The Principle

"This meal goes on his tab."

Yu Feng wiped his mouth as he gave the cafeteria lady instructions, then got up and left the cafeteria.

Chen Chong wasn't surprised by how quickly Yu Feng had come and gone. Aside from teaching, Yu Feng didn't interact with them much, so it was already surprising that he'd said so much today.

Of course, Chen Chong had no idea that Yu Feng had originally planned to treat him to a meal, then quickly changed his mind.

The cafeteria lady glanced at the bowls and trays scattered across and under the table, her eyelids twitching repeatedly. Yu Feng had ordered enough food for two people, but after serving it all, she'd gone back to add more twice.

All he could say was that the concentrated calories in Nutrient Paste had sealed away Chen Chong's strength. He'd especially burned through a lot of energy today, and it had been ages since he'd eaten real food.

Even for someone who wasn't picky, Nutrient Paste was torture, though he really did need it. Objectively speaking, the cafeteria lady's cooking was only average, but today it made Chen Chong feel as if he were eating the finest delicacies.

After this meal, the muscle strains all over his body—caused by activating the Breathing Method in battle and then venting without regard for the consequences—had already begun to heal slowly. By tomorrow morning, he'd probably be bouncing around again.

And his progress right now...

"24%."

One meal beat chewing Nutrient Paste for three days. It hadn't even been fully digested yet, so he estimated it could go up another two percentage points later.

Chen Chong was pleased that his progress had picked up again when the cafeteria lady came over with the bill.

His expression turned strange at once.

This meal had used up an Official Fighter's entire monthly allowance.

The cafeteria benefits for Official Fighters really weren't that great.

Besides, Yu Feng had eaten quite a bit too. Why was it all going on his tab...

Did that mean he'd have to live on Nutrient Paste again for the next month?

He'd just had a full meal. The thought was hard to accept.

Chen Chong's eyes flickered.

This wasn't an age of fast communication—or at least, it wasn't outside Central City.

But the news that Chen Chong had stomped Zhang Yao's head in spread through the entire Fighter Dormitory before dawn.

Many people's first reaction was to stare wide-eyed and ask if it was true.

Their second question was: who was Chen Chong?

When they learned he was a newly arrived Warm-up Fighter, their expressions grew even stranger.

A Warm-up Fighter who'd just stepped into the ring for the first time had blown that bastard Zhang Yao's head off?

It was hard to make sense of.

Whether they were happy or not, most people in the Fighter Dormitory remembered that name. Within a few hours, they'd get a much more vivid impression of it.

Early morning, second-floor cafeteria.

A burly man with shoulder-length curls carried a tray and hurried excitedly to the hot-food counter.

"Ma'am, food! Sweet potato porridge! Fill it up!"

The cafeteria lady glanced at him, her eyelids drooping.

"You've already had your portion."

"Huh?"

The man stared at her in confusion.

"Gone? Wait, Zhang Yao's dead, isn't he?"

The cafeteria lady nodded toward the space behind him.

The man turned around and saw a stack of steamed buns, fried dough sticks, a basin of stir-fried meat, and a bucket of porridge in an inconspicuous corner.

Why had they put all the food over there? Were they making an offering to Zhang Yao?

No... wait, there was someone behind it... Actually, three people.

Only one of them was eating. The other two looked extremely ill at ease, especially with all the fighters in the cafeteria directing their attention that way, however subtly.

"That's Chen Chong..."

"Yeah, the one who killed Zhang Yao last night."

Hearing the murmurs around him, the man's expression shifted several times. At last, looking thoroughly fed up, he tossed his tray aside and went to grab two sticks of Nutrient Paste.

"Damn it, Zhang Yao was like this before he died, and he's still like this after. So what was the point of him dying?"

"Eat. If you don't, I'll finish it all. I'm not joking."

Chen Chong finished a bowl of steaming sweet potato porridge and set it down. Then he spoke to Wang Li and Liu Hetao.

"I-I'm full."

Wang Li hissed, then shot a glare at Liu Hetao, who looked ready to pounce.

Chen Chong seemed back to normal today. He no longer had that sharp, chilling aura from last night that made people afraid to meet his eyes. But the food wasn't Wang Li's spoils, either. He'd already felt awkward eating his own portion. After having his life saved, how could he freeload too? Chen Chong was generous, but Wang Li knew where to draw the line.

Besides, all those red-rimmed eyes around them were staring fiercely in their direction. Wang Li felt like he was sitting on pins and needles and couldn't bring himself to eat his fill.

As he thought this, a burly man at a distant table suddenly stood up and strode straight toward the corner.

Everyone in the cafeteria slowed down for a moment, thinking, Here he comes.

When they saw who had made the first move, many of the fighters wore amused expressions.

Feeling the man's aggressive approach, Wang Li and Liu Hetao both changed expression. Liu Hetao, who was holding his bowl in both hands, even unconsciously shifted farther away, putting more distance between himself, Chen Chong, and the man's gaze.

