Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The black market at the foot of the city wall was like a lurking beast, curled up during the day and awakening as soon as darkness fell. When He Yuzhu pressed his hat brim down and touched this place for the second time, his heartstrings were taut even more than the first time.

Nearly two days have passed since the deadline, and the "startup capital" progress bar is still stuck at 800, leaving a huge shortfall. Things have just started to look up at Fengzeyuan, but the points earned from the fixed monthly wages are simply not enough. He needs quick money—he must fill that 2,200 hole in the remaining day or so.

The black market is treacherous, but it also presents opportunities. He carefully bypassed the area where he had last made a transaction, lingering near the broken gaps in the city wall. The area was chaotic, filled with the acrid smells of burnt cooking oil from food stalls, musty clothes, and the stench of unwashed livestock. Several men with unfriendly faces squatted in the shadows, smoking, their cigarettes flickering in and out.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from an open space ahead. He Yuzhu moved closer and peered through the crowd.

In the center of the open space, on a thick wooden block supported by bricks, two arms were locked in a struggle. One arm was muscular and veiny, belonging to a burly, shirtless man. That man had a face full of scars and a chest scar, and he was grinning as he forcefully pressed the back of the tall, thin man's hand onto the block.

"Great job, Iron Arm Chen!"

The burly man laughed loudly, snatched a crumpled banknote from his sharp-tongued accomplice, and waved it at the crowd: "See this? Ten dollars! Knock me down, and you can have the money! Try it if you dare!"

It turned out to be an arm-wrestling betting game. The dealer was Iron Arm Chen; if you won, he got ten dollars, and if you lost, you'd mostly have to pay out of pocket. Many people around were egging him on, but few actually won.

He Yuzhu observed silently. Iron Arm Chen took on two or three more challengers—some dockworkers, some who seemed trained—but none could last more than five seconds in his hands. His arms were like cast iron; his stance was steady, and with a sudden burst of power, his opponents collapsed instantly.

He Yuzhu stared at his shoulders and the rhythm of his power. The strength was real, but the technique was rough, relying purely on explosive power and overwhelming weight. Watching the third match, he silently chanted, "System, analyze the target 'Iron Arm Chen's' power patterns and physiological weaknesses."

[Analysis in progress... 2 points consumed.]

【confirm. 】

Integral micro-change: 9873 → 9871. A few lines of fine analytical text appeared in his field of vision.

[Target: Adult male with outstanding upper body strength, low body fat percentage, and a focus on explosive power.]

[Power generation pattern: A typical "crushing" start, relying on initial sparring to establish an advantage; after about 2.5-3.2 seconds, in pursuit of a quick victory, the anterior deltoid of the left shoulder will subconsciously lean forward and sink excessively by 3-5 degrees, causing a slight disconnect between the core and the lever arm, resulting in a power transmission decay gap of about 0.1 seconds.]

[Recommendation: When the opponent's shoulders begin to drop, launch a surprise attack using a combination of vertical upward force and lateral twisting to maximize the use of this opening.]

The weakness occurs around the third second; the left shoulder will dip slightly. The opportunity is fleeting, but the system has highlighted the signs and timing.

He Yuzhu touched the few yuan he had left in his pocket. Ten yuan for a prize, worth one hundred points. Worth a gamble.

He pushed his way through the crowd and walked to the wooden stump. There was a moment of silence, then bursts of laughter erupted.

"Hey! Where did this kid come from? Have you grown your hair yet?"

"Iron-Armed Chen, how about an appetizer today?"

"Save your breath, don't break your skinny arms!"

Iron Arm Chen chuckled, sizing him up: "Little brother, are you serious? You give me two bucks if you lose."

He Yuzhu nodded without speaking, placing two one-yuan bills on the side of the stool. He rolled up his right sleeve, revealing an arm that was noticeably thinner than the other person's, flexed his wrist, and squatted down to assume a position.

Iron-Armed Chen grinned, his large hand gripping him like an iron clamp. His sharp-tongued accomplice shouted, "Begin!"

A tremendous force pressed down instantly! He Yuzhu felt as if his arm was being crushed by a millstone, his bones creaking. He gritted his teeth, mobilized all his strength, especially his core muscles, and held on tightly, his arm slightly tilted back, maintaining an angle that was on the verge of collapse.

One second... two seconds...

The surrounding area was noisy and bustling.

An impatience flashed across Iron Arm Chen's face. He growled in his throat, his left shoulder muscles bulged, and he habitually slumped forward—

It's now!

A sharp glint flashed in He Yuzhu's eyes, and the anger that had been building up in his chest exploded! All his strength was no longer used to resist head-on, but instead, taking advantage of the moment when his opponent's shoulder slumped down and his power connection faltered, he abruptly changed direction! It wasn't a flat push, but a clever upward lift, while his wrist subtly twisted inward at the same time!

"Ho—!"

Iron Arm Chen felt a sudden lightness in his hand, and the force of resistance suddenly became tricky and upward. His sinking shoulder not only failed to provide any assistance but also caused his center of gravity to shift. In a flash, He Yuzhu's arm seemed to be equipped with a spring, bursting forth with a force disproportionate to his size, forcefully pressing Iron Arm Chen's wrist across the center line and slamming it hard onto the pier!

boom!

A muffled thud exploded, and the entire arena fell into a sudden, deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed as the boy's not-so-thick hand firmly pressed down on the back of Iron Arm Chen's hand, where the veins were bulging.

Iron Arm Chen was also stunned, staring at his hand that was being held down, not reacting at all.

"He won...this kid won?"

