Chapter 29: The Xishan Explosion Incident

Rumble—

Dull thunder echoed through the night sky.

Fang Cheng jolted awake.

He glanced up at the alarm clock; it was only 4:36 AM.

Outside the window, it was still pitch black.

The thunder rolled faintly from the distance.

Intermingled within it were faint, rustling sounds.

Clearly, after two days of clear weather, the rain was starting again.

Fang Cheng let out a yawn, his sleepiness vanishing instantly, so he decided to get up early.

He turned off his set alarm, threw on a sports jacket, and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Then, he walked to the living room balcony.

Gazing at the dawn scenery outside the window, he slowly crouched down and whispered

"December 4th, the 15th morning training session begins!"

The night hung low, and neon lights flickered.

The figure before the window was like a sculpture, outlining a tall and steady silhouette.

A moment later.

The silhouette changed abruptly, moving back and forth like an agile antelope.

*Whoosh!*

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Fists sliced through the air, and feet shifted and pivoted.

Having just finished his warm-up, Fang Cheng began practicing shadowboxing.

Boxing techniques, kicking techniques, combinations of punches and kicks, combinations of strikes and takedowns...

Various combat skills came to him naturally, executed with such proficiency and fluidity that there was no sense of hesitation.

After finishing one round of shadowboxing, Fang Cheng paused to catch his breath, closing his eyes in contemplation for a moment.

Then, he assumed four different combat stances, attempting to practice the fundamentals of Karate according to the key points learned from the instructional discs.

Specifically, the kata demonstrated by Goro Majima during training.

This included a variety of complex techniques: kicking, striking, grappling, seizing, throwing, locking, choking, counter-techniques, pressure point strikes, and breathing.

Many theories and techniques in Karate are actually quite similar to traditional martial arts.

This is because it originated in Xia Country and was later flourished in the East.

After being refined by generations of masters, its combat effectiveness was greatly improved, making it more adaptable to the style of modern combat sports.

But no matter how much it was refined, the philosophy of Karate remained somewhat traditional, emphasizing personal cultivation and the aesthetic beauty of movements.

It was starkly different from modern combat, which emphasizes competition and settles outcomes with fists.

Consequently, its performance in the ring was only slightly better than that of traditional Xia martial artists.

If one were to discuss true combat effectiveness, a style like Jiu-Jitsu, which looks less "elegant," was actually much more formidable.

However, Goro Majima's performance at the club yesterday had earned Fang Cheng's respect.

Setting aside the man's somewhat abnormal mental issues.

Looking strictly at the solid fundamentals he displayed, as well as his beast-like physical stamina and offensive intent.

He could absolutely be called a top-tier combat athlete.

It was just unclear how much of a gap existed between him and a world-class boxing champion like Zheng Haokang.

The shadow continued to flash agilely as the sky gradually turned a hazy light.

6:50 AM.

A rain shower stopped, and the streets became lively with the sound of people again.

Since the onset of winter, the rainy weather had been intermittent for a week.

The climate was so abnormal that those unaware might think they had returned to the early summer plum rain season.

Fang Cheng exhaled a breath of hot air, his face slightly beaded with sweat.

He simply stripped off his sports jacket and undershirt to let his body breathe and cool down.

This revealed the muscles on his back, where several bruises had been treated with red medicinal wine.

Another new day had arrived.

Another morning training session had concluded.

A panel light screen surfaced before his eyes, and Fang Cheng inspected today's gains.

【Focus EXP +3】 【Boxing EXP +7】 【Sanda EXP +20】 【Squat EXP +15】 【Leg Raise EXP +9】

"Not bad!"

Fang Cheng wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a slight sense of fulfillment.

Looking at another notification, the curve of his lips deepened.

【Congratulations! Through unremitting effort, your Agility has increased.】

Because he had participated in the coaching department's physical test yesterday and performed 250 consecutive push-ups, today's training volume was actually much lower than before.

Furthermore, to prevent aggravating upper body muscle fatigue, Fang Cheng had specifically omitted push-up practice.

Even so, the gains from this morning session were still very considerable.

