Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 316 Warm-up Exercises, Enemies in the Dark

Fang Cheng was shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose gray sweatpants.

His bronze skin shimmered with a healthy glow in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.

He gripped a horizontal branch as thick as a bowl with one hand, his upside-down body resembling a javelin, pointing straight and tall towards the sky.

As the right arm bends and straightens, the body leans forward steadily, and then pushes back up with amazing control.

The muscles in the arms and back, in their extreme contraction and relaxation, are like granite infused with life, bulging and knotting.

Each line is full of concise power, smooth and beautiful, as if it were carefully sculpted by the most skilled craftsman.

With such a strong physique, even with such a challenging training method.

Fang Cheng's breathing remained steady and long, with not a trace of sweat on his forehead.

After completing 100 one-handed handstand push-ups in one go, he did not immediately turn over.

Instead, he maintained the posture of hanging upside down with one hand, calmly adjusting his internal energy.

Through the gaps in the dense foliage, the view below the mountain comes into view in an upside-down manner.

The buildings in the town are scattered like building blocks on a green chessboard.

The familiar white building of the Dawn House Orphanage was clearly visible at the edge of the field of vision.

A barely perceptible red light flashed deep within Fang Cheng's pupils.

The "eagle eye" vision is quietly activated, and the scenery in front of you is instantly zoomed in and magnified.

It's as if you're looking through a high-performance telescope, capturing every subtle movement of people in the distant environment, revealing every detail.

Fang Cheng could clearly see that inside the high walls and courtyard of the orphanage, a group of children were chasing and playing on the lawn.

The laughter seemed to penetrate the distance and could be faintly heard.

Cheng Jiashu joined them, a gentle smile on his face, playing a game of catch with a little girl with pigtails.

Everything looked so peaceful and serene.

Fang Cheng's heart stirred slightly.

Around noon today, he quietly arrived at this mountaintop with a superb view.

I witnessed Cheng Jiashu, disguised, drive to the Dawn House, unload bags of gifts from the trunk, and distribute them to the cheering children.

They also keenly noticed unusual activity at several hidden locations around the orphanage, suspected to be surveillance posts.

Cheng Jiashu, however, acted very naturally, patiently playing with the children.

Her smile was genuine and warm, and her every move was unlike that of a superstar in the public eye.

She is completely different from the cold-blooded and ruthless "smiling devil" in the rumors.

He seemed completely unaware that a trap had been quietly set up outside the orphanage.

Countless eyes are watching him intently, ready to hunt down this murderous maniac.

At this moment, surrounding Cheng Jiashu and the children were many other kind-hearted people and volunteers who had come to visit the orphans.

They also brought all sorts of gifts and toys, making the yard a lively place.

However, the distance was too great to discern whether there were any suspicious individuals disguised as visitors among them.

Fang Cheng's gaze swept through the crowd and landed on a somewhat familiar figure.

She was a young girl in a wheelchair, with a pure face, delicate eyebrows, and pale skin due to prolonged lack of sunlight.

Compared to when we last met in the neighborhood, the melancholy in her eyes had faded considerably.

At this moment, her face was radiant with a smile that seemed to have been infected by the children's joy, and she was intently watching Cheng Jiashu interact with the children not far away.

Fang Cheng's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

After confirming that it was the girl he had met by chance last time, he continued to observe the movements inside and outside the orphanage.

With the Noah Organization's scheduled operation time still some time away, everything seemed calm and uneventful at the moment.

It seemed like just an ordinary weekend afternoon.

The sun shines warmly, a gentle breeze blows, and life is peaceful and serene.

After observing for a while and finding it rather boring, Fang Cheng realized that nothing was going to happen for the time being.

So I decided to exercise in the secluded canopy of trees.

Instead of wasting your will in pointless waiting, you should invest every minute and second in self-improvement.

The sense of fulfillment brought by this tangible progress far surpasses any vague or unrealistic calculation.

After all, only by constantly improving one's own strength can one rely on the most reliable means to deal with all enemies.

At this moment, Fang Cheng had completed three rounds of training.

After observing from the tree for a while, they confirmed that everything was still safe and sound down the mountain.

Then, with a thought, a semi-transparent panel that only he could see appeared before his eyes.

