White armor

Chapter 771 Summoning Heavenly Thunder

A tense silence fell over the Peugeot 307.

Only the dull sound of raindrops hitting the roof and the faint sound of airflow from the air conditioning vents could be heard.

Luo Hao's hands were firmly on the steering wheel, his fingers occasionally tapping lightly on it, as if he were lost in thought.

The low growl of the modified engine was particularly clear on the winding mountain road.

Dr. Geng looked out at the dark mountain shadows through the fogged car window. Rainwater meandered down the glass, refracting the distant streetlights into distorted spots of light.

His eyes behind his glasses would occasionally glance at the center console, where the faint electrical hum of "Xiao Meng" processing data could be heard from time to time.

Chen Yong sat in the passenger seat, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee.

He stared at the slippery road ahead, illuminated by the car headlights, the windshield wipers swaying rhythmically like some kind of eerie timer. In the rearview mirror, the broken cable had long since disappeared into the rain, but the premonition of danger lingered.

The mountain road grew steeper, and the 307's modified suspension system made every curve exceptionally clear. Water splashed against the chassis as the tires drove over puddles, making a slapping sound. Luo Hao's brow remained furrowed, his gaze constantly scanning the rearview mirror and the road ahead.

“We’re still 3.2 kilometers from our destination.” Xiao Meng’s voice suddenly broke the silence, sounding particularly abrupt in the enclosed space.

None of the three responded; only the sound of rain continued to fill the eerie journey along the mountain road. Occasionally, the car headlights illuminated the roadside warning signs, their reflective film flashing a dangerous red light in the rain.

The outline of the Funiu Mountains loomed in the rainy night, like a lurking beast. 307, like a moving metal cocoon, carried the three of them deeper into the darkness.

Was it an accident?

Dr. Geng suddenly asked.

Luo Hao hesitated for a moment, then asked in return, "Have you published any papers on the topic of lightning attraction?"

"not yet."

"Then it's not aimed at you, it's aimed at me."

"!!!"

Chen Yong frowned. "Luo Hao, was it an accident?"

"I don't think so, it's too much of a coincidence. If I hadn't installed drone headlights on my car, I wouldn't be able to see clearly. I would have gotten out to check, and the moment I opened the door and stepped on the ground, the lights would have gone out."

Luo Hao paused for a moment as he spoke.

"A paste in a physical sense."

Chen Yong's neck hairs stood on end. He knew very well that by sheer chance, if it weren't for Luo Hao being such a scoundrel, he would probably be undergoing CPR right now, barely being dragged to the hospital, his ribs broken and unable to be put back in place.

What a deal!

"Dr. Luo, is the medical application of AI you're working on really that risky?" Dr. Geng asked.

"It was fine at first, but I'm also doing research on coronary artery disease and diabetes."

"I know about research into curing diabetes. Have you made a breakthrough in that area?"

Luo Hao remained silent and did not answer Dr. Geng's question.

Dr. Geng knew there were some things he couldn't say, so he subconsciously turned his head to look out the window.

In the rain, several gray-blue hexacopter drones flew low over the roof of vehicle 307, with bulging waterproof nylon supply bags hanging from their bellies, steadily flying towards the depths of the Funiu Mountains in the gale.

He stared wide-eyed at the scene.

Although there is no technical difficulty, a Taoist temple on the outskirts of the provincial capital has already started using this technology.
This was something Dr. Geng hadn't expected.

The lead drone suddenly swooped down, deftly avoiding a tree branch broken by the wind. Faded yellow cloth strips were tied to its landing gear, fluttering in the rain—clearly homemade windproof markers from the Taoist temple.

The two planes behind maintained a precise triangular formation, with the outlines of vegetable baskets and the reflections of buckets of spring water visible through the cargo net.

"Fully autonomous flight!" Dr. Geng exclaimed, pressing his face against the car window.

Suddenly, the lead drone hovered above a crooked-necked pine tree on the edge of the cliff, released its mechanical claw, and precisely tossed the supply bag into a wicker basket nestled among the branches. The other two drones continued flying towards the Taoist temple higher up, the wind chimes on the eaves tinkling ethereally in the airflow from their rotors.

Chen Yong noticed that these drones had all been modified—the original GPS antennas were coated with something, and the rotor motors were covered with waterproof bamboo tubes, making them look like a group of mechanical albatrosses.

