A Show of Force

Looking at the aggressive, burly man, Wang Li wore a wary expression and said cautiously:

"Hello, big brother. We arrived today."

The bear-like man nodded:

"What are your names?"

Wang Li took the initiative to introduce everyone. The man grunted and said:

"You've got some manners, so I won't hold it against you for not coming to ask me first.

"You can call me Brother Yao. I call the shots here, remember that."

He swept his gaze over the four of them, paused at the pile of empty green tubes by Chen Chong's hand, and sneered:

"Are you a starving ghost reincarnated? Even dogs won't eat this stuff, yet you're eating it with such gusto."

Wang Li's expression shifted slightly. He looked at Chen Chong and hurriedly signaled with his eyes.

However, this student was not as impulsive as he had imagined; he simply remained calm, head bowed, and said nothing.

Wang Li felt relieved and offered a fawning smile:

"Brother Yao, we just got here today and aren't used to things yet. We were just a bit hungry."

Brother Yao snorted through his nose:

"I never touch that garbage."

He waved his hand:

"Alright, I hope you follow the rules from now on."

Watching them turn and leave in a rush, Wang Li wiped his forehead:

"That guy must be the boss here. Look at how everyone around is wary of him—why are you all looking at me like that? I, Brother Li, have seen the world; this is called knowing when to bend and when to stretch!

"Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that we just arrived and I wanted to give him some face, I would have definitely..."

He paused, then whispered:

"It's a good thing you kept your cool, Chen Chong. Judging by their aura, they aren't any worse than the Red Stick in the gangs back home. They're probably Official Fighter types who are about to enter that certain realm."

Chen Chong lowered his eyelids and said:

"No point in arguing over a moment's pride."

Wang Li was stunned for a moment before saying:

"I know you're from No. 1 High School, so why are you acting all high and mighty?"

He looked at Li Xiaoguang:

"I saw you almost stand up just now. Chen Chong didn't get worked up, so why were you in such a rush?"

Li Xiaoguang huffed:

"His mouth is too foul. We're all in this together, I couldn't help it."

"Then why did you hold back?"

Wang Li asked, eyeing him sideways.

Li Xiaoguang rolled his eyes:

"Brother Li, you gave him face, so I gave him face too."

The title "Brother Li" made Wang Li freeze again; clearly, his performance just now had changed Li Xiaoguang's opinion of him.

"You damn..."

"But this Brother Yao is so strange."

Liu Hetao said naively:

"He said even dogs won't eat the Nutrient Paste, but then he said he doesn't eat it either. What do you think he meant?"

The three of them looked at the naive Liu Hetao, stunned for a second, before all bursting into laughter, drawing surprised looks from the people around them.

A corner of the Small Building Cafeteria was briefly filled with joy, and for a moment, they forgot they were in the cruel Wasteland.

As night fell, Chen Chong returned to his assigned living quarters, a cramped single room on the third floor.

He lined up the Nutrient Paste tubes from his pocket on the table one by one and closed his eyes to reflect.

A quarter of an hour later, he opened his eyes, tore open the first tube of Nutrient Paste, and began practicing his Breathing Method, followed by the Combat Drill.

Silver moonlight spilled through the narrow air vent onto the table, and the Nutrient Paste on the table gradually dwindled.

"Breakfast has already been claimed?"

Chen Chong looked at the woman serving the food and frowned.

The woman gestured with her chin toward the distance.

Chen Chong turned around and saw Brother Yao and his group gathered around a table, laughing loudly. The number of steamed buns on their table clearly exceeded their rightful share.

I never eat this garbage.

Chen Chong slowly turned his head, tossed his tray into the collection area, and grabbed a few tubes of Nutrient Paste from the window nearby.

Li Xiaoguang and the other two arrived at the cafeteria one after another, experiencing the exact same scene.

The four of them sat in a corner, brows furrowed.

"I asked around. That guy is named Zhang Yao. His strength is indeed among the best here, and there's a rumor lately that he's about to break through to the next level, so the higher-ups are planning to give him a Contracted Fighter contract. Most importantly... he has a sister who is Zhou Hu's woman. That's why no one in this building dares to mess with him."

Wang Li whispered.

The group suddenly understood.

