Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

As Chu Hanshan's loud laughter rang out, those who were training stopped and gathered around him.

Wang An and Wang Li looked around and roughly counted that the group that had surrounded them numbered at least 30 people.

Wang An quickly smiled apologetically and said:

“Boss Chu, we’re just menial workers. Even if you beat us up, it won’t do any good. Why don’t we take the money and go back to report right away? And if you happen to run into Minister Wu the other day, just beat him up.”

Wang Li turned his head slightly to look at Wang An, his face full of surprise.

The main reason is that Wang Li has been hanging out with Wang An for so long, and he has never seen his usually domineering and fierce fourth brother so cowardly.

Most importantly, Wang An had previously asked Wu Dong for help, and now he's already suggesting that Wu Dong go and cause trouble for him.

However, after Wang An finished speaking, Chu Hanshan said in an annoyed tone:

"Where the hell am I supposed to run into him? Am I supposed to bring a bunch of guys to Wuzhuangbu and beat him up? Damn it, can't you use your brain for once?"

Before Wang An could speak again, Chu Hanshan said in a commanding tone:

"Don't think I'm joking with you two. There are 30 people behind you. If you two can beat them in a one-on-one fight, then this money is yours, hahaha."

After saying that, Chu Hanshan laughed again. His laughter was extremely crazy, distorted, and awkward, giving people goosebumps.

After a burst of wild laughter, Chu Hanshan spoke again:

"Hey, if you two can't beat them, the money's still yours. But you two'll get a beating, and I don't know how badly they'll beat you, hahaha."

From Chu Hanshan's seemingly insane state and the eerie laughter he emitted, Wang An was finally certain of one thing.

That means the cigar Chu Hanshan was smoking had something added to it.

Because he had smoked a spiked cigar, Chu Hanshan's nerves became a little excited, and he was starting to lose control of himself.

However, none of this concerns Wang An. Wang An is currently very troubled, extremely troubled.

The main problem is that with Wang Li's strength, he would definitely run out of energy after just a few of these tag-team battles, and Wang An himself had no idea how many he could defeat.

Although these 30 people don't seem to be particularly skilled and are probably new recruits trained by Chu Hanshan and his team, they are still professionals nonetheless.

Just as Wang An was considering these issues, he heard Chu Hanshan speak to the 30 people in a erratic voice:

"You 30 have been training for a year now. This time, I'll see how you perform. Those who perform well can stay and continue training. Those who don't perform well, you're all going to guard the mine. Damn it, you bunch of useless trash."

As he spoke, Chu Hanshan raised his right hand, which was holding a cigar, and pointed to the sky, saying:

"Let's do it!"

From beginning to end, Chu Hanshan did not ask Wang An and the other person for their opinions, as if he were the only master once he entered the training room.

After Chu Hanshan finished speaking, seven or eight people walked in from the doorway. They were the same people who had been playing mahjong in the room outside.

The person in the lead was the same guy with the middle-parted hair who had been sitting in the north seat earlier.

As the young man walked over, he looked Wang An and Wang Li up and down and said:

"You two hurry up and go to that room to take off your cotton-padded coats, otherwise you won't be able to move freely in them. Oh, and there are new underwear and vests in the closet in that room, so change into them while you're at it. There are also shoes; it would be ridiculous to compete in military uniforms while wearing military-style clothes."

After saying that, the young man suddenly said to the person next to him:

"Xiao Zhi, why don't you lead them over there?"

This guy named Xiao Zhi is the only one among the people who were just loitering around the mahjong table who paid any attention to Wang An.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi immediately agreed:
"Hey, okay, Sheng-ge."

Turning around, Xiao Zhi smiled at Wang An and Wang Li again:
"Let's go!" Wang An nodded, then looked at his fur coat and military boots, pursed his lips, turned to Wang Li and winked. The two brothers then followed Xiao Zhi into the room in the northeast corner.

Wang An was hoping to use the power of the military hook to quickly incapacitate the enemy, but the situation was beyond his control. If he didn't do as the enemy demanded, he would definitely not get the money.

While changing clothes, Xiao Zhi said with a playful tone:
"You guys must all be carrying guns, right? Let me tell you, that's useless. We have so many guns, do you think we're afraid of just two of yours? Hehehe."

Wang An tentatively asked:

"Do you often have these kinds of competitions here?"

Xiao Zhi said with a smile:

"It's not that often, only once or twice a week. Don't worry, at most I'll break your legs or arms, I definitely won't kill you."

These words came out of Xiao Zhi's mouth as casually as eating and drinking, which shows that, as Xiao Zhi said, such competitions, or more accurately, fights, often occur here.

Seeing that Wang An remained silent, Xiao Zhi spoke again:

"You should be grateful that you can fight these newbies. If we call in those old guys, just the two of you... tsk tsk tsk, I think you two are pretty much a bunch of jerks."

While they were talking, Wang An and Wang Li changed into tight vests and shorts, and put on a pair of ordinary canvas sneakers.

Seeing the muscles on Wang An and Wang Li's bodies, Xiao Zhi said again:

"You two are really fit. You must be top athletes in your team, right?"

It was obvious that Chu Hanshan, Xiao Zhi, and Sheng Ge all regarded Wang An and the other man as active-duty soldiers, that is, Wu Dong's subordinates.

Wang An smiled upon hearing this and continued:

"No, definitely not. We mainly stand guard, we don't have much time for training."

Wang An didn't want his and Wang Li's true identities to be exposed. If these coal mine workers retaliated against them later, Wang An really wasn't confident he could withstand it.

After changing his clothes and putting on his shoes, Xiao Zhi explained the rules of the competition to Wang An and the other man. Then, led by Xiao Zhi, the two of them walked outside together.

It's called a rule, but there are practically no rules. To put it simply, it's two people fighting bare-handed. Except for kicking the groin, they can hit anywhere until one of them falls to the ground or admits defeat.

The rules are incredibly simple.

When the three of them came out, the people outside were gone, and the 3 yuan on the coffee table had been put away by someone. Xiao Zhi, however, calmly led the two of them to push open a door.

He explained as he walked:

"We need to go to the basement to compete; there's a ring down there."

Wang An nodded and said, "Yeah, it's fine, anywhere is fine."

After walking through a corridor, Wang An counted the number of steps he went down as he descended the stairs. He had walked more than 70 steps, which was about the height of a three-story building.

Soon, the three of them reached the bottom.

Pushing open the door, you see a circular basement with the lowest point in the center, which is a 20-square-meter arena surrounded by tiered seating that gradually rises.

If the entire basement were full, it could hold about 200 people.

Countless light tubes illuminated the basement from above, making it as bright as day.

It must be said, however, that the basement was actually quite warm; I wasn't cold even wearing shorts and a vest.

After the three of them went inside, Xiao Zhi gestured with his chin towards the arena in the center and said:
"Which of you goes first? One of you go up." (End of Chapter)