Even more unbelievable is that one of them suddenly landed on the hood of the 307 to rest.

"Will other guests do the same?" Dr. Geng asked in surprise, as the drone's actions were not a good idea.

"No, it's greeting me. I reckon Chen Yong's suggestion is involved," Luo Hao replied with a smile.

Chen Yong laughed heartily and nodded.

"Wouldn't it be better to deliver the goods up the mountain by car?" Dr. Geng asked.

“The mountain road was built more than ten years ago. Now that the economy is not good, if we rely on the provincial and municipal governments to allocate funds for road repair, we are afraid we will not be able to wait for thirty years,” Chen Yong explained. “The Funiu Mountains may not look high, but the altitude is more than 900 meters. Even if large trucks can barely make it up, they will ruin the road in a few months.”

"Moreover, there are still hundreds of steps at the end that we can't climb, and we have to rely on manpower. Rather than having to switch hands halfway through, it would be better to use drones to fly the whole way."

So that's how it is. Dr. Geng didn't know the specific details, but the drone that landed smoothly on the roof of the moving vehicle did not cause any damage to the vehicle. Fully autonomous flight has evolved to this level.

It is truly amazing.

We went up the mountain and parked in a small parking lot. There was a new campsite next to it, and we could see two tents with lights still on in the rain.

They huddled together on the edge of the cliff like two drenched wild animals.

The first tent was a dark green mountaineering style. The canvas became even darker after being soaked by rain, and the taut waterproof coating on the surface gleamed with an oily sheen under the car headlights.

The tent's zippered door was half-open, letting in a warm yellow light that blurred in the rain, like a hazy amber.

A figure could be vaguely seen sitting at the entrance of the tent, holding something in his hands. Steam rose from the cup, only to be torn apart by the wind and rain.

The second tent was smaller, its bright orange nylon fabric standing out starkly against the gray rain, like a flickering ember that refused to go out.

The tent poles swayed slightly in the wind, and rainwater slid down their curves, accumulating into intermittent curtains of water at the edges.

A cool white LED light shone inside the tent, casting the shadow of a person on the tent fabric—the person seemed to be fiddling with some equipment, their outline sometimes clear and sometimes blurry.

The sound of rain pattering on the tent was muffled, like distant drumbeats. Occasionally, a mountain breeze would sweep by, and the tent would shake violently, making a "whoosh whoosh" sound, as if it were about to be uprooted at any moment.

The muddy ground around the tent was covered with messy footprints, and there were a few branches that had been softened by the rain, winding through the soil like black veins.

Further away, the campfire pit at the campsite had long been filled with rainwater, leaving only a ring of wet stones and a few pieces of charcoal that had turned black from the rain.

"What is this?" Luo Hao was taken aback.

"Don't even mention it." Chen Yong sighed helplessly. "It's summer now, and lots of people come to burn incense, and then they go out for a barbecue as soon as they leave the mountain."

"Uh, this is a pine forest, isn't it?" Luo Hao said in surprise.

"Yes, in the past, Master Qi would scare people away by hitting and scolding them. But Master Qi isn't a landlord; he doesn't have that right. Did you know that the pine forest next door caught fire last year?"

"Because of barbecue?"

"Yes, before the rainy season, the area around the forest was full of pine needles. If a spark landed there, a big fire would start right away."

Pine needles are rich in oil and are flammable. Luo Hao just didn't expect that someone would do this in the forest just to find a place to barbecue.

If it were a deserted place, it wouldn't be so bad, but this is a tourist area, and there are always some people who don't know their place.

"Master Qi originally wanted to close the Taoist temple because of this, but the tourism bureau disagreed, saying that Funiu Mountain is already a must-visit place in the travel guides of tourists from the south."

"Hahahaha." Luo Hao laughed heartily.

"So we set aside an open space for camping and barbecuing, but you need to make a reservation in advance," Chen Yong explained. "Being closer to the Sanqing Temple also allows you to comprehend the Dao of Heaven."

"What a load of rubbish about the Heavenly Dao! This is just a vacation," Luo Hao thought to himself.

However, it's interesting that Master Qi has been trying to close the Taoist temple, but the relevant provincial and municipal authorities won't allow it.

