Wasteland

On a moonless, starless night, the dirt road outside the city was pitch black.

The roar of engines shattered the silence of the night. Four amber headlights rounded the bend as two minivans snaked their way along the dirt road, one following the other.

Chen Chong's brow furrowed slowly amidst the jolting motion, and then he snapped his eyes open.

This movement... am I in a car?

There was a chorus of heavy breathing all around him, and the cabin was filled with stale, foul air.

He shifted his eyes quietly, vaguely catching sight of the other students from the martial arts gym lying beside him. They were motionless, as if in a deep sleep.

As he recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness, his heart instantly leaped into his throat.

Was I kidnapped? Where are they taking us?

Looking at the pitch-black scenery outside the window, they must have left the city... The Wasteland?!

Chen Chong's brow knit tightly. To him, having never stepped foot outside of Lichuan, or indeed to any city dweller, the Wasteland was synonymous with sin, chaos, and even mysterious terror.

Are Brother Leopard and his men gang members, or are they natives of the Wasteland?

Regardless, I cannot go with them...

Chen Chong's thoughts raced as he searched for a countermeasure.

However, his body remained weak and limp. Forget about dealing with Yu Feng; he couldn't even jump from the car to escape.

Anxiety welled up within him, and his brow furrowed even deeper. He wanted to see if there were any tools in the vehicle, but the cargo area was packed with students who had been kidnapped just like him. He saw nothing useful.

As his gaze shifted, Chen Chong suddenly stiffened.

On the middle row of seats, a pair of deep eyes, reaching all the way to the roof of the car, had turned at some unknown moment and were now locked onto his.

"Old Yu, what are you looking at?"

Brother Leopard's voice came from the front row.

That's Yu Feng... Chen Chong's heart sank. He didn't know when he had been discovered.

Just as he wondered what the consequences would be, he heard Yu Feng's low voice:

"Nothing."

"Alright, keep an eye on our talent. This road is a piece of shit; don't let them get jolted awake."

"I know."

He didn't report me?

Chen Chong was taken aback, but seeing those eyes fixate on him once more before turning away, he was stunned. Since he had already been discovered, he dared not make any further moves. He just swayed along with the van for several hours, until the sky turned a faint gray and they rolled into a small town.

There were self-built houses and shacks no taller than three stories, storefront signs half-peeled away, listless beggars on the roadside, and bullet holes visible everywhere on the rolling metal shutters.

Seeing the dilapidated, shantytown-like scenery outside the window, Chen Chong's expression turned grim.

A settlement...

Sure enough, they had arrived at a settlement in the Wasteland.

Two large iron gates slowly creaked open.

The van turned into a factory compound and came to a screeching halt in the open space.

The burly men in the vehicle stepped out, then grabbed handheld canisters and sprayed a pungent gas into the cabin.

Amidst a chorus of painful coughing, the students began to wake up one by one.

Chen Chong held his breath and pretended to have just regained consciousness as he stepped out, joining the bewildered students in surveying their surroundings.

"Where is this? Is this some kind of factory?"

"Brother Leopard, did I get drunk last night? Is this where we're having our special training?"

The short, stout man in the military-green overcoat rubbed his head and smiled.

"Heh heh, you could say that."

He stood at the main entrance of the factory. Beside him, in addition to Yu Feng and a group of burly men in leather jackets, stood another young man Chen Chong had never seen before.

He looked to be in his thirties with a standard inverted-triangle physique. Despite the biting wind, he wore only a crisp white shirt, the hem neatly tucked into his dress trousers. His well-developed pectoral muscles stretched the fabric of his shirt, and his trousers and leather shoes made his legs look exceptionally long. At a glance, he stood well over 1.85 meters tall.

He wore a gold watch on his wrist and gold-rimmed glasses on his square face, which softened his heroic features and robust build. His slicked-back hair was groomed with meticulous precision, though the pomade was a bit heavy, catching the morning light with a faint sheen.

Everyone noticed this man of extraordinary temperament. He was smiling as he scanned the crowd, and the noisy chatter of the students naturally died down.

He opened his mouth, his voice clear and resonant:

"Everyone, welcome to Thunder Dragon Company. I am the General Manager of the company, Long Zhibin."

The students looked at him with blank expressions. They had never heard of Thunder Dragon Company, nor had they heard of this man.

Long Zhibin continued:

"From now on, you will all live and work here. Let me introduce a few things to you first."

"This is Thunder Dragon Communications Park, which includes living quarters, a sports area, and a work zone. The building behind me is the work zone, and it is where most of you will spend the majority of your time from now on. The work zone covers over two thousand square meters and is equipped with hundreds of Xunbida brand paging consoles..."

"What are you talking about? I came here to learn boxing, why would I have to work here?"

A trainee interrupted him with a frown.

Long Zhibin paused for a moment and said:

"The company covers all your expenses at the boxing gym, so naturally, you must serve the company after you have completed your training..."

"What kind of nonsense is that? I've only been learning for a few days, and now I have to sell my life to you?"

The male trainee grew anxious and shouted:

"Let me go back! I'm not learning anymore!"

Long Zhibin replied:

"It's not a matter of selling your life; all employees in our park are here voluntarily. You receive a salary, have time for rest, and are free to come and go as you please—we never use force. Of course, the company incurs costs for your training, so once your service period ends, you will need to pay a fee. As long as you pay it, you are free to leave..."

"Don't give me that! I want to go home, send me back!"

The boy was agitated and stepped out of the crowd to yell.

Long Zhibin suddenly stopped speaking and just stared at him quietly.

Seeing the silence all around, the boy's voice slowly faded. He met Long Zhibin's gaze and suddenly shuddered.

Long Zhibin shook his head:

"That's three times."

Brother Leopard let out a sigh and beckoned to the boy with a smile:

"Xiao He, you child, what's the rush? We can talk this over. Come here, come here."

Xiao He hesitated, but seeing Brother Leopard beckoning with a gentle expression, as if calling over a junior, he slowly walked forward.

Brother Leopard smiled as he pulled an arm-thick steel pipe from behind his back.

Xiao He was struck with terror and froze in his tracks:

"Brother Leopard, w-what are you doing?"

He instinctively tried to retreat, but Yu Feng stepped forward and pressed down on his shoulder with one hand, making him feel as though he couldn't move a muscle.

Watching Brother Leopard approach with a smile, Xiao He began to tremble all over:

"Brother Leopard, Brother Leopard, let's talk this over, don't come any closer. I-I was wrong, don't do this, don't—AH!!!!"

Brother Leopard's smiling face instantly turned vicious; he gripped the steel pipe with both hands and swung it, smashing it violently into Xiao He's knee.

Crack.

Everyone in the open space heard the crisp sound of bone shattering.

Xiao He jolted into the air before crashing heavily to the ground, clutching his deformed knee as he rolled around and shrieked in agony.

Yu Feng stood by with his hands in his sleeves as Brother Leopard tossed the steel pipe aside, put his smile back on, and said slowly:

"In the future, when the General Manager is speaking, do not interrupt."