The east marker had been replaced after the previous day’s storm creature. Hedo had rested at the shelter while the medic cleaned the cut along his cheek. The next morning he was cleared for a lower watch, behind the stone posts and away from the exposed shield line. Wei had assigned him to report from that position, not to return to his old place.
Yan had completed another measured pass and was preparing for the next. Qinghe was reading the sensor values from behind the safety line. Gu watched the reflective bowls, and Qiao Wen stood beside the engineers to inspect the ground path.
The lightning strike came without a warning flash. A bolt hit the east stone marker and split it in half. The shockwave crossed the plateau and knocked Hedo from his feet. Equipment scattered across the platform. One of the rods lurched in its socket.
Qinghe shouted for the cycle to stop. Yan released the current at once. He did not wait for an examination or for someone to tell him what the injured man needed. He used Heaven-Burial Step to reach Hedo and dropped beside him.
Hedo lay on his side, breathing shallowly. His pulse was present, but his vitality channel had taken the force of the shockwave. The small cut on his cheek had opened again.