After parking the car, the three of them went up the mountain with umbrellas.

"Bang bang bang~"

Inside the Taoist temple, several people were nailing something to the eaves.

"Master Qi," Luo Hao greeted.

Master Qi turned around and saw Luo Hao and Chen Yong coming over, so he quickly went out to greet them.

"Master Qi, what are you doing?"

"Don't even mention it." Master Qi pointed to two swallows on the other side of the eaves. "They're a couple, and their nest keeps collapsing. Every time it collapses, the couple stands on the power line and argues. It's so annoying."

Luo Hao looked at the two swallows.

The two swallows perched on the power line in the corner of the house, their feathers soaked by the rain, looking quite disheveled. The male swallow was cautiously moving closer to the female, its wings slightly spread, as if trying to shield her from the rain, yet not daring to get too close.

The mother swallow suddenly turned her head, her black bean-like eyes wide open, and her wings flapped with a "smack," splashing up a few drops of water; she was clearly throwing a tantrum.

The male swallow immediately shrank its neck and made a weak "chirp" sound, as if admitting its mistake.

It lowered its head, picked up a blade of grass softened by the rain, and offered it to the mother swallow ingratiatingly—it was the material they had used to build their nest, now dangling wetly from its beak, looking both pitiful and comical.

The mother swallow didn't even look at it, but instead hopped two steps to the side, deliberately creating distance.

The male swallow panicked and fluttered its wings to chase after it, but it slipped and almost fell off the power line. It hurriedly flapped its wings a few times to steady itself, its feathers all ruffled, making it look like a fluffy ball.

This disheveled appearance finally made the mother swallow relent. She glanced at the male swallow sideways and made a disgruntled "coo-coo" sound, but at least she didn't run away again.

The male swallow immediately seized the opportunity, carefully using its beak to preen her rain-soaked back feathers, its movements incredibly gentle. Under the eaves, Luo Hao's lips twitched: "...This male swallow, it's quite good at coaxing. Chen Yong, did it learn that from you?"

Master Qi snorted, "He always does this when his house collapses, so pathetic." But there was a hint of amusement in the old master's eyes.

"Me? Go and coax people?" Chen Yong glanced at Luo Hao with disdain.

Seeing that Chen Yong was about to show off, Luo Hao stopped talking about the topic and instead asked Master Qi.

"Master Qi, what's going on?"

"These two don't know how to build a nest, so I'll make one for them to stop them from always fighting."

As Master Qi watched his disciples help the swallows build their nest, he slowly remarked, "There's an old saying that swallows don't enter the homes of wicked people. Since these two little fellows come to my dilapidated temple to build their nest every year, it means this place is relatively peaceful."

He spoke with a hint of smugness: "Look at how selective they are about their location—it has to be under the eaves, to shelter from the wind and rain, and close to people, but not too close. Swallows are very clever; they know exactly which households are not harmonious, which are noisy, and they would never settle there."

The old Taoist priest glanced up at the pair of swallows and snorted, "These two are just too clumsy; their nests always collapse. According to the old folks, if a swallow's nest collapses on its own, it means bad luck for the owner. But they're just bad at building it, which makes the worshippers suspicious, and I have to explain it to them."

He chuckled. "So, I just made them something ready-made. Anyway, 'when the swallows come, good luck follows,' so whether they're homemade or ready-made, it's good that they're staying in the temple."

As he spoke, Master Qi suddenly lowered his voice: "I heard from my master that before Liberation, a wealthy man named Li at the foot of the mountain insisted on inviting swallows to his house. Guess what happened? The swallows circled his roof beam three times, then flew away without even picking up a blade of grass. Less than half a year later, Li got into trouble with the law."

He stroked his beard meaningfully, and said with an air of sage wisdom, "These birds understand more than people."

If Luo Hao hadn't known Master Qi's character, he might have believed it.

"Old Qi, let's go, let's go check out the lightning trap on the back mountain." Chen Yong's appetite was whetted.

"Young Master Chen, do you think heavenly lightning can be summoned?" Master Qi asked with some doubt.

"Yes!" Chen Yong gave Master Qi a positive answer, just like a scumbag.

The group arrived at the back mountain. Luo Hao was very curious. If this thing could become real, he couldn't say exactly what it would be used for, but just thinking about it made him feel that it would be very useful.

