There were neither days nor months in the prison; it was impossible to know what was happening outside. Luo Zheng had no idea how long he had been ditating when he felt much better from the pain in his chest. He got up and saw two bowls placed at the door. Feeling hungry, he walked over to take a look. The bowls contained food, the sa as usual, but there was an added apple. Perhaps they were worried about prisoners' nutrition not keeping up, fearing death inside the jail cells?
Luo Zheng didn't hesitate, he forcefully swallowed the food, nourished himself, and then started moving around in the cell. Just a slight movent caused his joints to crackle loudly, a sign of long periods without exercise. If it continued this way, his body would likely deteriorate. In the cramped space, Luo Zheng practiced military boxing. Since the space was limited, he shortened and minimized his movents, keeping his leaps and jumps as small as possible.
Gradually, Luo Zheng began to sweat, and he continued training; he went through the routine ten tis, feeling his whole body heating up. When his muscles and bones were fully activated, he stood inverted against the wall, hands on the ground and feet against the steel-cast wall, repeatedly squatting and rising to strengthen his arms.
Before long, the prison's loudspeaker ca on, just like the last ti, instructing everyone to co out for air. Luo Zheng got up and approached the door, only to find that his cell door had not been opened. The steel bar across the door didn't budge, while the prisoners from other cells ca out, looking at Luo Zheng's cell in surprise, not understanding what was happening.
Luo Zheng's eyes narrowed intensely as he carefully examined the outside, suspecting sothing was amiss. After waiting for a while with no unusual events occurring, only an old man pushing a cart of books ca by. Luo Zheng asked him to stop. The old man took a few steps back with a wary look, allowing Luo Zheng to inspect the books on the cart.
With nothing else to do, Luo Zheng figured the prison authorities might not let him leave the cottage again. Apart from training, the only pasti available was reading books. Disinterested in ordinary books and finding no military ones, he noticed a psychology book from the corner of his eye—a work by Freud, which he then took.
The old man, without any hesitation, handed over the book carefully to Luo Zheng. After Luo Zheng took it, the man quickly withdrew his hand, as though afraid Luo Zheng might strike him. Seeing that Luo Zheng had no hostility and was flipping through the book, the old man sighed in relief and hurried forward with the cart.
Freud was a towering figure in psychology; Luo Zheng had heard of him before. Placing the book on the bed, he continued his training—doing push-ups without counting, just until his strength waned. After resting, he proceeded with sit-ups, pull-ups, and squat jumps, each exercise pushed to the limit of his strength. After resting again, he continued with the next phase of his training.
After completing all the basic training, Luo Zheng practiced punches and kicks into the air, imagining an opponent in front of him, considering which attacks the enemy might use and how he should defend himself—it felt a bit like fighting against an imaginary foe. This thod of solitary training was greatly beneficial for combat tactical training, draining the last bit of strength from his body just as it was ti for another al delivery.
The intense training drained a lot of energy, and one bowl of food was far from enough. When Luo Zheng saw the al deliverer coming, he rushed forward in one swift move, grabbing the steel bar and coldly said to the man, "Tell the prison authorities the food is too little. I need three tis the amount; otherwise, don't bla for being rude."
The al deliverer looked at Luo Zheng in fear, hastily agreeing, worried Luo Zheng might break out and kill him. Everyone had seen Luo Zheng brutally beat the bald man and the muscular man, even killing the assassin and throwing them into the courtyard. The prison authorities had inexplicably ignored the incident, opting rely to keep Luo Zheng confined. This punishnt made everyone realize that the prison did not want Luo Zheng dead; it was best not to provoke such a terrifying existence, as death here ant having nowhere to seek justice.
The old man delivering the food was about to push the cart away when Luo Zheng called out, "Wait a mont, bring two more portions over."
"This?" The food was rationed, and the old man dared not give more, afraid of Luo Zheng's fury might injure him. However, he didn't realize that today's Luo Zheng was like a tiger caged, with sharp claws that could not harm others. Seeing Luo Zheng's fierce murderous aura, the old man, scared, quickly took down two portions of food, cautiously placed them on the ground, and didn't dare to push them inside, fearing Luo Zheng might grab his hand. After dropping two pieces of fruit, he hurriedly pushed the cart away.
Luo Zheng didn't know what consequences his unauthorized acquisition of two extra portions of food might bring, nor did he bother to care. He swallowed the unappetizing food and three fruits, feeling his strength start to recover considerably. After a brief rest, he went to the squat toilet to rinse off his body with cold water. The cold water stimulated his muscles and brain nerves, clearing his mind significantly and refreshing him greatly.
After cleaning the grease off his body, Luo Zheng turned off the water, dried himself with a towel, lay on the bed to rest, and opened up the psychology book. Simultaneously, he began to heal his injuries using the family's "Breathing Skill," as ti quietly slipped by.
A few hours later, soone ca pushing a cart. Seeing that the person was also in a prison uniform and had clean clothes on the cart, Luo Zheng threw his laundered prison clothes to the stranger, who neatly caught them and handed Luo Zheng a set of clean clothes, then hurriedly pushed the cart away without daring to look directly at him, his face pale with fright.
Luo Zheng watched the person leave hurriedly with a mixed feeling of amusent and resignation, but then he thought, maybe this was for the best, as at least no one dared to provoke him. Soon, soone else ca to deliver food, but it was not the sa person as before. The food deliverer, without waiting for Luo Zheng to speak, hurriedly explained in panic, "The higher-ups won't allow extra food for you, or they'll kill . The previous one was beaten to death, I don't want to die, please spare ?"
"Uh?" Luo Zheng hadn't expected his actions to result in the last food deliverer being beaten to death. Unsure if it was true and seeing the person's pitiful state, he didn't wish to make things hard for him. He nodded, and the person quickly pushed the food through the gap below, then hastened away with the cart.
After Luo Zheng swallowed down the food, he sat down to rest and pondered why the prison authorities wouldn't provide him with more food. Were they worried about his strength? Being locked behind doors, even imnse strength was useless. He must strive for more food, otherwise, his body would break down.
After thinking for a while, Luo Zheng realized he almost couldn't resist against the prison. It had been so long, and not once had a police officer appeared. Those delivering food, books, and clothes were all prisoners. How could he resist? Angrily, Luo Zheng punched the wall, making a "thud" sound, then suddenly he had an idea.
A little while later, Luo Zheng tore a sheet, tied it around his fists, and when the lights went out for bedti, he began striking the steel-cast wall, creating "thud thud thud" sounds that, in the silent prison, were especially clear. The noise startled everyone, prompting them to co to their doors to see what was happening. Once they realized it was Luo Zheng, the curses that reached their lips were forcefully swallowed back.
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