CHAPTER 228: TRAINING IV

They woke up the next morning with the same feeling as yesterday:

Pain.

Fear.

Regret.

Han Yi opened his eyes and immediately groaned.

"No... I’m alive... why am I alive...?"

Mu Chen tried to stretch, then froze.

"My back... made a crunch sound... is that normal...?"

Yue pushed herself up slowly.

"I didn’t sleep well... I had nightmares of logs chasing me..."

Lei Feng stared at the ceiling.

"I dreamed I died... it was peaceful... then I woke up... tragic."

Ling stood up from her bed.

Perfect.

Energetic.

Fresh.

"Good morning," she said politely.

Han Yi pointed at her again.

"I SAID THIS YESTERDAY— WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!"

Ling tilted her head.

"Did you sleep?"

Han Yi shouted,

"Yes!! But it didn’t help!!"

They barely had time to breathe before—

BANG BANG BANG

A heavy knock hit their doors.

Han Yi jumped.

"NO!! NO MORE!!"

Mu Chen whispered,

"I’m scared... very scared..."

Yue rubbed her eyes.

"Let me guess... training."

Lei Feng sighed.

"Every day is pain... every tomorrow is worse..."

They opened the door.

And of course...

Tian Lei was standing there.

Calm.

Cold.

Completely unfazed by their suffering.

"You’re late," he said.

Han Yi pointed at the rising sun.

"WE WOKE UP WITH THE SUN!! HOW ARE WE LATE?!"

Tian Lei ignored him.

"Warm-up. Three laps."

Han Yi’s jaw dropped.

"THREE?! IT’S GOING UP EVERY DAY!!"

Mu Chen whispered,

"My soul left again..."

Yue held her forehead.

"Okay... okay... we can do it... slowly..."

Lei Feng nodded weakly.

"I will cry... but also run..."

Ling stretched lightly.

"I’m ready."

Han Yi glared.

"OF COURSE YOU’RE READY!! YOU WERE BORN READY!!"

They ran.

If it could be called running.

Han Yi half-limped, half-stumbled.

Mu Chen dragged his legs like they weighed a ton.

Yue ran with her eyes half open.

Lei Feng gasped every three steps.

Ling jogged normally.

After what felt like a lifetime, they finished the three laps.

Barely.

Han Yi collapsed instantly.

"I’m dead!! Just put me in a box!!"

Mu Chen sat on the ground.

"My lungs are burning... but not in a cool way..."

Yue held her knees, panting.

"My body hates me..."

Lei Feng lay flat.

"I cannot get up anymore..."

Tian Lei didn’t even blink.

"Good. Next— strength training."

Han Yi screamed,

"WE HAVE NO STRENGTH LEFT!! WE STARTED THE DAY WITH NEGATIVE STRENGTH!!"

Tian Lei pointed at a set of heavy stones.

"Lift them."

Mu Chen stared.

"I can’t even lift myself..."

Yue sighed.

"At this point... nothing surprises me..."

Lei Feng whispered,

"I think I will pass out..."

Ling touched a stone and lifted it easily.

Han Yi covered his face.

"LING STOP. YOU ARE DESTROYING OUR CONFIDENCE."

They each tried to lift the stones.

Han Yi grabbed one.

Pulled.

Pulled harder.

His face turned red.

"IT’S NOT MOVING!! WHY IS IT NOT MOVING?!"

Mu Chen tried another stone.

It rolled a little.

Then he rolled with it.

Yue managed to lift one stone a few centimeters.

She looked proud.

Then dropped it on her foot.

She screamed,

"OW—OW—OW—"

Lei Feng tried to lift the smallest stone.

He lifted it an inch.

Then fell backward holding his arms.

"My shoulders... gone... I have no shoulders now..."

Tian Lei nodded.

"You need more practice."

Han Yi cried,

"What do you MEAN more?! How much more?! A year?! Two years?!"

Tian Lei said calmly,

"Until you stop crying."

Han Yi shouted,

"THEN IT WILL TAKE MY ENTIRE LIFE!!"

They moved to the next exercise.

Wooden dummies.

Tian Lei said,

"Strike."

Han Yi smacked the dummy.

The dummy didn’t move.

Han Yi shook his hand in pain.

"OW!! Why is it so hard?!"

Mu Chen punched one.

He immediately regretted living.

Yue struck one with her palm.

It didn’t hurt her—she trained the most—but she still sighed.

"These dummies are too solid..."

Lei Feng kicked one.

He fell over holding his leg.

"My mistake... big mistake..."

Ling hit the dummy lightly.

The wood cracked.

Han Yi stared in horror.

"LING. PLEASE. STOP BEING PERFECT."

Finally, after endless suffering, endless sweat, endless pain...

Tian Lei said:

"Break time."

They all collapsed at once.

Han Yi lay on the ground like a corpse.

"Break time... this is paradise..."

Mu Chen groaned.

"I can’t move..."

Yue sat down slowly.

"I want to cry... but I’m too tired..."

Lei Feng whispered,

"I think my soul left... again..."

Ling stood beside them.

Perfect.

Steady.

"Drink water," she said softly.

Han Yi looked at her like she was an alien.

"How... how are you alive...?"

Ling blinked.

"I trained since I was young."

Han Yi rolled onto his back.

"That explains NOTHING."

Their break lasted only a few minutes.

Then Tian Lei stood up again.

"Break over."

Han Yi screamed,

"WHY IS THE BREAK SO SHORT?! WHO INVENTED THIS TORTURE?!"

Tian Lei pointed at a new section of the field.

"Agility training."

They all groaned.

But they followed him.

Dragging themselves.

Barely standing.

Knowing one thing:

Today... would hurt more.

Much more.

And somehow...

Tian Lei wasn’t done with them yet.

They reached the agility section.

And instantly regretted every life decision that led them here.

There were spinning wooden arms, swinging bags, narrow beams, and a maze of posts barely wide enough to squeeze through.

Han Yi stared at the setup.

"This is not agility training... this is a death trap."

Mu Chen pointed weakly.

"That spinning thing... it’s moving too fast... why is it moving that fast...?"

Yue took a deep breath.

"Let’s just survive. That’s the goal."

Lei Feng gulped.

"My legs are already shaking and we haven’t started..."

Tian Lei stood at the front, completely serious.

"Cross this area. Without getting hit."

Han Yi threw his hands up.

"WITHOUT getting hit?! Even YOU would get hit!!"

Tian Lei looked at the spinning arms.

He walked through calmly.

Didn’t get touched.

Not even once.

Han Yi nearly fainted.

"HE’S A MONSTER!! A REAL MONSTER!!"

Ling stepped forward next.

She passed through just as cleanly.

Smooth.

Effortless.

Silent.

Han Yi screamed,

"LING STOP BEING AMAZING!! IT’S INSULTING!!"