Chapter 16, Section 2 Training of the Miao Township Witch Ancestor

The subsequent training became much more monotonous. We had to run five kilometers around the underground training field with five-kilogram sandbags strapped to our bodies, which wasn't a problem for me. Back in the army, I used to do cross-country runs while carrying a twenty-kilogram load, so these exercises were a breeze. However, Sun Fatzi couldn't handle it. He collapsed on the ground and started foaming at the mouth before completing even half of the run. But the scene seemed oddly familiar to me.

"Lazi, carry him while running," Haowen Ming appeared on the training ground at some point, pointing at the crab-like Sun Fatzi.

In the past, it was Old Wang who carried me. Now, I had to carry this overweight guy. I realized that there's a saying: "What goes around, comes around." Looking at Sun Fatzi's massive body, I hesitated and asked, "Why do I have to carry him?"

"Because you two are teammates and should assist each other. Stop talking and get on with it, carry him and run!" Haowen Ming extended his hand, gesturing toward me and Sun Fatzi.

I went back to Sun Fatzi's side; he had recovered a bit, wiping the foam from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and was anxiously looking at me.

I couldn't possibly carry him, so I helped him up and asked, "How much do you weigh?" Sun Fatzi weakly replied, "260 pounds."

260? More like 360, I thought. Later, I found out that the weight scale could only measure up to 260 pounds. I don't know why, but at that moment, I thought of Old Wang's rubber stick.

The most inexplicable part was the presence of a Bagua diagram on the training ground.

There were several Bagua-shaped electronic patterns embedded in the corners, with forty-nine numbers labeled from the inside out. The arrangement of these numbers was chaotic and had no apparent pattern.

Ouyang Pianzuo only showed up in the morning when we were guessing the envelopes, and then he disappeared. For the rest of the training, he handed it over to Haowen Ming's men. I wondered if Haowen Ming had something on him. With one phone call from Ouyang Pianzuo, Haowen Ming would arrive with a gloomy face.

"Hey, both of you, take off your shoes and socks, stand by the Bagua diagram," Old Haowen's face was terrifyingly gloomy, and he seemed reluctant to be there.

Although we didn't know what he was up to, Sun Fatzi and I removed our shoes and socks and stood next to the Bagua diagram.

Old Haowen explained the rules of the game, which were straightforward: step on the numbers inside the Bagua diagram in sequential order.

Before Sun Fatzi and I could enjoy it for long, after completing one round, Old Haowen increased the difficulty. "Let's do it again, but this time it will be more challenging. Just like before, but this time, you must step on the corresponding number before the light goes out."

"Piece of cake, it's like playing Dance Dance Revolution. I'll go first," Sun Fatzi said confidently. As he stepped on "one," the number one light extinguished, and the number two light started flashing. This process took less than half a second. Sun Fatzi hadn't even lifted his leg before the number two light went out, and the number three light began to flash.

Wasn't that too fast? Before I could think much, I saw Sun Fatzi fall to the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. What was happening? Was he having an epileptic seizure?

Luckily, Sun Fatzi quickly recovered and got up. He wiped the foam from his mouth and said to Old Haowen, "I'm jinxed. Director, there's an electrical leak; we need someone to fix it."

Unexpectedly, Old Haowen's response almost made him spit blood, "I forgot to mention it to you. If you don't step on the corresponding number before the light goes out, you'll be hit by a thousand volts of electricity. Dasheng, what's with that look? Don't worry; it's just a momentary shock, won't be fatal. However, some things are hard to predict. If you get shocked too many times, there might be some aftereffects, like facial muscle spasms or something. Relax, it's nothing serious. Not to say, Lazi, it's your turn."

Damn, where did you learn such a cruel trick?

I cursed silently, trying not to show my anger on my face. "Director Haowen, how about you turn off the switch for now? Let us get familiar with it for a few days, and I promise we'll succeed in two months."

"That won't do," Haowen Ming firmly rejected my suggestion. "All new recruits in the investigative bureau have to pass this test. I already gave you a warm-up by letting you get familiar with it once. Besides, if I start the game and then stop it when you begin, what will Dasheng think? Aren't you trying to create a rift between you two?"