As soon as the word "monster" was spoken, Ye Fengwu's brow instantly furrowed deeply.
Lin Qiang, Yang Lu, and Liu Hui were all the top soldiers in the military, the most outstanding among the elite warriors. Even world-class champions in boxing wouldn't stand a chance against them.
But now, both Yang Lu and Liu Hui had suffered minor injuries, while Lin Qiang was in a far worse condition—at least several of his ribs were broken, and his internal organs might have been damaged as well.
To inflict such serious harm on Lin Qiang, the enemy's combat power could only be described as terrifying.
"Oh…"
At this moment, a weak, painful voice came from Lin Qiang's mouth. He slowly opened his eyes and, upon seeing Ye Fengwu, his pale face instantly filled with guilt.
"Instructor… I'm… sorry. We've let you down."
Lin Qiang tried to get up, but Ye Fengwu hurriedly pushed him back down, expressing concern, "Rest well. It was my negligence. I shouldn't have let you act alone."
A hint of apprehension flickered in Lin Qiang's eyes as he weakly replied, "Instructor, it was our carelessness."
At this point, Liu Hui suddenly spoke up, "Instructor, we received word that Luo Yihuang is taking a private jet to Jinhai City. We attempted to intercept her on the way to give her a warning, but… but she… she insisted on going her own way, and even… even took precautions against us."
Yang Lu added, "That woman is very clever. She could tell that we were secretly protecting her, but she still resisted us."
Upon hearing this, Ye Fengwu gritted his teeth, "That damn woman. What's her status now?"
Liu Hui replied, "We infiltrated the airport before Luo Yihuang boarded the plane. We found a bomb on the aircraft, and at the same time, we encountered those two monsters."
Lin Qiang, his eyes filled with apprehension, weakly said, "There were two of them, one man and one woman. The man was incredibly muscular. Even the twenty or so bullets we fired at him couldn't injure him. It was like hitting a steel plate."
Liu Hui, still frightened, added, "The strangest thing was that the woman was bare-handed, yet she could tear the plane's exterior open with her claws."
At the end of this, Lin Qiang, Liu Hui, and Yang Lu all wore expressions of defeat. After years of following Ye Fengwu, this was the first time they had ever been in such a miserable state.
Upon hearing this, Ye Fengwu's eyes gradually narrowed, and his expression became unusually serious.
Seeing this, Liu Hui quickly asked, "Instructor, have you ever encountered such an opponent?"
Ye Fengwu took a deep breath, then slowly spoke, "The power they possess… is known as Gang Qi (Inner Force). The people you encountered have already cultivated Gang Qi within their bodies. They are what we call superhumans. Compared to ordinary humans, they live longer and have far superior physical abilities."
"Gang Qi... superhumans..." Lin Qiang and the others' faces were filled with shock and confusion. They had never heard of Gang Qi before.
Ye Fengwu continued, "This world is far more complicated than we imagined. Gang Qi is generated from within and can enhance muscle strength by several times, even tens of times."
"If Gang Qi is skillfully utilized throughout the entire body, it can harden muscles to the point that ordinary knives, guns, and bullets cannot break through the defense. If used as a weapon, it naturally becomes as sharp as a sword."
Upon hearing Ye Fengwu's description of Gang Qi, Lin Qiang, Liu Hui, and Yang Lu all looked incredibly surprised.
No wonder the two assassins they encountered today were so terrifying—the man was practically invulnerable to blades and bullets, and the woman's strength and speed far exceeded theirs.
If it hadn't been for the reinforcements from the local forces, they probably wouldn't have made it back alive.
After a long silence, Liu Hui curiously asked, "Instructor, how… how can one cultivate Gang Qi?"
Ye Fengwu furrowed his brow and replied, "Gang Qi is a latent power within the human body. To cultivate Gang Qi, besides daily physical training, there needs to be a certain opportunity, and that opportunity… may never come in a lifetime."
"However, some fortunate individuals awaken Gang Qi at the brink of life and death."
