Never Work Overtime

"996, 997..."

"998, 999, 1000!!"

Qin Ming shouted out each number one by one, finally completing his thousand all-out punches.

By then, his entire body was drenched in sweat. He dropped onto his butt, lay back, and panted heavily. Both arms trembled uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Su Wuming had long since left him behind and was already a hundred or two hundred kicks into his own all-out leg training.

That undoubtedly provoked Qin Ming, but he did not have a shred of strength left. Even turning over was incredibly difficult now. Every all-out punch required his legs to exert force as well.

As the saying went, whether a punch was fierce depended entirely on how steady one's horse stance was.

A thousand did not sound like much, but the further one went, the harder it became.

Not to mention Su Wuming—among the other twenty-four students from the class who had followed them out, over half had already been unable to continue by the halfway mark.

Some students had even scraped the skin off their knuckles, blood slowly seeping out.

But with Instructor Mo Lan, tyrannical as ever, constantly watching over them from behind, no one dared stop. And if anyone tried to slack off without putting in their full strength, she saw it clearly and corrected them on the spot.

By noon, some students could no longer endure it and fainted outright.

When Lin Pangpang and the others came out of the classroom to eat lunch, they saw the scene and silently rejoiced that they had not followed them outside.

They did not dare linger either. After greeting Instructor Mo Lan, they hurried away, afraid that if they stayed any longer, they would be drafted into the training.

Students from other classes passed by as well. They stopped to watch, discussing the scene curiously.

But they were all scared away by the pressure released by Instructor Mo Lan.

Only one male instructor stood nearby, watching everything with great interest.

This male instructor was called Second Chrysanthemum. More accurately, it was a codename rather than a name. Mo Lan was the same; it was part of the confidentiality requirements of the organization they belonged to.

Second Chrysanthemum wore the same black combat uniform as Instructor Mo Lan, with a matching headband tied around his forehead.

He looked to be between twenty-five and thirty years old, stood around six feet tall, and had sharply defined features. He gave off an exceedingly capable air.

Su Wuming's first impression of him was: Bro, are you cosplaying someone? Other than the hair color, you look way too much like him.

With a smile on his face, he walked over and said to Instructor Mo Lan, "Mo Lan, treating the flowers of the motherland like this... aren't you afraid of getting roasted online?"

As soon as he said that, many trainees who had collapsed exhausted on the ground looked at the male instructor with pleading eyes.

At last, someone had come who could speak up for them. In that moment, this instructor's image became instantly towering in their eyes.

Yet Instructor Mo Lan remained unmoved. She glanced at him disdainfully, her lips forming a few words as she made an internationally recognized gesture. The trainees were dumbfounded by the sight.

Instructor, is that really okay?

We're still children...

As for what she mouthed, it was, "Get lost." Anyone who saw it understood immediately.

But what happened next drove them into complete despair.

Second Chrysanthemum said without a shred of dignity, "Got it~~" Then he turned and left without looking back.

He just left???

Leaving the trainees, whose hopes had been shattered, to remain under the rule of the female tyrant, Instructor Mo Lan.

It was only a minor episode. After homeroom teacher Shi Potian learned of it, he went to the principal, who gave him only one response: "Everything will be arranged by the instructor, and the instructor will bear all consequences."

Unexpectedly, the principal was so decisive this time. Even the board of directors silently approved of it.

Shi Potian could only sympathize with those trainees in his heart.

But from another angle, those twenty-five trainees had brought it upon themselves. Thinking that way made Shi Potian feel much better.

That afternoon, when school let out, quite a few parents came over. Yet not one of them caused trouble, because Qin Ming's father, who had taken the lead, saw Instructor Mo Lan and immediately had Zhu Dong apologize to her before harshly scolding Qin Ming.

That made the other parents realize something at once: this one-eyed instructor had an extraordinary background.

If they wanted their children to remain in the class, it was best not to make an enemy of her.

So they followed suit, each giving their own child a stern lesson.

In the end, Instructor Mo Lan did not pursue the matter further. Reaching this point was enough to establish her authority and make future management easier.

As she watched the parents carry or support their children away, Mo Lan's eyes showed not the slightest ripple.

Yet inwardly, she sighed. These people had lived peacefully for too long. The fighting spirit ingrained in the bones of Dragon Nation's spiritual martial artists had truly weakened with each generation.

But after looking at Su Wuming, who was doing the final set of sit-ups, she added in her heart, Except this child.

At that moment, Instructor Second Chrysanthemum came over again.

"School's over. Why aren't you leaving?"

Mo Lan did not answer. Instead, she gestured with her eyes toward Su Wuming in the distance.

"This kid hasn't stopped since noon?" Second Chrysanthemum had heard from others about the series of events that had led to this situation, and there was a hint of surprise in his voice.

Mo Lan nodded without saying anything more.

At that moment, Lin Pangpang squatted beside Su Wuming, calling out the numbers for him. Only the last two remained.

But anyone with eyes could see that Su Wuming had reached his limit. Forget ten—he was already exhausting every bit of strength he had just to complete the 998th one.

He was holding on solely through willpower, along with the day's check-in progress displayed in the system mission.

Only two remained, but Su Wuming's body was frozen halfway up, unable to rise no matter what.

"Wuming, how about taking a bite? Don't be so stubborn. If you can't do it, come back tomorrow."

Pangpang could not bear to watch any longer. He wanted Su Wuming to eat some Qi-Blood Sausages, but Su Wuming completely ignored him.

The main reason was that Su Wuming was conserving every ounce of strength he had. He could not even speak.

"Little Fatty, you're not helping him," Second Chrysanthemum suddenly said.

Lin Pangpang looked at Instructor Mo Lan in confusion, wanting to hear her opinion.

Mo Lan said nothing, while Second Chrysanthemum continued.

"Finish today's work today. Tomorrow after tomorrow—how many tomorrows are there? Su Wuming, right? If you're a man, stop dragging your feet and hurry up with the last two! Don't keep Mo Lan from getting off work!"

Hearing that, Su Wuming nearly collapsed on the spot.

Big brother, Mo Lan's the one with legs. If she wants to leave, can I stop her?

Still, those words undoubtedly gave Su Wuming a bit of motivation.

He was right. He absolutely could not keep Instructor Mo Lan from getting off work.

Su Wuming never worked overtime!

Get up!

Su Wuming roared in his heart, draining the final trace of strength from his body and completing the last two in one breath.

Then his body tilted to one side and he lost consciousness. Just as he was about to fall, an invisible force caught him—it was Mo Lan's telekinesis. She then said to Lin Pangpang:

"Call his family and have them come pick him up."

"Uh... Instructor, let me do it. We're both orphans and live together."

Both Second Chrysanthemum and Mo Lan were visibly taken aback by those words.

But neither of them said anything, nor did they show any pity. Mo Lan merely used her telekinesis to place Su Wuming onto Lin Pangpang's back.

"Don't be late tomorrow."

"Don't worry. Even if he's unconscious, I'll carry him to school."