Chương 67: The Hero Gang

The next day, Fang Cheng rose with the group, washed up, and went for breakfast: steamed buns and plain congee. He took a sip of the congee and noticed some chunks of unidentified meat floating in it. They looked strange, but he did not care. He had eaten all kinds of meat before. His stomach could handle anything. After breakfast, a new day of training began. Morning lesson: hip swinging.

"The hips are crucial. More than half of the body's movements rely on hip support. Especially for our kind of work, you must master hip movement completely." Instructor Zhao stood in the center of the yard and demonstrated. First, the starting position: feet together, hands at your sides, head up, chest out, back straight, eyes forward. Your eyes must burn with anger.

"Stop standing around like idiots! Do it with me!" Instructor Zhao barked. The group quickly got into position, heads up, chests out, eyes forward. Well, eyes on Instructor Zhao. After the starting position, came the next step:"Take a deep breath. The lower part of your buttocks, that is your hip. As you inhale, slowly lift your hips, pulling your lower back and spine upward. You need an upward drilling force, channeling all your power to the crown of your head!"

"Good. Hold that position." Instructor Zhao picked up his teaching stick and walked through the group, correcting each one. Anyone who did it wrong got a whack, especially the skinny, pointy-faced 834. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Ow..."

"Ouch..."

"Easy, Old Zhao! We are old friends here. Why are you always picking on me..." Instructor Zhao snorted coldly and warned, "834, if you want to live, shut your mouth." Seeing he was serious, 834 fell silent. Instructor Zhao returned to the center and continued the demonstration.

"You need to keep the lower part of your hips engaged. Then bend your knees slightly. Not too deep, just a slight curve. Good. Hold that. Now watch me..." As he spoke, he lunged forward, swinging his right leg out in a wide arc. His right foot landed softly like a parachute, then his left leg followed, swinging in a half-circle and gliding down.

"Pay attention. Use the lower part of your hips to drive your legs. Swing them out like a whip. Heel first, then the rest of your foot. Slowly. Alright. Demonstration over. Now you try." With that, he picked up his stick and walked over to the group. The men tried to imitate his movements, but it was difficult. A slight mistake and they would lose balance and fall. Some even tripped over their own feet.

"Oof!"

"Ow!"

"Can't do it! I can't keep my balance!" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Most of them fell. Only one person completed the movement flawlessly: Fang Cheng. He was surprisingly smooth and familiar with the motion. He felt like he had done it before. Wait, where had he... Oh. He remembered. Back when he had turned into a crayfish, he had moved by kicking his legs just like that. Crawling forward. Haha. Fang Cheng felt a strange delight.

It was like he had become a crayfish again. Such a nostalgic feeling. Here I come, crawling like a crayfish, hiss, hiss, hiss. Hahahaha...

"Yes! Excellent! Everyone should be like 865. Swing those hips! But keep your back straight. 865, do not hunch over. Head up, chest out, be graceful. And keep that anger. Do not laugh. Think of your miserable life. Think of when your wife left you. Can you laugh then?" Fine. It was different from the crayfish. Head up, chest out, swing the hips. So aggrieved... Time passed quickly. Soon it was noon. Everyone went to the canteen for lunch. The meal was hearty: rice with a big bowl of meat.

Fragrant and mouthwatering. Someone asked, "What kind of meat is this?" Instructor Zhao replied, "A bit of everything. Pork, beef, mutton, snake, dog, cat, and a rat I killed last night." Hearing there was a rat in the bowl, some of the men felt queasy and ran outside to vomit. Fang Cheng, however, did not care. As a child, he had been so hungry he had eaten anything edible. Later, with the demon sword, he had eaten everything, edible or not. His stomach was not the least bit picky.

Though now the demon sword had become spoiled from eating too many good things. Instructor Zhao watched the vomiting men with contempt. Then he saw Fang Cheng eating calmly, and his approval grew. When the men returned, he continued.

"Everyone, remember. In Shuili City, no other living creatures are allowed. Wild cats, stray dogs, geckos on the walls, ants, moths, anything. If you see them, stomp them. Crush them. Kill them all!" Fang Cheng frowned. As a good person, he had to speak up.

"Is that not a bit cruel?" Instructor Zhao replied, "The nature of the world is cruelty. You need to understand that space is limited. Only by killing these useless creatures can we have more room for humans to survive." After lunch came the afternoon training. Instructor Zhao stood in the center and demonstrated more strange movements. Like the Dragon and Phoenix dance:"Get down on all fours. Support your body with your hips. Imagine that thing is a flood dragon. A hidden dragon waiting for its moment.

Hey, 834, I did not say move now! Hold steady! Accumulate. Build up strength. Now imagine a phoenix dancing before you. It shows you its butt and mocks you. Hmph. Damn thing. It dares to mock me. Feel the anger. Let a nameless fire burn within you! There's a fire inside, strong enough to burn, but we cannot let it out. Know your strength, yet act with gentleness. Be like the humble valley. We must stand firm and keep building, slowly, patiently, so that small gains eventually become great power.

When the moment of the "nine‑five" arrives, we will rise like a dragon and shake the world!" The group looked confused. Instructor Zhao tried to explain in simpler terms.

"Women are like work to you. Are you interested in work? Of course not. No one is interested in work, unless they are crazy. We only feel disgust for work. The longer we work, the deeper the disgust. Why do I have to work? I just want to lie down and relax. But we have no choice. Once you enter the gate, it is deep as the sea. You cannot escape work. You have to face it. Cry. Feel helpless. Feel angry. Do you feel it now? The anger? The resentment? If you feel it, hold it in.

If you cannot hold it, then let it rip, throw it out like a pelvic thrust and smear it all over their face. Don't let this job get off easy. Understand?" Fang Cheng: "..." All in all, the afternoon was filled with strange exercises: Dragon and Phoenix dance, Tiger's roar in the forest, Ape snatches fruit, Cicada hugs the tree, and more. In the evening, they returned to standing stances. Instructor Zhao came to Fang Cheng, trying to make him wild. But Fang Cheng really did not want to rise up.

Old Zhao, just pretend I do not exist, okay? After several days like this, Fang Cheng was about to lose it. His notebook was almost full. If this continued, he would just pull out his demon sword and stab all these bastards to death. Late at night, 834 quietly woke Fang Cheng from his meditation.

"865, after days of this training, I know you cannot take it anymore. Come on, let's make a joyful escape together."

"Escape? Where to?" Fang Cheng asked. 834 replied, "I will take you to the Hero Gang. Join the Hero Gang, and everyone is a hero. Be a new era man. No wife, no worries."

"Hero Gang? Hmm? I thought it was to join the Stabbing Brotherhood, where everyone is brothers. Why did the slogan change?" Fang Cheng asked.

"Shh! Shut up! Do not mention the Stabbing Brotherhood! If the wrong people hear you, you will be tortured!" 834 warned seriously, then said, "Follow me." Fang Cheng obediently got up. The two crept to the door and slipped into the yard, where a dozen or so men had already gathered. They were all brothers who had been tortured by the training. Following 834, they opened the back gate and disappeared into the darkness. After they left, the supervisor and Instructor Zhao came out of the building.

The supervisor chuckled and closed the gate. Instructor Zhao sighed regretfully.

"865 should not have left. He really had talent." The supervisor smiled.

"It is fine. Over there, he will see our boss too. He will have plenty of fun. Hahaha..."