If someone were to undergo tribulation in H City, would it be visible from the Jiangnan region?

"I'm such an idiot." Ethan Brooks laughed. Did he actually believe what the people in the group were saying?

Undergoing a lightning tribulation? The weather is clear, not a cloud in the sky, and the sun is shining brightly. There's no way there will be a thunderstorm, right?

Besides, it's not like a few years ago—nowadays, weather forecasts are pretty accurate. At least for the next three days, if it says sunny, there won't be any sudden thunderstorms.

"Since the weather is nice, I'll go to the bookstore after lunch!" Ethan Brooks muttered.

Chapter 5: Believe in Science!

After lunch, Ethan Brooks headed to a nearby book rental shop to read for free.

He liked reading in the shop, not because he wanted to save a few bucks on rentals, but because it was his personal hobby—Ethan felt that squatting in the corner of the bookshelves at the rental shop to read was just the best!

Of course, to avoid annoying the owner, after reading for half a day, he would rent one or two books to take home—after all, you shouldn't burn your bridges; slow and steady wins the race! This way, he could avoid getting on the owner's bad side and being kicked out.

After all, large rental shops like this one, which didn't just have novels but all kinds of books, were already rare.

If he got blacklisted, he probably wouldn't find a better bookstore near Jiangnan University Town.

They say a person's name is important, and it fits him well—Ethan Brooks really loved reading and welcomed all kinds of books.

Whether it was novels, literary works, classical collections, or even those dry, headache-inducing theoretical texts, he liked them all.

Recently, he'd mainly been reading up on motor vehicle driving skills and safety tips at the bookstore. He was planning to get his driver's license while the freshman courses were still easy. Taking the test at school was seven or eight thousand yuan cheaper than doing it outside.

……

……

Time always flew by when he was reading in the shop.

In the blink of an eye, it was already around three in the afternoon.

"That was fast... Time to get ready to head back. I still need to stop by the supermarket for some snacks for a late-night meal. Saturday night is perfect for an all-night gaming session." Ethan Brooks chuckled.

With that, he randomly picked a book and headed to the counter to check it out.

The counter was at the exit of the rental shop. Today, the sunshade outside was broken, so the shop owner’s wife was hiding in a shady spot to avoid the direct, scorching sunlight.

"The sun is so strong, it already feels like midsummer." Ethan Brooks shielded his eyes with one hand and looked up at the cloudless sky, while handing the book he wanted to rent to the owner’s wife.

The owner’s wife was a classic Jiangnan beauty, as if made of water.

Her hobby was also reading; she could spend an entire day with a book in her hands. From her clothes and style, it was clear she had a good quality of life—running this rental shop was just a personal interest.

Usually, when she sat there quietly reading, she was as beautiful as a painting, a delight to behold. Many ordinary young men came just to enjoy this picturesque scene, forcing themselves to become literary youth instead of goofballs.

But rumor had it, this beautiful side was just the owner's wife's "peace mode"...

If there's a peace mode, there must be a PK mode or a berserk mode. However, in the half year Ethan had been coming here, he’d never seen it.

"Alright, remember to return it within two days. Every extra day is another yuan in rent." The owner’s wife finished the rental process and waved Ethan Brooks off.

Even though they'd only known each other for half a semester, this young man who loved reading in the shop for half a day at a time had left a deep impression on her. If he didn’t have the sense to rent a book or two in the end to support her business, she would have chased him out with a broom long ago.

"Heh heh." Ethan Brooks grinned as he took the book and stepped over the threshold of the rental shop.

BOOM!!!

At that moment, a deafening explosion-like sound rang out.

Everyone in the shop was startled, and Ethan Brooks, who had just stepped out, almost lost his balance and nearly fell flat on his face!

"Damn!"

"Whoa, mom!"

"A bolt from the blue?"

"Scared me to death." Exclamations rang out one after another in the rental shop.

Ethan Brooks looked up at the sky and saw that the once cloudless sky had changed. At the distant edge of the horizon, a patch of dark clouds had quietly gathered, and in the blink of an eye, they covered that small patch of sky at the horizon, looking like a storm was about to break.

"Looks like there might be a shower? Tsk tsk, people used to say a few years ago that weather forecasts were unreliable, and you had to do the opposite—if it said sunny, you had to bring an umbrella. I thought after all these years, the forecasts had improved, but I guess they're still not reliable." Ethan Brooks sighed inwardly.

This is even worse than before. Back then, you just had to do the opposite of the forecast; now, you have to gamble on whether it's accurate or not.

Lost in thought, he picked up the book he’d rented, planning to hurry back to the dorm before the rain started.

He hadn’t even taken his second step.

Boom...

Another clap of thunder roared, making his ears ring.

Ethan Brooks pulled his raised leg back.

At the edge of the horizon, the area of dark clouds twisted strangely. Lightning snaked out from the clouds, rumbling and crackling, forming a web of thunder.