Chapter 3

After the heavy rain, the dawn's first light lifted the veil of night, casting a brilliant morning glow. Raindrops still clung to the leaves, dripping onto the small puddles by the roadside, making a crisp sound. Everything on the street was bathed in the soft morning light. The willows by the road hung their heads, gently accepting the morning shower; the tall poplars stood like strong young men stretching their arms; the grass, moist and green, exuded a faint, tranquil hue.

This city always wakes up too early. The dust from last night had yet to settle, and the dim streetlights, which seemed to still emit a yellowish glow, were actually reflecting the morning light. Few people would notice such a scene. The young white-collar workers who had moved to the city, wrapped in their windbreakers, waited for the bus at the street corner, their makeup impeccable but unable to hide the heavy fatigue on their faces.

Wu Potian slowly opened his eyes, looking at the familiar spider web on the ceiling. Suddenly, he jumped up in shock, thinking to himself, "I got third place!"

When Wu Potian sat down in front of the computer and pressed the power button, the old antique computer showed no response at all.

Smelling the pungent smell of burnt in the room, Wu Potian finally remembered what happened last night. His face changed as he clearly remembered being struck by lightning. He immediately walked to the mirror by the door.

Seeing his reflection in the mirror, Wu Potian's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth in shock, looking utterly incredulous.

The person in the mirror was no longer him. His clothes were torn into strips, hanging on his body. His once smooth hair stood up like small iron wires, making him look like a messy Super Saiyan.

Seeing the black bloodstains on his nose and ears, Wu Potian muttered to himself, "They say those who show off get struck by lightning, but I just got third place in the 'Super Divine Hands' championship. I didn't even have a chance to show off, and the heavens struck me with lightning, making me bleed from four orifices. Is this how you want me to live?"

Just as Wu Potian was feeling depressed, the ringtone of his old antique mobile phone, which only had a receiving function, suddenly sounded.

Hearing the ringtone, Wu Potian quickly picked up the phone and put it to his ear, ready to ask who it was, when a roar immediately came from the phone: "Wu Potian! You damn guy, why haven't you come to work yet? If you don't want to work, just get lost."

Hearing the familiar roar, Wu Potian's face changed again. Without checking the time, he hurriedly explained, "Director! The weather has been unpredictable lately, and I accidentally caught a cold yesterday. I took some cold medicine before bed and ended up oversleeping."

"Wu Potian! Do you think I'm a three-year-old kid? In such hot weather, not getting heatstroke is already good enough, and you say you caught a cold? If you're going to make an excuse, at least make one that people can believe. Are you an idiot, or do you think I'm an idiot?" Before Wu Potian could finish speaking, another deafening roar came from the phone, making his eardrums buzz.

Hearing the angry scolding, Wu Potian quickly replied, "Boss! I'm on my way right now."

Hearing the busy signal from the phone, Wu Potian quickly took off his clothes, which had turned into strips, and muttered to himself, "The evil Zhou Bapi! Always thinking about how to exploit me, this good young man. If you fire me, where will you find an employee like me who works hard for such a low salary? I'll check the 'Super Divine Hands' results tonight. If I'm in the top ten, I'll quit and see who you'll exploit then."

While changing his clothes, Wu Potian looked at his unresponsive computer and muttered, "The damn landlord! Bought fake and substandard wires, not only burned my computer but also got me struck by lightning!"

After a quick wash, Wu Potian rushed out of his rental apartment, as usual, listening to the song 'Yanjing' that his neighbor played every day, which described the life of the young people who had moved to the city. He quickly jumped onto his old BMW and sped off to work.

"Crack, crack" Wu Potian, drenched in sweat, pedaled his old BMW, with sweat beads rolling down his pale cheeks. Suddenly, a voice sounded in his head: "Biological energy detected, intelligent auxiliary system starting to charge, energy at one percent."

Hearing this unfamiliar voice, Wu Potian immediately turned his head to look around. Seeing no one but the constant flow of traffic, he felt very puzzled. However, he was in a hurry to go to work and didn't pay much attention to it.

The bicycle sped down the road, and the unfamiliar voice sounded again in Wu Potian's head: "Intelligent auxiliary system starting to charge, energy at two percent."

Hearing the strange voice again, Wu Potian stopped the bicycle and looked around in fear. Seeing only the busy crowd and the constant flow of traffic, he felt very depressed and muttered to himself, "Is this a side effect of being struck by lightning last night?"

The voice continued to sound in Wu Potian's head as he rode, but he didn't stop to investigate. Instead, he attributed it to a side effect of the lightning strike and hurried to the emergency department of Yanjing People's Hospital.

"Potian! Why are you suddenly late today? Do you know that one of Zhou Bapi's relatives was in a car accident last night and was brought to the emergency department? Zhou Bapi came early this morning to visit his relative and saw that you weren't at work, so he had a big fit in the hallway." After changing his clothes and taking his cleaning tools, Wu Potian walked to the emergency department corridor, where a colleague immediately approached him and cautiously told him what had happened in the morning.

When Wu Potian received the call in the morning, he was puzzled. Zhou Bapi never came to work so early, and even if he did, he wouldn't come to the emergency department. It was the first time he had been late, and he was caught by Zhou Bapi, which made him wonder if he was cursed. First, he was struck by lightning, and then he was caught red-handed.

As Wu Potian was thinking about whether he should go to a temple in the suburbs after work to pray for a talisman for safety, the door to the emergency room suddenly opened, and a wailing cry came from inside: "Dad! Wake up!"

"Grandpa! You said you would see me get married! How can you go back on your word? Grandpa! Wake up!"

"Xiao Wu! Put your work aside for a moment. After the family of the patient in the emergency room calms down, help them take the deceased to the morgue."

To survive in Yanjing, Wu Potian, in addition to his cleaning duties in the emergency department, also took on the job of transporting the deceased, which many people in the hospital were unwilling to do. The familiar voice behind him made Wu Potian even more convinced that he was cursed, otherwise, he wouldn't have encountered such a situation on his first day back to work.

Thinking about the series of events, Wu Potian felt very depressed and decided to go to a temple after work to pray for the Buddha's protection.

Wu Potian walked into the emergency room and saw a group of people gathered around the emergency bed. A young woman in her early twenties was sobbing over the deceased, her tears like a drizzle, making anyone who saw her feel heart-wrenched, even wishing to comfort her.

However, this was just Wu Potian's thought. Having worked at the People's Hospital for three years, he was used to such scenes. He stood aside, watching for a while. When the family's emotions gradually calmed down, he walked to the emergency bed and comforted the still sobbing young woman, "Miss! The dead cannot come back to life. Let the old man rest in peace."