Long Zhibin

Until he reached the opulent General Manager's office on the third floor of the main building—a room spanning over a hundred square meters—Chen Chong had been wondering why Long Zhibin wanted to see him.

Their only connection since he joined Thunder Dragon had been what happened at the Hunting Grounds last time. It was probably about that.

Did Long Zhibin suspect what he had said that day, or did he simply want to ask him some questions?

And why had he waited so many days to think of him again?

Chen Chong felt uncertain.

But once he was actually standing in front of Long Zhibin's desk, he calmed down.

When trouble came, he would face it; when water came, he would build a dam.

Long Zhibin kept reviewing documents. After a long while, he finally looked up at Chen Chong and said:

"Have a seat. Wait a moment."

Then he went back to writing and marking things up.

Chen Chong sat in the chair in front of the desk and waited for about ten minutes. Only then did Long Zhibin let out a long breath, close the document, and set it aside with a smile.

"The company keeps growing, and there's more and more busywork. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's fine."

Chen Chong sat upright, neither servile nor overbearing.

Long Zhibin nudged his gold-rimmed glasses and looked him up and down.

Chen Chong suddenly felt a tingling sensation run through him, and his heart tightened.

Yu Feng had said he could take on him and Zhou Hu with one hand... Maybe he'd been right.

Fortunately, the feeling soon passed. Long Zhibin smiled and said:

"I heard from A-Bao that when you first joined the company, your punching power was only forty kilograms, and you had no foundation at all. Yet a few days ago, you'd already entered the realm? You're certainly promising."

He'd even looked into my situation, despite being so busy... Chen Chong grew another notch more cautious and nodded.

"It's all thanks to Coach Yu's instruction, and the company's support."

"Heh. The company's support? I'm sure that's not how you really see it."

Long Zhibin smiled.

"But Coach Yu really is skilled. I personally recruited him as a top coach. Have you been training with him these past few days?"

Chen Chong nodded.

"When Coach Yu has some free time, he teaches me a few things about what comes after entering the realm."

"He must have taught you a new Breathing Method, right? Show me what you can do."

Long Zhibin folded his hands and leaned back in his office chair, looking interested.

Chen Chong's heart lurched.

What did he mean by that?

Had he found out that Yu Feng had been giving him special lessons?

But even if he had, it didn't seem like a big deal. It wasn't worth calling him in over.

Chen Chong wasn't sure what to make of it, but he nodded at once.

"I'll do my best, General Manager."

"Don't be modest."

A moment later, Chen Chong stumbled through a demonstration of the Second-Stage Breathing Method, stopping naturally just before the first difficult transition.

"That's all I've mastered," Chen Chong said, shaking his head.

Long Zhibin fell silent for a moment, then pulled over a whiteboard and sketched a rough anatomical diagram of the human upper body in just a few strokes.

The diagram was remarkably clear. Chen Chong was a little surprised. It seemed the General Manager had a strong background in both art and medicine.

"Coach Yu's Second-Stage Breathing Method is a little difficult. The key is the rhythm..."

Long Zhibin marked a series of arrows on the diagram. Chen Chong could tell they showed the circulation route for the Second-Stage Breathing Method.

It was slightly different from the version he had learned, seeming to be a simplified one.

Then Long Zhibin began explaining it with the diagram.

Chen Chong felt rather strange.

Had he really called him in just to give him a lesson?

He was puzzled, but as he listened, he soon became engrossed.

There was no doubt that Long Zhibin taught in a completely different way from Yu Feng.

His approach was clever, but not as clear as Yu Feng's hands-on instruction, and he left out many details.

Chen Chong's instinct was that Long Zhibin simply didn't have as much teaching experience, rather than deliberately holding back the details.

But Long Zhibin had a deep understanding of the Breathing Method as a training technique, and his understanding of the realms was even more profound.

For a fighter like Chen Chong, who had already begun learning the Second-Stage Breathing Method, the missing details weren't a major problem.

