The next afternoon, Chen Chong was training in the Exclusive Training Room.
The Exclusive Training Room had heating, but Chen Chong had opened the window, letting the snow-laced winds of the Wasteland pour in without mercy.
Chen Chong practiced Combat Drill while using the Breathing Method.
With the Breathing Method boosting him, his punches almost left afterimages. The shrill whistle of his fists cutting through the air even drowned out the wind outside.
Heat radiated from Chen Chong's entire body, and two long streams of white breath billowed from his nostrils, circling around him.
The method Yu Feng had taught him worked well. It gave him a clear way to gauge his progress with the Breathing Method.
Chen Chong was pondering how far he was from reaching the next stage—or, to put it another way, how far he was from the few Official Fighters who were on the verge of advancing—when he heard a knock at the door.
He stopped training, walked over, and opened the door. Surprise crossed his face.
"Yang Yupeng?"
The young man at the door looked uneasy. He studied Chen Chong for a moment, hesitating.
"Chen... Chong? You've gotten so much bigger!"
He exclaimed in surprise.
Yang Yupeng had also been a student at Dragon Tiger Leopard. He was among the same group who had been tricked into coming to Thunder Dragon Park.
But he hadn't been assigned to the gym. Instead, he'd been sent to work full-time on the other side, running phone scams.
Since arriving here, Chen Chong had focused solely on training, and management at the Park was strict. This was the first time he'd seen anyone from their original group.
He didn't understand why Yang Yupeng had shown up, but stepped aside to let him in.
"Come on in."
Yang Yupeng entered and discreetly looked around.
"Chen Chong, are you the only one in this Training Room?"
"Yeah."
"Wow, you've made it. You really became an Official Fighter!"
Yang Yupeng glanced at Chen Chong's build, looking envious.
Chen Chong hadn't actually become a hulking mass of muscle. Though his strength had grown by an immeasurable amount, the main change was that he'd advanced to a new stage, strengthening his bones and building power.
Compared to how skinny he'd been before, though, he was now well-proportioned and sturdy, and had grown several centimeters taller. To acquaintances who hadn't seen him in a while, he looked a lot bigger.
Chen Chong shook his head.
"I got lucky. What made you come over?"
Yang Yupeng's expression turned dejected.
"I came to ask... Is it true Li Xiaoguang is gone?"
Chen Chong suddenly remembered that Yang Yupeng and Li Xiaoguang seemed to have gone to the same school. The two had gotten along well back at the gym.
Chen Chong fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
The light went out of Yang Yupeng's eyes. He stood there stunned for a while before speaking quietly.
"This hellhole... There were more than ten of us, and we've already lost two in less than a month."
"Hm? Who else?"
Chen Chong asked, surprised.
"He Lijun. His leg was broken on the first day, remember? The medical staff just did a quick job patching him up, and it got infected soon after. It's been freezing these past few days, and there's no heating in our dorm. He couldn't hold on... They've already taken him away."
Chen Chong thought of the brash young man. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"I also heard that everyone who dies here gets taken to the medical center in town for 'processing'..."
"Processing?"
Chen Chong frowned.
Yang Yupeng said:
"They don't bury them. They're all useful. I heard helicopters even come directly from Central City. Everyone here is a backup supply pool for patients in the city... Chen Chong, do you think that's how we'll end up too? Oh, probably not you. You became an Official Fighter so fast, so you're sure to live a little longer."
Yang Yupeng seemed worked up and rambled on, but Chen Chong no longer felt like listening closely.
So the people at the Park were useful not just while they were alive, but even more so after they died.
Chen Chong had vaguely heard about this before, but he'd been focused entirely on getting stronger and hadn't given it much thought.
It was only after two people close to him were gone that he realized just how real everything here was.
He'd been thinking that once he had more freedom, he could visit Li Xiaoguang's grave. But he'd forgotten—what cemetery could there be in a Settlement?
Chen Chong only half-listened to the rest of Yang Yupeng's words, noticing that his manner gradually grew more polite and hopeful.
"...Chen Chong, if you ever need someone to run an errand or help out, just come to me!"
"You're so impressive. Maybe you'll be the next Coach Yu! We came here together, so if anything comes up, you've got to look out for us!"
Chen Chong wasn't particularly comfortable with Yang Yupeng sucking up to him, but he still nodded.
"I'll do what I can. You all should protect yourselves too."
Even at such a polite response, Yang Yupeng looked thrilled.
"Brother Chong, you really are a loyal guy! No wonder you became an Official Fighter so fast. Man, you don't know how much everyone's changed since we got here. They're so calculating, so practical...
"Huang Zhongping seems to have found a way to boost his numbers. They're shooting up, but whenever we ask, he never tells us how...
