Volume One Mutation Chapter Sixty-One Wounded

“Miss Liu, are you ready? I’m about to make my move,” Zhang Chu declared, bouncing lightly on his feet as he loosened up, striking a pose.

Liu Qingqing mimicked a boxer, both fists clenched and held before her chest, one forward, one back. “I’m ready. Go ahead!”

Only two meters separated them. Zhang Chu stepped forward with his left foot, then swung a powerful roundhouse kick toward Liu Qingqing’s waist. His movements were crisp and forceful.

Liu Qingqing had never been in a fight her whole life. Though she tried to appear calm, she couldn’t help feeling nervous inside. Now, seeing Zhang Chu’s unreserved roundhouse kick coming at her, she panicked, her resolve wavering.

“Focus! Dodge!” Liu Cong barked from the side.

The shout snapped Liu Qingqing out of her daze, just as the powerful kick reached her. In her confusion, however, it seemed slow to her eyes. She instinctively stepped back and narrowly avoided the strike.

Zhang Chu wasn’t surprised that his kick missed. After all, Liu Qingqing was the only one who had been allowed to train with Liu Cong. If, after all this time, she couldn’t even withstand a single kick from him, that would have been the real shock.

Missing his mark, Zhang Chu closed in, launching a flurry of punches—a textbook military boxing combination, one practiced not just as a killing art, but also for friendly matches.

His routine was sharp and impressive, energetic and intense.

Having dodged the first strike, Liu Qingqing’s confidence soared. Zhang Chu’s attacks, though swift, seemed sluggish to her. She calmly stepped back, evading his punches. Then she recalled Liu Cong’s advice: find an opening in Zhang Chu’s attack and counter.

She hadn’t understood what an “opening” was at first, but as Zhang Chu threw a hook, his chest became completely unguarded before her eyes. Without thinking, she pressed her hand to his chest and pushed with all her might. Zhang Chu was sent flying, sliding out of the tent before coming to a stop.

In the instant she struck, Zhang Chu felt as if a sledgehammer had slammed into his chest. His ribs compressed, the air forced from his lungs in a gasp, and then a powerful force sent him sprawling backward, landing hard on the ground.

He quickly scrambled to his feet, ignoring the burning pain in his back, his face filled with astonishment.

...

In the military camp, the sisters Wang Ying and Wang Na were strolling together. Wang Na recounted how they had been ambushed and rescued by Liu Cong.

“Nana, is this Liu Cong really as incredible as you say?” Wang Ying, who hadn’t seen it herself, was skeptical.

Remembering the earlier scene, Wang Na grew animated. “Sis, he really is amazing! He didn’t even use the sword from that video. He just summoned a wall of fire and wiped out the birds attacking us as if it were nothing. You should have seen it—it looked like something straight out of a sci-fi blockbuster! So spectacular!”

Wang Ying teased her, seeing the starry-eyed expression on her sister’s face. “Has someone caught your fancy? Then again, who could blame you? Liu Cong’s powerful and handsome, but too bad he already has a girlfriend—and she’s as beautiful as a fairy. Even I’m envious. You don’t stand a chance!”

“Don’t say such things! I don’t have feelings for him!” Wang Na protested, her cheeks tinged pink as she shot her sister a glare.

“Blushing? Yet you say you don’t like him. Should I go ask him if he’d consider taking a second wife?” Wang Ying laughed, her face alight with mischief. If her subordinates saw her like this, they’d be shocked—the usually stern and dignified Wang Ying joining in on gossip.

“Stop it!” Wang Na pouted, disgruntled. “He already has a girlfriend and is leaving soon. We probably won’t even see him again. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Wang Ying sighed as well. “It’s true. He’s destined for greater places—no way we could keep him here.”

Wang Na fell silent, her thoughts elsewhere.

As they approached the tent, a figure suddenly flew out, skidding across the ground until he stopped at their feet.

“Zhang... Zhang Chu? What on earth are you doing?” Wang Ying gasped, bewildered.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chu wished he could disappear into a hole. To be sent flying by a mere slip of a girl, and in front of Wang Ying, no less—how could he ever live this down? He hurried to his feet, wincing at the pain in his back.

At that moment, the tent flap lifted and Liu Cong and Liu Qingqing emerged.

The Wang sisters glanced from the disheveled Zhang Chu to Liu Cong and Liu Qingqing, puzzled—had there been a fight?

Liu Cong hadn’t expected the light push from Liu Qingqing to have such force, sending Zhang Chu tumbling out of the tent. He quickly led Liu Qingqing outside to check on him, only then noticing Wang Ying and Wang Na. For a moment, everyone stared at each other in surprise, the air thick with awkwardness.

Zhang Chu was the first to speak. He certainly didn’t want Wang Ying and her sister to know he’d been sent flying by gentle Liu Qingqing. Chuckling awkwardly, he said, “Just fooling around with Liu Cong! We got bored and decided to spar a bit.”

Turning his back to the sisters, he strode over to Liu Cong and Liu Qingqing, slinging an arm around Liu Cong’s shoulder and winking conspiratorially. “You’re impressive, brother! I concede—no shame in losing to a real fighter, right?”

Liu Cong, struggling to keep a straight face, replied, “You’re right, brother—it’s my fault for not holding back. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

“Haha! Not at all, you’re the skilled one here! I just need to train harder—these old bones are getting rusty!” Zhang Chu laughed boisterously.

Their banter left Liu Qingqing feeling awkward, but hearing Zhang Chu wouldn’t blame her, she finally relaxed. She truly hadn’t expected her casual push to have such power and had panicked when he fell, worried she’d hurt him.

Wang Ying and Wang Na exchanged glances. Though their conversation struck them as odd, they accepted the explanation—after all, who was Liu Cong? It would be surprising if Zhang Chu could best him in a match.

“Zhang Chu, I never took you for such a brave soul. Still, you should know your limits; don’t do anything reckless,” Wang Ying teased, eyeing his battered back.

“Nana, go fetch some medicine and a change of clothes for Chief Zhang. He can’t keep wearing those rags—people might think our district mistreats guests!”

Wang Na glanced at Liu Cong, noting how neat his clothes were compared to Zhang Chu’s sorry state. Her respect for Liu Cong’s strength only deepened. “Got it. You all head inside and wait for me.”

With that, she headed off to the logistics department.

Though Wang Ying had teased him, Zhang Chu was touched by her thoughtfulness. He didn’t mention he had spare clothes in his bag, accepting her kindness instead.

When Wang Na returned, everyone was back in the tent. Zhang Chu had stripped to the waist, revealing sturdy muscles and a broad back marred by scrapes, blood seeping down to his waist.

Wang Ying took the medical kit from Wang Na, gently cleaning the blood with a cotton swab before applying alcohol to disinfect the wounds. The alcohol burned, but Zhang Chu endured without flinching.

Wang Ying took note of his stoicism, her opinion of him subtly shifting toward admiration. She had no idea that Zhang Chu was inwardly howling in pain, determined to save face by pretending it didn’t hurt—a performance so convincing that even Liu Cong was fooled.

Standing beside Liu Cong, Liu Qingqing watched Wang Ying tend to Zhang Chu’s injuries, feeling a twinge of guilt—she’d been too heavy-handed.