Start with push-ups to gain experience

Fang Cheng closed his eyes contentedly, his entire mind immersed in the changes taking place within his body.

At this moment, his stomach felt like a pulverizer running at full speed, frantically squeezing out the reptilian meat that had just entered his stomach.

As the crushed muscle fibers are rapidly broken down, a burst of scalding heat explodes from the stomach.

Like a blazing fire, it climbs up the spine and then spreads rapidly to the limbs and bones through the eight extraordinary meridians.

This heat is far more intense than the heat provided by ordinary food.

It carries an almost savage aggression, repeatedly washing over every inch of taut muscle.

Fang Cheng held his breath and focused his mind, guiding this blood and flesh energy into his dantian.

The true energy that had been depleted from the morning flight attempt was actually slightly replenished after receiving this external flesh and blood energy.

That wonderful feeling of fullness fills the meridians, circulating and revolving within the body with the vital energy.

He had no doubt that as long as there was enough of this kind of high-energy meat to replenish his energy, the so-called consumption of true qi was just as easy as filling his stomach.

"No wonder it's a rare species that doesn't exist in this world."

Fang Cheng opened his eyes, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

He silently estimated that the energy density contained in this bite of meat was at least dozens of times that of ordinary beef.

If an ordinary person took one bite, it would probably feel like they had taken a stimulant, and it would take several days and nights for the effects to wear off.

Recalling the barbecue in the cave in Xishan that night, Ma Donghe and Hou Peng, those two guys, felt unbearably hot all over after just sharing a few pieces of mutated wild boar meat, and their noses started bleeding uncontrollably.

It should be noted that the wild boars in Xishan were only affected by the energy radiation leaked from the entrance of the ruins, resulting in a certain degree of genetic mutation.

This reptile, however, is a top predator that truly fought its way out of the cruel apocalypse of the other world, with a blood core condensed within its body.

The two are not even in the same dimension in terms of the essence of flesh and blood.

Seeing that the two of them were so full that their faces were red and they couldn't handle the extra nourishment, Fang Cheng unceremoniously accepted the remaining fat pig leg.

As for reptile meat, they didn't even have the right to taste it.

For martial artists whose life level has not yet undergone a qualitative change, such exquisite delicacies are indeed poison that they are not worthy of enjoying.

"pity……"

Fang Cheng licked his lips and shook his head inwardly.

The most painful thing in life is having the most delicious food in front of you, but being unable to enjoy it to your heart's content.

As he was pondering this, a faint light suddenly flickered before his eyes.

Then, a notification message appeared:
[You are consuming a rare ingredient, increasing your constitution by 0.001]

Fang Cheng was slightly taken aback, but looking at the information on his improved physique displayed on the panel, he wasn't particularly surprised.

The system gave a similar response when we were grilling that hound monster in the Otherworld.

However, the improvement brought about by flesh and blood is negligible.

The reptile's meat was clearly superior; the effects were already apparent after just one bite.

"This stuff is several times better than those so-called top-tier tonics that sell for exorbitant prices on the market."

Fang Cheng sighed and looked down at the stewed meat in the pot, its broth rich and its aroma filling the air.

For him, this was no longer food to satisfy his appetite, but a super supplement that could be transformed into real combat power.

After eating two pieces of meat to suppress his craving, he put down his chopsticks and set the pot of meat aside for the time being.

He then walked to the corner of the kitchen and reached out to pull open the huge horizontal freezer.

With a "click".

The thick, white, cold air rose gently from the edge of the freezer.

He pulled a heavy black plastic bag from the bottom freezer compartment.

The bag contained the remaining reptile meat, about nine kilograms.

The chunks of meat were slammed heavily onto the thick wooden cutting board.

The moment the plastic wrap was torn off, a cold, slightly rusty smell quickly filled the kitchen.

The meat is dark red in color, with extremely long muscle fibers that are tightly intertwined.

You can even see a metallic-like cold light attached to the fascia.

Even though it was frozen solid, the ferocious aura of a high-level predator still wafted over.

Fang Cheng drew the thick-backed bone-chopping knife from the knife rack.

Holding the knife handle with his right hand, he didn't rush to cut, but instead extended his left thumb and slowly moved it along the grain of the meat.

He was looking for the gaps between these strong muscles.

The next second, Fang Cheng's wrist twitched.

The heavy steel knife twirled in his hand like a windmill, producing a blinding glint of cold light.

The sound of the blade slicing through the meat was not the sound of cutting meat.

Instead, it produces a tearing sound similar to a sharp blade cutting through thick leather, demonstrating its exceptional toughness.

That makes sense when you think about it.

After all, when the reptile was alive, its flesh and skin could withstand the bullet attacks of the hunter squad.

