Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 58 Humans and Non-Humans
Underground Parking Lot.

The broken light bulb flickered on and off.

It reflected the strange light hidden deep in Fang Cheng's pupils.

Zheng Haokang looked into his eyes and suddenly felt a little regretful.

Perhaps... this powerful opponent of unknown origin in front of him is also a monster?
Fang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded and replied:
"I have indeed seen some very strange people. I wonder if they are the same kind as the monsters you are talking about?"

Zheng Haokang heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this.

The look in his eyes when he looked at Fang Cheng also softened a little, as if he had finally found someone he could confide in.

He simply squatted on the ground, breathing lightly and calming himself down.

Then he looked up at Fang Cheng:

"You should have heard about the Xishan explosion, right?"

When Zheng Haokang mentioned this, Fang Cheng's memory instantly went back to the dawn when he was practicing pull-ups in the heavy rain.

"It should have been half a month ago..."

Regardless of whether Fang Cheng was listening or not, Zheng Haokang continued:
"I went to Xishan with my friends to relax and stay overnight at Gufeng Temple. The atmosphere in the mountains was quite quiet at first, but in the second half of the night, I was awakened by a loud noise that shook the earth."

"The whole temple seemed to be shaking, and many tiles fell down. We thought there was an earthquake, so we quickly ran out of the dormitory with the monks."

"When I looked up at the night sky, I saw flames shooting up into the sky and wind waves coming from afar, breaking and falling rows of trees."

"The explosion site was about a few kilometers away from the temple, but the huge power could still be felt."

"But this isn't even more shocking..."

At this point, Zheng Haokang's eyes and voice became even heavier:

"It started raining early that morning, and I saw several figures coming out of the wildfire, chasing each other, fighting, and approaching the temple."

"No, they are not considered human. They run as fast as bullets. They can knock down a wall with just a collision and throw their opponents into the air with a wave of their hands. This is simply not something that ordinary people can achieve."

"My friend was hit on the head by the flying bricks because he couldn't dodge in time. He died on the spot."

"And those monsters just stepped on an ant casually while walking, without even looking at us..."

Fang Cheng couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

This kind of physical strength is probably several times more abnormal than Goro Majima after he went berserk.

"Later, even when the police intervened, they simply classified the matter as a special case and prohibited us from publicizing it."

Zheng Haokang raised his head and looked at him deeply:

"You are indeed stronger than me, but in the eyes of that monster, you are just a slightly stronger ant."

Fang Cheng's face remained calm and he did not reply.

Zheng Haokang continued speaking, venting his long-pent-up emotions.

"More than a decade ago, I was still a kid who knew nothing. After watching too many Kung Fu movies, I made up my mind to become a powerful and invincible martial artist like the protagonist in the movie."

"I practiced hard every day, getting closer and closer to this goal, until I stood on the ring, holding the championship trophy high in both hands, and excitedly shouted, 'I am the king of the world!'"

"Thinking about it now, it's so childish and ridiculous..."

Zheng Haokang shook his head and sighed, looking at Fang Cheng with a slightly dejected look.

"No one around me could understand my decision to retire."

"Since you have seen those monsters, you should understand how I feel now."

"For ordinary people like us, no matter how hard we train and work hard every day, we can never reach that extraordinary level."

“Dreams are like targets. They can be farther away, but if you can’t even find the target, what’s the point of drawing the bow every day?”

Listening to Zheng Haokang's self-expression, Fang Cheng could feel the strong reluctance contained in his words.

After thinking about it, I walked over and extended my hand to him.

Zheng Haokang looked at Fang Cheng's palm and was stunned. "I understand your feelings and respect your choice."

Fang Cheng firmly grasped Zheng Haokang's right hand and pulled him up from the ground.

"Mr. Zheng, let me realize your dream from now on, challenge those so-called monsters, and reach the highest point in this world!"

After saying this, he patted the fighting star's shoulder, turned around and walked away, in the face of the fighting star's incredulous look.

Only a back view was left behind, which made him unable to calm down for a long time.

....................................

Night falls.

Fang Cheng, carrying a shoulder bag, followed everyone out of the staff passage.

Standing at the entrance of the shopping mall, looking at the scene outside.

Countless raindrops fell along the lights, like a huge silver curtain, covering the skyscrapers.

The wet sidewalk was a sea of colours and glittering scales.

Those are the neon lights cast by nearby buildings onto the street.

The puddles rippled as the soles of my shoes stepped on them, as if a dream was shattered.

A couple snuggled up to each other, holding an umbrella together.

There were many people rushing around after work.

Fang Cheng held up a black umbrella and walked slowly through the rain and the crowd.

There is a building at the intersection ahead, playing LED curtain wall advertisements.

A group of young people gathered in the rain and cheered for the appearance of their favorite anime characters.

Why do humans like fantasy?
Maybe because it is the road to another world.

There were faint flashes of lightning in the sky, illuminating the gloomy night.

It was as if the gods lowered their eyes, looking at the world through the clouds.

Fang Cheng folded his umbrella, walked onto the crowded bus, and sat in the unpopular front row seat.

The glass was blurry and the wipers kept flickering.

Occasionally I could see the road ahead and the taillights of the traffic, but they were blurred by the rain in an instant.

Fang Cheng stared quietly at the dreamy rainy night city with dim lights.

Suddenly, this world seems so real.

In the past, he always felt lonely and couldn't see the way forward.

now--

Fang Cheng raised his eyes, scanned the unfamiliar faces of the passengers in the car, and whispered to himself:
"There are actually many similar beings around me that are hard to imagine..."

Fang Cheng did not suffer the same blow as Zheng Haokang, and did not lose the determination to continue climbing.

Instead, it rekindled a strong sense of anticipation, and I couldn't wait to get back into high-intensity training.

If people don't stand on the top of a dangerous peak, how can they enjoy the scenery of all the mountains?

A light blue screen slowly appeared before my eyes.

The car TV had a flickering picture and clear sound, and was playing the evening news.

"...In view of the mysterious 'black rain' phenomenon that has been widely circulated among citizens recently, our reporter specially went to the area around Xishan to conduct a field investigation and strive to restore the truth."

"However, some meteorological experts have analyzed that the so-called black rain may be related to the wildfire caused by the previous explosion. A large amount of grass and wood ash particles gathered in the troposphere, forming atmospheric pollution, and fell with the rain..."

(End of this chapter)