Underground parking lot.
The broken lights flicker on and off, dim then bright.
They cast a strange glow hidden deep within Fang Cheng’s pupils.
Zheng Haokang locked eyes with him, suddenly feeling a tinge of regret.
Perhaps... this mysterious and powerful opponent in front of him was also one of the monsters?
Fang Cheng’s gaze softened slightly, and he nodded in response:
"I have indeed seen some very peculiar people; I’m not sure if they are the same kind of monsters you’re talking about?"
Zheng Haokang, upon hearing this, immediately felt relieved.
He looked at Fang Cheng with a softer gaze, as if he had finally found someone to confide in.
He simply squatted down on the ground, taking a slight breath to calm himself.
Then he looked up at Fang Cheng:
"You must have heard about the West Mountain explosion incident, right?"
When Zheng Haokang mentioned this, Fang Cheng’s memory instantly went back to that rainy dawn when he was practicing pull-ups.
"It must have been half a month ago..."
Regardless of whether Fang Cheng was listening, Zheng Haokang rambled on:
"I was traveling with friends at West Mountain for a getaway, and we stayed overnight at Gufeng Temple. The atmosphere in the mountains was quite serene at first, but in the late night, we were awakened by a thunderous noise."
"The entire temple felt like it was shaking, a lot of roof tiles fell off; we thought there had been an earthquake and quickly ran out of the dormitory with the monks."
"When we looked up at the night sky, we saw flames piercing the heavens, and the blast wave reached us from afar, snapping rows of trees in its wake."
"The explosion site was a few kilometers away from the temple, but we could still feel its tremendous force."
"But that wasn’t even the most shocking part..."
At this point, Zheng Haokang’s eyes and voice grew even heavier:
"It started raining at dawn that day, and I saw several figures emerging from the mountain blaze, chasing each other and fighting, getting closer to the temple."
"No, they weren’t just people; they ran as fast as bullets firing, and could easily smash down walls with a bump, hurl rivals into the air with a flick of the hand; this was far beyond what any ordinary person could achieve."
"My friend, unable to get out of the way in time, was hit in the head by a flying brick and died on the spot."
"And those monsters, it’s like stepping on an ant by accident while walking, they didn’t even glance at us properly..."
Fang Cheng frowned upon hearing this.
This level of physical strength, perhaps, was several times more monstrous than Shijima Gorou in his berserk state.
"Even after the police got involved, they just classified it as a special case and forbade us from publicizing it."
Zheng Haokang raised his head and deeply looked at Fang Cheng:
"You are indeed stronger than me, but in the eyes of those monsters, you’re just a slightly more robust ant."
Fang Cheng remained calm, without responding.
Zheng Haokang continued, venting emotions he had bottled up for a long time.
"More than a decade ago, I was a naive child who, after watching too many Kung Fu films, vowed to become an invincible Martial Artist like the heroes in the movies."
"I trained diligently every day, constantly getting closer to that goal, until I stood on the stage with the championship trophy held high, excitedly shouting ’I am the king of the world!’"
"Looking back now, how naive and laughable that seems..."
Zheng Haokang shook his head with a sigh, looking somewhat dejectedly at Fang Cheng.
"The people around me, they can’t understand my choice to retire."
"If you’ve seen those monsters, you should understand my feelings now."
"People like us, no matter how we train every day, no matter how hard we strive, we simply can’t reach that extraordinary level."
"Dreams are like a target; it’s okay if they’re far away, but what’s the point of drawing the bow every day if you can’t even find the target?"
Listening to Zheng Haokang’s heartfelt words, Fang Cheng could sense the strong undertone of discontent in his speech.
After a moment’s thought, he stepped forward and reached out his hand.
Zheng Haokang looked at Fang Cheng’s palm and was momentarily taken aback.
"I understand how you feel and respect your decision."
Fang Cheng firmly grasped Zheng Haokang’s right hand, pulling him up from the ground.
"Mr. Zheng, from now on, let me be the one to fulfill your dreams, to challenge those so-called monsters, and to reach the pinnacle of this world!"
Having said that, with a pat on the shoulder of the incredulous fighting star, he turned and strode away.
Leaving behind only a silhouette that lingered long in Zheng Haokang’s mind.
......................
Fang Cheng, with a sling bag on his back, followed the crowd out of the staff exit.
Standing at the entrance of the shopping mall, he looked out at the scene outside.
Countless streaks of rain poured down with the light, like a giant silver curtain, enveloping the towering skyscrapers.
On the wet sidewalks, splashes of color glittered, sparkling.
These were the reflections of neon lights from nearby buildings projected onto the street.
As his soles trod across, ripples fanned out, as if a dreamscape had shattered.
A couple snuggled together, sharing an umbrella.
There were also many hurried office workers rushing past.
Fang Cheng opened his black umbrella and walked slowly through the rain and the crowd.
At an intersection ahead, a building with LED screen advertisements played.
A group of young people gathered in the rain, cheering as their favorite anime characters appeared.
Why do humans love fantasy?
Perhaps because it is the path to another world.
The sky faintly lit up with flashes of lightning, illuminating the gloomy night.
It was as if divine beings glanced down, peering through the clouds at the world below.
Fang Cheng folded his umbrella and boarded the crowded bus, taking the unpopular seat at the very front.
The glass fogged up, the wipers swaying non-stop.
Occasionally, the road ahead and the taillights of other cars became visible only to be blurred by the rain again.
Fang Cheng sat silently, gazing at the dreamlike, hazy night cityscape.
Suddenly, he felt that the world was so real.
In the past, he always felt a loneliness of not seeing the path ahead clearly.
Fang Cheng lifted his gaze, eyes sweeping over the unfamiliar faces of the passengers, and murmured to himself:
"Around me, there actually exist many unimaginable beings of my kind..."
Unlike Zheng Haokang, who had been struck down and lost his ambition to climb higher, Fang Cheng’s desire reignited.
He was eager to throw himself into intensive training once again.
How can one appreciate the view from atop mountains without standing on the perilous peak?
A pale blue screen gradually appeared in front of him.
The images on the bus television flickered, and the sound was clear, broadcasting the evening news.
"...In light of the mysterious ’black rain’ phenomenon that has been widely reported among the citizens recently, our reporters have specially visited the areas around West Mountain to conduct interviews and investigations, aiming to restore the factual truth."
"However, some meteorological experts have analyzed that the so-called black rain could be related to the recent explosion and wildfire, where a large amount of grass and wood ash particles have gathered in the troposphere, causing atmospheric pollution, and falling with the rain..."