Chapter 29: The brick attack
"Bricking," a slang term originally derived from "Qingzhou Brick-Holding," would gradually gain currency in later years with the rise of the internet. In this era, however, especially in this little inland city, on the turf of Xiahai City No. 1 High School, people probably had yet to recognize the brick as a vicious weapon: available everywhere, easy to carry, utterly inconspicuous, and capable of raising an unarmed person's fighting ability by any number of levels.
High school students at this point had yet to experience the information explosion of later years. In an inland place like Xiahai in particular, their horizons were narrow in many respects. Even the history of school violence, of fighting, consisted mostly of barehanded brawls. To Su Can, though, this undoubtedly wasted all the bricks lying around.
The brick Su Can had raised high came chopping straight down onto Chen Chong's spine. A dull thud carried into his chest, and he staggered three steps forward.
Then Chen Chong turned his head, his expression three parts alarm and seven parts disbelief. Clearly, that first blow had only intimidated him; it had not done any particularly astonishing damage.
Momentum carried Su Can's brick-wielding right hand out to the left. Then, just as Chen Chong turned his head, he whipped it back in a rising backhand swing. The broad face of the heavy red brick, carrying the smell of brick-red dust, slammed squarely into Chen Chong's face without the slightest flourish.
Chen Chong's abrupt turn had already thrown him off balance. With this additional blow, even his cerebellum had probably been stunned. A canine tooth flew out of his mouth, his toes swept up a faint trail of dust, and his body spun like a top as he fell toward the ground beside him.