Chapter Three: The Great Explosion

Ahead, the fire suddenly blazed with ferocious intensity, scorching flames spreading uncontrollably. Jiang Qiang, who had never witnessed such danger in her life, was petrified, her wide eyes round as marbles, frozen in shock.

Guan Qian, seated in the passenger seat, stared at the flames ahead, his brows drawn tightly together. Four years ago, his family had followed a travel agency tour abroad, but the agency's bus collided with a truck on the road. Everyone on the bus perished in that accident—only Guan Qian survived. Fate’s arrangements are always eerily similar; four years later, Guan Qian found himself merely an observer, yet in those fleeting seconds, memories surged back, overwhelming him.

"Guan Qian! What do we do, what do we do!" Jiang Qiang clung desperately to his arm, pleading for help. Terror gripped her so fiercely she was utterly panicked, and Guan Qian beside her was her only anchor.

Pulled from his reverie by Jiang Qiang’s frantic tugging, Guan Qian took a deep breath, calmed her as best he could, then quickly pulled out his phone to dial emergency services.

The phone rang, connecting. "Hello, police station!" came a voice from the other end.

"Hello, there’s been an accident here, please come quickly—"

A sudden explosion rocked the air, cutting Guan Qian’s words short, the blast so loud it nearly deafened him. His ears rang incessantly.

Jiang Qiang had already crouched down, clutching Guan Qian’s waist and burying her head in his chest, screaming uncontrollably.

"Hello! Hello! Can you hear me?" The voice from the phone was urgent, clearly catching the sound of the explosion.

"We’re on the deserted road on Xifeng Street, please send support immediately!" Guan Qian shouted, his voice strained.

"Alright, we’re on our way. Stay safe and evacuate the danger zone at once!"

The call ended.

Guan Qian immediately grabbed Jiang Qiang’s arms, straightening her up, shouting, "Drive away from here, now! Hurry!"

As the fire ahead grew fiercer, Guan Qian knew disaster was still unfolding—they had to leave this dangerous area immediately or neither would escape.

But Jiang Qiang, overwhelmed by fear, had lost all her usual composure and stubbornness. She covered her mouth, tears streaming uncontrollably.

"I’m scared, I’m scared, Guan Qian!" She sobbed hoarsely, clutching his arm.

Guan Qian was sweating—this woman, usually as fierce as a tigress, was now more timid than a kitten. If their classmates in the Ancient Script Department saw this, their jaws would drop.

"Alright, you take the passenger seat, I’ll drive. Quick, quick!" Guan Qian pulled her to switch positions.

"Damn it! The car won’t start! Damn!" He slid into the driver’s seat, pounding the steering wheel in frustration.

"What do we do, what do we do!" Jiang Qiang was even more frantic at this.

"Quick! Get out!" Guan Qian flung open the door and rushed out, dragging Jiang Qiang with him. He sensed the car had become extremely dangerous.

The vehicle was suffused with the aura of death—a dreadful premonition. He had to get Jiang Qiang as far away as possible.

Fifty meters away, Guan Qian dragged Jiang Qiang as they ran desperately.

Then, another thunderous explosion erupted from the two crashed vehicles, sending a cloud of black smoke and blazing flames soaring into the air, the shadow of death covering the entire area.

Heaven help them—the truck had been loaded with gas canisters.

"Damn!" Guan Qian felt a pang of dread, watching the gas canisters spill out from the truck after the explosion. His heart sank.

Seeing Jiang Qiang crouching on the ground, hands pressed tightly over her ears, Guan Qian cursed, "Damn!" He crouched, scooped her up, and broke into a frantic run.

Another blast thundered behind them.

The force of the explosion sent debris crashing onto Jiang Qiang’s car, utterly destroying it.

Even more bizarre was how a flaming shard, tracing the trajectory of the blast, pierced through the already shattered windshield and landed inside the car.

Instantly, the vehicle caught fire; thick black smoke and scorching flames poured from the interior, raising the surrounding temperature sharply.

"My car, my car!" Jiang Qiang, held in Guan Qian’s arms, turned to see her beloved vehicle ruined and cried out. It had been her birthday present this year, the Hummer her father gave her.

