"No need!"
Ye Feng shook his head gently. "We're very safe inside this Hummer. It's like a Faraday cage. Even if lightning strikes the roof directly, it won't get inside to electrocute us!"
"Besides, I've never seen a lightning storm up close… It looks quite spectacular…"
Ye Feng, who enjoyed adventure, looked forward with anticipation at the natural spectacle in the distance.
"Oh, okay~!"
Xiao Xiao nodded and started the car, driving forward at a moderate pace.
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
The Hummer hadn't traveled far when, as it passed a patch of grass more than two meters high, loud roars came from both sides of the vehicle.
"Bang!~ Bang~"
Immediately after, two enormous figures leaped out of the grass at an incredible speed, slamming into the Hummer's body in an instant with a dull thud.
The Hummer, caught off guard, veered off course and skidded for a considerable distance before crashing into a tree and coming to a halt.
"Ding~ Detected Grassland Twin-tailed Tiger, distance 5 meters!"
"Grassland Twin-tailed Tiger: A fierce beast of the grasslands, adept at stealth and hunting, with high aggression!"
At this moment, the system's prompt sounded.
"Roar~ Roar!~"
Almost simultaneously, two high-pitched roars came from behind the Hummer – two large tigers with two tails and striped fur.
"Big Brother, let me!"
Just as Ye Feng was about to get out to deal with the two Grassland Twin-tailed Tigers, Xiao Xiao's eager voice rang out.
As she spoke, Xiao Xiao had already opened the car door and charged towards the two tigers.
In her hand, she held a gleaming silver longsword – Angel's Blade, the King's Decree, which Ye Feng had just given her the night before.
Xiao Xiao gripped Wang Ming tightly, a look of excitement on her face, as if impatient to test its power…
"Roar! Bang!~"
"Screech~ Roar~ Whoosh~"
"Bang!"
…………
After a flurry of sounds, the two Grassland Twin-tailed Tigers lay still on the ground, lifeless. Xiao Xiao, holding Wang Ming, quickly ran back.
Her face was lit up with an excited smile, clearly pleased with Wang Ming!
"These Grassland Twin-tailed Tigers are quite powerful… They dented the Hummer's door frame and almost overturned the car…"
Ye Feng got out to inspect the vehicle. After confirming that the Hummer was not seriously damaged, he and Xiao Xiao continued to advance in the direction indicated by the arcane compass.
…………
"Rumble~ Rumble!~"
"Crackle! Sizzle!~ Sizzle~"
"Rumble!~"
Soon, Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao reached the lightning storm area they had seen earlier.
From a distance, it had been manageable, but now, up close, the thunder was deafening. Lightning bolts continuously descended from high above, illuminating the entire area with a dazzling display, creating a truly awe-inspiring scene…
"This weather is rather absurd~"
Ye Feng stepped out of the Hummer and scanned his surroundings, looking quite surprised.
Despite being less than 10 meters away from the storm, there were no thunderclouds above, nor were there any lightning strikes reaching this immediate vicinity. The countless, wild lightning bolts were all concentrated in a specific area…
"Crackle~ Rumble!~"
A flash of lightning struck a large tree not far in front of the Hummer, instantly splitting it in two and setting it ablaze…
Seeing this, Xiao Xiao, standing beside Ye Feng, couldn't help but look worried. "Big Brother, are we really going to drive through here?"
"Don't worry, Xiao Xiao. As long as we stay inside the car and don't wander off, we won't be struck by lightning!"
Ye Feng, familiar with the principles of a Faraday cage, wasn't particularly concerned.
"Alright then!~"
Despite her apprehension, Xiao Xiao chose to trust Ye Feng.
Soon, Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao were back in the Hummer, slowly driving into the lightning storm zone…
…………
In the distance,
In a pickup truck,
A burly man with a shotgun slung across his back was observing Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao's Hummer through a large pair of binoculars.
"Are those two crazy? Planning to drive straight into the lightning storm?"
The burly man mumbled to himself as he adjusted the focus of his binoculars.
"Shotgun Brother, they're probably new explorers, right?"
"Exactly. And they probably haven't heard of this lightning storm area before! There's more than just ordinary lightning in there!"
"Newcomers… They're incredibly lucky to have something like a Hummer!"
"Newcomers my foot! Do you guys have eyes on your butts? That little girl just took down two Grassland Twin-tailed Tigers with ease…"
"Boss… Boss, we don't have high-powered binoculars… And the grass is so tall there…"
…………
Within the lightning storm zone,
"Rumble~ Rumble~!"
"Sizzle~ Crackle!~"
"Rumble!~"
…………
The entire lightning storm area was filled with deafening thunder. Countless lightning bolts descended from the sky, their power truly terrifying…
Xiao Xiao watched the lightning flash around them with a nervous expression, while Ye Feng, in the driver's seat, observed the electrical display with keen interest.
"It's truly magnificent… My first time seeing lightning fall from such close proximity!"
Ye Feng deliberately slowed down, watching the crackling bolts of lightning through the car window.
"Crackle!~"
Suddenly, with a flash of light, an unusually loud thunderclap sounded directly above Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao. The entire Hummer was instantly engulfed by countless flickering electrical arcs as several lightning bolts struck the roof in rapid succession!
"Ah!"
Xiao Xiao shrieked in alarm, shrinking back into the leather seat, terrified of being electrocuted.
"Xiao Xiao, it's alright. The lightning just passes quickly over the car and then goes into the ground!"
Ye Feng turned and gently patted Xiao Xiao's slightly pale face, explaining in the simplest terms he could.
"Oh… Oh~!"
Once Xiao Xiao was sure the lightning wouldn't enter the Hummer, her expression gradually relaxed. Her attention was drawn to the incredibly impressive storm raging around them, and she eventually took out her pen and drawing paper to capture the scene…
"Crackle~"
Suddenly, a flash of lightning, significantly brighter than all the others, tore across the sky ahead.
This bolt of lightning was so intense that both Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao squinted.
Furthermore, after this lightning strike, the thunderclouds in the sky began to split into two halves along the path of the lightning, making it look as though the sky itself had been cleaved open.
"Crackle!~"
"Rumble~ Rumble~"
"Sizzle~ Crackle!~"
……….
Following this, the split in the thunderclouds pulsed with blinding light, followed by a series of deafening thunderclaps.
"Big Brother, what's that? A ball?"
At this point, Xiao Xiao pointed at the sky ahead with a puzzled expression, specifically at the area where the lightning had split the thunderclouds.
……….