1: Chapter 1 Side Dodge and Straight Punch

Chapter 1: Sidestep Straight Punch

Swish!

Swish, swish, swish!

Fists cut through the air, and shoe soles scraped against the rubber flooring.

Beneath the floodlights.

A slender figure stood in the center of the Boxing ring, continuously performing sidestep and striking movements.

Straight punches, jabs, hooks, swings.

With a steady Focus in his eyes, his punching motions and footwork adjustments were meticulous.

Although it looked slightly stiff, there was an indescribable sense of earnestness.

After every repetitive movement, it felt as though subtle corrections were being made, steadily improving step by step.

Until it became increasingly fluid and coordinated...

"Fang Cheng, come over and help move the mats!"

A sudden call reached his ears, breaking the self-forgetful practice atmosphere.

"Coming right away."

Fang Cheng paused his steps, lowering his hands to catch his breath for a few moments.

Afterward, he picked up the mop and bucket left aside and walked down the already cleaned Boxing ring.

"If you like Boxing so much, you can apply to be a sparring partner, and the salary is even higher."

"That won't do. If his face gets beaten up, the female trainees coming to our club will definitely decrease by half..."

Facing his colleague's banter, Fang Cheng did not reply.

He silently stepped forward, hoisted two sponge mats, and walked toward the equipment room.

After bustling about successively for half an hour.

Outside the window, the city enveloped by the night veil already had dwindling lights.

"Finally off work!"

"Let's go grab a drink."

"No, I still need to go pick up my girlfriend..."

As the sounds of conversation and clocking in became sparse, the massive venue plunged into silence.

Fang Cheng raised his head to glance at the wall clock.

21:35.

The time was still early, and he could still catch a free hot shower.

In the shower room dedicated to trainee practice, the sound of splashing water soon rang out.

Ten minutes later.

Fang Cheng changed into clean shorts, stepped on the mosaic floor tiles, and walked out of the shower room.

The lights on the vanity were bright, reflecting his current appearance in the mirror.

His shoulders were thin and slightly bony, and his skin was pale without much rosiness.

His facial contours, as a result, appeared even deeper and three-dimensional; his straight nose bridge and thin corners of his lips all revealed a fragile sense.

At this moment, his damp hair was messily plastered in strands across his forehead, covering half of his brows and eyes.

No matter which angle one looked from, he resembled the type of flower-boy handsome men that girls favored.

"What's the use of looking good? You still can't find a good job..."

Fang Cheng gave a slight, faint smile, then used a towel to dry his hair.

Then, quickly putting on his outer clothes and packing his things up properly, he picked up his messenger bag and walked outside.

Amidst the hazy night, neon signs flickered.

Displaying the words "Global Elite Combat Club".

Just as he walked out of the glass doors, a cold wind blew against his face, feeling like countless fine needles piercing into his skin.

Pedestrians on the road all lowered their heads, fully armed against the cold.

Fang Cheng turned up the collar of his jacket and thrust both hands into his pockets.

Carrying his bag, he also quickened his pace, walking toward the nearby bus stop.

He hoped he could catch the last bus.

The weather forecast said that on November 20th, the first cold wave of early winter would arrive in Dongdu City.

In this ghost of weather, if he walked home on foot, he would definitely catch a cold the next day.

Under the waiting shed, a few sparse passengers stood, continuously exhaling fog and stamping their feet.

There was also a young woman wearing a short skirt and warm stockings who carried a walkman and listened to music with earphones plugged in.

Fang Cheng walked to a corner and joined the waiting queue.

While standing silently, a vibrating ringtone suddenly sounded from inside his blue canvas messenger bag.

"Mom..."

"I've eaten. I was just working overtime earlier."

Fang Cheng took out his phone from his bag and spoke with his mother, who worked as a nursing assistant in a hospital.

"The remittance has arrived in the account, right?"

"It's fine. I've now entered a large corporation as an intern and am not short on money. Grandfather's illness is more important."

"Mm, mm... I know. You should also take care of your own health; the weather has been cold recently..."

