Comprehension against the sky, creating the Five Thunders in the real world

Lin Beichen sat up in bed like a spring, asking warily, "Who is it?"

The knocking stopped abruptly.

Lin Beichen sat on the bed, listened carefully, but heard no footsteps, so he lay back down.

He initially thought it was someone playing a prank while drunk, so he simply closed his eyes again.

As sleepiness crept in, Lin Beichen was preparing to drift off to sleep—

The knocking sounded again.

This time, Lin Beichen was certain that this was not a prank, but something someone had done on purpose.

He didn't say a word, and moved barefoot quietly towards the door. Just as he was about to reach the door—

The knocking stopped again.

Lin Beichen waited quietly for a moment.

When the knocking sounded for the third time, he rushed forward and flung the door open.

The area outside the door was deserted.

He took another step and looked down down the long corridor—there was no one in sight on either side.

Left with no other choice, he had to close the door again.

Lin Beichen lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his heart still unable to calm down.

The knocking sound seemed to be etched deep in his memory; if he didn't figure it out, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

After much deliberation, Lin Beichen picked up the bedside phone and dialed the front desk.

"Hello, this is the front desk. How can I help you?" the receptionist asked politely.

Compared to Lin Beichen's coldness, her tone was exceptionally warm.

"There's been a knock on my door. Could you please check the security camera footage?" Lin Beichen said somewhat awkwardly.

Since enlisting, he had never spoken so politely to a stranger, but considering that they were complete strangers, he felt that speaking too coldly would be impolite, so he could only try to maintain his composure.

"Someone's knocking?" The receptionist repeated his words, tentatively asking, "Could it be a prank?"

As expected, her reaction was the same as Lin Beichen's initial guess, but this was not a prank.

"It's not a prank. Someone really is knocking on the door repeatedly. Please check the surveillance footage," Lin Beichen said in a commanding tone.

However, the receptionist did not agree immediately.

Although she should try her best to meet the guests' requests, this was the first time she had encountered a guest who had taken the initiative to ask to view the surveillance footage.

Moreover, accessing surveillance footage is a complicated process and cannot be done casually.

If she could persuade the other party to give up the idea, she would prefer to choose the simpler method.

"Sir, is it really necessary to check the surveillance footage? I mean, could it be that someone knocked on the wrong door?" the receptionist patiently advised.

Lin Beichen on the other end of the phone could no longer contain his anxiety and raised his voice: "I am absolutely certain that someone is knocking on the door on purpose. Please assist in retrieving the surveillance footage as soon as possible."

At this point, Lin Beichen's patience was nearing its limit! If the receptionist continued to make excuses, he would have no choice but to handle it himself.

The receptionist could also detect his displeasure in his cold tone, and could only hesitate before replying, "Okay, sir, please wait a moment. I will contact the relevant department immediately and handle this issue for you as soon as possible."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Beichen hung up the phone.

He sat up in bed, staring intently at the bedroom door, lost in thought.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again. Lin Beichen answered quickly, his voice urgent: "How is it?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before the person spoke apologetically: "Hello sir, as per your request, we checked the surveillance footage... There was indeed a strange man knocking on your door. So, we'd like to ask, is it someone you know?"

This question left Lin Beichen momentarily at a loss for words.

The other party used tactful language, not associating the strange knocking with hotel management, but subtly inquiring whether Lin Beichen had misjudged the knocker's identity.

Lin Beichen fell silent, not because he couldn't be sure of the answer, but because he felt helpless about the receptionist's repeated questions—he really didn't want to say the same thing a third time.

Before he could answer, the knocking on the door started again.

Lin Beichen immediately went on high alert and hung up the phone before he could offer any further explanation.

He rushed to the door as fast as he could and flung it open.

At this moment, he had already clenched his other fist and raised it, his eyes filled with coldness.

When he saw that it was Carlos Chan standing outside the door, he slowly lowered his arm.

But his tightly furrowed brows did not relax.

Chen Jiale, standing at the door, was startled by Lin Beichen's tense and serious appearance. After a long pause, he swallowed hard and timidly looked at Lin Beichen, asking in a low voice, "Instructor, what's wrong? Are you going to... beat me up?"

When asked, Lin Beichen did not answer immediately, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully that he had stopped in time.

