Chapter 37

Zhang Tie, relying on his first impression, took the key and came to the changing room again. The last time he came, his head was a bit dizzy, but this time, after a closer look, he realized that the entire combat hall was surprisingly large.

The sixth floor of the combat hall building alone was over 200 meters long, and most of the floor area was dedicated to serving Level 1 customers. The largest area was a public training ground, which contained many devices and equipment that Zhang Tie had never seen before, including two 100-meter standard speed tracks. The public training ground was the only place staff could go besides the staff rest area and changing room. Captain Collins' words were not without reason; if he could train here during his free time, it would indeed greatly improve his strength and physical fitness. Compared to the training ground at school, this one was like a farmyard in comparison. Seeing the training equipment he had never seen before, Zhang Tie almost drooled. This equipment could fully exercise every muscle in the body. Even if it didn't improve his strength, just in terms of physique, with time, Zhang Tie was confident he could build a body full of masculine beauty, like a sculpture, significantly enhancing his physical fitness and stamina.

Next to the public training ground were some individual training rooms. Supervisor Baker said that these rooms contained more advanced training equipment, which was only available for customers to use, and was completely out of reach for workers like Zhang Tie. Zhang Tie was very curious about what kind of equipment was in those special training rooms.

From the first floor to the sixth floor, one had to use a separate employee staircase and passage. Only the combat hall's customers and VIPs were qualified to use the elevators. Speaking of elevators, it was the first time Zhang Tie had seen one. Although electricity no longer existed in this era, this building's internal transportation, invented by humans before the great disaster, was still preserved, and the name remained unchanged. The power for the elevators was provided by steam engines and boilers installed inside the building, and each elevator was operated by a uniformed elevator operator, looking very high-class.

During the journey from the first floor to the sixth floor, despite the soundproofing throughout the building, Zhang Tie still heard the loud impact and shouting sounds from the rooms on each floor. Some sounds seemed to come from underground, like rolling thunder, the dull sound shaking the entire staircase.

The sixth floor served Level 1 customers, the fifth floor served Level 2 customers, the fourth floor served Level 3 customers, and so on. At first, Zhang Tie didn't understand the logic behind this arrangement, but when he reached the top, he suddenly understood. The higher the level, the greater the power and destructive force during training, so the training areas were arranged on lower floors to minimize damage to the building. Training areas for levels above five were already on the ground, where the combat hall had several low-rise buildings. However, what was inside those buildings was not something Zhang Tie was qualified to know at the moment.

Zhang Tie's locker number in the changing room was 613. On the other side of the changing room was a shower room, which was one of the combat hall's benefits. Each time he came, he could at least take a hot shower, and the shower area looked quite luxurious. If he didn't consider the beatings, coming here every day to take a shower would be a pleasant thing.

When he arrived at the changing room, there weren't many people inside. Only a muscular man in shorts was sitting on a chair, struggling to apply something to a bruised area on his back. Zhang Tie recognized the man as the one who had woken him up when he fainted last time.

Seeing Zhang Tie, the man smiled and raised a brown bottle, "Kid, it's you. Come help me!"

Zhang Tie walked over and took the bottle from the man. The bottle had a medicinal alcohol smell, and he didn't know what it was made from, but it seemed to be for bruises. Zhang Tie rubbed his hands together to warm them, then poured some of the liquid into his palms and began to rub it into the man's bruised back, massaging it vigorously.

"Right, you were the one who woke me up last time, thanks!" Zhang Tie said as he massaged.

"No problem, I'm Arno. What's your name?"

"Zhang Tie."

"Han race?"

"Yep."

"Your Han race isn't known for physical strength, so it's rare to see someone like you as a sparring partner."

"Who says? I'll get stronger!" Zhang Tie said defiantly.

"Strong-minded kid!" the man muttered.

Feeling that he had applied enough, Zhang Tie capped the bottle and returned it to the man. The man took the bottle, stood up, and seemed about to dress, but suddenly threw a punch. The punch was full of power and lightning-fast. Zhang Tie didn't react in time, and the man's fist was already in front of his face. The wind from the punch made his facial hair tingle. Just as Zhang Tie thought the punch might burst his head like a watermelon, the man's fist stopped less than a centimeter from his face, and Zhang Tie's face turned pale with shock.

