Chapter 39-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World

Chapter 39: Combat Sports

Zhu Ning went home to change her clothes before going to the Sanitation Center. Today, she even had to continue participating in the training and continue being beaten by Demon Hunters. 

Is this what life is? 

How should she describe her situation? It was like she had played games all night long and had to go take an exam the next day. It was all her own doing. 

There were fewer people at the evaluation base. Most personnel had already passed and could continue with their work. Only twenty or thirty people remained; they were likely "repeaters" like Zhu Ning. 

Zhu Ning stopped at the door for a while. Inside, everything was orderly—some were training, some were being evaluated. Some people had pulled up small stools to watch the show nearby. For many, training was a leisure and entertainment activity. Their internal conversations were cheerful, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Zhu Ning felt like a bystander of another world, watching the schools of fish swimming inside from the other side of a glass fish tank. It all felt very surreal. 

Had she really transmigrated? 

"Zhu Ning!" Li Nianchuan saw her from afar while she was still daydreaming. He waved at her with an excited look. "I passed!" 

Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan were clearly teammates she knew, but after just one night, Zhu Ning felt a bit of distance from them. 

Zhu Ning walked into the training room, stepping into the crowd to become one of them. She high-fived Li Nianchuan. "Congratulations." 

Li Nianchuan ran toward her like an enthusiastic puppy. "Hurry up. Once you pass, we can go on missions." 

Li Nianchuan asked, "What did you do yesterday? You look so pale." 

Hearing this, Xu Meng subconsciously raised her head. Zhu Ning's lips were a bit pale; one look and you could tell her mental state wasn't good. 

Zhu Ning gave a yawn and said dismissively, "I played games all night." 

Li Nianchuan: "..." 

Is this what a top student is like? Playing games all night and still coming to participate in combat training the next day? 

Xu Meng clicked something on the interface. "Zhu Ning, the combat has started. Try to pass this time." 

Zhu Ning was clearly quite strong, but every time she was strong, her opponent was even stronger. People in the top ten of the leaderboard all came to challenge her out of curiosity. 

Some people were placing bets by the side of the combat arena, wagering on whether Zhu Ning would lose four days in a row. Li Nianchuan, ever the rebel, bet on Zhu Ning winning. Since they were on the same team, he had to show some support. 

It was worth mentioning that Xu Meng never used to participate in such excitement, but this time, Xu Meng also bet on Zhu Ning winning. 

Li Nianchuan went to peek at Xu Meng secretly. "Captain, I didn't think you placed bets." 

Xu Meng said, "It's an opportunity to make money. Why pass it up?" 

Li Nianchuan: "..." 

Wait, what did the captain mean? She thought Zhu Ning would actually win? Li Nianchuan was just helping a friend save face, but Xu Meng truly recognized Zhu Ning's strength. 

"Zhu Ning, onto the field," the combat teacher said. "Who's going to challenge her?" 

"I will." 

A muscular man stood up. He was estimated to be about two meters tall. Just standing there gave off a sense of oppression. Zhu Ning was enveloped in his shadow and had to look up at him. 

This muscular man was named Huang Xiong. He had been beating Zhu Ning for three days, so she was already quite familiar with him. Under the crushing weight of their skill levels, Zhu Ning couldn't win despite using all sorts of little tricks and tactics. 

Having been beaten by the same person for three days, she was full of ambition on the first day, but by the third day, she was a bit demoralized. Yesterday, Zhu Ning was still being beaten by him. A loser will feel fear when facing an opponent they cannot surpass, and Zhu Ning was no exception, even if she didn't want to admit it. 

In the combat arena, once you feel fear, you've lost. 

"Start!" the combat teacher gave the command. 

Zhu Ning moved first. As soon as she moved, a cheer went up from the crowd. Zhu Ning had always been the one getting beaten. Two days ago, she was even chased around the training ground by Huang Xiong. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to attack when facing Huang Xiong. 

Everyone felt that Zhu Ning was different. It was hard to describe, but in general, Zhu Ning seemed more... serious? In the past, Zhu Ning was very slippery, trying her best to avoid direct conflict. Every time an opponent attacked, Zhu Ning's instinctive reaction was to run. 