Instead, Long Zhibin's unconventional explanation gave him a completely different kind of insight.

"...Don't think of the Breathing Method as some kind of training technique. It's simply a way of breathing. Once you adopt that mindset, it becomes much easier to master. No, that's not self-deception. It's called a Breathing Method, isn't it? It's a method of breathing. There's nothing mysterious about it."

So this was how fighters at a higher level saw the Breathing Method.

Chen Chong had caught a glimpse of the world of fighters at a higher realm, and he owed it in part to Long Zhibin. He quickly gained a top-down, big-picture perspective on the Second-Stage Breathing Method.

On top of that, he had already understood how it worked through sound and touch while learning from Yu Feng. Now, looking at the anatomical diagram, he grasped it completely through sight as well.

He suddenly felt that perhaps he could try practicing in a different way.

Combining different approaches, comparing them, and practicing repeatedly would definitely help him reach the second stage of the Breathing Method.

Long Zhibin spoke for more than ten minutes straight, then picked up his mug and took a big gulp of coffee. Only then did he ask:

"I forgot to ask. What would you like to drink?"

"I'm not thirsty, thank you, General Manager."

"All right, don't be shy. There's a water dispenser over there. Help yourself. How much did you understand? I haven't taught a class in a long time. I used to take on disciples, you know."

Long Zhibin smiled ruefully.

"I feel like I've learned a lot."

Long Zhibin looked him over and nudged his glasses.

"Then let me ask you..."

He asked several questions. Chen Chong explained about thirty percent of his understanding, and Long Zhibin smiled.

"You're pretty perceptive. Maybe your body just had a harder time accepting it at first. Don't worry. Keep practicing, and go find Head Coach Yu whenever you can to ask for guidance. I'm sure you'll learn it."

"Understood. Thank you, General Manager."

Chen Chong wasn't sure what to say.

What was going on? Had he really just been called in for a lesson?

After the lesson, Long Zhibin asked whether he was settling in well, how the food was, and whether he had signed a contract with Zhou Hu. He was attentive in every way.

Long Zhibin even said that someone like him was just the kind of talent the Security Department would gladly welcome, even if Zhou Hu didn't offer him a contract, and encouraged him to work hard.

"You may have some preconceived notions about the company, but now you've entered the realm, and the path to advancement here is completely open. You're still young, so you may not fully understand this, but in the city, something like this is almost impossible. If you can contribute more and reach a higher realm, I can give you a department leadership position—or even a place as a partner. The company has always wanted a Fourth Boss. Why not you?"

Long Zhibin walked Chen Chong to the door and smiled.

If Chen Chong hadn't lived two lives, he might really have been fired up.

But he'd heard enough of these same old promises in his previous life. And he could never forget the scene from his first day, when Long Zhibin smiled and spoke grandly about Thunder Dragon's history and future while He Lijun howled in agony.

This wasn't a legitimate company. This was a place that devoured people.

"Oh, right. Is there anything else you want to report about what happened at the Hunting Grounds?"

Long Zhibin suddenly asked, as if it had just occurred to him.

Chen Chong's heart tightened. He had nearly forgotten that this was what he'd expected the meeting to be about. Long Zhibin had waited until now to bring it up.

It could easily catch someone off guard, but Chen Chong's voice didn't waver.

"No, General Manager. I told you everything I saw that day. Was there something wrong with that woman?"

He knew he couldn't let the other person keep questioning him, so he asked in return.

Long Zhibin looked at Chen Chong, his gaze seeming calm behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

Yet Chen Chong felt that electric sensation again.

But he wasn't the callow young man he'd been a month earlier. He'd also been prepared for this before coming, and he didn't let anything show.

After a moment, Long Zhibin said quietly:

"Don't mention that woman to anyone from now on. Just act as if nothing happened. Understood?"

A layer of goosebumps instantly rose across Chen Chong's back. He answered instinctively:

"Understood."

