562: Chapter 562 There is no such thing as unearned strength in this world.

Dawn was breaking.

The grayish morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, dispelling the dimness in the living room slightly.

A-Le was awakened by the noise of the sanitation truck dumping garbage downstairs.

He opened his eyes drowsily and saw Shen Wei wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, sleeping soundly with steady breathing.

Turning his head to look at the other side, Fang Cheng's bedroom door was half-open, looking empty inside with the quilt folded neatly.

Out so early?

A-Le rubbed his somewhat throbbing temples and turned over.

The wound on his abdomen ached faintly, making him completely lose all sleepiness.

Lying on the hard floor, the thoughts in his mind began to run wild.

One moment it was how to avoid the mole today and go find Rat Qiang to gather information, and the next moment it was how to formulate a plan to counterattack the Flying Crane Gang.

Of course, what he thought about the most was still the scene Shen Wei described last night.

Fang Cheng single-handedly took on a fully armed mutant mercenary group and blew up an armed helicopter with his bare hands.

Did that kind of inhuman combat power really exist?

Although he already believed it seventy or eighty percent, having not seen it with his eyes, there was still some doubt in his heart.

In Dongdu in late May, even in the early morning, the air exuded a sultry heat.

A-Le really couldn't sleep, so he simply supported himself on the bamboo mat with both hands and climbed up, enduring the pulling pain in his abdomen.

After easing for a few seconds, he held onto the table and carefully stood steady.

Fearing that he would disturb Shen Wei, he didn't dare wear slippers, casually threw on a coat, and walked into the washroom.

Cupping cold water and splashing it on his face, looking at his bearded and slightly vicissitudinous self in the mirror, he smiled bitterly and shook his head.

After a simple wash, A-Le put on his shoes, quietly opened the security door, and slipped out.

The lighting in the corridor of the Tubular Building was dim, with only a bit of grayish daylight filtering through the aisle window.

The air was somewhat turbid, mixed with the sour smell of fermenting food waste that someone hadn't dumped overnight, as well as the smell of coal briquettes accumulated in the corner of the corridor year-round.

From a distance came the sounds of neighbors getting up: the sound of slippers shuffling on the ground, the retching sound of brushing teeth, and the whimpering sounds of some child refusing to get up.

Having not felt such a peaceful living atmosphere for a long time, A-Le couldn't help but feel a trace of inexplicable emotion in his heart.

He walked aimlessly, came to the window at the stairway, and glanced down.

By the street downstairs, a breakfast shop had just pulled up its rolling shutter.

White steam rose from the steamer, and the boss was expertly flipping deep-fried dough sticks in the oil pan.

"Just in time, I'll go buy some breakfast for the president and Mr. Fang."

A-Le was just about to lift his foot to go downstairs when his gaze inadvertently swept across the stairs leading to the rooftop.

The iron door above was half-open, and a slightly cooler breeze blew down from above.

It was still early; going up to get some fresh air would be fine too.

Thinking of this, he turned around and walked up step by step along the concrete stairs.

As soon as he stepped onto the rooftop, his vision suddenly broadened.

There were no oppressive skyscrapers like those in downtown; all around were low-rise, old-fashioned residential buildings arranged in a staggered and orderly fashion.

On the distant skyline, a touch of fish-belly white was slowly spreading, faintly dyeing a few streaks of orange clouds.

A-Le took a deep breath of the cool early morning air, and felt that the stuffiness in his chest had dissipated a lot.

He spread his arms, preparing to do some stretching exercises to loosen up his muscles and bones a bit.

Suddenly, his movements froze.

In his field of vision, on top of the huge concrete water tank in the center of the rooftop, there was an inverted figure.

Like a javelin, it was stuck straight at the edge of the water tank.

It was Fang Cheng.

A-Le looked closely and recognized him, and was just about to go up to say hello.

The next second, his pupils shrank violently, and the foot he had stepped out hung rigidly in mid-air.