However, the location for attracting lightning was not on the back mountain, so Master Qi got on his electric scooter.

"Where?"

“There’s an extremely yin place in the mountains,” Chen Yong explained. “Legend has it that a powerful being suppressed some evil spirit there.”

"Stop talking nonsense and get down to business," Luo Hao said.

Despite the torrential rain, Luo Hao's mood was not damp; on the contrary, it was rather agitated.

“There’s a patch of land in the mountains that keeps getting struck by lightning. There are many possible explanations, and they can be explained scientifically,” Chen Yong said in plain language.

"High-altitude terrain: Areas with higher elevations, such as mountain peaks, cliffs, and isolated highlands, are more likely to be prioritized targets for lightning strikes. Lightning tends to choose the shortest path to discharge, and objects at higher elevations are closer to the clouds, resulting in a stronger electric field."

Valley wind system: Uneven heating during the day in mountainous areas causes warm air to rise along the slopes, forming convective clouds and increasing the probability of thunderstorms. If the location happens to be at an airflow convergence point, thunderstorm activity will be even more frequent.

Dr. Geng explained.

"Dr. Geng, what do you think is going on?" Luo Hao asked.

"I think there are metal mines underground in that area, such as iron or copper mines, or highly saline groundwater. The soil resistivity is low, so lightning is more likely to be attracted there."

Another factor is the difference in rock type. Hard rocks such as granite have high resistivity, while clay or mineral-rich soils have low resistivity, and lightning tends to dissipate along low-resistivity paths.

"Oh." Luo Hao nodded.

“That mountain area is barren for several kilometers around, all carved out by lightning over thousands of years,” Chen Yong said.

Luo Hao pondered it carefully, and to be honest, it really did have the feel of a heavenly tribulation.

However, Dr. Geng has already provided an explanation, and this thing can be explained using scientific theories.

The group braved the rain and rode electric scooters to a cliff platform on the back of Funiu Mountain.

A peculiar metallic smell permeated the air—it was ozone molecules floating in the air before the storm.

Thick thunderstorm clouds churned overhead, their bases a strange leaden gray, occasionally punctuated by flashes of dark purple lightning.

Looking out, there are bare mountains in the distance, just as Chen Yong said, there is not even a blade of grass within a few kilometers, a desolate scene.

At the top of the mountain stands a three-meter-high metal tower, its entire body made of special steel, with a surface covered with fine anti-oxidation textures.

The sharp lightning rod at the top of the tower gleamed coldly in the dim light, and eight thumb-thick copper cables radiated outwards, deeply embedded in the damp mountain rocks. These copper cables were secured with ceramic insulators every half meter, shimmering with a dark orange luster in the rain.

Next to the tower base is a strangely shaped six-rotor drone, its fuselage noticeably larger than that of civilian models.

Its frame is made of military-grade carbon fiber composite material, and its surface is coated with a special conductive coating that gives off a unique deep blue reflection when illuminated by lightning.

Luo Hao noticed the device hanging under the belly of the drone—a miniature rocket about 40 centimeters long, with a high-temperature resistant ceramic shell covering the body and silver-plated copper wires thinner than a hair wrapped around its tail. These metal wires were precisely wound on a miniature spool.

"It?" Luo Hao asked.

“Yes, normally rockets are used to trigger mines, but rockets are not very controllable. Dr. Geng is better,” Dr. Geng said. “This is an experiment… If it weren’t for Dr. Chen’s interest, I really wouldn’t have been able to find a suitable place to conduct the experiment.”

Indeed, the two of them were quite in sync; one was researching a dangerous topic, while the other was preoccupied with the troublesome matter of facing tribulation in the future.

In truth, Luo Hao didn't believe that Chen Yong was really going to undergo tribulation, but as long as it wouldn't cause a forest fire, he was fine with Chen Yong causing trouble.

Dr. Geng was squatting next to the equipment box, checking the final parameters.

He swiped his finger across the tablet, the screen displaying real-time atmospheric electric field data. "The electric field strength has already exceeded 15 kV/m,"

Dr. Geng looked up at the overcast sky. "The potential difference at the cloud base is enough to trigger an artificial lightning strike."

Soon, the conditions were met.

Under remote control, the drone suddenly emitted a slight buzzing sound, and its six waterproof carbon fiber propellers started simultaneously, stirring up a fine mist of water in the humid air.

