Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1104 - 543_2

The room fell silent once more.

Ah Le had spoken too much; his face became increasingly pale as he leaned weakly against the wall, closing his eyes to rest.

Outside the window, the wind seemed to pick up, making the curtains sway slightly and cast mottled shadows on the floor from the light.

Fang Cheng watched the wavering shadows, pondered for a moment, and asked the most crucial question:

"How exactly did you get involved with the ’Bloodthorn’ people?"

If this question isn’t clarified, Fang Cheng would find it difficult to judge just how deep the water runs.

Logically speaking, while there are occasional intersections between the underworld and the circles of mutants, there is no fundamental conflict of interest.

After all, they are entirely people from two different worlds.

If the other party were simply after money, someone like Shen Wei, a seasoned player in the martial world, would definitely pay up to avoid trouble when faced with irresistible power.

How could it escalate to tearing faces, directly resorting to kidnapping, and slaughtering bodyguards?

Unless... it’s a mortal enemy.

Fang Cheng’s mind turned rapidly, eyes fixed on Ah Le’s face.

Ah Le’s eyes flickered noticeably at this question, and his lips moved hesitantly.

"If it’s inconvenient to talk, the door is over there. Take care on your way out."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng directly pointed to the door and issued a cold ultimatum.

"No! There’s a misunderstanding!"

Ah Le hurriedly waved his hand, wanting to explain.

However, the large movement pulled on the wound in his abdomen, causing him to wince in pain.

But he restrained himself from uttering a sound, quickly saying:

"It’s not that I don’t want to say; truly, I’m just unsure of their ultimate goal."

"If..."

Ah Le paused in his speech, with a hint of uncertainty.

"I mean, if, according to my previous guess, it might very well have something to do with that secret base we went to this time."

"The East City Association’s secret base?"

"Yes."

Ah Le nodded, his tone becoming particularly heavy:

"It’s actually an orphanage, and inside, there are a bunch of very special children."

"They, just like the Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps, are all newly awakened mutants with special abilities."

Hearing this, Fang Cheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, a gleam flickering faintly:

"A gang boss running an orphanage? And one that specifically takes in mutant orphans?"

"What exactly is Shen Wei up to? Raising loyalists from a young age to serve him?"

Ah Le smiled bitterly, as if he had already anticipated Fang Cheng’s reaction:

"The Chairman... isn’t the kind of pure gangster you imagine."

"In his younger years, he also suffered a lot, seeing too many children being ostracized and hurt because of their mutant identity."

"They lost family protection, isolated and helpless, with no way out, eventually turning into antisocial monsters, causing too many tragedies."

Pausing here, Ah Le’s voice lowered a few notches:

"These were the words personally spoken to me by the Chairman. This orphanage is more like his obsession, an ideal."

"He wants to give those kids a place to belong, where they won’t be discriminated against or hunted because of their differences."

"As for Bloodthorn..."

Ah Le’s tone shifted, his once dim gaze becoming resolute, seemingly starting to piece things together.

"I suspect their target isn’t the Chairman but those children, and the Chairman just got entangled in this."

"Otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen this precise moment to secretly tail the convoy and only captured the Chairman without harming him."

"What is so special about those children?"

Fang Cheng raised his eyebrows and pursued with a question, sharply catching onto the key information.

"I don’t know."

Ah Le shook his head, still showing a trace of puzzlement between his brows:

"The Chairman has always been tight-lipped about matters concerning the orphanage, usually only letting brothers within the gang handle external supplies, prohibiting us from getting close to those children."

"I only know that place is very important, more important than any industry of the East City Association."

He looked at Fang Cheng, his eyes filled with a plea:

"Mr. Fang, I know this sounds unbelievable, but now, those kids and the Chairman are in grave danger."

"I beg of you, please help us."

Fang Cheng didn’t immediately respond, slowly lowering his arms folded across his chest.

"You’ve said so much, but what makes you think I can stand up to those monsters?"

As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly, his gaze like a sharp blade fixed on Ah Le’s eyes:

"Speaking of which, I seemed to have only demonstrated a bit of fighting prowess in the club."

"In East Capital, there are plenty of people with skills like mine; how did you discover my secret?"

Ah Le didn’t dare meet his gaze, obediently replying with his head lowered:

"I watched the footage of your showdown with Xu Hao in the club ring."

"Although you only fought one match, I could tell you weren’t going all out, appearing calm and confident, almost as if you were toying with Xu Hao."

He licked his dry lips:

"You must know, Xu Hao is the newly promoted Chief Fighter of the Red Tiger Gang, who once single-handedly, bare-handedly, took down dozens of knife-wielding attackers, and is rumored to have connections with some Abnormal Organization, with physical fitness surpassing the limits of ordinary Martial Artists."

"Your ability to handle that hotheaded guy with ease indicates that your strength is definitely far beyond his."

"Moreover..."

Ah Le looked up at Fang Cheng, seemingly resolute to reveal everything without any reservation:

"Last year, a brutal murder that shocked the East Capital’s underworld took place at a Red Tiger Gang warehouse in the Lingang District. Over a hundred gang members were massacred overnight."

"I, along with the Chairman, analyzed various clues left at the scene and ultimately concluded that you are very likely the mysterious killer."

He gulped, lowering his voice even further:

"Particularly, the night before the incident, you were known to have practiced shooting overnight at the West Mountain Shooting Range and purchased combat gear and bullets."

"That special combat outfit practically matches the rumored image of the killer on the street."

Fang Cheng’s facial expression remained unchanged; only his gaze, as sharp as a knife, seemingly capable of piercing through the human heart.

Suddenly the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

Ah Le swallowed nervously, his muscles involuntarily tensing.

He felt like he was being watched by a ferocious beast, every hair on his body standing on end.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking the side of his hair, even causing his breathing to become labored.

Just when Ah Le felt he was about to suffocate, that terrifying aura suddenly dissipated.

Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze, returning to a state of calm as if the heart-stopping moment earlier had been an illusion.

Ah Le appeared as if all his strength had been drained, leaning back against the wall, clutching his chest and panting heavily.

His heart pounded against his chest, taking a long moment before returning to a steady beat.

"Have you mentioned this matter to anyone else?"

Fang Cheng’s cold voice resonated again.

"No!"

Ah Le shook his head rapidly, pledging sincerely:

"Only the Chairman and I know of this matter; even the second-in-command within the gang was kept in the dark."

"The Chairman... he values you greatly, believing you have the potential to become an elite expert, and has repeatedly instructed me to keep this secret."

"Furthermore, he once planned to secretly fund you, helping to resolve some of your potential worries, but could never find the appropriate moment."

Mentioning Shen Wei, Ah Le couldn’t help but become emotional once again, his eyes reddening slightly:

"The Chairman even told me once that you are unfathomable, yet a person worth befriending. Now throughout the entire East Capital, I only trust you to rescue the Chairman."

"Mr. Fang, please help us!"

Ah Le said, trying to brace himself against the wall to stand upright.

His abdominal wound was pulled, causing him to grimace in pain, yet he gritted his teeth, struggling to kneel before Fang Cheng.

"As long as you can rescue the Chairman, my life will be yours! No matter the peril, I will not complain!"

Fang Cheng didn’t speak; he just quietly watched the man in front of him who was bravely fighting through the pain.

The room fell into silence once more.

A few seconds later, Fang Cheng stood up, walked to the window, and drew aside the curtain.

He gazed at the neon lights twinkling on the skyline of the distant city, with his thoughts ebbing and flowing.