Chapter 38: Forest Sea and Snowfield

The day after moving to the General Office, Sima met his direct superior, "White Dove." She was a woman of mature charm, with arched eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and thin lips that gave her a somewhat sharp and caustic appearance. Without mincing words, she inquired about Sima’s background and instructed him to sign up for a yearly membership at a nearby gym, mention her name, and train every afternoon, as she would have tasks for him later. White Dove was in a rush; her visit seemed solely for the purpose of seeing him, and she left before her chair had even warmed. Puzzled, Sima asked Zhou Lingri what this was about. Zhou simply told him to take it literally: train hard and prepare to work for the Director. Sima wondered to himself if he, an "auxiliary-type" Gu Master, was going to be assigned to field work.

After lunch, Sima wandered out of the Anti-Doping Center, looking around until he found the Baichuan Gym across the street. The entrance was imposing, spanning three full floors. Upon entering, he was met by a screen wall inscribed with the ten characters: "The Hundred Rivers Flow East to the Sea; When Shall They Return to the West?" The calligraphy was aggressive and made his scalp tingle. A receptionist greeted him with a beaming smile. As soon as Sima mentioned that White Dove had sent him to register, the woman’s expression turned solemn. She escorted him to a VIP room, served him tea, and asked him to wait. Moments later, a coach named Cui arrived—a brawny man with a thick-set face. He introduced himself as Sima’s personal trainer and explained that a three-month boxing and physical fitness program had already been prepared. He produced a table packed with fine print detailing time, exercises, intensity, and expected outcomes, rivaling the training regimen of a professional athlete.

Sima realized then that White Dove had arranged for him to learn boxing. Learning to take a hit before learning to strike suggested that the task ahead was no simple matter. There was no room to negotiate an order from a superior, so Sima signed where Coach Cui indicated and received a black gym membership card. It was embossed with the same "Hundred Rivers" motto in gold, numbered 000286, and crafted with exquisite detail. When asked about the fee, Coach Cui explained that Baichuan was a strategic partner of the Second Division and that fees were settled at the end of the year, requiring no payment from members. Sima understood this was part of the "Gu Master" benefits and didn't ask further, diving into his first personal training session that afternoon.

Coach Cui, a retired professional boxer, drew on his extensive experience and the data provided by the Second Division to analyze footage of Sima’s closed-door training. He crafted a progressive regimen focused on strength, endurance, and explosive power. The program consisted of five 90-minute sessions per week, divided into three four-week modules with gradually increasing intensity. The foundation modules included barbell squats, bench presses, and deadlifts; the explosive power modules featured medicine ball throws, box jumps, and resistance band punching; the core stability modules involved hanging leg raises, balance board squats, and side medicine ball tosses; and the endurance modules included variable-speed jump rope, reaction target drills, and long-distance sprints. The program was exceptionally professional, covering recovery, nutrition, risk control, and periodic testing.

Sima, a former sprinter who had met the standards of a first-class athlete in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, possessed physical fitness far beyond the average person. However, sprinting focused on the lower body, while boxing emphasized the upper body, marking a significant difference. Under Coach Cui’s guidance, Sima completed the 90-minute workout drenched in sweat but with ease. Coach Cui was impressed; as an athlete, Sima’s physique was suited for any discipline. He considered adjusting the plan to increase the intensity. Since physical training was a means rather than the end, Coach Cui decided to incorporate boxing drills early—combinations, footwork, defense, heavy bags, focus mitts, and reaction balls—to gauge his progress.

With weekends off, Sima essentially worked half-days. He had no fixed duties in the General Office, and Zhou Lingri merely used him for errands—delivering messages or documents—tasks that were easily covered by others. Yet, there were perks to being an errand boy; excluding the fourth floor, he had visited every office on the second and third floors, piecing together the core makeup of the Second Division. Including the three newcomers, there were twenty-one "Gu Masters," mostly known by nicknames. The Division Chief was Yang Zirong (a real name, unmistakably), the Deputy Chiefs were "Young Jianbo" and "Seat-Mountain Eagle," the General Office Director was "White Dove," and the Internal Affairs Office Director was Xue Dong (also a real name). These five were the "founding members." Beyond them, Field Team One consisted of "Communicator," "Long Legs," "Tank," "Sharpshooter," "Forest Expert," and "Hunter." Field Team Two included "Xu the Big Pestle," "Butterfly Fan," "Central Army," "A Tuft of Hair," "Little Stove Craftsman," and "Daoist Dinghe." Add the useless Zhou Lingri, and that was the current official roster of "Gu Masters."

Sima remembered "Sang Biao" mentioning the "Eight Great Vajras," who were likely later additions and currently unaccounted for. The nicknames spoke volumes. Sima deduced that Yang Zirong was the founder and the true pillar of the division, with combat prowess far exceeding that of Young Jianbo, Seat-Mountain Eagle, or White Dove. It was puzzling why Xue Dong lacked a nickname, making him stand out in the Second Division. To find out, Sima brought a bag of high-quality jasmine tea to Xue Dong, brewed him a cup, and humbly asked while he was in a good mood. Xue Dong, smiling, reminded him of the real names behind the nicknames: Young Jianbo was surnamed Ju, Seat-Mountain Eagle was Cui, White Dove was Bai, Communicator was Gao, Long Legs was Sun, Tank was Liu, Sharpshooter was Luan, Forest Expert was Li, Hunter was Jiang, Xu the Big Pestle was Xu, Butterfly Fan was Jiang, Central Army was Ma, A Tuft of Hair was Liu, Little Stove Craftsman was Luan, and Daoist Dinghe was Song. "Do you understand now?"

Sima thought for a moment and asked, "Are there no people with the surname Xue in *Tracks in the Snowy Forest*?"

Xue Dong patted his shoulder and said, "That is why I can only be Xue Dong, and you can only be Sima!"

Sima grinned and replied, "Actually, as we get more comrades in the future, we don't have to be limited by *Tracks in the Snowy Forest*. For example, calling Zha Guanghui 'Zha Zha Hui' or Yang Yang 'Xi Yang Yang' would be quite good..."

Xue Dong repeated "Zha Zha Hui" and "Xi Yang Yang" several times, praising Sima for the catchy and memorable nicknames. He agreed that the Second Division had grown beyond its humble beginnings of a dozen people and seven or eight guns; the *Tracks in the Snowy Forest* naming convention was no longer sufficient, and a new path was needed. From that day on, "Zha Zha Hui" and "Xi Yang Yang" became the permanent nicknames for the two newcomers in Field Team One. No one had asked for their input, but it was said the names had spread from the Internal Affairs Office, and even Young Jianbo used them to address his subordinates.