"Whoosh—!" The crowd erupted in a frenzy, a cacophony of exclamations, whispers, and incredulous cries.

The sharp-tongued accomplice's expression changed, and he reluctantly counted out ten yuan and slapped it in front of He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu released his grip, his right arm feeling sore, numb, and tingling. He reached for the money.

"Wait!" Iron Arm Chen roared, his face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. "Kid! You've got good luck! Dare to try again? Twenty a hand! Win and take it all!"

He Yuzhu looked up. He knew that winning and leaving wouldn't be so easy.

"Okay," he replied curtly, placing the ten dollars he had won along with his two dollars of initial capital beside him. "That's it, twenty-two, I'll bet you twenty. One round, it's a sure thing."

Iron Arm Chen grinned maliciously, "Great!" He spat into his palm and rubbed it vigorously.

The second contest began. Iron Arm Chen abandoned his underestimation and went all out from the start, aiming for a quick victory. He Yuzhu's arm was pressed down even harder, at a more dangerous angle.

But he felt more confident. The weaknesses the system pointed out wouldn't change; he just needed to seize that moment.

After a stalemate of nearly three seconds, Iron Arm Chen was eager to turn the tide, exerting even more force, and the signs of his left shoulder sinking were more obvious than before.

He Yuzhu had been waiting for this moment! The same routine, but with more precise force and a more decisive timing! All his strength was twisted into one, and he unleashed it fiercely in that gap of less than 0.1 seconds!

boom!

Iron Arm Chen slammed his hand down on the block again, harder and faster!

"They won again?!"

"Amazing!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. The fact that Iron Arm Chen had been defeated twice in a row, a feat that couldn't be explained by luck alone.

Iron Arm Chen's face turned from red to green and then to black, his eyes blazing with fury. He was panting heavily as he stared intently at He Yuzhu.

The sharp-tongued accomplice looked grim, but still pushed the twenty yuan over.

He Yuzhu silently put away the money, a total of thirty-two yuan. He didn't want to argue and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Iron Arm Chen stood up abruptly, his body as solid as a mountain. "Kid! You've got some weird tricks up your sleeve! Two strikes in a row, the same clever technique... Tell me! Did you cheat?"

As soon as he finished speaking, three or four men squeezed out of the crowd, their faces grim, and surrounded him, blocking his way. The atmosphere suddenly tensed. The onlookers realized something was wrong and quickly retreated, clearing a circle around him, but no one dared to move, and no one uttered a sound.

He Yuzhu's heart sank. The worst had happened. He stopped, slowly turned around, and faced Iron Arm Chen and his accomplices.

"Arm wrestling relies on strength and skill." He Yuzhu's voice was calm, his right hand already quietly hanging down to his waist—where a dagger with a cloth-wrapped handle was tucked. "If you can't afford to lose, don't set up a stall."

"Bullshit!" Iron Arm Chen spat. "I've been around here for five years and I've never met anyone as wicked as you! If you don't explain yourself clearly today, give back your winnings, plus twenty dollars for medicine, you're not leaving here alive!"

Several accomplices approached, eager to fight.

He Yuzhu's mind raced. A direct confrontation would definitely put him at a disadvantage. His gaze swept across the dark breach in the city wall outside the crowd, then glanced behind Iron Arm Chen.

Suddenly, his face contorted with extreme terror, his eyes widened, and he pointed sharply at the breach in the city wall behind Iron Arm Chen, his voice shrill and distorted with shock:

"Police! Lots of police are coming!"

The word "police" was like ice water poured over a head, instantly cooling the lively atmosphere of this corner of the black market. Iron Arm Chen and his accomplices, along with all the onlookers, shuddered and turned their heads in unison to look in the direction he was pointing—

There was only the dim night and swaying tree shadows outside the gap; where did the police come from?

But a second or two of confusion and distraction is enough!

Like a leopard that had been poised for a long time, He Yuzhu didn't run in the direction indicated at all. Instead, he shoved two onlookers who hadn't yet recovered their senses and shoved the money into his pocket before ducking down and rushing out!

"Damn it! That little brat cheated!" Iron Arm Chen was the first to react, furious. "Chase him! Catch him!"

He Yuzhu had already slipped into the narrow alleyway next to him, which was piled with debris and barely wide enough for one person, like an eel. Angered curses and footsteps followed behind him, but he dared not look back, desperately charging forward, his lungs burning and his heart pounding. He deliberately chose to squeeze into dark, narrow, and winding alleys, using his vague memory of the terrain and his physical advantages to desperately widen the distance between himself and the others.

He ran for an unknown amount of time, until the shouts and curses behind him faded into the distance. He leaned against a cold, broken wall, panting heavily, his ears straining to hear anything. Apart from the faint barking of dogs in the distance and the pounding of his own heart, there was no other sound.

We're safe for now.

He pulled out the thirty-two yuan from his pocket, slightly damp with sweat. A mental image flashed through his mind:

[Host detected obtaining 32 yuan through high-risk gambling (physical confrontation betting).]

[Converted points: 320 points.]

[New player quest "Startup Capital" progress update: 1120/3000.]

[Warning: The host has been marked as a "fraudster" by "Iron Arm Chen," the leader of a local informal underground force, and his gang, which may trigger subsequent retaliation. The risk level for operations within the area of ​​operation of this force has been increased.]

It's 1120 now. We're still far from it, but at least we've taken a big step forward.

The price was that it completely offended the local bullies.

He Yuzhu wiped the grime of cold sweat and dust from his forehead and caught his breath. He looked at the crumpled banknotes in his hand, then at the perilous darkness before him.

The road ahead is long. And the potholes are multiplying.