Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1172 - 569:
Previously on Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups...
"As the old leader fell, the Ideal Land, left without direction, utterly crumbled and couldn't maintain its stand any longer."
"The Special Search Team seized the moment, casting their investigative web nationwide, compelling us to run like lost strays."
"In those harsh times, countless comrades who battled alongside us got seized, while numerous more perished amid the relentless chase by the Special Search Team and betrayers before capture."
Lin Fusheng’s throat moved with effort, his tone carrying an unspoken weight.
"Your father, Fang Shijie, had already left the group behind. He might have chosen to stay hidden, existing in obscurity as he claimed, acting like a regular fellow, a devoted spouse and parent."
"However, he opted to step in anyway, exerting all efforts to aid the organization's escaping members, me and Ye Zhiran included."
"Our survival hinged completely on his willingness to endanger himself, facing the threat of the Special Search Team's pursuit."
"Still, since he once served as a contact for the group and held knowledge of countless locations and secrets, the Special Search Team, led by turncoats, eventually tracked him down."
Lin Fusheng’s voice turned rough, every syllable forced from his throat.
"Ultimately, to shield us from harm and keep fellow members safe from exposure, he chose to end his life by fire while dodging the Special Search Team's hunt..."
Upon finishing those final words, Lin Fusheng’s frame shook faintly, his gaze rimmed with red, words failing him further.
The car's interior felt frozen solid.
Horns from vehicles rushing by blared unnaturally loud.
Fang Cheng remained straight-backed, eyes fixed on the path forward, silent throughout.
Lin Fusheng lifted his gaze, face etched with fatigue:
"Since that fateful day, my spirit turned icy, and I abandoned all talk of dreams or grand plans, as they mean nothing against the value of human lives."
"Once the chaos eased a bit, I slipped back into East Capital unnoticed, located the Old Factory Street where you and your mother dwelled, set up a modest bone-setting clinic, and settled into the role of a plain healer."
"I spent more than ten years there, much like your father, gradually adapting to a steady existence, observing the street's lively comings and goings from my humble storefront, embracing a mundane but secure routine."
"Regarding any altered nation, any notions of equity and righteousness... they are just figments, fleeting fantasies."
"I only wish to guard you, witness your safe maturation, so that someday, when I pass on, I can meet Shijie below and assure him I looked after his son well."
He let out a deep breath, as though releasing years of pent-up bitterness.
Next, he shifted to face Fang Cheng in the driver's position, his voice brimming with sincerity and concern:
"Ah Cheng, what's gone is gone; no point clinging to it now. A person can't spend eternity trapped in old grudges and fixations."
"Your father's deepest hope in life was for you to lead an ordinary existence, free from peril and full of peace."
"So stop digging into the events of back then, and absolutely avoid being pulled in by that madman Ye Zhiran into those ceaseless violent conflicts."
Fang Cheng offered no reply to Lin Fusheng’s plea, focusing solely on steering the vehicle.
The cabin sank into prolonged quiet.
The motor's soft rumble intensified the oppressive mood.
Right then, the Range Rover SUV traversed the bridge over the river.
Sunlight danced on the water, creating glittering ripples.
Far off, structures lined the banks, resembling a concrete jungle.
After quite some time, Fang Cheng at last responded measuredly, his tone even and undisturbed.
"Uncle Lin, does the deputy leader responsible for it all remain in East Capital?"
At these words, Lin Fusheng whipped his head around, eyes brimming with dismay:
"Did you... ignore everything I just told you?"
Fang Cheng held his stare steadily, features impassive.
Witnessing this, Lin Fusheng grew urgent, responding firmly:
"I won't reveal that individual's identity, and you mustn't seek it out!"
He fixed Fang Cheng with an intense look, emphasizing each term heavily:
"Understand that certain people in this world defy normal logic, and this one is precisely that kind."
"Mere thoughts of their name in your mind, even from afar across continents or oceans, would alert them."
"Ah Cheng, I realize you're powerful, possibly surpassing your father in his prime."
"But right now, you stand no chance against them, none at all!"
"Poking around about them or daring to challenge without thought will spell doom for you, your mother, and your uncle—got it?"
Noting Lin Fusheng’s evident worry, Fang Cheng dropped the subject.
Be it Xuan Zhen, Ye Zhiran, or the Uncle Lin before him.
These once-dominant figures displayed the same dread when speaking of that person.
Maybe that figure truly reigned supreme over the realm, gazing down on mortals like a god.
Yet Fang Cheng harbored zero fear.
Fear? Not a chance.
His grip on the wheel firmed subtly, a burning resolve igniting within.
The system's support formed his singular edge, the means to challenge destiny.
The divide he faced posed no barrier, just a fleeting separation.
Against such a mighty foe, Fang Cheng required no fortune, no retreat—merely time.
Given sufficient time, refining his form, ascending step by step.
That seemingly untouchable being, perched at the globe's summit, would one day lie vanquished beneath him, forced to yield in defeat.
Fang Cheng kept his hold on the wheel firm, vision locked ahead, murmuring softly:
"Uncle Lin, rest easy. I give you my word, the route the Professor and I follow won't echo the failures of the ’Ideal Land’."
His manner was steady yet infused with unyielding resolve.
Upon hearing this, Lin Fusheng’s form tensed a touch.
He glanced over, studying the resolute, vibrant countenance in the driving seat.
Briefly, the likeness of a stubborn, fiery former companion merged with the present sight.
Moments later, Lin Fusheng inwardly let out a quiet breath.
The message was delivered; further talk proved pointless.
Though dubbed an elder, he shared no blood tie with Fang Cheng after all.
The lad in view had outgrown innocence, emerging as a grown man with his own convictions.
He possessed his personal views, his chosen direction to tread.
Reflecting, hadn't he mirrored such traits in youth?
Believing sheer zeal could alter destiny, refusing to retreat until harsh truths battered him down.
It takes the shattering of youthful visions by brutal facts for one to grasp the worth of a simple existence.
Bearing strength exceeding the norm often demands a steep toll.
While Fang Cheng’s present decision made sense, still...
The Professor gazed toward the waters under the span.
Humanity's bounds of power remain undeniable.
The world's crushing waves, akin to a burst levee's deluge, engulf all in their path.
Merely holding ground amid them, safeguarding one's being, counts as profound luck.
To strive upstream, becoming a bulwark against the rush...
Throughout history's vast flow, only a handful have glimpsed such possibility.
Might Fang Cheng pull it off?
Lin Fusheng eyed once more that lively, unmarred visage, his look profound and layered.
It blended worry for the boy's prospects with reflection on bygone days.
The fist on his lap tightened then eased without notice.
The prior despair in his eyes got pushed down, yielding to a hidden firmness.
Sufficient.
Efforts to sway lay wasted, barriers unholdable.
With the youth set on this rugged, spiked trail, allow him to venture forth alone.
Should that moment arrive, and Fang Cheng cross paths with that horrifying entity...
He, the aging man, would repay his debt to Fang Shijie, spilling his final blood to shield his comrade's sole heir.
Resolved, Lin Fusheng held back from more appeals.
The Range Rover SUV left the bridge behind, pressing onward.
Beyond the windows, skyscrapers faded into humbler avenues.
Soon, the well-known shapes of Old Factory Street's structures came into sight.