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and the muscles in his arm holding the knife bulged slightly.

With a little more force, each cut he made broke apart the stubborn fibers instantly, just like cutting through a lump of smooth tofu.

In just a few minutes, the meat chunks were neatly cut into palm-sized cubes.

The edges and corners are as smooth as a mirror, so neat that it looks as if it has been precisely measured with calipers.

This prey, which had once given him a hard time in the wasteland, now lay docilely on the chopping block, ready to be slaughtered.

Fang Cheng cut off about three pounds of the portion and resealed the rest, then put it in the freezer.

Then a fire was lit, a pot was set up, and a little golden oil was poured in, in preparation for another serving of braised reptile meat.

As the first wisp of smoke rose from the bottom of the pot, the chopped meat chunks were poured into the pot.

"His-"

The sound of stir-frying instantly filled the kitchen.

Fang Cheng held the pot handle firmly with one hand.

The heavy iron pot was as light as a toy in his hands, and with each tossing motion, it flew frequently over the flames.

The meat shrinks rapidly at high temperatures, and the blood on the surface quickly coagulates, transforming into a unique caramelized aroma.

He didn't add any complicated spices, just grabbed a handful of coarse salt and threw in a few pieces of crushed old ginger.

For ingredients of this caliber, preserving their original flavor is the greatest respect one can show them.

As the meat is continuously tossed and stir-fried, its color gradually changes from dark red to grayish-brown.

A unique aroma, spicy yet primal, instantly filled the air.

After stir-frying over high heat to lock in the flavor, add water and a little aged cooking wine, then slam the lid on.

Fang Cheng turned the heat down to the lowest setting, allowing the heat inside the pot to slowly break down those muscle fibers that were even more stubborn than rubber within the sealed space.

This type of meat has amazing tolerance and requires a lot of time to tame.

While the pot was bubbling away, Fang Cheng didn't stop. He turned around and ladled out a large bowl of white porridge from the clay pot.

The porridge had been cooked to perfection, with a thick layer of rice oil forming on the surface.

Then, he took out a jar of his mother's homemade pickled cucumbers from the freezer to neutralize the overpowering fat from the meat.

After half an hour.

Two plates of otherworldly beast meat, enough to drive countless martial artists mad, were placed side by side on the dining table.

At the same time, a faint light flashed before Fang Cheng's eyes, and a new notification appeared:

[You personally cooked a rare and precious ingredient, earning you +10 cooking experience] [Cooking Skill lv1 (216/250)]

Gaining so much experience from cooking a dish is truly an unexpected delight.

Fang Cheng smiled slightly, changed into a clean gray vest, and sat down at the table.

He first took a sip of plain porridge to moisten his throat, then picked up a piece of braised reptile meat and carefully savored his own cooking.

The texture of this meat is extremely contrasting.

The outer layer of the meat was stir-fried until it was crispy and flavorful, and it melted slightly with a bite.

Yet the inner texture remains firm and elastic, possessing astonishing resilience and strength.

Each chew felt like a final struggle against the remnant soul of this strange beast.

The abundant meat juices, mixed with savory aroma, explode in your mouth, and the rich and intense flavor rushes straight to your nasal cavity.

As a large amount of high-energy flesh and blood entered his stomach, Fang Cheng felt the heat in his body becoming increasingly surging.

A continuous stream of pure energy was surging into his limbs and bones, constantly nourishing and tempering his body.

Just then, several panel notifications popped up one after another:
[You are consuming a rare ingredient, absorbing life energy, and your physique has increased by 0.001]

[You are consuming a rare ingredient, absorbing life energy, and your physique has increased by 0.001]

………………

Seeing this, Fang Cheng chuckled and immediately stopped being reserved, letting loose and eating heartily.

He grabbed a large piece of meat with one hand and kept stuffing it into his mouth with the other.

A slight muffled sound came from the clenching of the teeth, like two millstones pressing against each other.

His cheeks were bulging out, and he chewed with great force.

The thick, meaty juices slid down his chin and neck without him even noticing.

Their eating manners were extremely ferocious, like a starving beast encountering its prey.

His original refined demeanor vanished, leaving only greed and ecstasy for top-quality cuisine.

Stewed reptile meat is tender, mellow, and melts in your mouth, while braised reptile meat is chewy and springy.

The crisp, tangy flavor of the pickled cucumber perfectly cuts through the greasiness of the oil.

Multiple flavors intertwined and collided on the tip of his tongue, bringing Fang Cheng an unprecedented sense of exhilaration and satisfaction.

With each bite of meat he swallowed, he could clearly sense his internal strength steadily increasing at a barely perceptible rate.

