Despite his strong tournament performance, Jason Luo's training load only kept increasing. Pedro and Brown seemed to be competing with each other, throwing out one strange training method after another.
Jump rope, box jumps, waist twists, punching and throwing cotton balls...
Tethered sprints, shuttle runs, aerobic weightlifting, resistance training...
After just two hours, Jason Luo felt like an empty husk, drained of all strength, barely able to speak.
"What's the matter? Already worn out?"
The two mischievous old men grinned as they crouched beside him. "Kid, your stamina's still way too low! You keep talking about going pro, but with what you've got now, you can't handle professional fights. Pro bouts go up to twelve rounds—three minutes each. Three whole minutes!"
"With your current stamina, you'd last maybe five rounds at best. If you can't finish the fight by then, your only choices are to forfeit or wait to be beaten down..."
Jason Luo's eyes widened. "Twelve rounds? Wouldn't that kill someone from exhaustion?"
Pedro's face turned serious. "You think boxing's that easy? Be thankful. Back in the early eighties, pro fights went fifteen rounds—until the Kim Deok-gu incident. That true warrior changed the entire boxing world."
Jason Luo's interest was piqued. "Coach, tell me what happened!"
Pedro let out a sigh. "It was perhaps the most tragic event in boxing history. In 1982, in Las Vegas, South Korean boxer Kim Deok-gu challenged Mancini for the WBA lightweight title. They were evenly matched, and the first ten rounds were neck and neck."
"Then Mancini went all out. In the next three rounds, he completely overwhelmed Kim with nonstop attacks. In the thirteenth round alone, he landed thirty-nine punches in just fifty seconds!"
"But Kim endured with sheer willpower. By the fourteenth round, though, his body was spent. A brutal hook from Mancini sent him to the canvas, and he never got back up..."
"He made it to the hospital, but four days later, he passed away... and that was only the beginning. Two months later, his mother, overcome with grief, poisoned herself. The referee, crushed by the controversy, later committed suicide as well. Mancini himself fell into severe depression..."
"One fight took three lives and destroyed another brilliant boxer's career. Under public pressure, boxing's major organizations finally reduced fights to twelve rounds—the format we have today."
Jason Luo stood frozen, mouth agape. From this tragic story, he drew unexpected strength. This was the true spirit of boxing. Perhaps its highest form wasn't about technique, heavy punches, or raw power, but about spirit and will...
Without a word, Jason Luo stood tall, eyes burning with determination. He had chosen this path, and he would walk it without regret. Even if death itself stood before him, he would meet it with a smile. I will. Never. Surrender!
Watching Jason Luo quietly resume his training, Pedro and Brown exchanged glances, both spotting the same spark of joy in each other's eyes...
...
When training finally ended, Jason Luo dragged his exhausted body and jogged home. Though he owned a bike, he rarely used it—he wanted to seize every chance to grow stronger.
The route was so familiar he could run it by instinct. But as he passed a coffee shop, a blonde beauty rushed out and collided with him, spilling iced coffee all over him!
"Oh my gosh! Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry, sir—it's all my fault!" the blonde woman exclaimed.
With an angelic face and a devilish figure, she looked like a work of art. Jason Luo wrung out his soaked T-shirt and gave a small smile. "It's fine. Maybe I was running too fast. You're not hurt, are you?"
The blonde woman laughed. "You're funny. Are you hinting that you're strong?"
Jason Luo quickly waved his hands. "No, no, I didn't mean that..."
"Hehe, relax, I was joking. But I really should apologize. How about this—there's a mall nearby. Let me buy you a new shirt. Otherwise, I'll feel bad."
Her tone was gentle and confident, instantly putting him at ease.
"Hey, that's not necessary. I'm almost home. I'll just change when I get back. See you!" Jason Luo could tell she was from a wealthy background—her outfit was all designer labels, and the jewel-encrusted luxury watch on her wrist confirmed it. Unfortunately, they lived in different worlds.
"Wait a minute! I can't just let you leave like that. How about this—I'm Tannika. Nice to meet you. Can we be friends?" She held out her hand with poise.
Jason Luo couldn't quite believe it. What was going on lately? Was this the effect of all his training?
After a moment's hesitation, he lightly shook her hand. "It's an honor. I'm Jason Luo."
"Jason Luo... oh, forgive me, does that sound awkward?"
"It's fine. You can just call me Jason."
"Oh, are you Korean?"
"No, I was born in the U.S., but my family's Chinese..."
Tannika was a natural talker, and before long, they were chatting comfortably. "Jason, you're really interesting. Talking with you makes me happy. How about this—come watch a movie with me this afternoon? I haven't seen the new Transformers yet, and going alone is no fun..."
"Uh, I'm afraid I can't."
Jason Luo shook his head. "Tannika, I'm a boxer. I have training this afternoon. I'm glad we met, but we live different lives. Maybe joy comes easily for you, but for me, life's main theme is struggle. I'm sorry, but I should head home. My family's waiting for dinner."
This time, it was Tannika's turn to be surprised. She had never met a man like this before. Seeing Jason Luo about to leave for real, she quickly grabbed his arm. "Wait, Jason! At least give me your number. That's just rude otherwise—I am a girl, after all! Add me as a friend. I want to hear your voice again."
Jason Luo readily pulled out his phone. "Sure. I sometimes like to chat too, though I usually only have time to call in the evenings..."
After exchanging contact info, Jason Luo waved goodbye. "See you. I'll call."
"See you!"
Tannika stood staring at his retreating figure, a little dazed. Had she actually failed?
She glanced at her reflection in the café window. Her nearly flawless beauty was still there. So what had gone wrong? Could there really be such a thing as a cat that doesn't eat fish?
Looking down at the phone number Jason Luo had left, Tannika's eyes sharpened with determination. You little brat, just you wait!
...