Trembling At A High Altitude

"Sorry, that's not possible," the director shook his head.

"It's okay." Li Teng was just asking; he hadn't really counted on it.

A few minutes later, a rumbling sound came from the horizon, and indeed, a helicopter flew over.

A large helicopter, painted white with a red cross on it.

It looked more like a medical rescue helicopter.

The helicopter hovered above the stone pillar, lowering a rope ladder.

The wind was very strong at the top of the pillar, shaking the helicopter and the rope ladder along with it.

With Li Teng's help, the director struggled to stand and grabbed the ladder. Li Teng then pushed her from beneath, helping her into the helicopter.

Once the director was inside, the helicopter's door closed.

Ten minutes later, the door reopened, and with Li Teng's assistance, the director climbed back out onto the top of the pillar. The helicopter's door shut again and then it flew away into the distance.

"Much better," the director sighed in relief.

"You didn't just call in a special rescue just to use the restroom, did you?" Li Teng was somewhat speechless.

Such special rescues were best used in situations of injury, extreme hunger, or thirst. If it was just to use the restroom, it was a huge waste.

This sort of minor issue could be resolved on top of the stone pillar, somehow.

The director glanced at Li Teng and remained silent, clearly hit the nail on the head by Li Teng's guess.

The wind on top of the stone pillar grew stronger, and the sky grew darker.

"You should have brought a thick set of clothes with you. Though the heat on top of the stone pillar is formidable, the cold is even worse," Li Teng looked at the director, who wore long sleeves and pants, but they weren't of the thicker variety.

"If it rains, thick clothes would be useless, right?" the director looked at the increasingly dark clouds above.

"You could bring the waterproof kind; even if it isn't for the rain, in the rain, wearing thick clothes can still block the wind, even if they get wet. Once it starts snowing, without thick clothes, you could freeze to death," Li Teng shook his head.

"It was so hot at noon, could it snow?" the director was skeptical, finding Li Teng's every word exaggerated.

"Maybe it won't," Li Teng didn't want to say much more.

The sky was getting darker, and it felt like nightfall at around five in the afternoon.

After a while, raindrops began to fall from the sky.

"Quick, stand up for a second, let me help you with this, it's waterproof," Li Teng pulled out his waterproof down overalls from under his butt and helped the director put them on.

The clothes came with a waterproof hood, which he also fastened over the director's head.

"What about you?" the director felt a bit embarrassed after getting dressed.

If she hadn't been here, those clothes would have been Li Teng's own protection against the rain and snow.

"I have this." Li Teng took out a set of plastic rain gear, which Daisy had given him. It had been tucked in the sleeve of the waterproof down overalls before, and Li Teng had taken it out before helping the director with the overalls, wearing it now on himself.

The director was undergoing her current punishment for helping him get rid of the Black-hearted Doctor Liu Huang. It was Li Teng's duty to look after her and ensure her safety.

No sooner had the two of them suited up in their rain gear than the heavy rain began to pour down.

The top of the stone pillar, still hot from the sun and not yet cooled off, sizzled when hit by the rain, but soon the sound vanished, replaced by the pitter-patter of rain.

Thunderclouds began to move closer to the top of the pillar, and in no time, a massive bolt of lightning struck a few hundred meters away from the pillar, followed by a deafening explosion of thunder.

"Ah!" The director witnessed everything and heard the sound of thunder, and she was stunned.

"It's still early, the main show hasn't even started yet," Li Teng no longer felt anything about the thunder a few hundred meters away.

"You're not saying... that could really happen, are you?" The director was truly scared now.

"Do I look like someone who lies?" Li Teng sighed.

"You tricked Feng Dahai and Liu Huang into eating stones..." the director called out Li Teng right away.

"That was with enemies, I never lie to friends," Li Teng shook his head.

"You tricked Anna for her roast chicken..." the director struck again.

"She did it voluntarily," Li Teng adamantly denied that it was a trick.

As they were speaking, another huge bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, and a roar of thunder exploded overhead. This time, the distance was only a bit over a hundred meters from the stone pillar.

"Ah! It's coming this way! I'm going to die!" The director bent down and screamed in misery.

"Not yet, don't be afraid, it's still far away," Li Teng touched her back, trying to calm her emotions.

"It's clearly right beside us," the director dared not lift her head.

Li Teng didn't bother to argue... because she would soon know what 'right beside us' truly meant.

Indeed, the director soon believed what Li Teng said.

When the lightning and thunder came to within just a dozen meters of the stone pillar, each thunderclap felt as if a giant hammer swung fiercely against her head and heart,

and each flash of lightning lit up the whole night sky like daylight, so that even tightly closed eyes couldn't block out the blinding light.

There was no cover at the top of the stone pillar; who knew which bolt of lightning might strike it without looking.

The director covered her ears and broke down in tears, and all Li Teng could do was continuously stroke her back in an attempt to calm her down.

Li Teng was also scared of such lightning, but after experiencing it many times, he wasn't as scared anymore.

What had happened on the stone pillar couldn't be explained with science.

The lightning near the stone pillar seemed to be more a means of intimidation and punishment, and it didn't actually strike the pillar. Li Teng had lived through many such thunderstorms already, and if he could have been struck dead, he would no longer exist.

Half an hour later, the rampaging thunder and lightning finally moved on, and the rainfall near the stone pillar also began to lessen.

The director finally regained her composure and sat up straight again.

"It's over now, are you okay?" Li Teng was worried whether the director had been scared silly.

"I'm fine," the director still had a shaky voice.

"Don't cry, we're both still alive," Li Teng kept comforting the director.

"I'm not crying..."

"Alright, you're not crying," Li Teng quickly helped the director save face.

"I just remembered my father," the director said after a while, speaking faintly again.

"Oh?" Li Teng showed he was listening; it was good that she was willing to open up to him.

"When I was seven, there was a thunderstorm just like this one. I was alone in the room, scared and crying, and he rushed in to comfort me. He told me stories and encouraged me. With him there, I wasn't afraid anymore," the director murmured.

"Yes, I've heard a father is a daughter's courage," Li Teng continued to concur.