The man ignored Zhang Tie's shocked expression, shook his head, and demonstrated two actions in front of him. "As a sparring partner, the first basic move is to protect your head with both arms when you lower your head. Never expose your head to be hit. This should become a subconscious reaction..." The man quickly demonstrated twice.

"The second move is to prevent your opponent from accidentally hitting your lower body. Although the combat hall doesn't allow such attacks, in real fights, such attacks can be unintentional. So, your right foot..." The man patted his thick right leg, "should never bear all your weight, as it will slow your reaction. Like this..." The man quickly lifted his right leg and made a side step, "this way, your opponent's unintentional attacks will hit your thigh and buttocks, which can withstand the impact."

"The third..." The man slightly bent his waist and made another move, "is to naturally curve your spine and tense your muscles. The natural arch formed by a curved spine and tense muscles can help your back withstand more and stronger impacts without damaging your bones or internal organs. This is also effective protection for your spine. If you can't avoid the hit, try to guide it to parts of your body that can withstand strong impacts, like your shoulders, back, or chest... Got it, kid?"

Zhang Tie, recovering from his shock, nodded, surprised by Arno's enthusiasm. He felt a bit moved but didn't know what to say. Arno just smiled and patted Zhang Tie's shoulder, "I'm waiting for the day you get stronger!" Then he put on his clothes and left.

Zhang Tie practiced the moves Arno had demonstrated a few times in the changing room, then opened his locker. Inside were two sets of training clothes, a clean towel, and a pair of clean socks, all prepared very thoughtfully. Zhang Tie quickly undressed, took the towel, and went to the shower room for a comfortable hot shower. Just as he finished changing into a set of training clothes and socks, a staff member from the combat hall came to notify him to be ready and wait in Room 4.

In the room connected to the changing room, there was a dedicated equipment room. As soon as Zhang Tie entered, two staff members quickly brought a set of fitting protective gear and dressed him.

"Kid, don't get knocked out again and make us carry you back!" one of the staff members said with a wicked smile, patting Zhang Tie's back to indicate he was ready to go.

"Do you think this kid will get knocked out again?"

"I bet he will, within 10 minutes, 20 copper coins!"

"I bet he'll be out in 5 minutes!"

"Deal!"

Hearing the two bastards betting on him, Zhang Tie gritted his teeth, determined to hold on this time.

When he entered Room 4, which was set up the same as last time, Zhang Tie had barely waited three minutes when the door opened, and he saw Mary and a snotty kid around twelve or thirteen years old walk in. Seeing the smirk on Mary's face, Zhang Tie inwardly cursed, wondering why this woman was so petty.

The snotty kid looked at Zhang Tie with a haughty expression, "Mary, is this the scum you were talking about?"

"That's him!" Mary confirmed with a nod.

"If I knock him out?" The snotty kid looked at Mary's chest and swallowed hard.

Mary said nothing, just bent down slightly, smiled seductively, and licked the kid's ear, whispering something. The kid then laughed smugly.

Zhang Tie coldly watched the two, feeling a surge of anger and desire. "I'm Zhang Tie, happy to serve you!" he said mechanically, as instructed by Supervisor Baker, while giving Mary a cold look.

Through the thick protective helmet, outsiders could only see Zhang Tie's two black eyes and a few rows of air holes below. When Mary saw Zhang Tie turn and give her a cold look, she suddenly felt a chill from the helmet, and her smug expression froze.

"If you're smart, kneel down and apologize to Mary and slap yourself ten times, and I'll let you off easy today!" the snotty kid said arrogantly.

Damn, why are these rich kids so damn annoying!

Zhang Tie said nothing, just contemptuously hooked his finger at the snotty kid, as if summoning a dog or a pet, "Kaman, despicable!"

"You're asking for it!" The snotty kid instantly flew into a rage and pounced, kicking Zhang Tie's abdomen with a viciousness that belied his age...

---

Battle Report: From last night to now, the Snow Force has been in action, conquering four cities in a row, unstoppable. The recommendation votes for Black Iron Castle have risen from 16th to 12th. Snow Force is mighty, and the brothers are strong!

[AD begins on the next page]

[AD ends on the next page]