opened. A well-dressed, portly man rushed out, quickly boarded the bus we were on, and, sweating profusely, said: "Thank heavens, driver, please hurry and start the vehicle. I have an important client to meet"

Lin Hexiang's eyes immediately lit up as he said, "Elder brother, are you a special forces soldier?"

A few men with unfriendly expressions were stirring restlessly behind the thin man. He glanced back and, with a hint of smugness, sneered: "Get down here! Let my brothers teach you how to be a person!"

The driver sensed something was amiss, slowing down and observing through the rearview mirror

At that moment, the middle-aged man had not yet put his wallet into his pocket. I fully expected him to at least say something to me, but to my surprise, this fellow quickly organized his wallet and, with a forced smile, said: "No... no."

I shouted at him: "Driver, please stop and let this gentleman get off."

At this moment, the driver shouted, "Are you getting off or not? The traffic police will issue fines soon."

The thin man was the last to get off the bus. Just as he was leaving, he seemed to remember something and leaned against the door, gleefully shouting at me: "That lightning struck you!"

The student who was holding the racket hit him and laughed, saying, "Stop talking nonsense." Then he turned around and seriously said to me, "Brother, you were really manly just now"

I was so amused that I said to the thin guy: "I won't take responsibility for this matter; you are free to handle it as you wish."

The thin man thought I had backed down, and with a show of bravado declared, "No way, none of you will escape today. You, you, and you, get out of the car!" He was referring to me and the two students.

The thin man said fiercely: "You are asking for trouble!"

With a loud shout, two tall and sturdy students stood up from the seat across from me. One of them, carrying a badminton racket on his back, forcefully pushed aside the first thin person's accomplice and shouted, "Do thieves have any reason to complain?" The other student, tall with long legs and big hands, also pointed at those people and said, "Don't come over!"

The thin man was greatly astonished by this incident; he involuntarily took a few steps back, his eyes wide open as he stared at me, while simultaneously reaching out to stop his companions who were trying to rush over. The few individuals behind him were still unaware of what had transpired.

I looked at the hole on the top of my head and touched my singed hair, exclaiming in frustration: "Isn't this just too crooked? And what do you mean by 'maybe it got crooked'?"

I also like these two young men very much. Upon inquiry, I found out that they are both from our provincial sports institute. The one carrying the badminton racket is a major in badminton, named Zhao Dan, while the one with long legs is in the same major as Liu Xiang: the 110-meter hurdles, named Lin Hexiang. Both of them are second-year students, actually just two years younger than me.

At that moment of intense confrontation, a long and bright flash of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, piercing through the roof of the car, flashing past my face, and then creating a hole the size of a bowl in the underside of the vehicle

The thin man was taken aback, and instinctively pulled, finally retrieving his wallet

The thin man glared at me fiercely, and I calmly met his gaze. The people in the vehicle began to whisper among themselves, carefully clearing a space while simultaneously checking their wallets

Another tall student joked with me, saying: "Brother, you missed an opportunity to travel through time. If you hadn't opened your eyes again, you might have become a noble or a high-ranking official."