Gong Gong's sudden rise to fame at the "Giant Strength" Club was like a bomb dropped into a lake already roiling beneath the surface. The ripples it caused quickly spread into areas Lin Fan had never expected.
The first to react was the market.
With Gong Gong as its "walking advertisement," business at the "Giant Strength" Club boomed so much that it had to limit entry. Membership fees kept rising, yet the crowds still poured in. This naturally dealt a serious blow to the other gyms in the city. Several high-end fitness clubs were hit especially hard, their customer numbers clearly dropping and complaints mounting.
The worst affected was "Peak Fitness," located downtown. It had a similar positioning to "Giant Strength," but catered to a more elite clientele. Its owner, Zhao Kun, was a businessman with a complicated background. He had made his fortune through shady means in his early years. Although he had since gone legitimate, his methods were still ruthless. Seeing "Giant Strength" rake in money day after day while his own place sat nearly empty, Zhao Kun was so furious he smashed several of his beloved purple clay teapots.
"Investigate! Find out exactly where that freak called 'Mr. Gong' came from! Is there any chance we can poach him?" Zhao Kun roared at his subordinates.
However, the results of the investigation only made him more frustrated. Gong Gong's identity was a mystery, as if he had appeared out of nowhere. His contract with "Giant Strength" was also highly unusual, effectively tying him to Manager Wang's side. The chances of poaching him were extremely slim.
"Damn it! If we can't poach him, then ruin his reputation! Make sure he can't stay there!" A vicious glint flashed in Zhao Kun's eyes. "Go! Call Qiangzi and his 'Mad Dog' crew! Then invite a few real masters. I want to see whether this Mr. Gong really has three heads and six arms!"
And so, a challenge targeting "Giant Strength" and Gong Gong was quietly and methodically planned.
The second to react was the authorities.
The reports on Chen Jing's desk were growing thicker by the day. Gong Gong's appearance meant that the "Shelter" project's potential risks and social impact had to be reassessed.
"Target Four (Giant Strength) has been increasingly active, and public attention continues to rise. The physical strength he has displayed has sparked widespread discussion. Some have leaned toward unscientific explanations such as 'superpowers' and 'genetic modification,' which could potentially cause social instability."
"At the same time, several commercial organizations and individuals of unknown backgrounds have shown unusual interest in the 'Giant Strength' Club and Target Four. The possibility of a conflict cannot be ruled out."
"Recommendation: Increase surveillance of Target Four and the 'Giant Strength' Club, and develop an emergency response plan to prevent the situation from escalating and endangering public safety."
Chen Jing rubbed her brow, feeling that things were heading in the most troublesome direction possible. These "nonhuman" beings seemed to have no idea what "keeping a low profile" meant.
The last reaction, and the most secretive, came from the forces that had truly touched the fringes of the extraordinary.
Gong Gong's inhuman strength and resilience had attracted not only businessmen seeking profit, but also organizations and individuals hidden beneath the rules of ordinary society, those who had inherited ancient arts or explored the limits of the human body.
Ancient martial arts families, secret qigong sects, and even specialized organizations studying human potential had all turned their attention to the "Giant Strength" Club. Unlike ordinary people, who watched simply for entertainment, they could see something wrong in Gong Gong's seemingly casual movements—something that defied the known laws of physics and human biomechanics. It was something... beyond the realms of "skill" and "strength," something closer to the "source" itself.
A few days later, on an afternoon when the "Giant Strength" Club was once again packed, Gong Gong had just finished a "warm-up" that left onlookers dumbfounded: he had balanced upside down on one hand and done push-ups using a single finger. He landed lightly, neither flushed nor out of breath, then picked up the barbecue platter the staff had prepared for him—enough to fill five burly men—and began devouring it.
Manager Wang stood nearby, smiling broadly, his heart bursting with joy. With Gong Gong around, the club was a money-printing machine.
But just then, a commotion broke out at the club entrance.
Seven or eight burly men in matching black tracksuits stormed in, their eyes fierce and their whole demeanor radiating hostility. They surrounded three others as they barged inside. The man at the front had a shaved head and a vicious scar across his face. He was Zhao Kun's top enforcer, nicknamed "Mad Dog" Qiangzi.
"Fatty Wang! Business is booming, huh?" Qiangzi greeted him with a fake smile, but his gaze swept over the strength-training area like a snake's before settling on Gong Gong, who was still stuffing his face.
Manager Wang's expression changed. He knew trouble had arrived, but still forced himself to stay calm as he went to meet them. "Qiangzi? What brings you here? This is a place for working out. We don't welcome troublemakers."
