Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The daily routine of the steel rolling mill's security department quickly shifted from the lingering laziness and relaxation after the Lunar New Year holidays to a tense rhythm that was even more stringent than before the holidays, almost like "wartime."

At dawn, with only a few stars still hanging in the sky, the piercing reveille shattered the cold air, mercilessly dragging the team members out of their still-warm beds.

Still half asleep, I put on my training gear (sandbags, water bottle, training wooden gun) and started running around the huge factory area.

Morning exercises consist of invariably drills and military boxing, including turning, marching, and standing at attention, requiring perfect alignment and uniformity. The afternoons feature a variety of physical conditioning exercises: push-ups, pull-ups, frog jumps, shuttle runs… or drills involving connecting fire hoses and operating fire extinguishers.

There are also two emergency nighttime assemblies each week. When the whistle blows, everyone must be fully armed and assembled within five minutes to conduct area deployment or field exercises.

For a moment, dust filled the training ground of the security department, and the sounds of slogans, commands, panting, and occasional cries of pain mingled together.

Many office workers who usually sit in the office complained bitterly, and the young men in the patrol team and militia were also exhausted. They complained in private: "Wei Heizi is trying to train us to death!" "It's even tougher than the recruit training!" But no one dared to complain or slack off openly.

Wei Changzheng stood like an iron tower at the edge of the training field, his hawk-like gaze sweeping across the field, leaving no room for the slightest slackness, which was often followed by extra training or a merciless reprimand.

However, in this intense (or rather, "fierce") training scene, one person stood out as particularly "out of place".

Wei Chen.

As a third-level clerk in the factory office, Wei Chen was attached to the security department for a long time due to "work needs," and now he naturally "enjoyed" this extra training treatment. What was surprising and even somewhat "infuriating" was that no matter how difficult or abnormal the training program was, Wei Chen completed it with ease, even... to an excessive degree.

While most people were pale, breathing heavily, and feeling like their legs were made of lead during the 5-kilometer cross-country run with a heavy load, Wei Chen maintained a steady and elastic pace, breathing evenly and deeply, with only a thin layer of sweat on his forehead that glistened slightly in the morning light.

The sandbags he carried seemed to be as light as a feather. When he ran past teammates who were clearly lagging behind and about to collapse, he would reach out and lend a helping hand, or whisper words of encouragement: "Adjust your breathing, hang in there, you're almost at the finish line." Those who were helped by him were grateful, but also astonished: Is this guy's stamina limitless?

During drills, his military posture was as upright as a pine tree on a cliff, his turns were as clean and crisp as if drawn with a ruler, and his steps were as precise and uniform as if measured with a ruler.

As for military boxing and basic grappling training, Wei Chen's performance put immense pressure on his sparring partners. His movements seemed to strictly follow the instructor's demonstration, each move precise and methodical, but those in the know could subtly discern the differences—the power in his punches was concentrated yet restrained, the transitions in his footwork were fluid and seamless, and his reaction speed was astonishingly fast.

Teammates who practice with him often feel that their attacks are like mud oxen sinking into the sea, while Wei Chen can easily make them lose their balance and stagger backward with a simple parry, deflection, or guide.

He never takes the initiative to attack or show off, but his defense is impeccable. His occasional "counterattacks" are always perfectly timed, stopping short of causing trouble, demonstrating his strength without embarrassing his teammates.

"This is crazy! What did Wei Chen eat to grow up like this? His physique, his strength, his stamina... I think he's no worse than Wei Heizi back in his day!" During a training break, Wang Meng, a big guy from the fire brigade, slumped down on the horizontal bar, wiping his sweat-drenched bald head with a towel. He looked at Wei Chen, who had just easily completed thirty standard pull-ups and was relaxing his wrists and ankles in place, and couldn't help but mutter to his teammates.

"I heard you used to do heavy labor in the countryside?" someone guessed.

"Doesn't seem like it." Another veteran team member shook his head, squinting at Wei Chen. "Look at his hands. Although they have calluses, they don't look like they've been doing rough work for years. His skin is also fair, unlike that of a farmer exposed to the wind and sun. He seems more like... a martial arts expert? But I haven't seen him put on any airs."

"Who cares? He's just awesome. Practicing with him is stressful, but you can learn a lot from him. He doesn't hold back." Some people are more objective.

"Hey, you guys say, that big yellow dog he's with is also weird, its nose is incredibly sensitive... This master and servant are both something else." Someone else brought up the topic of the big yellow dog.

Faced with the amazed, puzzled, envious, or inquisitive gazes around him, Wei Chen always responded with a humble and even slightly shy smile, explaining that he might have a special physique by nature, being stronger and having better endurance. He also mentioned that he used to run around in the countryside and climb trees often, which might have given him a solid foundation.

The real reason, buried deep in his heart, was that the "Nine Heavens Sun-Shooting Technique" brought not only the increasingly refined true essence within his dantian, but also a complete transformation and nourishment of his physical body from the inside out. His bones and muscles were far stronger than ordinary people, his qi and blood were as vigorous as a furnace, his five senses were keen enough to perceive the smallest details, and his nerves reacted as fast as lightning.