Zhu Ning's punch landed. Huang Xiong, being a combat expert, raised his arm to block. Zhu Ning's punch only landed on his left arm, while Huang Xiong's punch landed precisely on Zhu Ning's left cheek. 

Zhu Ning's body swayed as she was knocked to the edge of the ring by the punch. She didn't fall, but her vision went black for a moment. The audience was full of excitement; the most interesting part of a boxing match was watching people get hit and bleed. 

In the spectator seats, only Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan were frowning. Li Nianchuan kept clenching his fists to cheer for Zhu Ning, while Xu Meng stood with her arms crossed, her brow furrowed. 

A shadow fell from behind. Huang Xiong was her opponent and wouldn't go easy on her. Zhu Ning instinctively dodged a cold punch, then suddenly hugged Huang Xiong and punched him in the abdomen. It was like hitting an iron plate, and Zhu Ning's fist throbbed with pain. 

"You don't understand combat," Dr. Fu's words suddenly rang in her ears. 

Zhu Ning took a deep breath. Huang Xiong's elbow was striking her back, but Zhu Ning could only hear the sound of her own breathing. 

"You know the moves, but you don't understand combat," Dr. Fu had said. 

Zhu Ning had been getting beaten by different Demon Hunters. She was very smart and could quickly learn the opponent's moves. Zhu Ning felt that this should be very similar to a shooting competition. They had all been injected with GeneBoost, and their stamina was about the same. When everyone knew the moves, the key was the aura a person carried. 

Since her rebirth, Zhu Ning had always felt a sense of surreality, as if she were playing a game. This world was fake, the system and everything were just child's play, and the pain was all simulated. But now, she felt the reality of the world and the reality of the danger. 

Zhu Ning took three blows to her back. Her mouth was full of a metallic, rusty taste, and she almost fell out of the ring again. 

There were now only two minutes left in the match. Someone else might have already collapsed after being hit like that by Huang Xiong, but Zhu Ning hadn't. She was still standing in the arena. 

If Zhu Ning had any new thoughts after killing the assassins last night, this was it. 

This wasn't just an arena; for Zhu Ning, this was a battlefield. She had already arrived in the wasteland, which was full of dangers. Regardless of what the enemy's purpose was, regardless of whether Zhu Ning could actually take it easy, the choice before her had suddenly become very simple: if you fall, you die. 

Zhu Ning's eyes were swollen from being hit. She raised her bloodshot eyes and looked up. In her eyes, Huang Xiong was no longer just a Demon Hunter colleague from the Sanitation Center. At that moment, Huang Xiong became the embodiment of all the difficulties she faced. 

Her unknown background, her defective body, the assassins pursuing her—in this moment, they all turned into one Huang Xiong. 

She couldn't use system tools every time. When all the tools were consumed, Zhu Ning had to bring out a truly life-saving ability. 

A true ability that could be used to protect her for a lifetime. 

"Sixty-second countdown." 

With one minute left in the combat, Zhu Ning had been beaten until even her internal organs hurt. Huang Xiong let out a roar as he threw a punch down, which Zhu Ning narrowly managed to sidestep. 

It was a close call, but she hadn't lost yet. 

Combat is a sport where one must face conflict directly. Many people start learning combat and have to spend several months overcoming their instinctive urge to dodge. She was adjusting her breathing. 

Inhale—exhale— 

She could see that Huang Xiong wasn't that calm; he was a bit agitated. Zhu Ning hadn't seen this kind of look three days ago. For the first three days, Huang Xiong hadn't taken more than six minutes to deal with her. Now that the combat time was almost over, Zhu Ning still hadn't fallen. 

Huang Xiong might have been wondering what had happened to Zhu Ning. The longer it was dragged out, the more advantageous it was for Zhu Ning. 

There is an information gap between a novice and a veteran. Zhu Ning could watch every one of Huang Xiong's matches to understand his inherent strategies. Having been beaten for three days, Zhu Ning could summarize the patterns in Huang Xiong's behavior. 