"Troublemakers?" Qiangzi scoffed. "Fatty Wang, don't put it like that. We've come because we've heard so much about your place. We'd like to spar with your star coach here and learn a thing or two!"
He put deliberate emphasis on the word "spar," his tone brimming with provocation.
The atmosphere inside the club instantly turned tense. Members stopped their workouts and gathered around, excited to watch, but also disgusted by the uninvited guests and a little afraid. Anyone with eyes could tell these men had not come in good faith.
Coach Qin Tian hurried over too. Standing beside Manager Wang, he fixed Qiangzi and the others with a sharp gaze and said sternly, "Qiangzi, this isn't a place for you to throw your weight around. If you want to spar, fine—but we do things by the rules."
"Rules?" one of the thugs behind Qiangzi shouted arrogantly. "Our brother Qiang is the rule! We heard you've got some tough freak here. Bring him out! Let him have a go at our brother Qiang! If he loses, he can crawl out of 'Giant Strength' and quit getting in our way!"
That was an outright challenge.
Everyone's eyes turned toward Gong Gong.
Gong Gong seemed not to have heard the argument. He kept focusing on the barbecue before him, and only after finishing the last piece did he let out a satisfied belch. He picked his teeth with one thick finger, then slowly turned around. His bloodshot eyes—he was a little sleepy after eating his fill—glanced at Qiangzi's group as he asked in a deep, rumbling voice:
"Are you lot the ones making all that noise and disturbing my meal?"
His tone was calm, yet carried an invisible pressure.
Gong Gong's casual glance made Qiangzi's heart tighten. But counting on his numerical advantage and the "experts" he had brought along, he steeled himself and stepped forward, pointing at Gong Gong as he cursed, "You fat bastard, I'm talking about you! Quit pretending you don't know! Do you dare fight us? If you lose, crawl out of 'Giant Strength'!"
Gong Gong tilted his head, apparently not quite understanding what "crawl out" meant, but he understood "fight." He had felt that his earlier warm-up hadn't been enough, and at the words, his spirits immediately lifted. He grinned, baring his gleaming white teeth.
"A fight? Sure! I could use a little exercise to help me digest!"
He strode toward Qiangzi and the others. The shadow cast by his massive frame seemed to swallow them whole.
"Mr. Gong, be careful! They may have come prepared!" Qin Tian couldn't help warning him. He could tell that the three middle-aged men behind Qiangzi, who had remained silent and clearly gave off a different air from ordinary thugs, were likely the real threats.
One was lean, with thick knuckles and a sinister gaze. Another had bulging temples, a long, steady breath, and a firm stance. The third wore a blank expression, his hands covered in calluses, and carried a faint smell of blood. They were all genuine fighters, and they had likely all killed before!
Gong Gong waved a hand, unconcerned. "No need. They're a pack of worthless dogs."
Enraged by Gong Gong's contempt, Qiangzi signaled to the burly man with the bulging temples behind him. "Master Lei, please teach this ignorant fool a lesson!"
The burly man called Master Lei nodded and stepped forward, clasping his hands in greeting. "Bagua Zhang. Lei Hong. Please instruct me!" He slid toward Gong Gong in an instant, his palms one yin and one yang, cutting through the air as they struck for Gong Gong's chest and abdomen. The technique was tricky and lightning-fast. He had clearly spent decades mastering it and had reached a high level of skill.
Against such a sudden flurry at close range, an ordinary martial artist would likely have been defeated in an instant.
But he was facing Gong Gong.
Gong Gong didn't even take a defensive stance. He simply stood there and let Lei Hong's palms, powerful enough to shatter stone, slam solidly into his chest and abdomen!
"Thud! Thud!"
The muffled blows sounded like someone striking a thick oxhide drum!
Lei Hong's expression changed drastically. It felt as if he had struck a mountain cast from bronze and iron! The force rebounded through his arms, leaving them numb and his blood churning. He stumbled back five or six steps before managing to steady himself, staring at Gong Gong in shock.
"Did you skip your meal? Why are you so weak?" Gong Gong patted the spots on his chest where he'd been hit. Not even a red mark had appeared. He grumbled in dissatisfaction.
The entire crowd erupted!
He had taken a full-force strike from a Bagua Zhang expert and remained completely unharmed?! It was unbelievable!
Lei Hong was shocked and furious, his pride stung. He roared and charged again, his palms turning even more vicious as he aimed for Gong Gong's eyes, throat, groin, and other vulnerable spots!
Gong Gong seemed to find it a little boring this time. Just as Lei Hong's hand was about to touch his eye, Gong Gong moved first and casually swatted it away, as if shooing a fly.
"Smack!"
A sharp slap rang out!