Fang Cheng was not supporting the ground with his palms.

Supporting his tall body and entire weight was merely a single index finger of his right hand.

That index finger was like it was cast from refined steel, firmly nailed onto the rough concrete cover of the water tank without moving a bit.

"This... is he practicing martial arts?"

A-Le held his breath and widened his eyes.

Fang Cheng's inverted body began to undulate rhythmically.

Every time he sank down, the top of his head almost touched the concrete surface of the water tank.

Every time he pushed up, his whole body sprang up suddenly like a coiled spring.

That body full of muscles bulged under the morning light, like cables twisted from refined steel.

The deltoids bulged high, the triceps were sharp and distinct, and the latissimus dorsi was even like a fully pulled fan surface.

Contracting and expanding with the movements, it displayed astonishing explosive power and control.

Sweat streamed down his broad back, gathered on his shoulders, and dripped onto the concrete platform, tick-tock, tick-tock.

A-Le watched without blinking.

As an experienced martial artist who had practiced kung fu for twenty years, he considered his physical fitness to far exceed ordinary people, and he could usually even play around with single-finger Push-ups.

But a single-finger Handstand Push-up?

This was completely a different matter!

This not only required terrifying core strength to maintain balance, but also required the phalanges and finger tendons to have a hardness comparable to steel.

If an ordinary person dared to play like this, their finger bones would instantly shatter into a comminuted fracture.

Just as he was thinking, Fang Cheng's movements stopped.

Seeming to have finished a set, he made a slight adjustment and switched hands.

This time, using the index finger of his left hand, he steadily supported his entire inverted body.

Without much pause, he began to undulate up and down again.

"One, two, three..."

A-Le unconsciously counted silently in his heart.

Looking at that index finger undulating as stably as a hydraulic rod, his scalp tingled, and the more he counted, the more alarmed he became.

Not only did the frequency of the movement not slow down, but it also appeared more stable and powerful, and his body didn't shake at all.

Hearing Shen Wei say last night that Fang Cheng single-handedly annihilated the Blood Thorn Mercenary Group, although A-Le was convinced on the surface, deep down in his heart he always felt like he was listening to a mythological story, carrying a bit of unreality.

But at this moment, looking at the scene before him full of power, that trace of doubt completely vanished, replaced by deep shock and worship.

Indeed, there was no unwarranted strength in this world.

Only this kind of day-after-day, nearly masochistic terrifying self-discipline could forge such an extraordinary physique.

This was a true powerhouse!

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!"

A full one hundred times!

Finishing the last set, Fang Cheng's waist and abdominal core exerted force suddenly.

His whole body drew a perfect arc in mid-air and lightly flipped down.

His feet landed silently, as graceful as a feline.

"Hoo——"

Fang Cheng exhaled a long breath of turbid air, and that stream of air condensed into a straight white ribbon in the air, lingering for a long time.

He turned his head, and his gaze happened to fall on A-Le standing at the entrance of the rooftop.

For a split second, A-Le felt as if his eyes had been pricked by a needle.

That gaze was as sharp as a knife, carrying the Qi and blood coercion that had not yet converged after intense exercise, just like a fierce tiger patrolling its territory.

A-Le shuddered all over, shivered, his lips moved wanting to say hello, but his throat felt as if it was blocked by cotton.

Peeping at a martial arts Grandmaster practicing martial arts was a big taboo in the Jianghu.

Fortunately, the bright light in Fang Cheng's eyes quickly converged, restoring his usual peace.

"You're up?"

He casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Ah... yes, just woke up."

A-Le nodded hastily, somewhat at a loss.

Fang Cheng's gaze swept across his abdomen:

"How's the wound? Can you walk now?"

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't hurt much anymore."

A-Le subconsciously straightened his body, paused for a moment, feeling the atmosphere slightly awkward, and quickly said:

"Um... Mr. Fang, what would you like for breakfast? I happen to be going downstairs to buy some."