[Leg Raise Experience +3]

[Leg Raise Lv2 (376/500)]

[Pull-up experience +3]

Pull-ups lv2 (409/500)

[Bridge carrying experience +3]

[Back Bridge Lv2 (308/500)]

[Handstand Push-up Experience +4]

[Handstand Support Lv2 (352/500)]

Looking at the data summary of skill improvement information, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.

My push-up and squat skills have long been mastered, and the experience gained from regular practice has become extremely slow, requiring accumulation over time to gradually improve.

However, these four skills that have not yet been mastered can still be quite effective with targeted practice in spare time.

Currently, their experience progress bars have all exceeded 300 points, and they are not far from leveling up again.

Especially in pull-ups, at the current pace, I should be able to achieve a breakthrough and reach the master level within half a month at the latest.

If all six fitness skills are successfully upgraded to the master level, how amazing will one's physique be?
Fang Cheng couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

The realm where he had been so eagerly anticipating awakening his mythical talent no longer seemed so far away.

Fang Cheng gently exhaled a breath of stale air, calming the slight agitation that had been building up in his chest.

Then, with a deft flip, like a weightless feather, it landed quietly on the thick, horizontal tree trunk.

I shook my arm, which had been working hard, and felt a pleasant soreness deep in my muscles.

Fang Cheng did not continue with high-intensity training.

After warming up, conserving energy to be in top condition for the upcoming battle is the wise choice.

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Fang Cheng suddenly sensed something.

A faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of mental connection, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creates gentle ripples.

It seems that Xu Hao has already gathered some valuable intelligence.

However, that guy seemed to be hesitating about something and had not yet taken the initiative to convey any specific information to me.

Fang Cheng smiled slightly but did not urge him.

He sat cross-legged on the thick tree trunk, which offered a wide view, with a relaxed demeanor.

Like an old monk in deep meditation, he calmly surveyed everything below the mountain.

Time, in the silent waiting, quietly slipped away, second by second.

The dark clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, like spilled ink slowly spreading out.

Light and shadow moved and changed rapidly on the ground.

The distant building silhouettes began to blur in the dim light. Suddenly, the sky darkened completely, as if dusk had arrived prematurely.

Fang Cheng raised his head and looked up at the gloomy, leaden sky.

He thought to himself, "It's going to rain."

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

The night is dark.

The darkness in the suburbs is purer and more intense than in the city center.

Large raindrops, accompanied by a violent wind, pelted down with tremendous force.

The wind howled, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves, echoing through the empty streets.

The streetlights' glow became blurred and dim in the rain, barely outlining the rushing water on the road.

Such weather virtually eliminated all unnecessary travel.

The solitary white building of Dawn House, amidst the wind and rain, glowed with a few warm lights, like a small boat struggling in a raging sea.

After the rain started, most of the volunteers and kind-hearted people who had come to visit the children during the weekend holiday had to leave in a hurry before the rain subsided.

After all, nobody wants to be trapped in this remote suburb.

Cheng Jiashu and several other visitors who were too embarrassed to leave immediately had a simple meal with the director and staff of the orphanage in the canteen.

After dinner, the rain not only showed no signs of stopping, but instead poured down harder.

The group could only remain in the lobby, watching the weather outside the window and waiting idly for the rain to subside.

The newly appointed Dean Li is a woman in her early fifties with a kind face and a hint of weariness from long-term hard work between her brows, but her eyes are very gentle.

She was talking to a middle-aged man who looked quite distinguished, thanking him for his generous donation to the orphanage.

"Dean Li, you're too kind."

The man smiled and praised him:
“Since you took over Sunrise Home, the children here have a completely new look and the environment of the facility has improved a lot. We who do charity work are happy to see this.”

"This is all thanks to the strong support of kind-hearted people from all walks of life. I have only done my part."

Dean Li humbly waved his hand and replied:

"The healthy growth of children cannot be separated from everyone's care. What I can do is to use every penny of donations effectively so that children can feel the warmth of society..."

Cheng Jiashu sat on the sofa a little further away, listening quietly to their conversation, but his gaze kept drifting out the window.

Rainwater washed across the glass, leaving distorted streaks of light that blurred everything outside.

He was preoccupied with something on his mind, and when the occasional visitors struck up conversations with him, he would only give a few perfunctory replies.