Zhou Hu, the 'Tiger' of Dragon Tiger Leopard, is the second-in-command under Thunder Dragon and the number one enforcer, primarily managing the bar and the fighting ring.

Li Xiaoguang spat on the ground, looking helpless:

"Looks like we're stuck with Nutrient Paste."

Wang Li sighed heavily:

"If I have to chew on toothpaste every day, I'm going to get depressed."

Liu Hetao scratched his head:

"Hey, at least it keeps us full, right?"

Wang Li looked at Chen Chong, who was diligently chewing his Nutrient Paste, and clicked his tongue:

"Chen Chong, how do you manage to eat this stuff like it's a gourmet feast?"

Chen Chong looked at the 88% in front of him and said:

"If you aren't full, you can't train. If you can't train well, we'll be in danger in ten days."

The three of them fell silent, then silently picked up their Nutrient Paste.

In the distance, Zhang Yao glanced over at them, and seeing their table littered with empty green tubes, he mocked:

"What a bunch of bottomless pits."

"Brother Yao, with your status, you can eat whatever you want in the cafeteria. Why bother taking their share?"

A somewhat dim-witted young man asked.

The burly man next to him slapped him on the head and cursed:

"Stupid! If you don't give the newcomers a taste of reality, how will they know who the boss is here?"

"Oh, oh, that makes sense. Brother Yao is brilliant!"

Zhang Yao smiled, popped a steamed bun into his mouth, looked at the remaining large platter of meat buns and smoked meat, and shook his head:

"Can't eat any more. Throw it out."

Yu Feng had set the class time for nine o'clock, but Chen Chong and the other three went down early to train on their own.

Thinking of the fate of a Warm-up Fighter, their hearts felt heavy, as if a mountain were pressing down on them.

They practiced the Combat Drill against the iron racks. While they couldn't produce the terrifying impact that Yu Feng did, they gritted their teeth and ferociously slammed their flesh and blood against the iron posts.

The feedback of pain seemed to be strengthening their bodies bit by bit, which gave them a sliver of peace of mind.

As it neared nine o'clock, they began to rest, preparing for the lesson.

Chen Chong and Li Xiaoguang exchanged a look and nodded in tacit understanding.

They could both tell that the other had put in extra training last night.

"Once we get the hang of it in a couple of days, want to spar?"

Li Xiaoguang said with great interest.

Chen Chong nodded:

"Sure."

Li Xiaoguang beamed.

Yu Feng appeared in the Training Room right on time.

This was his private teaching room, very quiet, while the fighters upstairs had a communal Training Room on the other side.

"Now, let's discuss the various applications of the Breathing Method..."

The day passed quickly.

Chen Chong's progress once again left a deep impression on Yu Feng.

Yet, the more outstanding Chen Chong was, the more Yu Feng felt a sense of pity.

Chen Chong was also quite satisfied with his own progress.

He had become relatively proficient with the Breathing Method, and Yu Feng hadn't found any major flaws.

Although he wasn't yet able to apply it in actual combat, it was only a matter of time if he kept practicing.

Moreover, while he didn't practice the Breathing Method for more than an hour in front of others, he could secretly put in extra work using his Food Healing ability, allowing him to train for two to three hours a day.

The Combat Drill was also coming along, looking much more professional than yesterday; he should be able to move on to live combat practice within three days.

Both skills were progressing rapidly, and their synergy naturally led to an improvement in Chen Chong's "realm."

His entire skeletal structure seemed to be gradually changing, becoming sturdier and imbuing his body with more strength—and that was not all.

This was an all-around enhancement of his physical constitution: speed, reflexes, and damage resistance were all advancing across the board.

While the other attributes were difficult to quantify, his strength was more intuitive. By his own estimation, his punching power should have exceeded 100kg by now, but he did not want to leave data on the Training Room's testing machine, so he refrained from measuring the exact value.

And this was only the second day.

The efficacy of the Breathing Method was evident.

Of course, the other three did not experience such results, because besides the Breathing Method, Chen Chong possessed other talents.

During the day, he deliberately controlled his food intake, not wanting the progress of that talent to increase too quickly.

He was saving it for the night.

At night, in the dormitory.

98%

Chen Chong looked at the number before him, his mood inevitably fluctuating.

He slowly pulled the Nutrient Paste from his pocket, placing the tubes on the table one by one.