"Breakfast?"

Hearing this, Fang Cheng was startled, and then politely declined:

"How can I be embarrassed? You are guests. By rights, I should be the host and treat you."

"Mr. Fang, please don't say that!"

A-Le's tone was sincere and his expression eager:

"If it weren't for your righteous action last night, the president would probably have been in dire straits. Compared to your life-saving grace, a mere breakfast is nothing at all."

"This is just a small token of my service to you. If you even refuse this, I won't feel at ease living here."

Seeing that the other party had put it to this point, Fang Cheng no longer acted coy and nodded:

"Alright, then I'll trouble you."

"No trouble, no trouble!"

A-Le waved his hand hurriedly, piled a smile on his face, patted his chest and guaranteed:

"Just order whatever you want to eat, buy as much as you want to eat, there's plenty!"

"Then give me twenty big meat buns, three cages of steamed dumplings, and ten sauce-flavored pancakes."

Fang Cheng thought for a moment, then counted on his fingers:

"Add two bowls of salty tofu pudding with extra chili oil. I haven't had it for a long time and I'm quite craving it."

"Right, if there are beef potstickers, give me another three catties."

"Uh..."

The smile on A-Le's face froze instantly, the corners of his eyes twitching, suspecting he had misheard:

"T-Twenty big meat buns? A... and three catties of potstickers?"

This wasn't eating breakfast, this was stocking up inventory! Even a big eater couldn't eat this much!

"Just a little bit."

Fang Cheng glanced at the dumbfounded A-Le and explained:

"Yesterday's battle consumption wasn't considered large, just replenish a little bit, no need to buy too much."

"G-Good! I'll go buy it right away!"

A-Le came back to his senses, swallowed his saliva, and hurriedly turned to walk down the stairs.

Until he walked out of the corridor and was blown by the cool morning wind, he realized that his back was already soaked.

Replenish a little bit?

This appetite, this physique... truly a monster wearing human skin.

On the rooftop.

Fang Cheng looked at A-Le's panicked departing back and shook his head speechlessly.

He was actually very restrained. According to his current body metabolic rate, this little stuff could at most be considered a base layer.

Fearing that he would scare them, he only ordered half the amount.

Looking up at the sky, the sun had not completely risen yet, and it was still early.

Fang Cheng's mind stirred, calling out the panel.

Looking at the prompt messages sweeping past his eyes like a waterfall.

Although there was no equipment to assist, by increasing the difficulty of movements and the number of exercises, several fitness skills still gained a lot of experience values.

"Not bad."

Fang Cheng muttered to himself in a low voice and nodded secretly.

His gaze subsequently swept across the skill bar and fell on the Jiu-Jitsu item.

Since there was still time, he would continue to practice for a while longer.

Jiu-Jitsu had already reached the Bottleneck of lv2; strive for a Breakthrough to lv3 within half a month.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng took a deep breath, and his figure moved again.

Front flip, back handspring, side spin kick, 360° tornado twist...

Various high-difficulty flip movements came to him effortlessly in his hands.

Among the crisscrossing pipes, he leaped and shifted, his body like a swimming dragon.

Every landing was as soft as cotton wool, and a tap of his toes would send him soaring into the air again, without making a single sound throughout the process.

The morning light was dim, and the sounds of the marketplace gradually increased.

In this old urban area full of fireworks of life, at the top of this mottled and dilapidated Tubular Building.

A vigorous figure danced in the rising sun, as if breaking free from gravity, continuously evolving towards a higher level of life.

...

At 8 a.m., the traffic on the elevated bridge in Dongdu was like a weaving stream.

Golden sunlight shone into the car through the front windshield, casting a bright area on the dashboard.

Fang Cheng held the steering wheel with one hand, stopping and going with the congested traffic.

The morning time passed very fulfilling.

After the morning exercise, he took a cold shower to wash away the sweat.

When he came out, A-Le happened to buy back that sumptuous breakfast.