This tangible sense of improvement made him feel increasingly happy, and he enjoyed eating more and more.

A bowl of plain porridge, paired with two large plates of beast meat—enough to fill an ordinary person—was devoured in just a few minutes.

The plates were so clean they looked like they'd never been used; they were licked spotless.

"Alas, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality."

Fang Cheng put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and sighed softly with a touch of emotion:
"Having tasted such top-grade exotic beast meat, how could I possibly tolerate eating ordinary pork and beef again?"

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but recall that mysterious guy, Lu Tianming.

Since that night in the dense forest of Xishan, when they "met frankly," the head of the internal investigation department seemed to have vanished into thin air and never contacted him again.

Fang Cheng was not in a hurry, nor did he intend to pay a visit.

He knew perfectly well that Lu Tianming was probably extremely busy right now.

After all, the commotion that night was so great that several candidates actually died during what was supposed to be a normal physical fitness test.

Although this matter did not spread to the outside world, it was impossible for the Special Investigation Team to suppress it quietly.

The subsequent investigation and the embellishment of the case files all required Lu Tianming to use a great deal of his authority to maneuver.

Especially those black market mercenaries disguised as test takers, their backgrounds were not clean to begin with.

If the investigation team discovers something fishy and follows the clues, they'll find that Lu Tianming was the one whitewashing the identities of these assassins.

That would likely lead to the exposure of the "Black Tide" lurking in the shadows, and the resulting upheaval would certainly be significant.

Fang Cheng stood up, walked to the freezer, and reached out to pull open the top cover.

A hazy white mist wafted out from the air conditioner. He pulled out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.

The cool liquid slid down his throat into his stomach, slightly relieving the heat from the beast meat, and Fang Cheng let out a comfortable burp.

At this critical juncture, staying away from the other party is the wisest choice.

He didn't want to end up with an indelible stench at a time like this.

Of course, he also prepared for the worst.

If Lu Tianming, the mole, were to expose his identity, or even dare to implicate him, Fang Cheng wouldn't think it would be a big problem.

At worst, it just means our true strength will be revealed prematurely.

Given his current strength—able to smash through armored vehicles with his bare hands and traverse the interdimensional passage—he is incredibly powerful.

If it really comes to that, unless the higher-ups in the Special Investigations Unit are idiots, they won't treat him as a criminal. Instead, they'll treat him like a priceless treasure and try every means to win him over.

In this era of frequent extraordinary events and the gradual collapse of order, overwhelming power is the best get-out-of-jail-free card.

"Let's wait a few more days..."

Fang Cheng murmured to himself, casually crumpling the empty bottle into a ball.

The core value of keeping Lu Tianming alive lay in that method of "stablely opening the entrance to the ruins".

He still vividly remembers the feeling of being torn apart bit by bit by the spatial turbulence when he forcibly broke through the golden light barrier and entered the other world.

While brute force can be useful, nobody wants every trip to feel like they're on the verge of death.

The skills and experience that Lu Tianming possesses are exactly what he needs right now.

Moreover, judging from Lu Tianming's words, there is a cooldown period after the entrance to the ruins is opened once, and it seems that a huge amount of energy needs to be replenished.

There's no use in being anxious now; we should wait until the storm has completely subsided before making any decisions.

Fang Cheng strode towards the living room and stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

It was nearing noon, and layers of white clouds stretched across the sky.

A few beams of brilliant sunlight slanted down through the gaps in the clouds, spreading a shimmering, fragmented light across the vast sea, making one squint slightly.

One wave after another rolled in, crashing against the long embankment and creating clusters of white foam.

On the coastal highway, the dense traffic moved forward at a leisurely pace, and the sound of horns could be faintly heard.

Everything seemed as calm and ordinary as ever.

Fang Cheng looked out the window, his gaze gradually becoming deep.

I should make some plans for the days to come.

Once he successfully infiltrates the special investigation team and dons the official uniform, he will have the opportunity to access internal files and investigate the truth behind his father's death.

One can also use the convenience of their official position to resolve certain troubles that have been bothering them.

Of course, they can also use the special search team's channels to obtain more resources to satisfy the needs of this increasingly perverted body.

In the world of ordinary people, the pursuit of money and fame is paramount, but his goal is simply to become stronger.

So powerful that they can disregard social rules, so powerful that in the chaotic world that may come in the future, they can spread their wings at will and look down upon all living beings.

Fang Cheng stretched out his hand, slowly opened his five fingers, and then suddenly clenched them.

A low, explosive sound came from between his fingers.

"Special Search Team..."

He muttered something, looked away, then turned and walked toward the heavy sandbags hanging in the living room.

Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, let's get back to training. (End of Chapter)