As Lin Beichen walked into the house, he asked, "What brings you here so late?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiale quickly lowered his head and raised the lunchbox he was carrying.

He trotted up to Lin Beichen, proudly waving the late-night snack in his hand like a prized possession, and said smugly, "Instructor, look what I brought you! How about that, am I being nice to you?"

But the food did not interest Lin Beichen. He only glanced at it briefly before walking straight past Chen Jiale and sitting back down on the bed.

Even so, Chen Jiale still noticed that Lin Beichen looked preoccupied.

Recalling the wary attitude of the other party when the door was opened, Chen Jiale forgot about sharing the food and quickly squatted down next to Lin Beichen, sitting down next to him.

Lin Beichen, whose thoughts were interrupted, looked at Chen Jiale, who had a concerned expression, and reluctantly said, "Just ask whatever you want to ask."

Chen Jiale immediately said, "I'm just wondering, why were you holding your fist up when you opened the door? Did you want to hit me, or... did something happen?"

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence.

Lin Beichen stared at him, still hesitating whether he should tell him the truth.

If he misjudges the situation, it might cause unnecessary trouble; but if he doesn't tell Chen Jiale, Lin Beichen is worried that he might encounter an accident while he is alone in the room.

After much deliberation, Lin Beichen decided to tell the whole story.

Seeing that Lin Beichen remained silent for a long time, Chen Jiale became anxious and couldn't help but urge, "Instructor, what are you thinking? You have to tell me what happened! And..."

Just as the other person was about to launch into a long-winded monologue, Lin Beichen impatiently looked up and interrupted, "Stop."

Chen Jiale obediently shut his mouth, but still muttered under his breath, "It was you who didn't say it, that's why I was so anxious to ask..."

Lin Beichen wouldn't hold a grudge against him for those few words, but said in a deep voice, "There's no news from Hao Jianhua, and they haven't contacted us either. I'm telling you this so you can be more careful."

"Be careful of what?" Chen Jiale opened his eyes wide, his face full of confusion.

Lin Beichen's face instantly darkened, and he even regretted bringing Chen Jiale along. "Be careful not to get kidnapped," Lin Beichen said coldly.

Whether it was his terrifying expression or the sinister tone in his words, Chen Jiale actually became nervous, looking around with a sense of dread, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Ever since returning from that nameless hut, Chen Jiale has felt uneasy, as if several pairs of eyes were watching him from the shadows.

Lin Beichen's sudden remark without explanation made him even more uneasy.

Seeing how frightened Chen Jiale was, Lin Beichen explained, "It's nothing, it's just that someone has been knocking on my door. So you must be vigilant and careful."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiale breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand dismissively: "I doubt he'd dare knock on my door! If I catch him, I'll beat him to a pulp!"

As Chen Jiale spoke, he gestured with his hands, and Lin Beichen silently shook his head.

However, this incident remained a shadow, deeply etched in Lin Beichen's mind.

After saying this, Chen Jiale hurriedly handed the late-night snack he had brought to Lin Beichen, excitedly saying, "Instructor, this is delicious! I didn't even eat it myself, I specially saved it for you!"

Lin Beichen had no interest in these kinds of snacks, but considering that Chen Jiale had specially prepared them, he couldn't refuse him, so he took one out and tried it in front of him.

Chen Jiale immediately leaned forward, appearing even more excited than Lin Beichen himself: "How is it? It tastes good, right?"

Lin Beichen nodded, and this simple gesture made Chen Jiale jump for joy, as if he had accomplished something extraordinary.

After finishing his late-night snack, Chen Jiale went back to his room alone, ignoring Lin Beichen's warning, and went straight to bed.

Just as his eyelids were drooping, there was another knock on the door.

At first, Chen Jiale thought it was noise from next door, but the sound continued, and he realized that it was knocking on his own door.

Disturbed by the noise, Chan Ka-lok covered his ears and yelled at the door, "Are you crazy?! Why are you knocking on the door in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the knocking stopped. Chen Jiale hugged the blanket tighter, ready to have a good night's sleep.

But before he could fall asleep, the knocking on the door started again.

The voice came again as if deliberately trying to provoke him, and Chen Jiale became furious, suddenly sitting up.

He irritably ruffled his hair to vent his frustration.