However, his gaze would always unconsciously drift toward the girl sitting quietly in the wheelchair in the corner.

The rain seemed endless.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, it was as if a huge hole had been torn open in the sky.

After a while, the remaining visitors, seeing that the rain was too heavy, had no choice but to bite the bullet and leave together in the rain.

Cheng Jiashu appeared to be casually flipping through a pictorial magazine, but in reality, he was focusing his attention and listening intently.

Maximize your perception, and let it spread out like ripples.

Inside and outside the orphanage, all was quiet; apart from the sound of wind and rain, there was no other unusual activity.

The children had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep in their dormitories.

His brows furrowed slightly, but the unease in his heart did not diminish; on the contrary, his unusual calm only added to his solemnity.

The wall clock ticked away, the hour hand ticking away until it pointed to the 10 o'clock position.

At this moment, the lobby is empty.

Besides Cheng Jiashu, there was only Dean Li, a young assistant, and the wheelchair-bound girl who had been quietly sitting in the corner.

Dean Li covered his mouth and yawned, his eyes and brows revealing obvious weariness.

"Mr. Su, the rain is so heavy, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. Why don't you stay here tonight?"

She looked at Cheng Jiashu with a questioning tone.

Cheng Jiashu registered the pseudonym Su Jiachen here.

"Dean Li, you should go and rest first."

Cheng Jiashu replied as if nothing had happened:
"I arranged for a friend to pick me up. They should be here soon. I'll drive away by myself in a bit."

"OK then."

Dean Li nodded, then turned to the girl in the wheelchair in the corner and said softly:

“Yong’er, you have some difficulty moving around, so why don’t you stay here tonight? I’ll have Assistant Wang help you tidy up; it’ll be the same room as before.”

The girl called Yong'er raised her eyes and softly responded:
"Okay, thank you, Dean Li and Assistant Wang."

Her voice was melodious, as clear and pure as spring water.

Her speech and behavior were extremely polite, displaying the gentle and dignified demeanor of a well-bred lady.

His face was excessively pale, which made his eyes appear even clearer and more distinct, revealing a calmness beyond his years.

She seemed to be very familiar with Director Li, and it was obvious that she often stayed overnight at the orphanage in the past.

With the help of Dean Li and his assistant, Yong'er pushed her wheelchair, preparing to leave the lobby.

Before leaving, her clear eyes, with a hint of scrutiny, fell on Cheng Jiashu once more.

She always felt that this man was mysterious, and the way he looked at her was a little strange.

Unlike others, who are either outright frivolous or curiously voyeuristic.

Instead, it carried a habitual caution, as if observing everything from the shadows.

They were only nodding acquaintances; they had known each other for more than half a year, but had barely spoken a word to each other.

But Yong'er was naturally sensitive, and her intuition told her that this Mr. Su seemed to be hiding some dangerous secret, which made her instinctively want to keep her distance.

After Dean Li and Yong'er left, the lobby became completely quiet.

Cheng Jiashu put down the pictorial in his hand and turned his gaze to the window again, looking at the world that was being swallowed by darkness and raging storm.

He had been waiting all night, but the assassins sent by the Noah organization, as he had expected, never appeared.

Cheng Jiashu was filled with doubt.

The anonymous note clearly warned him that Noah's organization would be taking retaliatory action against the House of Dawn that night.

But why is there still no movement?
Could it be that the information is wrong?
Or did the other party change their plans?
Or perhaps, this is a trap set for themselves, and the real target is not the orphanage.

Or is it to lure me out and test my bottom line?

Cheng Jiashu stared at the window, blurred by the rain, his mind racing as he analyzed the various possibilities.

A security guard on night patrol happened to pass by the lobby and saw Cheng Jiashu alone there. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

But he didn't ask any more questions, just nodded, and went back to his work.

Cheng Jiashu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

In any case, he had to wait.

Putting everything else aside, patience is one of his few strengths.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Fang Cheng postcards three times in a row, persistently waiting for a reply.

Boom——

Suddenly, a thunderclap tore through the thick, churning clouds.

The pitch-black world outside the window was illuminated as if it were daytime in an instant.

Cheng Jiashu's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had caught some overlooked detail.

A thought, like a lightning bolt piercing the darkness, suddenly illuminated his mind.

(End of this chapter)