Chapter 19: The Thrill of Powering Up with Potions (Please Vote for Recommendations)

"Another scapegoat dragged down, and his punishment is even harsher than mine—now I’ve got nothing to lose, ha." Once feeling humiliated by being forced to do push-ups in front of everyone, Wang Yanbing found his spirits lifted as his rivals, He Chenguang and Xing Xiaolong, followed one after another into the same pit. His sense of balance was restored. Especially seeing Xing Xiaolong, the unlucky winner of the day, Wang Yanbing couldn’t help but take pleasure in his misfortune.

With his mood thus improved, Wang Yanbing cast aside his earlier frustration and suddenly felt invigorated, his push-ups becoming all the more precise.

"It’s my fault again, I’ve dragged down Dragon and Chenguang… even Chenguang got caught up because of me. I’m useless, my mind just can’t do anything right, always causing trouble for them." Physically exhausted, Li Erniu watched his two close friends get punished for trying to help him. Guilt gnawed at him, growing heavier with every thought, and his eyes reddened.

Two hundred push-ups in five minutes equates to one every 1.5 seconds, demanding a relentless pace for 300 seconds. Push-ups are deceptively simple—anyone can do one, but sustaining them becomes exponentially harder, with no upper limit. Plenty can manage a single; fewer than one in ten can consistently perform twenty perfect ones.

To complete two hundred standard push-ups in a single stretch is a near-impossible feat. Even seasoned fitness enthusiasts would struggle!

Xing Xiaolong’s physique made him stand out among the recruits, but two hundred push-ups in one go was simply unachievable. The sergeant’s intentionally harsh penalty was meant to "break" the strongest recruit and send a warning to the rest.

If even the toughest couldn’t withstand the sergeant’s ruthlessness, the other recruits would surely reconsider their attitude.

The sergeant’s method proved very effective. Upon hearing the punishment, the new recruits shuddered; the casual slackness they’d brought from civilian life noticeably diminished.

Everyone expected that Xing Xiaolong, the "chicken" in this cautionary tale, would collapse, if not in body then in spirit.

But then, the sergeant unleashed another cruel move, prompting everyone to silently curse him and bemoan their fate.

"Hurry up! I’ll time you myself. If you don’t finish in ten minutes, every new recruit will join you—carrying your gear, you’ll run ten kilometers before lunch."

Rolling up his left sleeve and setting his stopwatch, the sergeant swept his gaze across the recruits, his voice devilish: "Take note—this is not a playground. This is the consequence for breaking military regulations."

"So scary!" Imagining themselves hungry, hauling dozens of kilograms over ten kilometers, the recruits felt a chill down their necks; any lingering slackness vanished completely.

Their expressions were increasingly tragic, some even cursing Xing Xiaolong under their breath.

"Busybody! Getting everyone into trouble!"

"When you’re under the eaves, you must bow your head. An initiation is inevitable. But your mistake is using me as the example. That’s not on me."

---

Xing Xiaolong understood well the unique nature of military life and did not resent this heavy-handed lesson for the newcomers. After all, recruits were pampered at home and carried bad habits—they needed to learn discipline.

But to be singled out as the scapegoat just because he stood out, and to become the target of everyone’s ire, that was unacceptable to him.

Is it hard to do two hundred push-ups in five minutes? Absolutely!

In a relaxed setting, many could complete two hundred, but to do them nonstop, without pause, is a different beast entirely.

Before entering this world, before the CF Mall appeared, Xing Xiaolong wouldn’t even have dreamed of completing such a feat—not even with steroids.

But now, everything had changed...

What seemed impossible to an ordinary person was, for Xing Xiaolong, nothing more than a warm-up.

It was almost too easy!

With his cheat at hand, Xing Xiaolong brimmed with confidence.

Earlier, he’d been granted double resistance to blows—his body tougher, his endurance and strength slightly enhanced.

Completing the first round of special training missions brought even greater rewards from the Mall.

So great, in fact, that Xing Xiaolong was utterly confident he could enter the "Special Forces" and fulfill his long-cherished ambition.

The mission reward had two parts. The first was the main training quest (1): Enter the Army.

As a reward for clearing this first main quest, Xing Xiaolong received: Lucky Revolver x1, Random Weapon Pack +1, Random Dagger Pack +1, Random Accessory Pack +1, Random Item Pack +1.

Most were locked, as the Mall wasn’t fully accessible yet; only the last, the Random Item Pack, could be opened.

Inside, he found something extraordinary—

Item Pack No. 1.

This pack could only hold small items and had no special effect, but the three syringes filled with red potion within made his heart race.

Minor Medical Supplies: Restores all player stamina, relieves all mental fatigue, and for a short period, slightly boosts all attributes.

The syringes looked just like the medical items from CF’s zombie mode.

But their effects were far more overpowering.

---

Though Xing Xiaolong didn’t know exactly how much "slightly boosting attributes" meant, just the full recovery of stamina and relief from mental fatigue made these potions potential game-changers at critical moments.

Three doses—three opportunities to rise again.

An unbeatable trump card!

The second part of the reward came from the very beginning—

[Congratulations, you have entered special training. The Mall has prepared a grand gift for you, activated upon completion of any task.]

This free gift package from the Mall contained two special items—

A Mystery Pack and an Amethyst.

Both possessed unique effects, powerful in certain ways, but not particularly helpful for the push-up challenge.

So, Xing Xiaolong didn’t plan to use them; he wanted to fully relish the thrill of cheating and powering up.

And—

How best to slap the sergeant’s dark face with a resounding victory.

The sergeant, seeing that Xing Xiaolong hadn’t moved, grew impatient, his face darkening as he shouted, "Hurry up, stop dawdling. Timer starts now!"

As his words fell, he pressed down on the stopwatch and began the countdown.

"Damn, this sergeant is ruthless—no time to prepare, he just shouts ‘start’ and begins, with no regard for protocol?"

The recruits, though they dared not speak aloud, cursed him in their hearts.

Their sympathy for Xing Xiaolong grew.

Poor kid!

"So they’re all convinced I’ll fail. In that case, I’ll show you what a true miracle looks like."

With a confident smile, Xing Xiaolong rubbed his thumb over the gold ring on his left hand, stepped forward, and assumed a perfect push-up position.

"This recruit’s form is impeccable, but to be smiling at a time like this—has he lost his mind?"

The sergeant expected to see a face twisted in pain and anguish, but instead found Xing Xiaolong smiling lightly, relaxed, and he could not understand the recruit before him.