Twenty big meat buns plus other breakfasts went down his stomach, and his originally ravenous stomach was finally filled, making his whole body extremely comfortable.

After finishing breakfast, he tidied up briefly.

He changed into clean clothes and went out, preparing to go to Lin Chuqiao's house according to yesterday's agreement to pick her up to go to work together.

A-Le was also a restless master. Although he still had injuries on his body, after finishing breakfast, he gritted his teeth and went out.

Saying he was going to look for a small boss named Rat Qiang, wanting to dig out the mole in the Gang as soon as possible.

As for Shen Wei, although that broken leg had been set, he definitely wouldn't be A-Le to get down to the ground these few days, and could only stay honestly in the room to recuperate.

Anyway, Dachui and Monkey were watching near the Tubular Building, so there was no need to worry about safety.

Thinking of Dachui and Monkey, Fang Cheng's brows smoothed slightly, and then a trace of helplessness flashed across.

For the sake of staking out, these two guys had been running continuously near Jiuchang Street for almost a week, solving eating, drinking, and excreting all in that small dark room, with dark circles around their eyes like giant pandas.

Originally according to the plan, after the new members recruited by the professor arrived in Dongdu, these two brothers could be swapped down to rest well for a few days.

As a result, in last night's battle, Panghu, Feiying, and Eagle Eye all got injured.

Although Old Chen was minorly injured, he also had to help the professor handle the aftermath.

It seemed Dachui and Monkey would have to work hard for a while longer, and they could only make up for it a bit more in bonuses later.

Just as he was thinking, a crisp ringtone came from the shoulder bag on the passenger seat.

Fang Cheng turned his head to look, reached out to unzip the zipper, and fished out his mobile phone.

The name Professor was beating on the screen.

Pressing the answer button, he casually turned on the speakerphone and threw it on the center console.

"President."

The professor's steady voice came out:

"We have settled down. For safety's sake, we haven't returned to the hotel from before for the time being, and found a remotely located minshuku in the suburbs of Jiangbei, called Yunlin Cottage."

"There are usually not many tourists here, and the surroundings are all woods and farmland, which is very covert."

"Mhm, well done."

Hearing this, Fang Cheng praised a word.

When evacuating from the Silver Wing Building last night, they split into two routes.

Fang Cheng took Shen Wei and left a step earlier, returning to Jiuchang Street.

The professor brought several new members of the Illuminati, escorted the seriously injured Huolong and the other three rescued mutants, and dealt with the subsequent loose ends in hand.

"How is that red-haired guy?"

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng asked subsequently.

"The situation is not very optimistic."

The professor's voice lowered by a few points:

"Huolong was hit by three shrapnel pieces on his body, and one piece is stuck near his lung lobes, very deep."

"I contacted two familiar black clinic doctors. As soon as they saw the injuries, they were so scared that they didn't dare to use the knife, afraid that the person would die on the operating table and they would bear the responsibility."

"As for regular hospitals... definitely can't go. Going there would be walking right into a trap."

Fang Cheng looked at the road conditions ahead, his expression plain:

"Then leave it to fate. Being A-Le to live is his great luck, and dying serves him right."

For mercenaries whose hands were stained with blood, Fang Cheng had no superfluous sympathy.

"I understand."

On the other end of the phone, the professor pushed his glasses, his tone revealing a trace of astuteness:

"However, I still want to try my best."

"After all, his brain contains the overseas account password of the Masked Man. If we can successfully get that money, our Illuminati won't have to worry about funds for at least a few years."

"As you arrange."

Fang Cheng was noncommittal.

Although money was important to him, it wasn't an absolute must.

But since the professor was willing, he was also happy to see it happen.

"There's another matter."

The professor seemed somewhat hesitant, paused for two seconds before continuing:

"The three mutants rescued from Blood Thorn's hands last night... I want to hear your opinion on how to deal with them?"

(End of Chapter)