"Peng Jiao started out with zero results and was crying every day, afraid she'd get punished. We were the ones who came up with a solution for her. Then she slept with the team leader twice and suddenly became the assistant team leader. Now she kisses up to that greasy guy every day and bosses the rest of us around..."
Chen Chong listened to Yang Yupeng describe the many faces of their former classmates. It all seemed absurd, yet painfully real.
At the same time, he realized they seemed to have "accepted" life here rather well.
Most of them had been law-abiding citizens in Satellite City, but now they talked about scams, lies, and sales pitches without the slightest change in their tone.
People were incredibly adaptable.
After listening for a while, Chen Chong began to get annoyed and interrupted him.
"By the way, how did you hear about what's going on here?"
"Liu Hetao told me... He's been hanging around here these past couple of days. He said you guys have established yourselves."
Chen Chong looked thoughtful.
Yang Yupeng picked up on his attitude and quickly stood up.
"My free time's up, and I need to get back to work. Brother Chong, I won't bother you any longer. Just call me if you ever need anything!"
After Yang Yupeng left, bowing and scraping, Chen Chong closed the door and stood there silently for a moment.
He walked over to the Iron Man Dummy, raised his hand, and threw a harder punch than before.
Thud!
The car door shut, and the business van started up slowly.
Wang Li looked at Chen Chong's calm expression and cautiously leaned closer.
"Chen Chong, I found out who your opponent is tonight. It's Li Jun!
"That guy used to lead a small gang. He fled to the Wasteland after people came after him, then somehow became a fighter for Thunder Dragon.
"He's especially ruthless—really ruthless! Every opponent he's beaten has ended up dead! And the key is, his win rate is high. He's really strong, and he's expected to advance soon and become a Contracted Fighter.
"Some people even say he's been ready to advance for a while, but he's holding back because he's afraid a Contracted Fighter will target him once he gets promoted. One of the people he killed was a Contracted Fighter's underling.
"His signature move is..."
Chen Chong listened as Wang Li filled him in on everything about his opponent.
When the business van screeched to a stop in the alley, Chen Chong patted Wang Li.
"Thanks, Brother Li. You're fighting tonight too, so be careful."
Wang Li's expression shifted a few times before he nodded.
"Don't worry. I'm an expert at staying alive, unlike those idiots..."
His voice trailed off.
Chen Chong entered the passageway for the second time.
But this time, he didn't have to wait in the Waiting Room for the Warm-up Fighters. He parted ways with Wang Li and Liu Hetao at the fork and followed a staff member to a bright room beneath the audience seats on the other side.
This Waiting Room had a similar layout to the previous one, but the facilities were clearly better. The lighting and equipment were newer, and it had a separate shower room in addition to a toilet.
He changed into athletic shorts, keeping on his athletic jacket over a black compression shirt, and began warming up with the equipment.
Through the window, Chen Chong saw the host say a few words to fire up the crowd, then quickly send the Warm-up Fighters into the ring.
Wang Li was up first again. Chen Chong slowed his movements and watched Wang Li step into the ring. With his sharp eyesight, he could see Wang Li's legs trembling slightly.
His opponent was a newly promoted Official Fighter. Newly promoted, perhaps, but he was more experienced than Chen Chong.
For now, though, he mostly fought Warm-up Fighters. When he saw Wang Li enter the ring, he looked relaxed.
The two traded a few taunts. The match began, and Chen Chong stopped warming up completely, focusing on the ring.
Whenever he had time these past few days, he'd been giving Wang Li and Liu Hetao pointers. Both of them had improved quite a bit.
But against an Official Fighter, Wang Li was still clearly outmatched. His stance was broken apart in no time.
As Wang Li was knocked down with a single punch and his opponent approached with a vicious grin, an unpleasant memory rose in Chen Chong's mind.
But the next moment, Wang Li, who looked unconscious, suddenly rolled over and rolled right off the ring.
He staggered to his feet, raised a hand to concede, then bolted back into the passageway.
The referee, the fighters, and even Chen Chong were stunned for a moment. The audience was also a little unhappy.
But Wang Li hadn't broken any rules. He really had been "knocked" out of the ring...
Liu Hetao went up soon afterward, and his opponent didn't even change.
He lost even faster than Wang Li, but his fall was nowhere near as smooth. Clearly, he didn't have Brother Li's extensive experience playing dead.
So when Liu Hetao tried to imitate Wang Li and roll out of the ring, his opponent was ready for it. He pinned him down with a foot and hammered him with a series of heavy punches.
The referee only stopped the fight once Liu Hetao was coughing up blood. By then, the audience was satisfied, cheering loudly.
Chen Chong slowly let out a breath.
At least they'd both made it out alive.
Thud, thud—
A light knock sounded, and the Waiting Room door swung open.
A staff member poked his head in and said politely:
"Chen Chong, you're up soon. Are you ready?"
Chen Chong rolled his neck and stood up.
"I've been ready for a while."
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