NIP Chapter 30, Part 1: Pear Blossom Shakes Its Head
Chapter 30, Part 1: Pear Blossom Shakes Its Head
Shi Lei was taken aback when Ma Cong asked such a direct question.
The eyes of the twenty special forces soldiers around them all turned to look, and the atmosphere in the air instantly became somewhat subtle.
In the military, obeying orders is a fundamental duty. Even if you are unwilling in your heart, you must outwardly obey orders.
Shi Lei took a deep breath, looked straight ahead, and answered loudly, "Reporting, Chief Instructor! A soldier's duty is to obey orders! I have no objections!"
His answer was clear, articulate, and impeccable.
But that indomitable spirit was clearly written on his face.
Ma Cong smiled.
He knew that dealing with these soldiers, whose pride and courage were ingrained in their very bones, couldn't be controlled by the title of "chief instructor" alone.
There's only one way to truly earn their respect.
Subdue them with force.
"Very good." Ma Cong nodded. "Since there are no objections, let's begin the first lesson."
He glanced around at the elite soldiers before him.
"I know that each of you is a top-notch fighter, one in a hundred. You have studied Sanda and wrestling, and your physical abilities are all top-notch."
"But from today onwards, I hope that you will temporarily forget everything you have learned before."
These words caused a slight commotion in the group.
forget?
The skills they rely on for survival, the muscle memory they've honed through countless trials—can they just forget them like that?
What exactly is this instructor trying to do?
Shi Lei's brows furrowed even more. He couldn't understand what was going on here.
"I know what you're thinking." Ma Cong's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "You think what you're learning is very scientific and practical. Yes, in most cases, that's true."
"But what I'm going to teach you isn't the science of one plus one equals two. It's something you've never encountered before."
Ma Cong walked to the front of the line and stopped in front of Shi Lei.
The two are about the same height, but Shi Lei is much more muscular than Ma Cong.
"Captain Shi, throw a punch at me," Ma Cong said calmly.
Shi Lei was stunned again.
"Chief Instructor, this..."
"This is an order." Ma Cong's tone left no room for argument. "Strike me in the chest with your fastest speed and with the greatest force. Don't hold back, or you'll be showing me contempt."
Shi Lei's expression changed.
He looked at the calm face of the young man in front of him, and saw not a trace of tension or fear in his unfathomable eyes.
A surge of anger welled up from the depths of his heart.
it is good!
Since you insist on humiliating yourself, then I'll grant your wish!
He wanted to show this arrogant "chief instructor" just how heavy a special forces soldier's fist really is!
"Chief Instructor, please forgive me!"
Shi Lei let out a low roar, his body suddenly sank, and with the power of his waist and hips, his right fist, like a cannonball, slammed straight into Ma Cong's chest with a terrible whistling sound!
He used all his strength in that punch!
He was confident that this punch would be enough to pierce through a three-centimeter-thick pine board!
He could almost see the young instructor being sent flying backwards by his punch, foaming at the mouth.
However, just as his fist was about to touch Ma Cong's chest skin...
Ma Cong moved.
He neither dodged nor blocked.
He simply made a very simple gesture.
His body sank slightly downwards.
It's just a simple sinking motion.
Shi Lei's unstoppable fist landed on Ma Cong's chest.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
Shi Lei felt as if his punch had not landed on a human body.
It was as if it had struck a massive granite rock buried deep underground!
His powerful punch, capable of splitting stone and shattering monuments, vanished without a trace the instant it touched the opponent's body, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.
An even greater and heavier force of recoil came from the other person's body, flowing back through his fist!
"Click!"
A faint cracking sound.
Shi Lei felt as if his finger bones had been hit by a hammer, and a piercing pain shot through him!
The force of the recoil sent him staggering back three large steps before he could barely regain his footing.
He stared at his right hand in horror.
The surface of his fist was already red and swollen. A tearing pain emanated from his knuckles.
He knew that his finger bone was cracked.
Now let's look at Ma Cong.
He remained standing in the same spot, without even swaying.
His face remained calm, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.
The entire training ground was deathly silent.
The eyes of those twenty special forces soldiers almost popped out of their sockets.
Their mouths were agape, their faces showing expressions as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
They knew all too well how powerful Captain Shi Lei's punches were.
During the team's combat training, no one dared to take a punch from the captain head-on. There was once a hot-headed newcomer who didn't believe in the power of the captain, and ended up having three ribs broken by the captain's punch, spending two months in the hospital.
But now...
The captain threw a full-force punch at the new head instructor, but the instructor didn't budge. Instead, the captain himself was knocked back three steps, and his hand looked like it was injured.
Is this...is this even human?!
Is this person's body made of steel?
"What... what's going on?" one of the team members couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
"Iron Shirt? Golden Bell Cover?" The other person also looked incredulous.
Shi Lei shook his numb right hand, endured the excruciating pain, raised his head, and stared intently at Ma Cong.
His eyes no longer held doubt.
Instead, it was a deep shock and bewilderment.
"What...what did you do?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
"I didn't do anything," Ma Cong said calmly. "I just stood here."
"That's impossible!" Shi Lei roared. "You must have used some kind of force-dissipating technique!"
"You can understand it that way," Ma Cong nodded. "However, I prefer to call it 'energy'."
He looked at the bewildered soldiers in front of him and began to explain.
"Your strength comes from the contraction of your muscles. You hit people with your arms and kick people with your legs. I call this kind of force 'brute force' or 'dead force'."
"What I just used was 'whole-body strength' and 'lively strength'."
Ma Cong slightly adopted the horse stance of Bajiquan.
"Training in traditional Chinese martial arts is never just about building muscles. We train the body's structure, the connection between tendons and bones, and the coordination of breathing. We aim to train the entire body into a unified whole."
"When your fist hits me, I don't use my chest muscles to block it. Instead, I adjust my body structure to instantly transfer the force of your fist to my feet and deflect it into the ground."
"At the same time, the earth will give me a reaction force. I will then transmit this force back to your fist through the transmission of my body."
"So, it wasn't me who injured you just now," Ma Cong said, looking at Shi Lei and enunciating each word clearly. "It was you."
Shi Lei and all the team members were completely confused.
What about being dumped into the earth, what about reaction force...?
This sounds like something out of a martial arts novel! It's too far-fetched!
"Don't believe me?" Ma Cong saw through their thoughts. "Captain Shi, try again."
"This time, you don't need to hit me. Push me with all your might. If you can make me move even one step, I'll consider it a loss."
Shi Lei looked at Ma Cong's not particularly tall frame, and then at his own arms, which were thicker than Ma Cong's thighs.
Push him with all your might?
Isn't this... this is bullying?
"Chief Instructor, this..."
"Execute the order!" Ma Cong's tone left no room for argument.