Start with push-ups to gain experience

Five o'clock in the evening.

The security gates of the Special Search Team headquarters compound slowly slid open to both sides.

People began packing up their files and shutting down their computers in the office, then streamed out of the building in small groups.

They casually took off the blue work badges hanging around their necks, put them in their bags, and chatted about trivial matters such as buying groceries, cooking dinner, and picking up their children from school.

The time clock in front of the guard post kept flashing green light and emitting a series of "beep beep" sounds.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, this massive state apparatus slowly sheds its solemnity and reveals a worldly atmosphere indistinguishable from that of an ordinary office building.

Fang Cheng turned the steering wheel and drove the black Land Rover SUV out of the underground parking garage, slowly stopping at the back of the line of cars queuing to exit the gate.

Ma Donghe sat casually in the back seat and shoved his aluminum cane into the gap between the door and the seat.

He felt that driving his old, secondhand car to headquarters was beneath him, so he simply tossed the car keys to his underling, Zhang Yingjun.

I plan to save up enough money to buy an SUV in a while, so I've been shamelessly hitching rides with Fang Cheng these past few days.

Hou Peng also benefited and squeezed into the spacious back seat.

"Wow, these leather seats are so comfortable to sit in."

Hou Peng touched the soft seat back, looked around at the luxurious walnut wood interior, and couldn't help but sigh:
"Brother Cheng, your family is so well-off, you drive a luxury car worth millions, yet you still come to apply to the Special Investigations Team and suffer like this."

"If it were me, I would have been eating, drinking, having fun, and traveling the world to enjoy life.

Upon hearing this, Ma Donghe leaned back in his chair, chuckled, and turned to say dismissively:
"You don't know anything! My junior brother is experiencing life and has lofty ambitions! Unlike you, a spineless coward with no ambition, you're content to be a lowly clerk typing on a keyboard in the intelligence department."

"What's wrong with typing on a keyboard? Intelligence work is the eyes of the special investigation team, it's very important."

Hou Peng retorted with an awkward laugh.

Fang Cheng listened to the two bickering, smiled slightly, and did not say anything to explain.

He glanced at Hou Peng through the rearview mirror.

According to a previous conversation between the three, Hou Peng is from Yuzhou, and his ancestors included a famous doctor. His family still runs a fairly large traditional medicine shop.

Moreover, this kid has also practiced the family's Bajiquan since he was a child, so he can be considered to be a practitioner of both medicine and martial arts.

When the opportunity arises in the future, I can find an excuse to spar with him in medicine and martial arts, and take the opportunity to probe his abilities.

The Land Rover SUV drove out of the compound and merged into the main road.

It's rush hour right now, and traffic in the city is quite congested, with cars moving forward at a snail's pace.

The brake lights ahead almost formed a blinding red line.

Summer evenings are already unbearably hot and humid, and being stuck in traffic makes it even easier to become irritable.

"This lousy road is slower to walk than if I were using a cane!"

Seeing this, Ma Donghe couldn't help but complain as well.

Fang Cheng looked at the flashing traffic lights ahead, reached out and pressed a button on the center console to turn on the car audio system.

Soothing jazz music flowed through the carriage, isolating the noise outside the windows.

Fang Cheng leaned back in his seat, his fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel in time with the music.

He previously worked as a sparring partner at the Global Elite Fighting Club, where his working hours were always flexible.

I usually leisurely go to work at 10 a.m. and leave early in the afternoon, around 3 or 4 p.m.

Being squeezed into the evening rush hour traffic with thousands of other commuters like this is a long-lost experience.

How was your day in the department?

Fang Cheng casually brought up a topic, breaking the dull atmosphere in the car.

"Don't even mention it, those bastards in the Operations Department are inhuman."

Ma Dong-hyuk immediately perked up and began gesturing wildly, spittle flying everywhere:
"Those guys in the fourth squad have dumbbells and all sorts of guns and knives piled up on their desks."

“There was a burly man named Black Bear who insisted on arm wrestling with me. My leg was injured and I couldn’t exert much force, so I managed to hold my own against him for five minutes with just one hand, and finally managed to push him down.”

"Let me tell you, the way those guys looked at me changed back then. They all started calling me Donghyuk!"

Hou Peng, sitting in the back seat, listened with admiration, nodding repeatedly in agreement:

"Donghe's physique and strength are impeccable; those guys in the action department must be intimidated by you."

Then, he scratched the back of his head and sighed:
"Compared to the bustling activity in the Operations Department, our Information Section in the Intelligence Department is truly torturous. Hundreds of computers are running non-stop, and the screens are full of colorful code."

"I stared at it all afternoon, and my eyes are almost blind. But the operators inside all spoke softly, so the atmosphere was quite nice."

Fang Cheng smiled and followed the conversation:
"The medical department where I work is quite relaxed. I basically sit in the office all morning looking through files."