After chatting for only half a minute, amidst his mother's earnest admonitions, Fang Cheng gently pressed the call-end button.

Raising his head, he discovered that other people's gazes seemed to be attracted by him.

Fang Cheng secretly shook his head and carefully hid the expensive phone back into his bag.

Perhaps in their eyes, he could also be considered a person of status?

This was a new product launched by Noah Company last year.

Compared to the previous "big bricks", its size was much more compact, it also supported messaging functions, and the selling price was much cheaper.

Living frugally and saving two months' salary, he rented a second-hand phone from the market.

Spending so much was simply to make finding a job more convenient.

Nowadays, it was mostly used for show and acting pretentious, and he could barely afford the monthly rental fee anymore.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng's eyes revealed a trace of dimness.

Despite having a law degree from a key university, because of his poor eloquence and certain sensitive and special reasons.

For nearly a year and a half since graduation, he had never found a job to his liking.

He did not want to stay cooped up at home, so he chose to work odd jobs while continuing to study hard, preparing to dive into the army of postgraduate entrance examination candidates.

In contrast, those classmates with privileged family backgrounds.

Before even graduating, they were arranged by their parents onto the path of civil service exams, or directly entered internships at large corporations and well-known law firms.

Fang Cheng had no envy.

For a test-taker of humble origins, perhaps examinations were the fairest way out.

Instead of competing with others in connections, resources, and résumés—those glamorous exteriors.

He was just somewhat unwilling to accept it...

Tilting his head up, he looked at the night sky blocked by skyscrapers, leaving only a thin line of sight.

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze flickering.

Compared to his original world, this world seemed both similar and different.

It likewise possessed modern civilization and bustling cities.

But the technological levels across various fields developed unevenly, the gap between the rich and poor was greater, and social conflicts were sharper.

Just like the Great Xia Republic he was currently in, plutocratic families occupied the main promotion channels and monopolized most of the resources.

Class solidification had reached the point where everyone could curse it a sentence, yet feel utterly helpless.

For ordinary civilians at the bottom, relying solely on hard work and struggle to climb upward was simply too difficult...

"Hiccup~"

A drunken and disheveled middle-aged man approached at some unknown time and stood right beside him.

A pungent smell of alcohol and body odor hit his face.

Glancing sideways, Fang Cheng quietly shifted his position, moving a few steps away from the drunkard.

Other people waiting for the bus likewise made similar movements.

Yet that drunkard was completely oblivious, holding a can of beer in his hand and continuing to gulp down a mouthful.

Seeming to find it boring, after muttering a few words, he began to grin and harass the female next to him.

Various foul language and profanities were unbearable to listen to.

He even directly lifted the young woman's short skirt, scaring her so much that her face turned pale with fright and she hurried to flee.

The drunkard felt no shame; instead, he laughed loudly and casually threw the finished beer can by the roadside.

Seeing this scene, Fang Cheng only frowned slightly and did not utter a sound.

Having knocked about in society for a long time, he had already become as worldly and indifferent as those passersby.

In recent years, with the economic downturn, various marginalized groups had increased more and more, and public security naturally could not be any better.

A short while ago, there was even a gang turf war incident that made it onto the television news.

"It's simply like the terrible weather..."

Fang Cheng exhaled a puff of white vapor, looking at the several yellow-haired youths in bizarre outfits across the street, muttering silently in his heart.

"Hey, little girl, what are you doing?!"

Suddenly, an angry shout interrupted his thoughts.

But he saw the drunkard raising his hand to point at a trash can nearby.

Beside it stood a scrawny little girl, clutching a bulging, tattered burlap sack in her hands.

Her dirty face revealed tension and panic, making her look somewhat at a loss.

"Why are you taking my things?"

The drunkard demanded sharply again.

The little girl snapped back to reality, lowered her head to look at the beer can she had just picked up, and hurriedly explained timidly:

"I thought you didn't want it anymore..."

"What do you mean don't want it? Is this how your elders taught you? Taking someone else's things without asking first?"

