Chapter 4: Absorbing Lightning Energy

He opened his phone and began searching online.

Qin Hao's current goal was clear: he needed a relatively independent place where he could use electricity freely and wouldn't be easily disturbed by outsiders.

"Small warehouse for rent?"

"Factory space for sublet?"

"Abandoned courtyard in the suburbs?"

One piece of information after another flashed before his eyes; after screening for half a day, none met his requirements.

Just as he was deeply troubled and lost in thought,

"Boom——!"

A thunderclap that shook heaven and earth suddenly exploded outside the window, making the window glass buzz.

Qin Hao jumped in fright, instinctively shrank his neck, and hurried to the window to look outside.

He saw that the sky, which had been fairly clear moments before, was now covered in dark clouds, a heavy black expanse, as if doomsday had arrived.

The wind howled, kicking up dust and paper scraps from the ground.

Jagged, ferocious lightning bolts occasionally tore through the gloomy sky, darting among the clouds, accompanied by deafening thunder.

"Damn, the weather changes just like that!" Qin Hao clicked his tongue, watching the scene of lightning and thunder outside.

It was obvious that it was going to rain.

Suddenly, an extraordinarily thick bolt of lightning, like a writhing silver snake, illuminated half the sky.

Qin Hao's gaze suddenly focused, as if a bolt of lightning had also struck in his mind.

"Lightning... isn't that the purest, most massive form of electrical energy?"

A crazy idea surged up from his heart uncontrollably.

The system had indicated that Energy Points could be replenished by contacting a power source. So, could lightning be considered a super-large "power source"?

As soon as this idea appeared, it was like a spark that starts a prairie fire, instantly igniting all of Qin Hao's thoughts.

He had seen some popular science online before; the energy contained in an ordinary bolt of lightning could reach hundreds of millions, even up to hundreds of billions of joules,

when converted to electrical energy, that equals several thousand to tens of thousands of degrees.

If he could attract that energy, wouldn't he just take off?

Moreover, this thing... is free! And he wouldn't have to worry about checking the electric meter!

"Let's go for it!"

A hint of determination flashed in Qin Hao's eyes.

He immediately began rummaging through the cramped rental unit.

Soon he found a thin iron rod, a little over a meter long and somewhat rusted, that the landlord had left there, and he also removed a segment of wire with a plug from an old power strip.

He stripped the copper wire at one end of the cable and tightly wrapped it around the top of the iron rod; he cut off the plug at the other end, likewise exposing the copper wire inside.

"Hope it works!" Qin Hao looked at the makeshift "Lightning Rod," feeling a bit nervous.

This thing looks unreliable no matter how you look at it.

He took a deep breath, put on a raincoat, held the iron rod in one hand and gripped the other end of the wire in the other, then cautiously opened the door,

seeing no one noticing, he immediately headed for the rooftop.

Buildings in the urban village are generally low; the building he lives in is only six stories high. The rooftop platform has just a few metal racks, normally used for drying clothes.

At that moment, a torrential downpour had begun, accompanied by gale-force winds; the heavy rain struck Qin Hao's face in sheets, making it hard for him to keep his eyes open.

He wiped the rain from his face, chose a relatively open spot, and raised the iron rod, hoping to draw lightning.

Looking at the exposed wire in his hand, Qin Hao's heart pounded "thump-thump," and sweat broke out on his palms.

He knew it was dangerous; a moment's carelessness could see him struck by lightning and turned to charcoal. But he had no alternative.

"Damn it, for the energy, for the future, I'm going all in today! If I die, I die—still better than spending a lifetime tightening screws!"

Qin Hao gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and wrapped the copper core of the wire in his hand around his right hand, which was trembling from nervousness.

He was betting, betting that the system could absorb all the energy from the lightning!

Time passed second by second, each second feeling as long as an eternity.

The clouds sank lower, and the air was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Crack——Boom boom boom!"

Another bolt of lightning exploded not far away, the blinding white light flashing and causing Qin Hao's eyes to sting.

He nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva; the sweat on his palms mixed with the rain, becoming sticky.

Just as he was about to give up, preparing to withdraw—

"Boom-crack!!!"

A huge, ghastly white, blinding bolt of lightning, like the whip of an angry god, tore through the heavens, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth, and struck the raised iron rod with pinpoint accuracy!

"My life is over!"

Qin Hao only had time for that thought to flash through his mind before he instinctively closed his eyes.

The anticipated excruciating pain and numbness did not come.

Instead, in his mind, the system's alert sounded like popping beans:

【Warning! Ultra-high-intensity energy influx detected! System automatically activates high-power absorption mode!】

【Energy conversion in progress……energy conversion in progress……】

Qin Hao only felt an indescribable suction coming from the palm of his hand gripping the wire,

as if the iron rod were connected not to the sky but to a bottomless black hole, frantically devouring the lightning's power.

That power flowed along the wire into his body, but was instantly redirected by an even more strange force into an unknown dimension, causing him no harm whatsoever.

The entire process lasted only a brief two seconds.

When everything settled, Qin Hao trembled as he opened his eyes.

He was still alive!

He lowered his head to look at his hand, which was unharmed, just a little pale from excessive tension.

He then lifted his head to look at that iron rod, whose tip had already been blackened by electricity.

"I... I really am okay?" Qin Hao panted, rainwater streaming down his cheeks, indistinguishable whether it was rain or sweat.

He hurriedly called out to the system in his mind.

The virtual panel popped up instantly.

Ignoring other information, he looked directly at the energy column.

【Remaining energy reserve: 3452 points】

"Three... three thousand four hundred fifty-two points!"

Upon seeing this number, Qin Hao's breathing grew a bit ragged, his eyes wide open.

Before, he had painstakingly charged his fingers into an outlet, taking five to six minutes to gain 100 points, but that bolt of lightning just now, in just a few seconds, directly surged by over three thousand points!

380 points of energy were enough for him to duplicate a golden bracelet; these several thousand points... were enough to duplicate nearly nine!

"Hahaha! Success! I succeeded!"

Qin Hao could no longer contain his inner ecstasy, his face filled with relief and excitement.

The energy of lightning, indeed terrifying to this extent!

And the system capable of absorbing this energy—how heaven-defying it is!

This is far more efficient than painstakingly stealing electricity from an outlet—by tens of millions of times!

Moreover, there's no need to worry about electricity bills or having the meter checked!

"Heaven, send a few more bolts of lightning! Hurry up and strike me!"

Thus Qin Hao softly shouted toward the sky.

It must be said, Qin Hao's luck was not bad; until the rain gradually stopped and there was no more lightning in the sky, he had been struck a total of three times,

his total energy points reached points. This made him extremely happy.

Returning to the rental house, Qin Hao looked at the energy reserve of over twenty-six thousand points on the system panel, his heart still pounding "thump-thump" uncontrollably.

"Twenty-six thousand five hundred points of energy... a bracelet costs three hundred eighty points,

this is enough for me to duplicate... nearly seventy?"