Guan Qian was exasperated—here they were, their lives at stake, and she was worried about her car.

Explosion after explosion rocked the area!

The chain of blasts nearly made Guan Qian stumble, his ears ringing from the force.

Behind them, the explosion zone was a torrent of sparks, heavy smoke and black clouds sweeping across the sky, growing ever more intense.

"Look, what’s happening over there?" A woman several kilometers away heard the distant explosions and spoke to the man beside her.

"My god!" The man stared at the smoke-covered area, eyes wide with shock.

"Call the police now!" an elderly man nearby tossed away his cigarette, urging them.

East of the city—

Dozens of kilometers away, on the pedestrian street.

"Mo Han, do you see that black cloud in the distance?" Fang He pointed toward the far-off sky.

"It looks like a plume of smoke rising into the sky," Mo Han concluded cautiously.

"Could something have happened? That whole area looks ominous," Fang He adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses, pondering.

"This is bad! That spot is on Jiang Qiang’s route home. At noon, she said she’d bring Guan Qian home for lunch!" Mo Han frowned, feeling uneasy.

"Quick, call them and check!" Fang He, suddenly anxious about their safety, urged Mo Han.

The phone rang and rang, but no one answered. Mo Han repeatedly dialed Jiang Qiang and Guan Qian’s numbers, but there was no response. Anxiety surged in both Mo Han and Fang He.

Meanwhile, Guan Qian was carrying Jiang Qiang, fleeing desperately from the danger zone—they had no time to answer calls, and in their frantic escape, their phones had been dropped. All that mattered was getting as far away as possible.

Guan Qian’s stamina was flagging; for someone untrained, carrying an adult while running was no easy feat. After dozens of steps, he was already slowing, his breath coming in gasps.

"Faster! Faster!" Guan Qian urged himself inwardly, sensing death creeping ever closer behind them. He gritted his teeth, determined to push on, even if crawling.

The Hummer exploded in a deafening blast!

The fire spread so rapidly the temperature around the blast zone soared, scorching the air.

A shard from the explosion shot skyward, and with barely perceptible speed, hurtled straight toward Guan Qian.

Running, Guan Qian felt the chill of death envelop him, fear so intense it froze him inside.

Four years ago, after the car accident, Guan Qian had awakened a prophetic awareness.

He could sense the trajectory and development of events around him, anticipating danger before it arrived.

Now, he was teetering on the edge of death, the scythe of the grim reaper looming ever closer.

"Guan Qian, watch out behind you!"

Jiang Qiang, terror-stricken, saw a mysterious shard flying toward Guan Qian’s back. Her heart leapt into her throat.

"Micro-awareness, activate!"

Guan Qian tensed, his brain transmitting a state of micro-awareness.

In that instant, Guan Qian perceived the spatial changes around him to an astonishing degree.

If catching a bullet by hand was only possible in science fiction, then Guan Qian could now do so without question.

He dodged at an incredible angle, the shard grazing his clothes and sparking across the ground.

Jiang Qiang, witnessing the scene, was stunned—her mouth formed a perfect O as she stared blankly at Guan Qian carrying her, her mind a whirl.

But the danger was not over; death still pursued them, drawing ever closer.

A series of massive explosions erupted!

The vehicles, packed with gas, exploded with earth-shattering force.

Flames mixed with thick black smoke surged skyward, and shards from the blast shot out in all directions, threatening Guan Qian and Jiang Qiang even hundreds of meters away.

Six or seven fragments, wrapped in smoke, flew toward them. Jiang Qiang, eyes squeezed shut in terror, clung desperately to Guan Qian’s neck, screaming again and again.

"Hold tight! Be careful!" Guan Qian shouted, his micro-awareness sensing every threat behind him.

Time seemed to slow; even the earth turned more sluggishly.

Guan Qian twisted and dodged, his body contorting in ways impossible to comprehend. Around him, his afterimages seemed to flicker and overlap, as if he were everywhere at once. The shards hurtled past his waist, neck, head, and legs.

They thudded to the ground, sending sparks flying.

Guan Qian exhaled in relief, collapsing to the earth.

In the distance, the wail of police sirens approached.