But Huang Xiong couldn't do that because Zhu Ning didn't follow conventional paths; she was different every day. Once Huang Xiong hesitated, there would be a flaw. 

A flaw. 

Zhu Ning suddenly threw a roundhouse kick. She had used this move many times before; she had used this exact trick to play dirty against Chu Ling. 

No one accepted the result of that match. Many people felt that Zhu Ning had no actual strength and was just getting by on cleverness, wasting her 1,200 sanity points. 

Huang Xiong thought so too. As a veteran combat player, he could generally predict his opponent's moves. Seeing Zhu Ning's move, Huang Xiong instinctively blocked below. 

Opportunity. The opportunity was now. Zhu Ning made a feint, then struck again, throwing a punch at Huang Xiong's face. 

That punch gathered all of Zhu Ning's strength. She timed the angle and hit Huang Xiong's temple. A normal person would feel dizzy. Huang Xiong's face tilted to the left, and Zhu Ning landed another punch on his left abdomen, trying her best to disrupt his reactions. Huang Xiong was a veteran, so instinct would make him maintain his balance. Zhu Ning wanted to make him less balanced. The rule of the match was that whoever fell to the ground first lost. 

Bang! 

Huang Xiong didn't have time to react. He was nearly two meters tall, and he made a heavy thud when he fell to the ground. 

This time it was more direct than the time with Chu Ling. If that time they had to calculate who landed first to judge if Zhu Ning was cheating. 

This time, it was visible to the naked eye that Huang Xiong had landed first, because Zhu Ning definitely hadn't fallen. 

Zhu Ning was still standing in the combat arena. Her legs were trembling, and her hands were propped on her knees, shaking. She was black and blue. Compared to Huang Xiong, who had only fallen, Zhu Ning was visibly battered, but even so, she didn't dare relax. 

The arena was silent; no one even spoke. 

Zhu Ning spoke first: "Did I pass?" 

Blood flowed into her eyes, making them sting. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and she was a bit dazed when she spoke. 

The combat teacher finally reacted: "...Passed." 

"Zhu Ning passed!" the combat teacher announced formally once again. 

This was a more resounding announcement, clearly heard by everyone. Li Nianchuan was even more excited than she was, shouting, "Zhu Ning, you won!" 

Li Nianchuan couldn't wait to go up and hug Zhu Ning. "You won!" 

People nearby were clapping and whistling. They were even more excited than they had been when Zhu Ning won the shooting competition. Shooting was Zhu Ning's strong suit; she was a genius in the field of shooting, but in the combat arena, she was a mediocrity. 

A mediocrity suddenly having an epiphany overnight and defeating an opponent she previously couldn't defeat—there was no more exciting competition than that. 

Zhu Ning maintained her original position, afraid she would tilt her head and fall if she didn't support herself. While accepting the praise, she was still trying to stop herself from shaking, making a laborious effort at facial expression management. 

She naturally knew how much of a stir she had caused and how much attention she had attracted. This was the effect she wanted. 

There was no need to hide. Facing unknown dangers, the weak will hide while the strong will display their strength. 

She looked around. There were many Demon Hunters watching. Some clapped for Zhu Ning, while others looked on with disdain. She couldn't tell who among the crowd wanted to kill her, but with this commotion, someone was surely going to lose their composure. 

As a person, one must be high-profile. 

Zhu Ning took a deep breath. The GeneBoost was making her recovery faster. She spat out a mouthful of blood, then went to pull Huang Xiong up. As a former athlete, she retained some sportsmanship. 

Huang Xiong wasn't injured. Instead, Zhu Ning was almost pulled over when she went to help him. Zhu Ning shook hands with Huang Xiong and breathed a sigh of relief. "You're really strong." 

Huang Xiong said, "You too." 

Zhu Ning suddenly felt particularly relaxed, and her previous gloom was swept away. This was recognition from her opponent. 

Combat sports were very stress-relieving. She was glad to have an opponent like Huang Xiong. No, she should say she was glad to have such a teacher. It was very fortunate to encounter a truly capable opponent in the early stages of learning a sport. 

Years of athletic life had made her understand one truth: a good opponent is what forces you to grow. 