"Th-Then I'll return it to you..."

Lowering her head, the little girl reluctantly extended her small hand covered in chilblains.

Wanting to return the beer can worth two dimes to the other party.

Yet the drunkard remained relentless, flicking his hand to knock the can down.

"Your dirty hands have touched it, how am I supposed to drink it? Disgusting! Ill-bred thing..."

Hearing this, the crowd waiting for the bus all frowned, wanting to speak but holding back.

The drunkard cursed and swore, seemingly remembering some bad things, and his emotions became even more agitated.

"Damn it, that bitch looked down on me and cuckolded me, and now even a little brat like you dares to look down on me!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the burlap sack in her hands, wanting to snatch it away.

"No, don't!"

The little girl desperately protected her hard-earned scavenged gains.

Yet her strength was too small; she could only hug the bag with her entire body, getting dragged so that her knees knelt on the ground.

Fang Cheng's brows knitted tighter and tighter, almost twisting into a knot.

Suddenly taking a deep breath, he turned around.

"Mister, stop while you're ahead."

"What? Are you talking to me?"

The drunkard was startled for a moment, then let go and turned his head, staring at Fang Cheng with bulging eyes.

Suppressing his temper, Fang Cheng said in as calm a tone as possible:

"Everyone's life isn't easy; let's show some mutual understanding."

However, these words did not achieve any persuasive effect; instead, they made the other party even more presumptuous.

"Brat, what qualifications do you have to lecture me? Are you a cop or a rich tycoon? Don't be too arrogant in how you behave!"

While spitting saliva at Fang Cheng, the drunkard reached out to push him.

Fang Cheng was pushed back two steps in a row and couldn't help pushing back in return.

Amidst the tug-of-war, the drunken fellow instantly flew into a violent rage.

"You pretty boy dare to fight back? See how I don't kill you!"

Relying on his fat-laden physique, he swung his fists, intent on beating the person.

Fang Cheng's heart skipped a beat, his pupils contracting slightly.

Then, a scene of throwing punches and attacking on the Boxing ring flashed abruptly through his mind.

Thus, almost instinctively, he lowered his body's center of gravity, rotated his shoulders, twisted his hips, and threw a rear-hand punch.

Bang!

A sidestep straight punch crossed paths with the swinging arm, slamming solidly into the bridge of the nose.

"Ah——"

The drunkard cried out in pain, clutching his face, feeling somewhat dazed.

He only felt his head buzzing, with various sweet, spicy, sour, and salty tastes surging forth.

Afterward, two streams of bright red liquid slowly flowed down from his nostrils.

Touching his bloody nose, he took a look at it.

Instantly flying into a rage out of humiliation, cursing foully, he lunged over once again.

Bang!

It was still the same Punching techniques, the same position.

The drunkard staggered, plopping down onto the ground, and most of his drunkenness instantly sobered up.

He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, and it seemed his teeth had been shaken loose.

Obviously, he hadn't expected to be severely beaten by a frail pretty boy.

Stunned for a long while, for a moment he neither advanced nor retreated.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng withdrew his hand, shook his head, and sighed:

"Mister, it's cold, go home early."

At this time, the faint sound of sirens "woo-woo" drifted from afar.

The middle-aged man gave a shudder, scrambled up in a panic, turned his head, and ran.

In the blink of an eye, he fled without a trace.

The surrounding people and passing citizens saw this scene and all pointed and discussed in astonishment.

Fang Cheng caught his breath, picked up the messenger bag discarded aside, patted it silently, and slung it back over his shoulder.

He turned his head to look at the little girl's smiling face filled with tears.

Although he did not obtain any benefits or advantages from it, a strange emotion was surging within him.

A burning heat filled his chest, just like a torch ignited in a cold winter night.

Causing him to feel warmth, it also illuminated the cold and lonely darkness around him.

Fang Cheng's gaze flickered.

A line of small characters, like a game notification, emerged in his field of vision.

[ You defeated a matched opponent, Boxing skill EXP + 20 ]