Strength Breaks Through One Ton

Due to the arrival of Night Owl, the Hummingbird members left one after another, and the training room gradually grew quiet.

Shen Qing checked the time; it was nearly eight o'clock, so he stopped his training to head to the cafeteria for dinner.

In the corridor, he could still hear intermittent complaints from afar, clearly all related to Night Owl's attitude today.

Shen Qing did not linger and walked straight toward the cafeteria.

When he returned, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. Usually, the training room would be empty by this time, let alone tonight.

Yet, while still in the corridor, he heard a series of low, rhythmic thuds coming from the training room.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Shen Qing paused his steps and stood at the doorway, looking into the training room. A figure wearing a military-green tank top was throwing punch after punch at a solid iron pillar.

It was Fang Shu, Captain Fang.

However, the power and speed of those punches didn't look like training at all; it looked more like venting. The iron pillar was already covered in a dense mass of fresh fist marks.

Hearing footsteps, Fang Shu turned his head instinctively.

"Captain."

Shen Qing greeted him.

"Oh, it's you."

Fang Shu stopped his movements, grabbed a towel from a nearby rack to wipe off his sweat, and walked over. "Why aren't you home yet at this hour?"

"I live alone, so it doesn't matter when I go back," Shen Qing said casually.

The reason he called Fang Shu "Captain" was that when he first joined the official department, Fang Shu hadn't gone out on missions yet, and it was he who had led Shen Qing through his basic training a few days ago.

Xie Chong was merely his partner; whether patrolling or executing missions, the two of them were required to work as a pair.

Fang Shu was taken aback by this. Remembering Shen Qing's file, he felt a moment of awkwardness and was just about to change the subject.

"Captain, this mission of yours..."

Shen Qing hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been weighing on his mind.

What kind of mission could it be that caused over a dozen core members of the E-rank department to get injured, or even end up in critical condition?

It was clear that the probability of encountering extraordinary events during their daily patrols wasn't very high.

At least for this week, aside from that Lesser Ghost at the beginning and the current serial case, he hadn't encountered a third incident.

"And then there's Night Owl and the others."

Shen Qing frowned. "With that attitude of theirs... won't concentrating all the elites in one place lead to an imbalance in the department?"

Fang Shu shook his head and draped the towel over his neck. "It will, that's a given, isn't it? You should have seen it yourself earlier."

Shen Qing was even more confused. "Then why..."

"Because we're short-handed." Fang Shu interrupted him, his tone tinged with helplessness. "There are some special missions that require concentrated force to resolve.

That is why the Night Owl department exists, but it has also led to some newcomers becoming arrogant once they gain power."

He sighed. "This isn't just a headache for us; the team leader over at Night Owl feels the same way.

Although there is ideological guidance, that isn't something that happens overnight."

A group of twenty-something young men, and even teenagers, suddenly discovering they were different from ordinary people—coupled with the tilt in resources—how could they not get carried away?

"Sigh, if only someone could take them down a peg."

As Fang Shu spoke, he suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh.

He knew this was no different from a joke; Night Owl was a collection of elites, and aside from the veterans, where could he find someone capable of suppressing them?

And if the veterans were to step in, they would only be obeyed in word, not in spirit.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Fang Shu waved his hand. "I heard from Xie Chong's report that you killed a Tree Demon by yourself on your first mission?"

A squad only had six or seven people; as captain, he naturally kept an eye on every member.

For a newcomer who hadn't even been officially confirmed yet to be able to hunt a demon alone—not to mention anything else—that level of adaptability and combat performance was extraordinary.

"It wasn't exactly alone..." Shen Qing just started to explain.

"Come, perfect," Fang Shu interrupted, loosening his wrists. "I haven't seen you in a few days, let me see what you've got."

He extended his right hand and beckoned with his fingers.

Shen Qing was stunned, a sense of déjà vu washing over him—he had just sparred with Xie Chong this morning, and now he was switching to the captain?

However, Xie Chong and the captain were not on the same level at all.

As far as he knew, his captain had broken through to E-rank three or four months ago, while he had only been cultivating for a week. Even with the assistance of his Entry, he feared he would be no match for him.

"Alright, then please go easy on me, Captain." Shen Qing did not refuse.

The two did not step onto the sparring ring; they began right where they stood.

This time, Shen Qing decided to strike first.

With only three meters between them, he sprinted and reached Fang Shu in an instant.

Fang Shu's innate ability was also of the physical type, though it wasn't a simple amplification; Shen Qing wasn't entirely sure of the specifics and needed to test it out.

"Bold of you to take the initiative."

Fang Shu stood his ground, appearing full of openings, yet he raised an arm with casual ease.

"Bang!"

Fists collided with arms, and a gust of wind rippled outward from the center of their clash. A flicker of surprise crossed Fang Shu's eyes.

"Your strength..."

Although he had been holding back, the fact that a newcomer could make him feel even a hint of resistance was impressive—wasn't this the level of those who had just broken through to E-rank Supernaturalist?

The fight did not stop, and Shen Qing accelerated his offensive while remembering to explain, "I had a bit of a breakthrough yesterday. Also, Captain, I feel my ability isn't just a simple strength boost, but a comprehensive enhancement of my entire physique. It seems the effect will grow even stronger as my strength increases."

Since his power was growing too quickly, he needed to provide a patch for himself, which also served as a setup for him to use his full strength later.

Shen Qing's punching speed grew faster and faster until shadows of his fists appeared, and his strikes became increasingly heavy.

Yet, even so, every one of his attacks was easily blocked by Fang Shu, who stood before him like an impenetrable wall of bronze and iron, completely unaffected.

"Not bad, truly not bad."

Fang Shu's eyes grew increasingly delighted. After blocking the final punch, he took a half-step back.

Shen Qing took the opportunity to pull back and catch his breath. "Captain, I concede."

The other man hadn't used his innate ability from start to finish. Such complete suppression proved that his opponent was far stronger than him by more than just a little.

"Haha, concede?"

Fang Shu shook his head with a smile. "You can't call this losing. How long have I been training? A year. And how long have you been at it?"

He glanced at the Force Tester and tilted his chin. "Come, let's see how much punching power you have now."

Shen Qing nodded, walked over to the Force Tester, took a deep breath, engaged his core, and threw a fierce right hook that whistled through the air.

"Bang!"

The numbers on the screen flickered for a moment before finally settling on a four-digit figure.

1008 kilograms.

He had broken through the one-ton mark! In less than a day, Shen Qing's strength had already exceeded the F-rank limit.

The physical enhancement from the Black Armor wasn't just limited to defense; as the body grew stronger, physical power increased along with it.

Combined with the amplification of his innate ability, it was no wonder he had reached this level while only at the mid-stage of the ninth grade.

For a moment, even Shen Qing was surprised by his own current strength.