Unable to bear the knocking any longer, Chan Ka-lok picked up the phone and called the front desk.

"Hello, sir, how can I help you?" came the sweet voice from the receptionist.

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Jiale started cursing on the other end of the phone: "What's wrong with this lousy hotel! Can't a person get any sleep? There's been a constant knocking on the door, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

"Sir, we're so sorry for the inconvenience." the receptionist said quickly.

"Is an apology enough? Will it actually solve anything?" Chen Jiale was still furious.

"How about this, we'll send someone up to check right now, is that alright?" the receptionist asked cautiously.

Chen Jiale impatiently replied, "If you're going to investigate, then investigate quickly; if not, then forget it! Get this sorted out as soon as possible, or I'm going to file a complaint against you!"

After venting his anger, Chen Jiale slammed down the phone.

Chen Jiale completely forgot about the matter, and the knocking did indeed stop after he fell into a deep sleep...

But it didn't really stop; instead, it moved to Lin Beichen's room.

Lin Beichen, who was not sleepy at all, was going to investigate and find out the truth.

However, the knocking stopped abruptly, as if it were all just his own illusion.

But Lin Beichen never believed in such coincidences. After thinking it over and over, he could only come to one conclusion: perhaps the front desk staff had indeed led a team to inspect the area.

Even so, the knocking sound was like a thorn stuck in Lin Beichen's throat, and he could only feel at ease after pulling it out.

Therefore, early the next morning.

Chen Jiale was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door; the familiar and annoying knocking sound from yesterday had started again.

He thought it was that strange person again, but upon closer listening, he sensed something was different.

With messy hair and slippers, he opened the door wearily. Before he could even finish a long yawn, he saw Lin Beichen staring at him with a stern face.

Chen Jiale hurriedly shut his mouth halfway through his yawn.

He subconsciously straightened his clothes and asked with slight surprise, "Instructor, what brings you here so early?"

Judging from his sleepy appearance, he seemed to have completely forgotten about the knocking at the door last night.

In fact, he didn't remember much, and even if he did, he didn't take it to heart at all.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Beichen felt a surge of anger and coldly said, "Get ready, let's go to the front desk."

"What?" Chen Jiale's eyes widened in surprise, still not understanding the situation: "What are you going to the front desk for?"

Chen Jiale raised his hand and rubbed his hair. Although he asked a question, his movements were very efficient. He quickly went back into the house and put on his clothes.

In less than ten minutes, he was all ready and followed Lin Beichen to the front desk.

By this time, the front desk staff had already changed shifts, but they had heard about yesterday's events from their colleagues.

Upon seeing Lin Beichen approaching, they immediately went to greet him.

"You must be the customer who called last night to report the situation." The other party's attitude was fairly polite and respectful.

Perhaps because she was facing the aloof and outstanding Lin Beichen, the girl's cheeks flushed unnaturally, and her gaze towards him became somewhat shy.

Lin Beichen, who had never paid much attention to the opposite sex, naturally did not notice this.

He didn't even look at the other person directly, only asking indifferently, "Have you found the person who knocked on the door yesterday? Also, what results did you find from the surveillance footage?"

Lin Beichen's series of questions made the receptionist look embarrassed: "Um... it seems the surveillance footage has been deleted."

"Deleted?" Chen Jiale couldn't help but raise his voice.

Seeing his agitated attitude, the receptionist quickly added, "I only learned about this today when I took over the shift. If you would like to know more details, perhaps I could ask our manager to explain it to you."

She glanced at Lin Beichen somewhat nervously, but he simply waved his hand and said nothing more.

The receptionist hurriedly called the manager again, reported the whole incident again, and then hung up.

The manager arrived shortly afterward. He was wearing a dark suit, walked with a brisk pace, and looked very capable.

However, his usually smiling face darkened when he saw Lin Beichen, revealing a clear hint of impatience.

Lin Beichen didn't care about any of that; he was only focused on solving the problem. So, he patiently repeated what he had asked the receptionist earlier.

The other party's attitude was extremely arrogant: "The situation you described happened last night. I think the front desk has already informed you that the video has been deleted, so nothing can be found out."

"So what's your proposed solution? At least give us a reasonable explanation!" Lin Beichen retorted. (End of Chapter)