Long Zhibin's expression changed like a flip switched, and he gave his trademark smile.

"Thanks for your effort today. You can go."

It wasn't until Chen Chong had left the office building that the tension slowly drained from him. He realized his undershirt was completely soaked.

"That pressure just now..."

Chen Chong felt deeply unsettled.

Was that the Third Realm? Or the Fourth?

It felt completely different from Yu Feng and Zhou Hu.

He now completely believed what Yu Feng had told him.

"Chen Chong? What are you doing here?"

A familiar voice he hadn't heard in a long time suddenly came from in front of him.

Chen Chong looked up and saw Brother Leopard studying him from a short distance away.

"Brother Leopard. The General Manager just called me in."

Brother Leopard looked enlightened and nodded repeatedly.

"I see. Heh, I told you you were a talented guy!"

Brother Leopard praised him a few more times, then sent him on his way and headed up to the third floor himself.

"Big brother."

"Have a seat."

Long Zhibin, who was reviewing documents, spoke casually.

"I just saw that kid, Chen Chong. Have you interviewed him? What did you think?"

Brother Leopard asked with interest.

Long Zhibin nodded.

"He's decent in most respects, and his perceptiveness stands out, but his physique leaves something to be desired. The Security Department needs people right now, so I suppose he's... good enough."

He tapped his fountain pen.

"The Security Department needs new talent, too. Otherwise, all the promising young men will end up with the Second Boss. Put him on the watch list for now, and keep a close eye on him."

"He's in great shape, but his perceptiveness leaves something to be desired. Otherwise, he wouldn't have only just broken through after all that training. Give him a Level 2 Contract and let him fight for himself."

In a private room at a bar, Zhou Hu spoke casually.

Yu Feng picked up the document folder.

"All right. I'll give it to him."

Zhou Hu looked him over.

"Coach Yu seems pretty concerned about this kid."

Yu Feng tossed the folder back.

"Then you can give it to him."

"Hey, don't, don't! I was joking! I don't want to go back and deal with Long Zhibin's face."

Zhou Hu grinned, then let his smile fade a little.

"I know you're doing me a favor, Old Yu. I owe you one."

"I'm only responsible for teaching people. I don't get involved in anything else."

After Yu Feng left, Zhou Hu held a cigar between his fingers and sank into thought.

He casually turned his office chair halfway around, ending up facing the wall in the inner room.

"I never thought the Hunting Grounds would turn out like that. Long Zhibin may have figured something out. Now that he's started moving against the Skull Gang, if we keep dragging our feet, we might run out of time."

Zhou Hu's brows furrowed deeply.

"He's in great shape... but can he really do it? Still, there aren't any other candidates."

He held his pose, motionless as a statue, while smoke curled from the cigar between his fingers and drifted through the dim private room.

After returning to the dormitory, Chen Chong spent a long time reviewing what had happened. He felt that Long Zhibin had been trying to show goodwill toward him as someone who had recently entered the realm. After all, Thunder Dragon needed people right now.

To be honest, this head of a criminal enterprise was indeed shrewd and capable. In a way, he even had a certain personal charisma. If Chen Chong hadn't had life experience and intelligence on his side, he might have changed his mind about him.

No wonder he'd managed to build such a powerful organization from nothing.

As for what was really going on with Xie Wushuang, Chen Chong guessed it wasn't anything serious. Otherwise, Long Zhibin would probably have silenced him outright.

It was even possible that Long Zhibin had come off worse when the two of them crossed paths... In that case, she had to be at least at the Fourth Realm.

Chen Chong nodded slowly.

At any rate, now that his strength had grown, he had come onto the radar of Thunder Dragon's bosses.

Thinking of the terrifying aura Long Zhibin had shown at the end, Chen Chong pressed his lips together.

It had made him feel utterly powerless, and he hated that feeling.

He sat for a long time, gazing out at the night, before finally taking a small syringe from the deepest pocket of his clothes.

"Guess I shouldn't wait any longer."