Breathing Method

Xiao He was dragged away, but his screams still drifted faintly from somewhere in the distance.

Even after they could no longer hear them, the trainees still felt as if the screams were echoing in their ears.

The open lot fell silent. Many of the trainees began to tremble slightly.

As if nothing had happened, Long Zhibin resumed his smile and continued talking about the layout of The Park and the company's business, as well as Thunder Dragon's history and bright future. This time, no one dared to speak.

At last, everyone understood what kind of place this was.

It was a scam compound.

Chen Chong had never imagined that, even though pagers were the main mobile communication devices in Satellite City, rampant telecom fraud could still exist.

But after living there long enough, he realized that pagers had remained the norm for ten years. The barrage of ads on old televisions rivaled Double Eleven in his previous life, and the landline at home received several calls a day from strangers with awkward accents.

Long Zhibin finally finished speaking and turned to Brother Leopard.

"Have you sorted them out?"

Brother Leopard nodded, stepped forward, and began pointing people out with his chubby fingers.

"Li Xiaoguang, Wang Li, Liu Hetao, Chen Chong. Come here."

The few who had been called hesitated, but the next words made them freeze.

"You'll keep training in boxing here."

Long Zhibin nodded and said with a smile,

"You'd better keep at it. The rest of you, go into the factory for a tour, then start learning. Our company is in a period of rapid growth. We don't keep idle hands around here."

After giving his instructions, he left with Brother Leopard. The trainees were split into two groups and led off in different directions.

The trainees heading into the factory watched Chen Chong and the others go with envy and whispered,

"Why do they get to keep learning boxing?"

"Maybe it's because of their aptitude? Li Xiaoguang was studying for the Wu Yuan entrance exam, so he had a solid foundation. Wang Li used to run with a gang, and he's pretty good too."

"What about Liu Hetao and Chen Chong? Especially Chen Chong. I remember his punching power was only 40 kg. Anyone who's trained for even a couple of days—or hasn't trained at all—is stronger than him, aren't they?"

"Beats me."

"Damn, that guy's lucky as hell. Didn't Mr. Long just say we'd have performance targets? What happens if we don't meet them? Man, this place..."

"If you don't meet your targets, the company will deal with you according to its rules—the 'family discipline.'"

A soft voice came from a charming woman who emerged from the factory.

Her face was fair and her features attractive. She wore a white blouse and a black suit skirt that ended just above her knees, revealing a pair of slender legs in black stockings. Her feet were in seven-centimeter black stilettos, their red soles flashing as she walked. She wore black-rimmed glasses, and her black hair was pinned up high at the back of her head. After sweeping her gaze over the trainees, she lifted her chin and said,

"I'm in charge of your training. You can call me Sister Zhang. As it happens, some people from the previous group who failed to meet their targets are receiving family discipline right now. Since you're curious, I'll take you to watch. Heh, I'm sure you'll take your work more seriously after you've seen it. By the way, what were you just saying?"

Everyone shook their heads.

The woman glanced at them, then at the people walking away, and understood.

"You think learning boxing is better?"

Before anyone could answer, she gave a faint, knowing smile.

"Maybe if we let you learn boxing after you've been here a while, you'd rather take family discipline than go. Here... at least you can stay alive."

She glanced outside the factory again, then turned and headed deeper inside, her high heels clicking.

"Come with me. It's freezing by the entrance."

Chen Chong and the others followed Yu Feng into a small building on the other side, then entered a large training hall on the first floor, much like a boxing gym.

Yu Feng had the four of them line up. His gaze moved over them, and then he suddenly said,

"There's only me in here."

Chen Chong froze, instantly sensing the strange tension in the air.

Li Xiaoguang and Wang Li exchanged a furtive glance, seeming ready to make a move, while Liu Hetao looked confused and frightened, with no idea what was going on.

But in the end, no one moved or said a word.

Chen Chong knew his own limits. He wouldn't stand a chance against the bald, muscular man in front of him, who was nearly two meters tall.

