Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1250 - 606:

Nonetheless, beyond a short distance, a chaotic jumble of gray and white persisted. The view remained drastically limited when contrasted with the outside world, highlighting the peculiar nature of the mist.

Fang Cheng resumed his steady pace, his eyes briefly scanning the two companions flanking him. Hou Peng appeared to be concealing some form of advantage. His eyes narrowed slightly, his sharp, wind-catching ears twitching incessantly. Relying only on the faint echoes of sound waves and his sensitivity to air currents, he navigated the uneven terrain of the forest as if it were level ground.

Ma Donghe, however, was the one truly struggling. This man, built as powerfully as a bear, was now a completely disoriented 'blind bear.' He waved a flashlight haphazardly, its beam tracing erratic patterns in the air, while his other hand tightly gripped Fang Cheng’s training suit sleeve, taking small, hurried steps.

"Ah Cheng, easy, easy. Is there a pit up ahead? My shoes keep slipping..." His substantial frame pressed close to Fang Cheng's side, swaying with each step. This timid behavior was a stark departure from his earlier boastful declaration of capturing a mountain bear for a feast.

"Hold on, something's approaching!" Fang Cheng suddenly declared, halting abruptly mid-stride. Upon hearing his words, Ma Donghe immediately stopped, obediently freezing in place. Hou Peng turned his head, a look of confusion on his face, and followed Fang Cheng's gaze toward the obscured distance ahead.

One second, two seconds... five seconds passed. The two waited anxiously. Just as Ma Donghe swallowed, preparing to ask if it was another false alarm, the wind suddenly shifted. A potent stench of decay, almost palpable, ripped through the thick mist ahead and surged towards them.

"Boom shhh!" The undergrowth ahead was violently torn apart. A shadow larger than an off-road vehicle erupted, its footfalls shaking the earth. It was a monstrously large mutant boar. Coarse, steel-like black fur stood erect across its body, its spear-like tusks dripped with foul-smelling mucus, and its blood-red eyes burned with bloodthirsty frenzy.

Ma Donghe's mind went blank, his legs feeling like solidified lead, rendering him immobile. Hou Peng shouted a warning, retreating with his dagger, nearly stumbling over a tree root. At the exact moment the boar's immense bulk was about to hit.

Fang Cheng moved. He advanced half a step, his military boot crushing a stone beneath him into powder. Simultaneously, he inhaled deeply, the muscles of his back and waist instantly tensing like steel cables, his spine recoiling sharply. No wasted movement. His right arm, accompanied by the sinister shriek of tearing air, slammed down with immense force onto the charging boar's head.

Bang!!! A profoundly dull impact echoed through the woods, the resulting shockwave scattering dried leaves in a circular pattern. The terrifying kinetic energy unleashed instantly halted the boar's multi-ton charge. Then, with a speed exceeding its approach, it was flung backward, returning to its origin. The colossal body snapped three pine trees, each as thick as a bowl, before crashing heavily into the earth.

Upon closer inspection, the boar’s massive head had been completely obliterated, resembling a watermelon struck by a cannonball, with red and white matter splattered across the ground. "That's gruesome——" Ma Donghe and Hou Peng gaped, the same thought spontaneously arising in their minds.

Fang Cheng calmly withdrew his right hand. His entire fist and forearm now glowed a fiery red, as if branded by intense heat. The foul blood and meat fragments clinging to his skin instantly vaporized from the searing heat, wisps of white smoke ascending. In a blink, his hand was clean and slender once more.

"Ah, Ah Cheng... did you have a micro-bomb in your fist?" Ma Donghe stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief. Hou Peng raised a thumb, his voice trembling, "Brother Fang, you're a pure humanoid T-Rex! I've witnessed an incredible sight today!"

Fang Cheng offered a slight smile, casually flicking his wrist. "I used to train boxing extensively. This brute only knew how to charge mindlessly; I just happened to strike its vital point." Ma Donghe clearly didn't take this modest statement seriously. With the immediate danger gone, his appetite took precedence. He trotted over to the headless boar carcass, nudged its thick hind leg with his toe, and his eyes lit up. "Wow, this is first-rate potential food! The mutated boars have roamed these mountains for years, their meat is bound to be firm. Ah Cheng, look at this thigh meat; it would be perfect for slicing and grilling over charcoal, sizzling with fat! If we could find a pot, stewing those ribs would yield a broth so delicious it'd knock your eyebrows off!"

