89: Thunder comes from plain ground

Qiu Gu hung up the call and looked at Gao Xiaofan, who had leaned over.

"It’s fine now. The Meteorological Bureau said it will stop soon."

Qiu Gu’s hoarse voice made Gao Xiaofan daze for a moment, then he patted Qiu Gu on the shoulder.

Gao Xiaofan glanced at the pad. The frantically refreshing bullet chat made him click his tongue in amazement. Looking at the popularity of the livestream room again—100 million!

"Brother Wo Zi, are you okay?"

"I feel so bad for Brother Wo Zi. He's the only one still outside~"

"I hope the Streamer is safe!"

The sudden heavy rain on the Program Production Crew went straight to the hot searches. Fans of the stars all wanted to see if their idols were okay, only to suddenly discover that one guest was still out in the middle of nowhere.

This also caused Gao Xiaofan’s livestream room to be packed with people.

Gao Xiaofan sighed inwardly. He’d rather not have this popularity. Damn it, he couldn't swim; if it flooded, he’d be a goner~

He gestured to Qiu Gu, squatted down, and began packing his things. The sound of rain outside indeed seemed to have lessened slightly, but he planned to find higher ground. Staying here was simply too dangerous.

Qiu Gu understood his thoughts as well and ran into his own tent to pack up.

Gao Xiaofan put on his shoes. Although they were soaked through and the soles were covered in mud, if he didn't wear them, wouldn't the trek back after the rain stopped be pure misery?

After putting on his shoes, Gao Xiaofan opened the tent and walked out into the heavy rain.

By now, Qiu Gu had also finished packing and shouldered the camera. The two of them trudged through the mud toward the road back to the village.

After walking for a short while, the two stopped at the foot of a small hill, looked at each other, and smiled.

The rain had lessened.

They stopped climbing and instead waited for the rain to stop completely, planning to return to the village at dawn.

The autumn wind rustled, and the mountain breeze at night was bone-chilling. Soaked to the skin, the two huddled together to preserve what little warmth they had left.

"Seriously, you really know how to stir things up. I even have a feeling that you brought this rain on yourself~"

Qiu Gu shielded his cigarette with one hand to keep it from getting wet, took a deep puff, and said.

Gao Xiaofan also held a cigarette and shook his legs.

"Stop talking nonsense. It’s bad enough you eat my food every day, but you’re even blaming the rain on me? Have you no shame?"

Then the two laughed again. The rain was so loud that their conversation wasn't recorded by the camera at all.

They leaned against the foot of the hill, dozing off groggily and occasionally waking up to chat.

Half an hour later, the rain stopped. Gao Xiaofan shook his wet clothes, thought for a moment, and then ripped them off, going shirtless.

This Zhao Group outfit hadn't been washed for ten full days; it finally couldn't take it anymore today.

Gao Xiaofan looked at the scene before him. Muddy puddles were everywhere, and the mountains were eerily quiet, like a beast waiting for the right moment to devour someone.

Even though the rain had stopped, why was he feeling more and more afraid?

Gao Xiaofan looked at Qiu Gu. The middle-aged man looked exhausted. He said softly,

"Brother Qiu, ask the production crew what the situation is. See if we're going back tomorrow or now."

"Oh~ calling me 'Brother' now? Can you not call me Brother Qiu? It feels like you're calling me ugly."

"Brother Gu isn't good either. I'm afraid Google might sue you~"

The two joked around. Then Qiu Gu covered his earpiece and began contacting the production crew... In the Control Room of Xiushui Village.

Everyone inside looked relaxed. They pushed open the door and looked at the scenery after the rain.

"See, I told you the rain would stop! We should quickly find a way to capitalize on the popularity from this storm and convert them into viewers for our show."

Jing Yu had regained her confident and cold demeanor. Cheng Yan and Qu Lang ignored her, puffing on their cigarettes.

"Oh, thank goodness! It hasn't rained in so long, and it finally did. The Old Village Chief can finally stop nagging~"

A woman's voice came from not far outside. Everyone looked over to see Cooking Auntie with a flashlight, trudging along and muttering to herself.

"Auntie, why did you come out? The road is so slippery after the rain~" Qu Lang hurried over to meet her.

"Sigh, I'm the only one left in the village; everyone else is gone. Now that it's raining so hard, I naturally have to help look after things for them."

"But luckily the rain has stopped, so my heart is at ease~"

Qu Lang didn't know what to say, so he prepared to call a staff member to take Cooking Auntie back to her room.

"Crack!"

A flash of lightning and a thunderous boom occurred simultaneously. The dazzling light illuminated the entire village. Everyone outside couldn't help but close their eyes, their faces filled with horror.

Did a damn bolt of lightning just strike right in front of them???

Several people couldn't help but shudder~

Before everyone could recover, they saw Cooking Auntie trembling violently, her face full of terror.

"Go, let's leave quickly. We can't stay in the village anymore."

Everyone, still dazed, looked at her with confusion after hearing this.

"Thunder on level ground brings trouble. Let's go."

"It's a warning! This is a warning!"

Just as Qu Lang was about to speak, Jing Yu walked over with a smile.

"Alright, Auntie, we'll leave soon. I'll send a staff member to help you pack your things and take you out of the village."

"What is there to pack? Those are all worldly possessions! Just leave."

Cooking Auntie was so anxious she was practically jumping.

Jing Yu was startled, then nodded with a smile and pointed to a staff member nearby.

"Alright, alright. Xiao Li, drive a car to take the lady out of the village. Be sure to drive slowly."

A car soon arrived. While waiting for the car, Cooking Auntie realized the production crew wouldn't leave. She sighed, climbed into the car, gave them a deep look, and then closed the door as the car slowly drove toward the village entrance.

Cheng Yan couldn't help but shiver at the look Cooking Auntie gave them as she left. It was like she was looking at a group of dead people.

Cheng Yan shook his head and turned to look inside.

"Check the equipment. It seems the lightning strike hit something just now."

A staff member replied while scanning the equipment.

"Everything is normal... Wait, the signal for Gao Xiaofan's livestream room is gone!"

The hearts of everyone outside, which had just settled, leaped into their throats again... Gao Xiaofan looked at the surprised Qiu Gu with a bad premonition, but he didn't speak, waiting patiently instead.

Qiu Gu tapped his earpiece repeatedly and then took it off to check.

"The indicator light is on, so that's fine. But the signal light... is out."

Gao Xiaofan said calmly, "Don't panic. Check the camera."

Qiu Gu snapped out of it and hurried over.

Then he said with a grimace, "The signal is cut here too..."