After carrying his father home, Jason Luo took advantage of his drunkenness to quietly take the money from his pockets. Usually, after drinking heavily, his father remembered nothing of what had happened the previous day.
Then, Jason pulled out a paper packet he had hidden beside the toilet. Inside was the loose change he had saved over the past six years. Kids from poor families learn responsibility early. If Jason hadn't learned to save and hide money when he was young, he and his father would have starved long ago.
But even with all the coins he had scraped together, once the utility bills and apartment rent were paid, almost nothing remained... After adding up his small savings and sparring earnings, he had only 1,763 dollars—still far from the 8,000 he needed.
Sitting on a rickety chair, he figured that if he relied solely on sparring income, it would take at least three months to save enough for treatment. But Mr. Miao had warned that his father needed immediate care—otherwise, his life would be in danger!
His father had countless flaws, but he was still the only family Jason had left in this world. How could he not save him?
If only he could land a job as a live sparring partner. Raul had said those jobs were in high demand, easy to find part-time, and could pay five to six thousand dollars a month.
But with his current skills, his chances of succeeding against real fighters were slim. In the end, it all came down to lack of strength. Right now, boxing was Jason Luo's only hope. But at least he still had hope.
The next morning, his father woke up with no memory of the night before. After eating the breakfast Jason had prepared, he went out as usual. Jason had no choice—he needed to find money for treatment as soon as possible.
At the gym, after finishing his training with Reches, Jason threw himself into practicing his Boxing Technique. He pummeled the heavy bag like it was his enemy.
Raul had set him 20-minute sessions, but Jason doubled them to 40. By the fourth day, his effort finally paid off.
"Ding! Through hard training, your Boxing Technique has improved. Boxing Technique +1. Keep it up!"
That voice was like music. A refreshing coolness swept through him, washing away the fatigue from training. His mind cleared, and even the soreness from sparring with Reches quickly faded.
Checking the system panel, he saw his Boxing Technique had risen to 3, though his overall evaluation and other stats remained unchanged.
It was just a small step, but it proved the training worked. Jason was certain that one day, he would become strong.
After training, he returned to his apartment complex and happened to run into his close friend Tony Huo. They had been high school classmates, both struggling students, and naturally became inseparable.
"Wow, Jason, where have you been these past few days? I stopped by several times and you were never home. Don't tell me you've had a romantic encounter!"
"Romantic encounter?" Jason gave a wry smile. "I'm not like you, dreaming about marrying the president's daughter. So, what's up?"
Tony curled his lip. "Here's the thing—there's a good gig I want you to join me on. During the pandemic, Boeing received massive shipments of medical equipment and masks that need urgent unloading and transport. Since some are precision instruments, machines can't handle them, so they're hiring temporary workers. I hear the pay's pretty good. Interested?"
"Oh?" Jason's eyes lit up. This was a great opportunity. But would it interfere with his sparring job? "Sure! But I already spar during the day. Can I work nights?"
"What? You're working as a sparring partner?" Tony was stunned. "Jason, you're crazy! Those boxers hit hard. If you get hidden injuries, they could stay with you for life. You should find another job."
Jason nodded. "I know. But good jobs don't come easy. And I'm in a real bind right now."
The two had no secrets between them, so Jason told him about his father.
As his friend, Tony already knew Jason's family situation. He had seen Henry Luo's drunken outbursts more than once—and they were terrifying. After listening, Tony said, "If you can really get your dad to quit drinking, that would be amazing! But Jason, 8,000 dollars isn't small. Can you really pull that together?"
"What else can I do but save up slowly? Got a better idea?"
Tony quickly shook his head. "What idea could I have? You know I'm broke too. But… let me ask you something. Don't get mad."
"Say it."
"Your dad treats you like that, and you don't hate him?"
Jason didn't get angry. He let out a quiet sigh. "I used to hate him. But he's still my father. Maybe I owed him in a past life. Now that I'm grown, I sometimes think he's miserable too—just unable to break free. So I don't hate him much anymore… Tony, you know, I've always envied you for having a happy family."
"Envy me?" Tony laughed at himself. "I envy you! You didn't get into college, and Uncle Luo doesn't bother you. I'm the one suffering! My parents gang up on me and still force me to study. Especially my mom—her nagging never stops…"
Halfway through, Tony noticed Jason's expression darken. He quickly stopped talking.
Jason's mother was his deepest wound. Back in school, he had often fought because of her. Tony hurried to say, "Bro, sorry. I didn't mean it… I'll go check on the job for us right now. As soon as I hear anything, I'll let you know. Keep your phone on."
Then he turned and ran off...
Jason knew Tony hadn't meant harm, but every mention of his mother left his chest aching with emptiness.
Six years ago, he had a perfect family. But after his mother passed away, everything changed.
The loneliness was crushing—he still didn't know how he had made it through those years.
Back home, he quickly cooked himself a bowl of noodles. After eating, he shadowboxed a few punches, then sat down, bored. Without equipment, the training was useless.
He pulled out his phone and searched for boxing videos to learn more.
Since his Boxing Technique had improved, his understanding had deepened. Counterpunches, defensive punches, combinations… their applications gave him new insights.
The styles of famous boxers also inspired him—Ali, Tyson, George Foreman, Hamed, Pacquiao, Mayweather… Each had a distinct style. Some were aggressive, others technical. Jason admired the raw power of the heavy hitters, but he also respected the technical fighters for their brilliant defense and control of the fight's tempo.
But after watching their videos and then checking his own stats, he still had no idea which path to take.
If only he had a professional coach—but that was out of reach. At the gym, he had asked Reches and learned that a good pro coach charged at least 260 dollars per hour. Way beyond what he could afford. He'd have to figure it out himself.
The next afternoon, he received a call from Tony. Boeing was short on nighttime workers and needed help immediately. They could start that very night. Jason agreed at once.
Since he had to work late, Jason went home early to rest. The job paid by piecework—the more he did, the more he earned. He needed energy.
At 10 PM, Jason and Tony arrived at Boeing's headquarters.
A supervisor quickly assigned them tasks. The job itself was simple—unloading medical supplies from the aircraft hold. But the supplies were heavy, and the pace was fast. After just half an hour, Tony was exhausted.
"What's in these boxes? They're insanely heavy!" he complained, drenched in sweat.
Jason kept going without pause. "Doesn't matter—this is my dad's lifeline."
Wiping his sweat, Tony looked at Jason enviously. "Man, you're really strong. How are you not tired?"
Jason was tired, but he pushed through. He treated it as stamina and Strength training, working even harder.
But by 1 AM, he too reached his limit. To his surprise, the system issued a warning.
"Ding! Excessive physical exertion detected. Please ensure proper rest to avoid exhaustion-related injury."
Looking at his system panel, Jason saw his stamina stat flashing red at 2. He knew he had to stop. Sitting down, he waited for his strength to recover.
---
For more chapters and to support the series, follow me on Ptreon (40+ Chapters Ahead!)
p-atreon.com/GhostParser (remove the dash in "p-atreon" to access the site)