He didn't really do any substantial work at the medical department today.

The head nurse, Li Man, took great care of him. She not only tidied his desk up, but also washed a plate of grapes and brought them into his office, showing concern for his well-being and worrying that he, a new employee, might feel awkward.

He spent the entire morning in his office, leisurely flipping through various rules and regulations and past years' records of wounded soldiers' recovery, while also figuring out the organizational structure of the logistics department.

At noon, Wei Zheng took some time to visit him at the medical department, and then he, along with Ma Donghe and Hou Peng, had a simple meal together at the headquarters canteen.

The special search team's food was indeed as Wei Zheng had said; not only was there a wide variety of dishes, but they were also extremely generous with the ingredients.

The fist-sized braised lion's head meatballs are stewed until tender and flavorful, while the freshly baked roasted lamb chops are sprinkled with cumin, sizzling with oil when you bite into them.

After the meal, everyone was thoroughly satisfied, their mouths were greasy, and they exclaimed that it was just as delicious as the best restaurants outside, except that they couldn't drink alcohol.

This shows that the Special Investigation Team, as an important national authority, enjoys top-tier welfare and benefits.

Overall, my first day at the Special Search and Rescue Team was uneventful and uneventful.

From clocking in and onboarding to meals and leaving work, the entire process is almost identical to that of a regular government agency.

Of course, Fang Cheng knew very well that this was only because this group of new recruits was still in the adaptation period and had not yet been exposed to those more dangerous special missions.

Fang Cheng gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his gaze passing over the roof of the car in front of him and landing on the city skyline bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Next came a week of closed-door military training for new recruits.

Once the military training is over, the official transfer order will be issued, and he will be able to rightfully move into the Xishan Sanatorium.

According to Cheng Jiashu's previous confession, all the clues regarding the burial place of Jiang Chen's true body point to the Xishan area.

Moreover, the entrance to that ancient civilization's ruins hidden in the mountains and forests is also waiting to be reopened.

It seems that for the foreseeable future, I will need to shift my focus and activities to Xishan.

Fang Cheng's eyes darkened slightly as he considered his next course of action.

"drop--"

A sharp, piercing car horn suddenly came from his right rear, instantly interrupting his thoughts.

Fang Cheng turned his head to look.

A modified black Civic sedan forced its way in from the right lane.

The other driver seemed to think the vehicle in front was going too slowly and cut in front of them without maintaining a safe distance.

The front of the car almost touched the right fender of the Land Rover before cutting into the neutral zone, forcing Fang Cheng to slam on the brakes.

The Land Rover shook violently, and its tires left a clear black mark on the asphalt.

"Are you blind?! Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?!"

Ma Dong-hyuk flew into a rage, rolled down the car window, leaned out halfway, and started cursing loudly outside.

The black Civic showed no intention of slowing down or apologizing.

The driver's side window rolled down, and a tattooed arm stretched out, blatantly giving the middle finger to the Land Rover behind.

Then, the exhaust pipe emitted a loud roar.

Like a slippery eel, the Civic weaves freely through the gaps in traffic, continuing to show off its dangerous and brutal driving skills.

Ma Donghe's anger intensified, and he continued to curse under his breath. Seeing this, Fang Cheng's eyes flashed with a burning light.

His competitive spirit was instantly ignited by this provocative act.

"Hold on tight."

He uttered three words in a deep voice, and his right hand quickly shifted the gear shift paddle.

The Land Rover's heavy body emitted a deep roar.

Fang Cheng quickly scanned the road ahead and accurately calculated the speed and trajectory of all the surrounding vehicles in just one second.

Then suddenly turn the steering wheel all the way to the left and step on the accelerator with your right foot.

The massive SUV, with an agility disproportionate to its size, squeezed past the rearview mirror of a bus on its left and cut directly into the overtaking lane.

The black Civic was just about to seize the opportunity and merge into the inner lane.

The Land Rover's wide front end had already pressed down like a black behemoth, completely blocking its movement.

Fang Cheng held the steering wheel firmly with both hands, feeling the vibrations transmitted from the chassis, and maintained the car speed at a critical point.

Every time he lightly tapped the brakes or made subtle adjustments to the accelerator, he timed it perfectly to the Civic's blind spot and lane change points.

No matter how sharply the Civic swerved, the Land Rover remained firmly attached to its side, less than five centimeters away.

"Run him over! Kill him!"

Ma Dong-hyuk was so excited in the passenger seat that he slapped his thigh and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Hou Peng, sitting in the back seat, gripped the roof railing tightly and cheered repeatedly.

There is a right-turn off-ramp ahead.

Seeing that he couldn't shake them off, the Civic driver attempted to accelerate and force his way overtake from the outside.

Fang Cheng smiled and turned the steering wheel to the right.

The Land Rover's imposing body instantly squeezed the Civic's driving space.