These physical qualities, which ordinary people need to train hard for years or even need a certain talent to acquire, are simply a natural manifestation of the operation of his technique and the natural progression of his abilities.

He even regarded this high-intensity, repetitive, and torturous military training as an excellent way to hone his "external skills".

He experiences the surge of blood and the harmony of breathing rhythm during extreme runs; he hones his will and absolute control over his body in monotonous drills; and he feels the release and timing of power during combat exercises. Every time he sweats profusely on the training field, it is a further step in familiarizing himself with and mastering his increasingly powerful physique, and another way of consolidating his cultivation.

If Wei Chen's performance in group training was "easy," then his performance in another "exclusive task" was "amazing," which earned him another identity in the security department—"dog training expert."

Dahuang, a German Shepherd brought into the factory by Wei Chen under the guise of a "police dog," quickly became the "star animal" of the security department after making another great contribution in the "scrap yard incident."

But Wei Chen knew that if he wanted Da Huang's abilities to be continuously recognized, and even become an indispensable value to him in the department, one outstanding performance was not enough.

He had to let people know that Da Huang's abilities were not accidental, but rather the result of continuous, scientific, and rigorous training. So every afternoon, as long as there were no field missions, after completing their duties at the equipment depot, the relatively quiet corner of the training ground behind the factory became Wei Chen and Da Huang's "exclusive training ground."

This move initially attracted a lot of curious glances. Some found it novel, some were skeptical, and others were waiting to see it fail—can a dog, no matter how smart, be trained to do anything extraordinary?

Wei Chen was fully aware of this, but he didn't care. Between him and Da Huang, there was a profound connection and tacit understanding brought about by the game world contract, far beyond what ordinary people could comprehend. A single glance, a subtle mental fluctuation, and they could understand each other perfectly. But to the outside world, he had to package this "tacit understanding" as the result of rigorous training.

The training content was carefully designed by him, which not only conforms to the current perception of "working dogs" but also cleverly incorporates some more efficient modern training concepts.

Basic obedience training is a daily routine. "Sit!" "Lie down!" "Stand!" "Stand still!" "Come!" "Follow!"... Wei Chen's voice was clear and steady, neither hurried nor slow.

Dahuang executed every command perfectly, its movements swift, accurate, and without hesitation. It sat as still as a bell, lay as straight as a bow, and stood as upright as a pine tree. Upon hearing the command "stay," even if Wei Chen walked far away or made any disruptive movements, it remained completely still, only its ears twitching slightly, its eyes always focused on its master. When walking alongside, it stayed close to Wei Chen's left leg and rear, its steps perfectly synchronized, never falling ahead or behind without a leash. This absolute obedience amazed even the veteran team members who occasionally watched.

Tracking and search training is the focus. Wei Chen would ask familiar team members for help to take an item with a strong smell (such as a pair of old shoes or a T-shirt) and leave first. They would then walk a distance in complex terrain (such as a corner piled with clutter or a path with multiple forks) and hide, or simply conceal the item.

Then, Wei Chen would have Da Huang sniff the source of the scent and give the command "Track!" or "Search!" Da Huang would immediately get to work, sniffing carefully with its head down, sometimes looking up to check the wind direction, and sometimes turning decisively, always finding the target person or object with amazing speed and accuracy.

Wei Chen would introduce some interference during this process, such as placing items with similar smells along other paths or creating some noise, but Da Huang was almost never fooled.

The obstacle course and biting drills showcased Da Huang's physical abilities and courage. Wei Chen used existing equipment and scrap materials at the training ground to build simple obstacles: jumping hoops, a balance beam (low balance beam), and a crawling net. Under his instructions and encouragement, Da Huang easily crossed them with agile movements.

During bite training, Wei Chen wears a specially made, thickened arm guard (modified from an old cotton coat) and plays the role of the "thug." When he gives the command "Attack!" and makes a provocative gesture, Da Huang pounces swiftly, accurately biting the arm guard with just the right amount of force—enough to intimidate without actually hurting anyone. When Wei Chen shouts "Let go!", it immediately releases its grip, retreats to its original position, and remains alert.

These training scenarios gradually attracted more and more security personnel to watch. From initially watching out of curiosity, they later became amazed and impressed. They witnessed firsthand how Da Huang accurately found a small piece of key hidden among a pile of messy items; how it tracked down a "missing" team member in a complicated corner of the factory area; and how it swiftly and restrainedly executed the attack command.

"My goodness! Is this dog some kind of spirit?" Zhao Tiezhu, the deputy captain of the patrol team, was dumbfounded.

"Comrade Wei Chen, where did you learn your dog training skills? They're even better than the military dog ​​trainers we used to see in the army!" a veteran asked curiously.

"Yeah, this Big Yellow is amazing! Wei Chen, if there are any tracking or search missions in the future, we'll have to lend you and Big Yellow to our team!" The other team captains said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Wei Chen always smiled modestly: "It's all because Da Huang is smart and had a good foundation from his time in the army. I just followed the methods I had seen before and practiced every day until I became proficient." He deliberately emphasized "every day," attributing Da Huang's amazing abilities to "talent" plus "hard work."