Start with push-ups to gain experience

Ma Donghe's eyes lit up as he stared intently at Fang Cheng.

His eyes revealed an irrepressible desire to show off, as if urging:

"Ask me quickly! Ask me now!"

Seeing how excited he was, Fang Cheng didn't want to spoil the fun.

So I sat down next to him and, very cooperatively, added:
"What did you encounter?"

Upon hearing this straight man's line, Ma Donghe slapped his thigh and immediately launched into a long monologue:

"Didn't I become a security guard in my forties back then?"

"Back then, I was sleeping in the security room late at night when the captain insisted that I patrol the morgue on the second basement floor."

"The corridor was cold and damp, and the light bulbs overhead were flickering. The morgue was the last room in the corridor."

"Before I even got to the door, I suddenly heard a 'bang, bang' sound coming from inside, so I leaned closer to listen, and guess what?"

"It seems... to be coming from the refrigerated container where the body was stored!"

Ma Donghe's words were vivid and eerie, conveying a sense of being there, much like a late-night radio host.

Fang Cheng remained calm and casually asked:
"You went in?"

"Go in! Why aren't you going in?"

Ma Donghe slapped his thigh, spitting everywhere:

"At that moment, I thought to myself, this damn place is just an illusion anyway, what am I afraid of!"

"So I just pushed the door open and went in, and following the sound, I yanked open the metal drawer of one of the refrigerators."

"Good heavens, there's a male corpse lying inside. He suddenly opened his eyes, and his eyes were completely white."

"It sat up straight, opened its mouth, and tried to crawl out to bite me."

Ma Donghe got more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing with both hands as if he were slapping someone, creating a gust of wind:
"When I saw this, without saying a word, I swung my arm and slapped him across the face!"

With a "smack," it was sent flying, crashing into the wall and forced to stand facing the wall as punishment.

"Damn it, he's already dead, so he should just lie down properly instead of running around scaring people. What kind of trash is he!"

"As a result, the zombie went berserk..."

Ma Dong-hyuk shook his right hand, seemingly still savoring the feeling of beating up zombies:
"Sigh, a forty-year-old security guard's body is just too weak. I just slapped him, and my own hand went numb first."

"That zombie was incredibly strong and ferocious. It pounced on me and sprayed a mouthful of foul-smelling black water directly into my face!"

Upon hearing the words "Blackwater," Fang Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

The horrifying images of the abandoned water treatment plant flashed through my mind instantly.

After Wang Lan and Zhou Ming were possessed and lost their minds, they would also spew out an extremely foul-smelling black liquid from their mouths.

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately made a judgment in his mind.

The monster that Ma Dong-hyuk encountered was definitely the same kind as the shadowy figure in the water plant.

However, the shadowy figure in the water plant possessed a living person, while the shadowy figure in the morgue burrowed into the body of a dead person.

Ma Donghe was oblivious to Fang Cheng's change in expression, completely absorbed in his own heroic deeds, and continued to recount them with great enthusiasm:

"The black liquid stung my skin and caused a rash. It was incredibly poisonous; damn it, it almost disfigured me!"

"I didn't have time to think about it at the time. I just wiped myself with my clothes and retreated while shouting into the walkie-talkie for the security guards to come and help."

"That zombie was incredibly fierce. It was slapped by me and acted as if nothing had happened. It lay on its limbs on the ground and darted to my feet like a giant spider."

"Then he grabbed my thigh with those hands that were like iron clamps, opened his mouth full of black liquid, and was about to bite me!"

"I kicked it wildly, and it tore a piece off the sole of my shoe!"

"I had no choice but to grab a dry powder fire extinguisher from the wall, pull the pin, and spray it hard. Then I swung the metal can and smashed it over its head!"

"Damn it, this guy's head is so hard, I can't kill it no matter how I smash it. Oh, no, it's already dead, but it's come back to life tonight."

"Finally, when the other security guards arrived, several of them piled on top of each other to hold it down, and then they called the police to take the thing away."

"However, I got some of that black water on me, and it seems like I got infected. My vision went black and I passed out."

Ma Donghe shifted his sitting posture, scratched his scalp, and looked somewhat puzzled:
"Logically speaking, fainting means you're out of the game, right? But when I opened my eyes, I found that I hadn't exited the illusion, but was lying in a hospital bed receiving an IV drip."

"Then something even more absurd happened. A woman led a teenager into the ward, grabbed my hand, and cried and called out for her husband."

He pursed his lips, looking extremely embarrassed.