Lei Hong didn't even see Gong Gong move. He was sent spinning through the air as though hit by a speeding truck, crashing into several exercise machines before slumping to the floor, unconscious. Half his face had swollen up like a pig's head.
Silence!
A deathly silence!
The arrogance on Qiangzi and his men's faces instantly froze, replaced by fear and disbelief. Master Lei was an expert they had paid a fortune to hire, yet he couldn't even withstand one slap from Gong Gong?!
The lean, sinister-looking middle-aged man and the expressionless man also grew completely serious.
"Together!" the lean man barked. He and the expressionless man attacked at the same time!
The lean man moved like a ghost, circling behind Gong Gong. His fingers curled like an eagle's claws, slicing through the air as they reached for the back of Gong Gong's neck and spine. It was a killing move!
The expressionless man charged straight at Gong Gong and drove a simple, direct cannon punch toward his face. The punch was brutal, carrying the aura of a battlefield veteran who had fought for his life.
They attacked from the front and behind, both moves lethal!
"Look out!" Qin Tian and Manager Wang cried out at the same time.
Gong Gong burst out laughing. "Now we're talking!"
He neither dodged nor moved, letting the eagle claws seize the back of his neck and the cannon punch slam into his face!
"Crack!" The sound of bones breaking—those of the lean man's fingers.
"Thud!" The sound of a fist striking.
Gong Gong didn't even sway. The lean man clutched his twisted fingers and let out a bloodcurdling scream, while the expressionless man's knuckles split open and bled freely. His entire arm trembled!
"Boring!"
Gong Gong seemed to have lost patience completely. He swung both hands, slapping them casually across the two men's faces!
"Smack! Smack!"
The lean man and the expressionless man flew away like kites with their strings cut, following Lei Hong's example. They screamed as they crashed into the wall, then slid limply to the floor and lost consciousness.
In the blink of an eye, Gong Gong had dealt with all three hired "experts" as casually as swatting flies!
Qiangzi and his men were completely dumbstruck. Their legs weakened as they stared at Gong Gong, standing before them like a demon god, and they nearly collapsed on the spot.
"Want to keep fighting?" Gong Gong looked over Qiangzi's group and grinned, revealing his snow-white teeth. To Qiangzi, that smile was more terrifying than a demon's.
"N-no! We don't want to fight! Lord Gong, we were wrong! We didn't recognize a great man when we saw one! Please be the bigger person and forgive us!" Qiangzi dropped to his knees with a thump and kowtowed frantically. His men fell to their knees too, wailing and begging for mercy.
They were genuinely terrified out of their wits! This wasn't a person. It was a monster!
Gong Gong frowned in disgust. "Get lost! Don't let me see you again!"
"Yes, yes! We'll go! We're leaving right now!" Qiangzi and the others felt as if they'd been granted a pardon from death. They scrambled to help their unconscious companions and fled the club in utter disarray, drawing a round of contemptuous laughter and raised phones from the members.
With the crisis over, the club erupted in cheers and applause! Everyone looked at Gong Gong with admiration and awe.
Manager Wang was so moved that tears welled in his eyes. He rushed over and clasped Gong Gong's hand tightly—almost having it crushed by his strength. "Mr. Gong! You really are our club's guardian deity! With you here, let's see who dares come and cause trouble!"
Qin Tian looked at Gong Gong, his feelings more complicated than ever. He had once thought that the martial arts he'd spent years cultivating were lethal weapons. But in the face of Gong Gong's overwhelming strength, they seemed so utterly powerless. A sense of confusion over where the martial path could lead now quietly crept into his heart.
Lin Fan also breathed a sigh of relief, but a faint unease lingered within him. Gong Gong had displayed his strength so brazenly. Though he had dealt with the immediate trouble, it would likely attract more—and even more powerful—onlookers. The troublemakers today had only been underground fighters and traditional martial artists. What would come next?
Yet greater upheavals often began with the smallest, most easily overlooked details.
While Gong Gong casually dealt with the challengers and basked in everyone's admiration, no one noticed a figure in an inconspicuous corner on the club's second floor. Wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and ordinary workout clothes, the figure clearly recorded everything that had just happened with a micro camera hidden in his sleeve.
As the footage captured Gong Gong taking the attacks without a scratch and casually knocking three experts flying, a cold, greedy smile appeared beneath the sunglasses.
He leaned toward the miniature microphone beneath his collar and whispered:
"Target confirmed. Physical durability far exceeds projections. Suspected 'immortal' trait. Preliminary assessment: extremely high 'specimen' value. Request authorization to execute the 'recovery' plan."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the call before a processed electronic voice answered:
"Approved. Wait for the right moment. Ensure live capture."
Before you continue