Chen Chong kept eating, focused as if he hadn't noticed. His expression was almost reverent. After all, every bit of food here represented strength, and he couldn't waste it.

The man with shoulder-length curls stopped beside him and stood with his arms folded, looking down at Chen Chong.

But even after quite a while, Chen Chong still showed no sign of acknowledging him. He ate as if nothing were happening, and the man began to lose patience.

With a bang, he slammed his fist on the table.

White waves rippled through the bucket of porridge. Some sloshed out and landed right on Chen Chong's sleeve.

Chen Chong's hand paused. At last, he looked up at the man with the instant-noodle hair.

The man snorted and said mockingly,

"Sorry. I didn't realize the bucket was so full—most people can't eat that much by themselves."

"I can."

Chen Chong wiped his sleeve with a tissue and looked up at the man across from him.

The man was momentarily speechless. He'd almost snapped back, "Are you a bottomless pit?" But seeing Chen Chong's expression, he held his tongue.

He only curled his lip.

"But this isn't your personal share."

"This was Zhang Yao's. Now it's mine."

The man furrowed his brow.

"Zhang Yao took it from everyone else. Now that he's dead, you should give it back to everyone."

Chen Chong smiled.

"Why didn't you say that while he was alive? Don't tell me you think I'm easier to bully than he was."

The man paused.

"That's not what I meant."

"Good."

Chen Chong began eating again, unhurriedly.

A trace of anger crossed the man's face.

"I'm not finished! Are you giving it back or not?"

"No."

"You! You're even more overbearing than Zhang Yao."

"Principles? Whose principles?"

Chen Chong shook his head.

"I'm perfectly reasonable. I just follow the rules here. Last night, Zhang Yao tried to reason with me and lost. That's why he died."

Last night, Li Xiaoguang had taught Chen Chong a lesson with his life.

In a lawless place like the Wasteland, no one could survive by clinging to the way people thought back in the city.

Yu Feng had taught them the rules of survival here on their very first day. Unfortunately, they'd paid a tremendous price before they truly understood.

A strange look flashed in the instant-noodle-haired man's eyes. He hadn't expected the newcomer to grasp reality so quickly.

No wonder he'd killed Zhang Yao.

But in the Wasteland, people didn't establish the rules by talking, especially when only a few people had witnessed what happened last night. Everyone in this building needed to see it for themselves. He nodded slowly.

"In that case, come to the Training Room. I want to see whether you're qualified to talk like that."

"You could've just said that from the start. Why go in such a roundabout way? The buns are cold now."

Chen Chong set down his bowl and brushed off his hands. Then he turned to Wang Li.

"Ask the lady to heat it up. I'll be back to eat in a minute."

Wang Li was stunned. He asked without thinking,

"How long should she heat it?"

"Three minutes."

Everyone around them suddenly fell silent. The man's expression turned cold.

"Your mouth's bigger than your appetite. Be careful you don't throw up last night's dinner!"

Chen Chong only smiled. Then he followed the man downstairs to the Training Room, with most of the cafeteria's fighters filing after them.

Wang Li saw Liu Hetao sneakily stuff two more buns into his pockets while no one was looking. He nearly rolled his eyes right out of his head.

But he had no time to deal with that. He studied the expressions around him, then quietly asked one person after another for information. To his surprise, he really did learn a few things. He hurried over to Chen Chong, who was walking along and warming up.

"Chen Chong, you've got a tough one on your hands!

"This guy's name is Peng Wei. He specializes in grappling, and supposedly no one he's taken down has ever managed to get back up. A long time ago, when Zhang Yao first started throwing his weight around, the two of them fought once. Some people said Peng Wei won... But later, when he learned about Zhang Yao's connection to the Second Boss, he didn't say much more. You'd better be careful!"

Grappling?

Chen Chong looked at the burly man across from him, who had long arms and legs, then nodded.

"I will. Thanks, Brother Li."

Wang Li stepped aside, still looking worried.

Chen Chong had shown incredible strength, but the opponent in front of him might be stronger than Zhang Yao.

And even if he wasn't stronger than Zhang Yao, grapplers were always dangerous. Even if you were stronger than an opponent like that, one mistake could mean you'd never get back up. Chen Chong had relatively little experience, after all. He'd never faced an opponent like this before...

As Wang Li's thoughts raced, the fighters packed three rows deep around them started shouting:

"Peng Wei, wake up! Show the new guy what's what! Otherwise, he'll think they're all like Zhang Yao."

"Brother Wei, come on! Whether we're stuck chewing toothpaste or get to eat meat depends on you!"

Wang Li wanted to cheer Chen Chong on, but faced with such a unified roar, he didn't quite dare. It looked like everyone had a deep resentment toward the cafeteria's Nutrient Paste.

He tried to get Liu Hetao to join him, but when he glanced around, the kid was nowhere to be seen.

With no other choice, he carefully raised a fist and mouthed the words:

"Chen Chong, kick his ass!"