His current attributes were

【Strength: 11】 【Agility: 12】 【Constitution: 16】 【Spirit: 18】

Aside from the newly broken Agility, the specific progress for the other three attributes was: Strength 12%, Constitution 37%, and Spirit 59%.

The "Solitary Man" special effect acted like an endless fuel pump.

It had shortened the time required to increase and break through physical attributes—which would normally take at least a month—by two to three times.

Fang Cheng stretched his limbs, pulled his arms back, and threw several lightning-fast jabs into the air.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—*

He felt the obvious change in punching speed following the increase in Agility.

He also felt a wave of soreness spreading through his arm muscles.

That was a physiological phenomenon caused by lactic acid accumulation and protein breakdown.

It was unavoidable for anyone who exercised.

"If I indulge myself once in a while, I eventually have to pay the price..."

Fang Cheng muttered to himself, dropping his stance.

Doing 250 push-ups in one go.

At the time, it hadn't felt like much of a burden; he had even felt quite exhilarated.

But after just one night's sleep, his muscles had instead entered a state of fatigue.

Coupled with the bruises on his arms and back from being hit by benches during the brawl with those thugs in the night market the day before yesterday.

The two factors combined.

Before he had fully recovered, it would inevitably have some impact on his daily training plan.

Fortunately, his Constitution attribute was high, and his body was tough enough to take a beating.

Otherwise, he might have had to take a few days off to rest.

"It would be even better if I could master a rapid medical skill like in a game..."

With a thought, Fang Cheng summoned the light screen.

He looked at all the skills he currently possessed.

【Speed Reading lv1 (54/250)】 【Focus lv1 (106/250)】 【Cooking lv0 (89/100)】 【Cleaning lv0 (91/100)】 【Boxing lv1 (164/250)】 【Sanda lv0 (35/100)】 【Push-ups lv1 (132/250)】 【Squats lv1 (90/250)】 【Leg Raises lv1 (18/250)】 【Potential Activation (23:58:16)】

His gaze swept through them one by one, landing on the final skill slot, which was in a grey, sealed state.

The cooldown time displayed on it was shockingly less than a day.

"I hope it doesn't affect my plan to unlock Pull-ups tomorrow..."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng quickly gathered his thoughts and walked toward the bedroom.

He packed a few clean clothes, preparing to head down to the public bathhouse for a hot shower later.

Today was Friday; he didn't have to work, so he had plenty of leisure time.

Glancing at the gloomy sky outside, Fang Cheng turned on the television and tuned to the Dongdu News Channel, wanting to catch the 7:30 weather forecast.

The presenter's pleasant voice soon filled the room.

It wasn't quite the hour yet, so the station was still broadcasting the "Good Morning Dongdu" morning news.

Fang Cheng put down the remote and went to the bathroom, first running some cold water to wipe his body with a towel.

"Breaking news from this station: At approximately 3:00 AM today, a serious explosion occurred at the Xishan Ruins excavation site, triggering a large-scale forest fire..."

"Xishan?"

Hearing this, Fang Cheng stopped scrubbing his back with the towel and walked back out to watch the news.

Ren'an Hospital, where his mother worked, was located right at the foot of Xishan.

"...The specific cause of the accident remains unknown, and the extent of the damage has not yet been tallied; it may be due to intentional sabotage."

"Currently, the Dongdu Municipal Government and the National Security Department have dispatched large numbers of military, police, and fire brigades to the area to conduct clearing and search-and-rescue operations."

"To prevent traffic congestion and the potential movement of criminals, the entire Xiguan district has temporarily entered a state of alert. All entrances and exits are blocked, and unauthorized vehicles are strictly prohibited from entering or leaving."

"Citizens intending to travel to that area in the near future are advised to change their itineraries and await further updates from this station..."

Watching the presenter report the news with a solemn expression, and seeing the footage of Xishan covered in thick, black smoke, Fang Cheng's brow furrowed slightly.

He immediately returned to the bedroom, took his phone out of his bag, and quickly dialed a number.

Soon, the sound of a waiting tone rang out.

*Beep— beep— beep——————*

Finally, the call disconnected automatically.

(End of Chapter)