Electric Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva Stories #15
Half an hour after the city-wide blackout, I was tasked to head to the nuclear power plant, fifty kilometers from the city center. Starting from my suburban home, I could get there in an hour and a half at the earliest. I had just returned home from work and the car had not yet been fully charged. Even my mobile phone had only one third of its battery left. But I couldn’t afford to care about these.
The blackout occurred very suddenly, without any warning. There was no earthquake or tsunami, nor was there any typhoon or heavy rain. It was as if someone had hit a switch, and the world turned pitch black with a pop. It was nine o’clock and three minutes in the evening, the city was still bustling with weekend activities, and traffic was rather heavy. People at home hadn’t gone to bed yet. It was said that the blackout had caused major chaos and several accidents.
The strange thing was that the nuclear power plant had completely lost contact with the outside world. Whether the reactors and generators were operating normally, or even the life or death of the staff inside, were all unknown. Among the managers in the power department, I was the closest to the nuclear power plant, so it was natural for me to go and investigate first. But why not dispatch a helicopter, or send boats to land from the sea? Perhaps, the vanguard had already arrived. Regardless, my mission would not change.
There were no streetlights on the highway, nor were there any other cars. Darkness erased all differences; if it weren’t for the navigation system, it would be impossible to discern any direction. About twenty kilometers from the nuclear power plant, the navigation system began to fail, giving erroneous signals from time to time. I felt that the electromagnetic field around was showing anomalies, and even the car seemed to be malfunctioning. I tried to use my phone to contact the headquarters, but found there was no signal at all. But I couldn’t stop, I had to keep moving forward, until I reached the nuclear power plant.
Arriving at the entrance of a tunnel about fifteen kilometers from the nuclear power plant, the car’s power was depleted. I took out my backup hand-cranked flashlight, got out of the car, and prepared to proceed on foot. Beyond the tunnel was the restricted area of the nuclear power plant. The guards who normally stationed here to inspect vehicles, were nowhere to be found. The sky was covered with dark clouds, not a bit of starlight could be seen. At the entrance to the tunnel, darker than pitch black, there seemed to be a vague shadow moving. I shone the flashlight and saw that it was Faith, who was on duty at the nuclear power plant. He was bending over, with his arms drooping, and trudging along as if exhausted. Upon encountering the light, he stopped, shielding his eyes with his hands, and fell to his knees.
I went up to support Faith, and found that he was very weak. Seeing me, he squeezed out a smile and said breathlessly, “Flash, it’s good to see you! Turn back quickly! Don’t go in! The electromagnetic field has suddenly mutated, voltage is fluctuating wildly, power is out, and the nuclear power plant has already stopped operating. Even the cooling system has failed, and the temperature of the reactor is rapidly rising. Everyone else was down, only I managed to walk out, but I can’t go on either. I said a long time ago, the Electric Bodhisattva should cooperate with the Wind Bodhisattva and the Water Bodhisattva, not the Coal Bodhisattva, and certainly not the Nuclear Bodhisattva. But the higher-ups just wouldn’t listen. The Electric Bodhisattva has been in the world for countless eons, but now it is forced to compromise and corrupt itself. It’s not permissible. If this continues, the Bodhisattva will take back the electricity, and will no longer grant it to mankind. You go back and tell them, if they don’t listen, you should just resign. Flash... you are the best... I originally wanted to...with you... Flash... listen to me... go back...”
Faith ceased to function. I thought he was just out of power, he wouldn’t die. I settled him in the car, kissed him on the forehead, and then walked into the dark tunnel. The light from the hand-cranked flashlight was weak, only just enough to discern the area within a few steps. The sound of rapid footsteps echoed from all around. The tunnel walls accompanied my wheezing with a hissing breath. I stumbled and fell multiple times, and got back up, muttering to myself: “Why are the Water Bodhisattva and the Wind Bodhisattva good Bodhisattvas? Are the Coal Bodhisattva and the Nuclear Bodhisattva not good Bodhisattvas? Aren’t they all Bodhisattvas? Aren’t all Bodhisattvas meant to save all sentient beings? How can you take back what you’ve given? Electric Bodhisattva! Humanity needs you! Without you, civilization will be destroyed! Although... the destruction of civilization... for sentient beings... might be... salvation...”
There was water flowing underfoot, and it was becoming increasingly turbulent. Sensing trouble, I hurriedly ran forward, as if swimming against the current. Finally, I emerged from the tunnel and found that it was pouring rain outside. I held onto a railing and climbed to a higher place on the mountainside. The road was completely submerged, and the flood surged into the tunnel. Trees were being blown askew by the gale. I huddled up, looking in the direction of the nuclear power plant. Suddenly, dozens of lightning bolts struck down from the sky, illuminating the earth as bright as day. The valley, encircled by mountains, let out a thunderclap like a nuclear explosion. The video and audio were severely interfered with, I knew I was about to lose power. Just before everything went black, I silently chanted in my heart: “Electric Bodhisattva, please guide us to the Other Shore!”