"I've been a bachelor since I was born, I've never even held a girl's hand, and suddenly a wife and kids appear out of nowhere, it gives me goosebumps all over."

"Fortunately, the nurse who came in to change my dressing was quite cute, which made me feel that the illusion wasn't so bad."

Fang Cheng listened quietly without interrupting.

"I thought that once I subdued the zombies, I could just lie in the hospital for a few days and that would be the end of it."

Ma Dong-hyuk's voice suddenly lowered, and his broad shoulders hunched over, clearly recalling some extremely uncomfortable scene.

"As a result, the ward became extremely cold and dark at night."

"I was lying in bed unable to sleep, and when I turned my head, I saw several dark shadows seeping out from the corner of the wall and the ceiling."

"Their eyes glowed red, they stared straight at me, and they made soft laughs."

"Those things are creepy, they're definitely ghosts!"

Ma Donghyuk swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"I figured it must have been caused by touching the black liquid spit out by the zombie, and I wondered if there was something wrong with my mental state."

"The shadows multiplied and slowly drifted over, densely surrounding my bed."

"They all lowered their heads in unison, opened their dark mouths at me, and let out a strange laugh that sounded like fingernails scraping a blackboard."

"I frantically pressed the call button and shouted for a doctor, but there was no sound in the corridor."

"He swung his fist to hit, but the fist just went right through him; he couldn't kill him at all!"

Finally, Ma Donghe let out a long breath and patted his chest:
"Fortunately, just as those dark figures were about to pounce on my face, a loud bell rang overhead."

"Then everything went blurry, and I finally got out of that awful place."

At this point, Ma Donghe smacked his lips and turned to look at Fang Cheng:
"Hey, you were also woken up by that bell ringing, right? Wasn't the battle inside exciting?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly.

A bell? Where did the bell come from?
His consciousness clearly indicated that he had to withdraw from the illusion because his body was extremely weak and overdrawn.

From beginning to end, including the battle inside the water plant, until he finally walked out the door, he didn't hear any bell signaling the end of the assessment.

Fang Cheng quietly clenched his right hand, which was hanging by his side, as he felt the immense power contained within this body.

Suddenly, another huge question flashed through my mind.

To be honest, I'm not actually physically weak.

He only sweated a little and his body temperature rose slightly, which seemed a bit unusual.

This level of exertion doesn't even reach the intensity of a typical full morning workout; it's only slightly more strenuous than a warm-up.

At most, when I first woke up, I was slightly disoriented and experienced a brief dizziness in order to adjust to the cognitive gap between the two worlds.

Since he was able to visualize the true fire of the sun while in the illusion, and thus gained the ability to defeat monsters.

Why are the memories that belong to reality not fully restored inside?
Also, since the battle ended, my skill panel seems to have been frozen, completely unresponsive. I just realized this.

Fang Cheng's retina suddenly twitched, followed by a flash of pale blue light.

At the same time, semi-transparent text prompts flowed down his line of sight like a waterfall:

[You completed a spectacular battle without relying on any physical attribute bonuses; skill experience increased by 20 points.]

Boxing Lv3 (503/1000)

[You completed a spectacular battle without relying on any physical attribute bonuses; skill experience increased by 20 points.]

【Sanda Lv3 (195/1000)】

[You completed a spectacular battle without relying on any physical attribute bonuses; skill experience increased by 30 points.]

Muay Thai Level 2 (451/500)

[You are in a state of absolute self-forgetfulness, your will ignites the true fire of the sun, guiding your Qi to circulate autonomously, increasing your skill experience by 40 points.]

[Qigong lv3 (91/1000)]

[You successfully visualized the true fire of the sun in a secluded and unique environment, increasing your skill experience by 50.]

[Visualization lv3 (309/1000)]

Seeing these new messages popping up one after another, Fang Cheng was slightly taken aback at first, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the panel was not completely blocked by that strange assessment illusion.

Fang Cheng had no time to feel happy about the improvement in his skills and experience.

Then, upon further reflection, the look in his eyes deepened once more.

Since he was able to engage in physical combat with enemies in the so-called "illusionary realm" and have his battles recognized as effective by the panel, and even gain such a wealth of skill experience, he was quite pleased with himself.

Doesn't this indirectly confirm the authenticity of that experience?
It's important to understand that if you were to rely solely on imaginary enemies in your mind for air combat training in reality, the control panel would absolutely not be able to provide so much practical experience.