Zhu Ning was hugged by Li Nianchuan as soon as she stepped off the combat field. "Thank you, Sister Ning!" 

"What are you doing?" Zhu Ning's whole body was in pain. She would have to go and get a HealStim later. "Also, I'm younger than you." 

Li Nianchuan said, "Thank you, Little Sister Ning." 

Zhu Ning wanted to hit him. 

Li Nianchuan let go of her, and then a handkerchief was draped over Zhu Ning. Xu Meng came over with a wet handkerchief and wiped her face haphazardly like she was cleaning a kitten. 

"Ow, ow, ow, it hurts." Zhu Ning protested. Her face was scraped. "Can you be a bit gentler?" 

"So you do know it hurts," Xu Meng said as she examined her face. Zhu Ning had been beaten quite badly; her eyes were as swollen as bleeding walnuts, her cheeks were bruised, and the corners of her mouth were split. Xu Meng gave a "tsk." "It was just a training class, not a real match. Are you risking your life for this?" 

Zhu Ning's posture earlier had been terrifying, as if either she or Huang Xiong had to die. The thing was, there wasn't even any prize money. No one knew what she was fighting for. 

Zhu Ning said in a small voice, "Didn't I want to start taking missions sooner too? You and Li Nianchuan can't just starve on the streets following me, right?" 

The Sanitation Center's regulation was that all three members must pass before they could take missions. With Zhu Ning holding them back, the entire team couldn't make money. Zhu Ning remembered that Xu Meng wanted to save money for consciousness cloud upload, so she surely needed money. 

Xu Meng handed Zhu Ning an ice pack so she could apply it to her red and swollen eyes. "Still stubborn? Am I that short on your bit of money?" 

Zhu Ning: "..." 

Although she had been lectured, Zhu Ning felt a long-lost warmth of family. Was Xu Meng showing concern for her? 

Since arriving in the wasteland, Zhu Ning had been living in crisis. This bit of concern, even if it was just a kind of politeness, felt very precious. 

Xu Meng handed her another bottle of Sanity Healer. "Drink it yourself." 

"Okay," Zhu Ning responded softly, instantly retracting all her fangs and claws. 

Someone as strong as Zhu Ning could still act cute, which made Xu Meng's sisterly instincts start to overflow. 

Xu Meng said, "Ditch those athlete mannerisms of yours. A Cleaner doesn't need you to give your all." 

Zhu Ning: "..." 

Is this a tip for slacking off on the job from a workplace veteran? 

Next to them, Li Nianchuan had been clicking away on his sub-brain. After drinking the Sanity Healer, Zhu Ning's face didn't hurt as much. She asked curiously, "What on earth are you doing?" 

Li Nianchuan said, "I won money! The captain won too. We both bet on you winning!" 

Zhu Ning: "..." 

Why don't you two just team up and be my managers. 

Xu Meng laughed nearby. "I told you she could win." 

Li Nianchuan gave a thumbs up. Xu Meng was truly a worthy captain; her judgment was much more accurate than his. He turned off his sub-brain and asked, "What happened to you? How'd you change so much overnight?" 

Zhu Ning said, "I had an epiphany." 

She couldn't exactly say she was chased by five assassins last night, could she? 

Li Nianchuan gave a hum of acknowledgement. He thought to himself that professional athletes were indeed different. He imagined Zhu Ning going back and watching combat videos all night, then dreaming of receiving guidance from the God of Combat. 

Li Nianchuan nodded at Zhu Ning, then patted his own chest with a "look, I get it" expression. 

Xu Meng looked at the two of them as if she were looking at two children. "We can take missions now." 

With every member of Clean Squad A70265 having passed, they could take formal missions from the Sanitation Center. Speaking of which, aside from the Fishman incident, Zhu Ning had always been doing private work. She didn't know what the formal missions were like now. 

Xu Meng said, "Let's go eat. It's my treat." 

Li Nianchuan: "Alright! Team bonding!" 

The three of them talked and laughed as they walked out of the combat arena. In the noisy training ground, a man stood leaning against a wall, staring thoughtfully at Zhu Ning.

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