Hearing this, Lin Qiang and the others felt more than just envy—they were also disappointed. As elite soldiers, how could they not want greater combat power? But they knew that such an opportunity was unlikely to come their way.
Seeing the disappointment in their eyes, Ye Fengwu's face darkened. "Some mercenary groups use certain drugs to unlock the human body's physical limits, thus activating their latent powers, also known as Gang Qi."
The eyes of Lin Qiang, Liu Hui, and Yang Lu all lit up. They seemed intrigued by the idea of such drugs.
But then, Ye Fengwu poured cold water on their hopes. "Drugs don't guarantee the activation of Gang Qi because these substances are highly unstable. More than 90% of people who take them will die from the shock to their system."
"Even if they do succeed, there will be side effects. So, are you still interested?"
Hearing this, the hope in Lin Qiang and the others' eyes quickly turned to disappointment.
Liu Hui sighed, "Instructor, does this mean we'll never have the chance to cultivate Gang Qi in our lifetime?"
Ye Fengwu calmly replied, "There is another way. It's just as difficult as the previous two, but it has no side effects."
At the hopeful gaze of Lin Qiang and the others, Ye Fengwu leisurely spoke again, "If you push your muscle strength to its absolute limit, to the point where the human body can no longer endure, and if you can achieve that… you'll feel Gang Qi within you."
"And this method of cultivating Gang Qi will far exceed the drug-induced or accidental awakenings."
Hearing this, Lin Qiang, Liu Hui, and Yang Lu's faces lit up with excitement. But as the excitement passed, their expressions gradually grew solemn. Pushing muscle strength to the extreme—only those with extraordinary talent could achieve that.
If it relied on training, they didn't know how much pain they would have to endure. Furthermore, not everyone's body could withstand such extreme physical exertion.
Yang Lu, with his usual honest smile, said, "Instructor, everyone knows your muscle strength far exceeds the human limit. Why don't you have Gang Qi yet?"
Lin Qiang and Liu Hui, both equally curious, looked at Ye Fengwu. They knew just how terrifying Ye Fengwu's physical strength was.
The three of them had seen Ye Fengwu use his sheer muscle power to kick a small car several meters away.
Ye Fengwu shot them a glare, then snorted, "I have my own plans. Remember this: if you want to cultivate Gang Qi, you must be prepared to endure hardships and sweat a hundred times more than others."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiang, Liu Hui, and Yang Lu all seriously noted Ye Fengwu's words.
This also made them realize something: Ye Fengwu's strength was already the best in the military. He could afford to stop training and stop enduring hardships like them.
But he had never once stopped training his muscle strength, which meant his goal was Gang Qi.
Ye Fengwu suddenly spoke, "What are the plans for the target now?"
Liu Hui quickly responded, "Luo Yihuang seems to be very focused on the branch in Jinhai City. We've learned that she plans to take the 8 AM high-speed train tomorrow, and she's booked an entire business-class carriage."
Upon hearing this, Ye Fengwu cursed, "That money-hungry woman. If you can find out her schedule, then the Death God Guild will certainly know too."
Ye Fengwu was furious. He was angry at Luo Yihuang for her stubbornness, which had caused his men to get injured.
Liu Hui said, "Instructor, I'll go with you."
Ye Fengwu shook his head. "You guys rest and recover. This time, I'll go alone."
Yang Lu said, "That woman is on guard against us, and with so many assassins on the way, if you go alone, you might be overwhelmed."
Ye Fengwu's eyes grew serious as he calmly said, "We can't provide protection from the shadows anymore, so we'll have to use another method. It's also a punishment she deserves."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiang, Liu Hui, and Yang Lu's faces grew perplexed as they wondered what Ye Fengwu had planned.
At this moment, Liu Hui suddenly brought over a long rectangular case, about one meter long and 50 cm wide, and placed it in front of Ye Fengwu.
"Instructor, your weapon has arrived," Liu Hui said.
Upon seeing the case, Ye Fengwu's eyes visibly lit up, as if he were reunited with a long-lost lover.