In this world, is there really such an outrageous illusion that can not only completely suppress his subjective consciousness but also forcibly implant false memories?

Could it even fool the panel's judgment mechanism for actual combat?
Fang Cheng clenched his fists slightly, his heart churning with turmoil.

All I could hear was Ma Donghe's incessant boasting and the nervous whispers of the other test-takers around me.

The force of the impact when the monster's body was shattered still seemed to linger on the knuckles.

Those family members who chatter away at the dinner table.

Those vibrant and lively students at the water plant.

If it really was just a virtual illusion constructed by subconscious code.

Why is it that even the feeling of extreme weakness before losing consciousness, when I was completely exhausted, is so clear, as if it were carved into every inch of my body with a knife?

The sunlight, the buildings, and the family and friends that are all within reach...

Is it really just an illusion?
"Snapped!"

A broad, warm hand landed on Fang Cheng's shoulder, interrupting the turbulent thoughts in his mind.

Ma Donghe leaned closer to that enormous head, looking at him with some confusion:
"Acheng, what are you thinking about? You've been sitting here for ages, haven't you recovered from this illusion yet?"

Fang Cheng quickly concealed the turmoil in his eyes and casually replied:

"It's nothing, just recalling the details of the battle just now."

"Hey, the exams are over, what's there to reminisce about?"

Ma Dong-hyuk waved his hand casually and then rubbed his flat stomach.

"Gurgle—"

A long, deep sound came from his abdomen at just the right moment.

He looked up at the clock on the wall in the corridor and said:
"It's almost eleven o'clock, let's hurry up and go out to find something to eat."

At this point, Ma Donghe suddenly paused, as if he had suddenly discovered a blind spot.

He touched the stubble that had just sprouted on his chin, his brows furrowed, his face full of puzzlement:
"Hey, isn't this weird? We were just lying on the chairs taking a mental test, but after I fought with that zombie and ghost in the illusion, now that I'm out, my legs feel weak and my stomach is growling."

Ma Dong-hyuk's eyes widened, and he patted his thick thighs:

"It's like... all the energy you expend inside is counted towards your physical body in reality!"

Hearing this seemingly rough but actually meticulous complaint, Fang Cheng lowered his eyes slightly, and his suspicions were confirmed once again.

But he didn't reply; he just listened quietly.

"do not care!"

Ma Donghe, unable to understand, simply stopped thinking about it, waved his hand, patted his chest, and shouted:

"I have to have a good meal at noon today to make up for all the energy I've used up! Tomorrow afternoon is the physical fitness and wilderness survival test."

"Based on my previous experience in training camps, those examiners are ruthless. They would at least throw us into a remote mountain valley for two or three days."

"We'll be living a life of hardship and hunger, so we absolutely need to build up our reserves now!"

"Hey gentlemen, what are you chatting about that makes you so happy?"

Just then, a head with two prominent ears suddenly leaned over from the side.

It was Hou Peng, the skinny examinee who had been listening to Ma Donghe bragging by the water dispenser.

He rubbed his hands together, grinning from ear to ear, and approached me with an extremely familiar and friendly demeanor.

"Brother Fang, have you finished your exam? I just heard Brother Ma say he was going to eat."

"Perfect timing! I know a lamb restaurant on the corner of the street outside the Special Investigations Team headquarters. Their hot pot is absolutely amazing!"

"Today, I'm treating you to a meal as a way to celebrate our successful completion of the test and our future collaboration."

"Go away, go away, it's not your place to treat."

Ma Donghe's eyes widened, and his large, fan-like hand shoved Hou Peng aside:

"I just got really frustrated fighting zombies in the morgue, so I have to pay for this meal to get rid of the bad luck. Nobody can take the bill from me!"

"Oh, Brother Ma, you're being too polite..."

Hou Peng wasn't annoyed; he stuck it on again like a piece of chewing gum.

The two seemed to have gotten along quite well.

They stood in the waiting hall, arguing back and forth over the right to pay the bill.

Fang Cheng stood aside, watching the two of them act like big spenders, and his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he interrupted them:

"Let's go, we can talk as we walk. If it really comes down to it, I'll treat you."

Upon hearing Fang Cheng speak, Ma Donghe and Hou Peng stopped pulling at each other and quickly followed, one on each side.

The three of them walked side by side through the crowd of test-takers who were still tense and reciting their notes.

Upon arriving at the lobby on the first floor, I pushed open the heavy glass doors and stepped into the bright, dazzling sunlight outside. (End of Chapter)