It seemed Yu Feng held a certain amount of sway throughout this vast compound. His fighting ability was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary boxing coach.

Besides, although Yu Feng was the only one in the training hall, Chen Chong had clearly seen the high walls surrounding The Park, the watchtower at the entrance, and the armed guards.

Seeing this, Yu Feng shook his head.

"Pathetic."

Chen Chong remained expressionless, but Wang Li and the others looked upset. Still, no one spoke.

"If you don't have the nerve to be ruthless, your fists won't be hard enough, and you won't survive here. You should know what kind of place this is by now."

Yu Feng said flatly,

"Over the next few days, I'll teach you a few real combat techniques. Train hard. This is your chance to survive.

"Now, we'll start with the Breathing Method."

Chen Chong was a little surprised. He was actually going to teach them?

The boxing theory and stances he'd learned at the boxing gym over the last couple of days hadn't been much different from what he'd known in his previous life.

But what set the fighters of this world apart from those in his previous life was the genuine "training methods" they used.

The Breathing Method was one major category of training methods.

Chen Chong had heard He Bufan, his deskmate, talk about it quite a bit, so he knew a little. Without these training methods, there was no way to reach the true "stages."

But whenever it came to what those stages actually were, He Bufan would stammer and mumble about how the knowledge couldn't be passed on lightly. Chen Chong could tell at a glance that the guy probably hadn't figured it out himself.

Now that someone was actually going to teach him the Breathing Method, Chen Chong was looking forward to it.

Li Xiaoguang suddenly spoke up, raising a hand.

"Coach Yu... are those two learning with us too?"

He meant Chen Chong and Liu Hetao.

Yu Feng nodded impassively.

Li Xiaoguang frowned.

"They can't learn it, can they?"

Yu Feng said coolly,

"Why not?"

Li Xiaoguang hesitated.

"But my former teacher said you need a certain level of physical conditioning before you can start the Breathing Method. Otherwise, it can cause irreversible damage..."

"If they don't learn now, they'll die even sooner once they get out of here."

Yu Feng said flatly.

Chen Chong asked,

"Get out of here? What are we supposed to do then? Join the company's Security Department?"

Yu Feng didn't say much.

"If you perform well, you might get the chance."

Li Xiaoguang looked like he wanted to say something, while Wang Li's expression remained gloomy and his eyes shifted uneasily. Only Liu Hetao still looked confused.

Chen Chong fell into thought.

So they weren't recruiting people? Then why teach them this? What were they supposed to do for the company?

There was no doubt that this wasn't a charity teaching combat skills for free.

And would training now damage their bodies?

When no one spoke, Yu Feng began to explain.

"This Breathing Method is a secret technique from a boxing gym... Never mind. That gym's been gone for ages."

He showed no expression as he spoke. After a brief pause, he said calmly,

"Now watch what I do."

The training hall had no heating, and the windows were wide open, letting the wind blow straight through.

The winter wind in the Wasteland was colder than the wind in the city. Every time the men spoke, white vapor puffed from their mouths.

Yu Feng took a gentle breath in, then abruptly blew it out through his nose.

Two streams of white vapor shot out like white dragons, reaching more than a meter before dispersing beneath him.

Using the white vapor to demonstrate the rhythm and force of his breathing, he performed the Breathing Method, punctuating it with deliberately amplified breaths.

Li Xiaoguang and Wang Li stared in astonishment, then broke out in a cold sweat.

It was a good thing they hadn't acted impulsively. The dragon-like streams of vapor curling around Yu Feng were already beyond anything an ordinary person could do.

It took about five minutes for Yu Feng to finish demonstrating the Breathing Method. He said calmly,

"That's the Breathing Method. Once you've learned it, practice every day, and it can improve your overall physical condition."

After speaking, he suddenly turned to Chen Chong.

"But it puts a tremendous strain on your body. If you don't have a foundation, there's a good chance you'll get hurt. Do you want to learn it? That's up to you."

Sensing everyone's gaze, especially Yu Feng's, Chen Chong felt a thought stir.

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Coach Yu, do they provide meals here?"