Not far away, Jerff had clearly noticed what was happening. Another round of ear-splitting laughter rang out. "Hahaha, kid, are you sleepwalking? Or did the sandbag job scare you stiff? This isn't a place for you to play house, hahahaha!"
Mu Fan kept punching the target stand in front of him, one punch after another. All straight punches—left, right, left, right... It was as rhythmic as... as the breathing of someone asleep. Looking closely, one could easily spot a tiny glimmer of drool at the corner of Mu Fan's mouth. His bright eyes were unfocused, his pupils clearly not fixed on anything.
After laughing, Jerff saw that Mu Fan was ignoring him and felt bored. Since he could not very well make a scene, he stopped paying attention to the spaced-out kid.
Five minutes passed. Everyone was training while Mu Fan punched, one strike after another...
Fifteen minutes passed. Everyone was still training while Mu Fan kept striking, one hit after another...
Half an hour passed. Some people had already gone to drink water and rest, but Mu Fan maintained the same rhythm. Anyone observant would have noticed that his punching tempo had not changed in the slightest from half an hour ago. The target stand still had not moved at all, though only a few people occasionally glanced his way.
Fifty minutes passed. Most people had stopped to rest and chat, and Jerff had also finished training and stepped down. Mu Fan was still there, punching one strike at a time, his rhythm utterly unchanged. People had begun noticing him and discussing him in low voices.
"This kid's not bad. He's been standing there for fifty minutes without moving."
"Look at the target stand. It hasn't even swayed. His punches have no power either—you can only hear a few dull thuds."
"Jerff's walking over again. Does he really dislike this kid that much? Is he determined to put him in his place?"
"Shh, look! Jerff's bringing his hand down. Do you think that strength will knock the kid over? Hahaha."
After drinking some water, Jerff frowned and glanced at Mu Fan before walking over. Mu Fan seemed not to hear him. His pupils remained unfocused as he continued punching at a steady pace.
"Hey, kid, put some strength into it." Jerff gave a malicious chuckle. As he approached, he raised his left hand and slapped Mu Fan's left shoulder like they were good buddies, though he secretly put some force behind it. Anyone weighing less than a hundred kilograms would not be able to withstand that slap. Mu Fan's frame was at most seventy kilograms; there was no way he could take it. He had been standing there punching like an idiot for half the day without saying a word. Did he think he was here to work out? That attitude was really irritating.
Slap! Just like with Man Kun earlier, the result Jerff expected did not appear. His hand felt as though it had struck a rock, jarring painfully, and then he felt the movement of Mu Fan's joints as Mu Fan drew back his left fist.
"Kid!" Feeling that he had embarrassed himself again, Jerff looked down at Mu Fan as he slowly turned his head, a vicious grin on his face.
Then he saw those unfocused eyes flicker before locking onto him. "Is it time to eat?" Mu Fan's brows suddenly shot up as he stared wide-eyed at the hulking man before him.
"What?" Jerff's momentum instantly faltered.
"Is it time to eat?" Mu Fan looked up at him and asked again.
"Oh, oh, soon." The giant man was dumbfounded. It was the first time in all his years that he had encountered someone like this.
"Ah, thank you." Upon hearing that it would be soon, Mu Fan immediately returned to the spirited state he had been in when he first arrived. He even seemed to perk up all over.
"Kid, you're thinking about food before you've even started working. How much can that little body of yours even eat? Don't choke after taking two extra bites." Jerff came to his senses and mocked him.
"What does choking mean?" Mu Fan felt as though he had never had a concept of being full in his memories, much less the word "choking." He genuinely did not know.
"You!" Even the scar on Jerff's forehead twitched with anger. If no one else were watching, he truly wanted to punch this brat into the air.
"Kid, appetite is directly proportional to strength." After two years at the martial arts gym, Jerff had become increasingly crude, and his mentality had grown more and more twisted since retiring as a mercenary.
"Quit acting like a starving ghost. After a few bites, you won't be able to eat anymore. Taking food out of the gym is forbidden. If you get caught, you'll be crippled all the same."