Fang Cheng listened, nodding in agreement.

A meeting of minds occurs.

Despite Ma Donghe's penchant for boasting, he and I find common ground in our passion for Cooking Skill.

"Brother Ma, have you lost your mind?"

Hou Peng approached with caution, his expression etched with disdain.

"This is a mutated creature, tainted and possibly carrying a deadly virus. One bite could spell your end!"

Ma Donghe scoffed, shrugging dismissively.

"What are you afraid of? No matter how lethal the virus, once it's roasted to a perfect crisp over a flame, it becomes harmless!"

"You don't understand,"

Hou Peng countered, shaking his head and offering an explanation.

"Certain extraterrestrial viruses possess extreme heat resistance; simple grilling temperatures won't neutralize them."

The two individuals stood beside the pool of blood, engaged in a heated debate.

Fang Cheng paid them no mind, his gaze fixed intently on the wild boar, his pupils flickering with a faint golden luminescence.

He could distinctly perceive a potent and untamed Life Energy contained within the beast's flesh.

"Donghe, sever its thigh meat. We are taking it with us,"

Fang Cheng's voice cut through the air.

"Understood!"

Ma Donghe's spirits soared upon hearing his suggestion validated.

Drawing his military Dagger, he utilized his considerable strength to swiftly dismember both thighs within moments.

He claimed the larger portion for himself, hoisting it onto his shoulder, before casually passing the slightly smaller front leg to Hou Peng.

"Carry it with care. If you're worried about poisoning, perhaps refrain from eating it after it's been roasted."

Hou Peng grasped the fifty-pound boar leg, still slick with dripping blood. His slender frame quivered under the weight, leaving him feeling utterly helpless.

He almost voiced his inner turmoil: What transgression led me to this burden, carrying a twenty-kilogram marching pack and now this pig's leg as well...

Ma Donghe hummed contentedly, a picture of satisfaction.

While the other two were occupied with their banter, Fang Cheng's brow furrowed slightly.

He detected something profoundly unusual.

The surrounding environment was far too tranquil.

Even though they had intentionally lagged behind, mere minutes prior, faint sounds of other candidates' footsteps and distant shouts could still be discerned ahead.

However, as time progressed, those sounds grew progressively fainter.

Until, at this very moment, it seemed as though they had receded into an entirely different realm, leaving absolute silence in their wake.

This unnerving, dense fog not only obscured their vision but also appeared to dampen sound transmission.

"Secure the meat to your marching bag; we must rejoin the main group,"

Fang Cheng urged.

Ma Donghe swiftly secured the pig leg using a nylon rope.

He then surveyed their surroundings, his expression suddenly altering, and he exclaimed in astonishment.

"Ah Cheng, where have the road signs vanished? Why are the reflective markers on the trees no longer visible?"

Fang Cheng remained unperturbed. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on sensing the subtle shifts in the ambient air currents and registering all the minute noises around them.

"Direction nine o'clock!"

Hou Peng's ears twitched with acute sensitivity, and he spoke first.

"I hear a bell ringing. Let us follow the sound."

It was evident that he had employed some form of Special Ability.

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng gave a slight nod, regaining his composure.

The trio immediately altered their course, continuing to navigate through the dense fog, advancing several hundred meters.

At long last, suspended from the branches of a towering tree, they spotted the copper bell, swaying gently in the wind.

Yet, nestled beneath a pile of fallen leaves directly below the bell lay a corpse. It was clad in camouflage attire and bore extensive bloodstains.

Ma Donghe recoiled in shock, instinctively tightening his grip on his Dagger.

"Did we stumble upon mutated beasts once more?"

Fang Cheng moved forward, assuming a half-crouch beside the fallen individual.

He refrained from touching the body but his gaze fell upon the exposed neck area.

Then, he rose and declared with stark solemnity.

"It wasn't beasts; this was an ambush orchestrated by someone."