Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups-Chapter 1172 - 569:

"With the fall of the old leader, the Ideal Land, now headless, completely collapsed and could no longer hold on."

"The Special Search Team took advantage of the situation, their search net spread across the nation, forcing us to flee like stray dogs."

"During those days, too many brothers who fought side by side were captured, and many others died during the joint pursuit by the Special Search Team and traitors before being caught."

Lin Fusheng’s Adam’s apple rolled with difficulty, his voice tinged with an indescribable heaviness.

"Your father, Fang Shijie, was no longer part of the organization. He could have stayed out of it, living incognito like he said, pretending to be an ordinary person, being a good husband and father."

"But he still chose to take action, doing everything he could to help the fleeing members of the organization, including me and Ye Zhiran."

"We survived entirely because he risked his life, bearing the danger of being targeted by the Special Search Team."

"Yet, because he had been a liaison for the organization and knew the whereabouts and details of too many people, the Special Search Team, guided by traitors, inevitably found him."

Lin Fusheng’s voice became somewhat hoarse, and each word seemed squeezed out of his throat.

"In the end, to avoid implicating us and preventing other companions from being exposed, he chose self-immolation while evading the pursuit of the Special Search Team..."

After uttering the last two words, Lin Fusheng’s shoulders trembled slightly, his eyes faintly red, unable to speak another word.

The air inside the car seemed to completely solidify.

The honking of passing cars sounded exceptionally harsh.

Fang Cheng sat upright, gazing steadily at the road ahead, remaining silent from beginning to end.

Lin Fusheng opened his eyes, his expression weary:

"From that day on, my heart grew cold, and I never spoke of any ideals or ambitions again, for such things are worthless compared to the lives of living people."

"When the turmoil slightly subsided, I secretly returned to East Capital, found Old Factory Street where you and your mother lived, opened a small bone-setting shop, and became an ordinary bone-setting doctor."

"I lived there for over a decade, and like your father, I slowly grew accustomed to a stable life, to watching the hustle and bustle of the street from my little shop, leading a dull yet reassuring life."

"As for some mutant nation, some fairness and justice... they are but illusions, mere dreams."

"I just want to watch over you, see you grow up safely so that in the future, when I walk underground, I can face Shijie and tell him I took good care of his child."

He exhaled long, as if letting out the burdens of resentment accumulated over more than ten years.

Then he turned his head and looked at Fang Cheng, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, his tone full of earnestness and worry:

"Ah Cheng, the past is in the past, there’s no need to hold on to it any longer. One cannot live forever entangled in hatred and obsession from the past."

"Your father’s greatest wish during his lifetime was simply for you to be a normal person, living a safe and sound life."

"So don’t investigate the matters of those years anymore, and definitely don’t be swayed by that lunatic Ye Zhiran, getting involved in those endless bloody disputes."

Fang Cheng did not answer Lin Fusheng’s words, only concentrating on driving the car.

The compartment fell into a long silence.

The engine emitted a low hum, making the atmosphere even more stifling.

At this moment, the Range Rover SUV was crossing the river bridge.

The river surface dazzled with sunlight, sparkling with waves.

In the distance, buildings stood by the river, like a forest made of reinforced concrete.

After a long time, Fang Cheng finally spoke slowly, his voice calm and devoid of any ripples.

"Uncle Lin, is the deputy leader who caused all this still in East Capital?"

Hearing this, Lin Fusheng turned his head suddenly, his eyes full of disappointment:

"Did you... not listen to what I said at all?"

Fang Cheng quietly met his gaze, his face expressionless.

Seeing his demeanor, Lin Fusheng became anxious, replying with resolute words:

"I cannot tell you that person’s name, and you must not inquire!"

He stared hard at Fang Cheng, warning him word by word, each word filled with gravity:

"You have to know, there are people in this world who cannot be fathomed with common sense, and that person is exactly like that."

"Just thinking their name in your heart, even if thousands of kilometers away, on the other side of the world, they would sense it."

"Ah Cheng, I know you are strong, maybe even stronger than your father back then."

"But you now, absolutely, absolutely are not his match!"

"Inquiring carelessly about him or rashly provoking him will only bring disaster upon yourself, your mom, and your uncle, understand?"

Seeing Lin Fusheng’s apprehension, Fang Cheng did not pursue it further.

Whether it was Xuan Zhen, Ye Zhiran, or Uncle Lin in front of him.

These figures who once commanded the winds and rains, when mentioning that man, exhibited an identical fear.

Perhaps, that man indeed stood atop this world, overlooking humanity like a deity.

But Fang Cheng felt not a trace of fear.

Fear? It doesn’t exist.

His fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel, a fierce fighting spirit rising from deep within.

The panel’s assistance was his unique confidence, the very capital to defy fate.

The gap before him was never a hindrance, merely a temporary distance.

Facing such a formidable enemy, Fang Cheng needed no luck, no evasion, only time.

As long as he had enough time, honing his body, climbing upwards.

That man, seemingly invincible, standing at the world’s pinnacle, one day, will be crushed under his feet, tasting the bitterness of submission.

Fang Cheng’s hands held the steering wheel steadily, eyes on the road ahead, speaking in a low voice:

"Uncle Lin, don’t worry. I promise you, the path the Professor and I are taking will certainly not repeat the mistakes of the ’Ideal Land’."

His tone was calm but carried a seriousness that could not be questioned.

Hearing this, Lin Fusheng’s body stiffened slightly.

He turned his head, gazing at the youthful, determined profile in the driver’s seat.

For a moment, the image of an equally headstrong, spirited old friend overlapped with the one before him.

After a while, Lin Fusheng silently sighed in his heart.

The words had been spoken; saying more is futile.

Though he was named an elder, he was not, in the end, related to Fang Cheng by blood.

The young man before him had long since shed his naivety, becoming a mature adult with independent will.

He had his own judgments, his own path to pursue.

Thinking back, was he any different when young?

Always thinking that passion alone could change fate, never learning to turn back until faced with relentless realities.

Only when naive ideals were crushed by cruel reality does one painfully realize how precious an ordinary life is.

To be granted power beyond ordinary humans is often marked with a heavy price.

While Fang Cheng’s current choice could be understood, yet...

Professor, looking at the river beneath the bridge.

The limits of human strength cannot be denied.

The overwhelming tides of the world, like a broken dam’s flood, sweeping away everything.

To barely stand firm amidst it, preserving oneself, is a great fortune.

To wish to go against the current, to be a pillar redirecting the torrent...

Only in history’s long river have rare individuals had the slightest chance.

Can Fang Cheng truly achieve it?

Lin Fusheng once more looked at that face full of vitality and unscathed by the elements, his gaze deep and complex.

It was a combination of concern for the youth’s future and a retrospection of past years.

The hand placed on his knee clenched and then loosened quietly.

The original helplessness in his eyes was forcibly suppressed, replaced by a buried decisiveness.

Enough.

Attempts to persuade were futile, obstacles unsustainable.

Since the young man insisted on walking this thorn-filled narrow path, let him explore it himself.

If that day came, and Fang Cheng unfortunately faced that terrifying man...

He, this old man, would return his life to Fang Shijie, even at the cost of his last drop of blood, to protect the only flesh and blood of his friend.

Determined, Lin Fusheng refrained from further persuasion.

The Range Rover SUV descended from the river bridge, moving straight ahead.

Outside, the towering buildings gradually gave way to low-lying streets.

Before long, the familiar outlines of the Old Factory Street buildings emerged into view.