The Civic driver was terrified by the sudden lane change and slammed on the brakes.

With a screeching sound of tires, the black Civic swerved in an awkward "S" shape on the road, nearly crashing into the crash barrier at the ramp entrance, before finally coming to a wobbly stop on the side of the road.

In contrast, the Land Rover SUV roared to life and sped away.

The atmosphere inside the black Civic had plummeted to freezing point.

Four burly men with buzz cuts and bulging muscles sat in the car, their faces grim.

"Damn it! He's so arrogant just because he drives a beat-up Range Rover!"

The burly man with a crew cut in the driver's seat slammed his fist on the steering wheel and cursed through gritted teeth:

"If I didn't have a mission today, I would have forced this bastard to stop and broken his leg!"

"Shut up, you old devil."

In the passenger seat, a young man gave him a cold glance, his voice hoarse:

"Don't forget our purpose in infiltrating Dongdu City. The operation is important; don't cause trouble on the way and expose our whereabouts."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp police siren could be faintly heard from behind.

The two accomplices in the back seat immediately sat up straight and urged:

"The traffic police are here, get out of there!"

The driver, known as "Old Ghost," changed his expression and spat angrily on the ground.

He quickly shifted into gear and floored the accelerator.

The Civic roared to life, hastily entered the ramp, and quickly disappeared into the traffic.

Inside the Land Rover SUV at this moment.

"That was so exhilarating! That driving skill was absolutely amazing!"

Ma Donghe's face flushed with excitement, and he slapped his thigh hard:

"Ah Cheng, I never knew you were so fierce when you boxed, and now you're just as reckless when you drive!"

Hou Peng breathed a sigh of relief in the back seat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then gave a thumbs up:
"With Cheng's skills, it's a shame he's not racing in rallies. He was so close to the other cars just now, only centimeters away from crashing. My heart was pounding in my chest."

Fang Cheng smiled modestly, glanced at the rearview mirror, and raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Don't rush to praise me, trouble is brewing."

As Fang Cheng spoke, the two heard the sound of police sirens outside the car and immediately turned to look back.

A heavy police motorcycle with its red and blue flashing lights was seen rapidly weaving through the traffic from behind.

The traffic policeman on the vehicle pointed at the Land Rover, signaling it to pull over.

"Traffic police checking vehicles? Leave that to me, watch me."

Ma Donghe patted his chest confidently.

Fang Cheng turned on the right turn signal as instructed and parked the car smoothly on the sidewalk.

The traffic policeman took off his helmet, walked up to the car, and knocked on the window with a serious expression.

"Hello, please show your driver's license and vehicle registration. You just changed lanes repeatedly and drove dangerously on the main road, which is a serious violation of traffic safety regulations."

Fang Cheng rolled down the car window to get his documents.

Sitting in the back, Ma Donghe took the initiative and made a move first.

He pulled a black leather ID holder from his pocket, slammed it down in front of the traffic policeman, lowered his voice, and adopted an impatient posture:
"Officer, please make an exception. We are special investigation team officers. That black Civic we just saw is the suspect vehicle we are trying to apprehend; we are currently on an urgent tracking mission."

The traffic police officer was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and then opened the documents with some skepticism.

The traffic policeman's expression changed instantly when he saw the words "Special Affairs Investigation Team" and "Operations Department" stamped on the document.

He abruptly brought his legs together, returned a perfectly standard salute, and his tone immediately became extremely respectful:
"Good morning, sir! Sorry to interrupt your mission. Should our traffic police brigade call in checkpoints along the route to assist in intercepting the target vehicle?"

"No need. The suspect is highly dangerous. Your regular police force might alert him if you get involved. We will call for backup from headquarters."

Ma Donghe waved his hand dismissively, put his ID back in his pocket, and urged:

"Alright, let's not waste any more time, we need to continue the tracking."

"Yes, sir! Please be careful!"

The traffic police officer was filled with respect and immediately stepped back two steps, waving to signal the vehicles in front to give way.

Fang Cheng rolled up the car window, stepped on the gas, and the Land Rover rejoined the traffic.

"Donghe, you're amazing! Your acting is incredible, you've got it all figured out!"

Hou Peng, sitting in the back seat, couldn't help but give Ma Donghe a thumbs up.

Ma Dong-hyuk proudly raised his chin:

"That's right! We call this making good use of resources. We might as well use this ID card."

Fang Cheng listened to the two laughing and joking, and shook his head helplessly.

This is perhaps the convenience brought about by official privileges.

He didn't respond to Ma Donghe's comment.

At that moment, his attention was drawn to the dazzling light that had suddenly appeared before him.

A pale blue, semi-transparent panel slowly emerged from the air:

Congratulations! Through your persistent efforts, your skills have reached the expert level.

[Driving Level 1 (0/250)] (End of Chapter)