"Food's ready!!" someone shouted from the other side. Mu Fan's eyes lit up. He did not spare the burly man in front of him another glance and sprinted straight over.
Cafeteria 3, the martial arts gym staff's exclusive dining hall, was equally spacious and empty. Since it was on the first floor and closest by, these sparring partners were the first to enter, so there were not many people yet. Everyone lined up at the counter, collected two boxes of Nutritional Meals, and brought them aside to eat. What distinguished this cafeteria from the others was that cheap artificial nutrients were compressed and supplemented to create different flavors. They contained abundant energy, protein, vitamins, and more, but tasted far worse than normally prepared food and were more filling. Most people would be full before finishing even one box. Still, compared to the synthetic food available to the poor, the martial arts gym's Nutritional Meals contained four times as much energy per hundred grams.
People had come to eat because the meals were free. They might taste terrible, but the nutrition was quite good. At night, they could set aside some of the money they earned to go out for a decent meal and some drinks.
"Two boxes. Next... next."
The cafeteria staff distributed Nutritional Meals in an orderly fashion.
"Oh, Kemo. Here, take three boxes."
Standing behind them, Mu Fan's eyes went wide when he saw another tall man in front of him receive three standard meal boxes from the cafeteria worker.
"Two boxes, take them. Next... Huh? Why aren't you leaving? The people behind you are waiting. Move along."
Mu Fan held two boxes of Nutritional Meals and stared fixedly at the person in front of him without moving. Then he pointed at the man named Kemo who had just left and said indignantly, "Why can he take three boxes? Is there a limit on meals?"
The people around them froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. The person in front of him laughed so hard that tears nearly streamed down his face.
"Hahaha, I told you, his brain's definitely different. Someone actually wants extra Nutritional Meals. Kemo can finish them with that build of his, but can you? This stuff is compressed, and you still want more? Aren't you afraid of stuffing yourself to death? Hahaha!" A booming laugh came from behind him. Jerff had just entered and seen the scene. He immediately strode forward arrogantly, shoving everyone around him aside. Seeing the bear-like Jerff, no one dared object.
Jerff walked over, looked down at Mu Fan, and sneered faintly. "Kid, watch closely."
"Where's my food?"
"Oh, yours? Five boxes!"
Jerff held five boxes of Nutritional Meals in one hand, patted Mu Fan with his right, and tipped his chin toward the meal boxes. "See that? Appetite and strength are directly proportional."
"Then I want ten boxes first!" Mu Fan looked solemnly at the meal attendant wearing a White Hat.
"Hahahahaha!" Another wave of laughter erupted around them.
The White Hat was helpless. He hurriedly handed Mu Fan three boxes and said, "Finish these first, then come back. Prove your appetite first, and then we'll give you more. Remember, taking extras away is forbidden."
Taking the three boxes of Nutritional Meals, Mu Fan nodded and said very seriously, "I'll come back to get them later. Have them ready first."
The people around him laughed so hard they could barely straighten their backs.
Carrying three lunch boxes, Mu Fan sat down in a chair not far away and spread the three meals across the table. A scent of synthetic meat drifted over, and his stomach growled loudly. He had never eaten this much in a single meal before!! Mu Fan, who had always lived hungry, could not wait any longer. He grabbed a steel spoon and scooped up a fifth of a box of Nutritional Meal. He barely chewed it at all; the rough texture did not stop him from swallowing it in one gulp!
Mu Fan's eyes suddenly widened! He could feel the hunger in his stomach. The poor-grade synthetic meals he had exchanged for before seemed to vanish after his stomach barely processed them. But now, he could clearly feel that this food was far more filling than the poor meals he had eaten before. It actually expanded a little after reaching his stomach. Though it lasted only one second longer before disappearing, that faint trace of energy spreading from his stomach to his limbs made him feel wonderfully refreshed! Even his flesh and blood seemed to thirst for this energy! For his body, the compressed Nutritional Meals provided slightly less energy than better-tasting fierce beast meat, but they were absorbed faster and came in greater quantity. This was the food he wanted.
"Satisfied!!!"
Before you continue