The LED indicator lights on both sides of the fuselage changed from green to red, indicating that the system had completed its self-check. The safety pin at the tail of the rocket automatically popped open, revealing the sophisticated ignition device inside.

Master Qi stroked his white beard, ruffled by the mountain wind, and squinted at the rolling clouds: "The time has come."

The strong wind lifted the hem of his Taoist robe, revealing unexpectedly modern anti-static leg wraps underneath. Just as he finished speaking, a deep rumble of thunder came from the depths of the clouds, as if in response to his call.

The air behind Funiu Mountain seemed to freeze.

Dr. Geng's fingertip hovered above the control panel, and the electronic buzzer emitted a rapid "beep beep" sound, indicating that the reading of the atmospheric electric field meter had exceeded the critical value.

He pressed the red button hard with his thumb.

In the distance, the miniature rockets on the belly of the drone ignited instantly, spewing out a stream of incandescent plasma from their tails.

A 0.2-millimeter silver-plated copper wire was rapidly drawn from the spool, leaving a gleaming silver line in the rain. The rocket pierced the clouds at a near-vertical angle, the trailing copper wire trembling slightly in the strong wind, like a spider's web leading to heaven.

At an altitude of 300 meters, a sudden change occurred.

Suddenly, an eerie purple light burst forth from the tip of the copper wire, and countless free electrons leaped wildly in the strong electric field.

Luo Hao squinted and looked closely; the tiny silver snakes looked so flamboyant.

Although it had nothing to do with the specified time and place Chen Yong mentioned, Luo Hao considered many other possibilities.

This man-made passage is like opening a floodgate—a torrent of negative charges accumulated in the clouds suddenly pours down, rushing down the "staircase" constructed of copper wires.

At the same time, the upward surge generated by the metal spire, like a silver snake, raised its head to meet the attack, and the two energies collided violently at a height of about 150 meters above the ground.

The world was instantly bathed in white light.

That lightning bolt was straighter and more violent than any naturally occurring one.

A blinding blue-white plasma column pierced the sky and the earth, and the copper wire instantly vaporized at a temperature of 10,000 degrees Celsius, turning into a ball of expanding metallic plasma.

The thunder wasn't the usual rumble, but a deafening roar like a ten-thousand-ton hammer striking a steel plate, making one's internal organs tremble.

The metal tower was so bright upon impact that it was impossible to look directly at it, and the anti-oxidation coating on the tower peeled off with a crackling sound.

The eight grounding copper cables transformed into eight glowing fire dragons, their surfaces crackling with eerie blue electrical halos. The soil around the tower base suddenly bulged, and dozens of worm-like discharge marks exploded on the surface—the escape currents searching for a path with lower resistance.

Dr. Geng's protective goggles dimmed automatically, but the bright light still made his eyes water. The monitoring screen in front of him flickered wildly.
Peak current: 32.7kA

[Retaliation duration: 73μs]

Core temperature: 29700K

A strange smell filled the air—the acrid odor of ozone mixed with the metallic smell of ionized nitrogen, and the burnt smell of soil from electrolysis.

The drone wreckage fell twenty meters away, emitting blue smoke. The carbon fiber frame remained intact, but all the electronic components had melted into a clump.

"Beautiful!" Chen Yong poked his head out from behind cover, the cooling fan of his high-speed camera spinning wildly. "Dr. Geng, we've captured the entire process of the cascaded leader fractal development!"

Master Qi, however, stared at the still-reddening metal tower. Chen Yong beamed, "Luo Hao, look closely, there's a second discharge!"

Sure enough, several more arcs of electricity suddenly burst out from the tower, like embers that refused to be extinguished.

Dr. Geng wiped the raindrops off his glasses. The readings showed that the lightning strike released energy equivalent to 120 kilograms of TNT.

He looked toward the direction of the Taoist temple—the shadows of the entire mountain forest had been imprinted on his retina during the flash of light, and now those shadows were slowly fading away with the persistence of vision.

"Oh? It actually looks quite plausible," Luo Hao said. "With another thousand or eight hundred trials, we should be able to achieve the specified time and location you mentioned."

Chen Yong seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in Luo Hao's words and laughed loudly.

(End of this chapter)