Bones

The damp underground base.

The roar of high-powered equipment and the constant whirring of ceiling fans echoed through the space.

Outside the array of high-tech machinery, on a steel plate laid over shallow groundwater, lay the corpses of three white men.

One corpse had a shattered sternum, another a broken neck, and the third had a broken arm with a black fist-shaped bruise over the heart.

Surrounding the bodies stood over a dozen men with high bridges and deep-set eyes, along with a few men of Asian descent. Though dressed in casual clothes, their backs were straight and their eyes resolute, carrying the unmistakable air of well-trained soldiers.

At this moment, all their gazes were fixed on the sexy, beautiful woman standing beside the three corpses.

"Captain, the mission failed. The target is not an ordinary person." The beautiful woman stood among the crowd, addressing a figure with long black hair standing with his back to them.

"Ruolan, since the three of them sacrificed themselves, how did you manage to return?"

The long-haired figure in black slowly turned around. He was a middle-aged man wearing tinted sunglasses, holding a thick religious art book. As he spoke, his fingers traced the pages, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"It was the Instructor. He saved me."

The beautiful woman named Ruolan hesitated slightly before continuing, "He wants to see you."

"Oh? I didn't expect him to be in Hong Kong Island."

The man in tinted sunglasses continued to gently stroke the book in his hands. "If he is willing to return to the team, our plan will be much easier to complete."

"What if he refuses to return?" a burly white man with a high nose and deep-set eyes asked.

"He cannot refuse." The middle-aged man's voice was filled with confidence. He lightly tore a page from the art book and leaned over to drop it into the water trough beside the metal floor. "Because, like us, he came out of a failed experiment. Only I can save him; he will return. However..."

The middle-aged man in tinted sunglasses slowly stood up and looked at Ruolan, who was standing by the corpses. "Since an unexpected variable has appeared, our plan must be moved forward. Otherwise, if the British and American forces react, we may not be able to withstand the pressure they exert. Ruolan, I will give you one more chance. Take a team and eliminate Jiang Hongtai and Jin Jiu. There can be no more mistakes this time."

"Yes." Ruolan agreed without hesitation. She paused, then asked, "But Captain, what about the person who killed our five team members?"

"I will handle that after I see the Instructor." The man in tinted sunglasses waved his hand dismissively and lowered his head to continue flipping through the thick art book.

Ring-ring—

A crisp, pleasant telephone ring echoed.

At Fish Head Xu's home, Yang Chu, who was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, heard the phone ring, stood up, and walked to the living room to pick it up.

"Hello, Chu-zai—"

Fish Head Xu's voice came through the receiver.

"It's me, Brother Xu." Yang Chu replied.

"Chu-zai, I won't be back this morning. I'm heading straight to the film set."

There seemed to be a hint of exhaustion in Fish Head Xu's voice. He paused, then asked with some hesitation: "Chu-zai, how much money do you have on you right now?"

"About three thousand. Why, Brother Xu?"

Yang Chu had been an extra for two days. The first day he performed one stunt and got three thousand; the second day, including a night shoot, he earned four thousand, totaling seven thousand Hong Kong dollars.

He had spent quite a bit these days, but it was all on food. As long as he avoided high-priced, low-volume items, his purchasing power was actually quite decent.

For instance, the "Uncle Fang's Stir-fried Noodles" that Xu Xi had taken him to—that kind of hole-in-the-wall eatery was a classic example of good value. While the nutritional value wasn't necessarily high, the calories were enough to satisfy his needs.

"It's nothing." Fish Head Xu laughed with forced heartiness on the other end of the line. "I was just worried you didn't have enough money for food. Anyway, that's all. I'm off to the set to start work."

"Alright."

After the other party hung up, Yang Chu put down the receiver.

Even after hanging up, he vaguely sensed that something was off about Fish Head Xu's tone.

Is Brother Xu short on money? Yang Chu felt a bit puzzled. He was actually quite sensitive to many things, but he had no interest in this area and couldn't be bothered to overthink it. He turned and walked back to the dining table to continue his breakfast.

After training all night, his body had undergone further changes.

Outwardly, there was nothing unusual, but Yang Chu could feel that his muscle lines had become more fluid, his posture had straightened a bit more, and his brain's control over his entire motor system seemed to have become more... comfortable.

Sitting at the table, Yang Chu picked up a piece of pork rib from his container and bit through a piece of cartilage with a crunch. Suddenly, he stopped.

"Bone structure? Yes, bone structure. Can I increase the density of my bones?"

Yang Chu muttered to himself. Relevant content from the many books he had read immediately surfaced in his mind.

Physical exercise could, to a certain extent, strengthen bone density.

For example, aerobic exercises like running, jumping rope, and swimming could improve bone density while significantly increasing muscle strength and improving blood circulation.

Anaerobic weight-bearing training would lead to a significant increase in muscle strength, and the increased muscle tension would pull on the bones, also stimulating an increase in bone density.

In medicine, there is a concept called Wolff's Law.

The theoretical basis of this principle is that after the trabecular bone inside the bone breaks and heals, it increases bone density.

In areas of high stress, bone grows; in low-stress environments, it is absorbed. Explained simply, if a bone is repeatedly damaged, it will increase its calcium structure, becoming denser, harder, and more resilient, and vice versa.

"It seems to be mentioned in anatomy books as well that bones have significant plasticity. For example, the metacarpophalangeal joints and upper limb bones of boxers become hard and thick."

Yang Chu's eyes lit up, and he lowered his head to quickly finish the food on the table.

"I need to find a way to better stimulate the increase of bone density and acquire more knowledge about the human body. I'll go to the library later, and while I'm at it, I can ask Xu Xi and the others how they eliminate pain."

In these past few days, Yang Chu felt as though he had gained a bit more emotion, yet he remained indifferent and uninterested in the vast majority of things. Only those things capable of strengthening himself or unraveling the mysteries of the human body—be it kung fu or science—could stir within him an irrepressible desire to explore.

To learn, to understand, to master, and to constantly verify it upon his own body...

Ring-ring—

Just then, the telephone in the living room rang once again.

Yang Chu snapped back to reality, feeling slightly puzzled. During the days he had been staying at Fish Head Xu's home, the phone had rarely rung; previously, it had only rung once when Fish Head Xu's older brother, Bai Biao, called, and then again earlier today when Fish Head Xu himself called.

Nevertheless, he stood up, walked to the living room, and picked up the receiver.

"Is that Brother Xu?"

A slightly low voice came from the other end of the line.

"Xiahou Wu?"

Yang Chu identified the caller immediately from the sound of his voice.

Upon hearing Yang Chu's voice, Xiahou Wu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Tonight at 10:00, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, at the Hong Kong Museum of Art."