Wine in the City

"Chen Chong, stop eating, you're scaring me."

After bringing up several large bags of takeout from Shuxiang Garden downstairs for the second time, Brother Leopard wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Looking at the layers of white plastic lunch boxes piled on the table, his glasses had slid down to his cheeks, and his small eyes, buried in folds of fat, were widened to their limit, filled with disbelief.

It wasn't just him; the other apprentices, including the stern Yu Feng, had all stepped away from the table and gathered around, watching Chen Chong, who was still sitting there eating, with expressions as if they were looking at some kind of monster.

"Damn, this kid doesn't have a big frame, but his appetite is terrifying."

"Is a rice bucket becoming a spirit? Or is it a Taotie in human form?"

Amidst the apprentices' whispers, Chen Chong finally felt he had had enough and put down his chopsticks.

22%... 23%.

As he lifted his eyelids, the number jumped again.

Over the next few hours, this number should continue to rise.

Chen Chong revealed a smile that came from the heart:

"Thanks for the meal. I eat slowly, sorry about that."

Slow?

Everyone looked at the mountain of empty lunch boxes, their expressions unreadable.

The flesh on Brother Leopard's face twitched:

"Chen Chong, didn't your stomach burst? Were you not getting enough to eat at home?"

"It's fine, Brother Leopard, I just exercised today, so I'm especially hungry. I don't usually exercise."

"That... that explains it."

Brother Leopard said reluctantly.

After cleaning up the dining table with everyone else, Chen Chong prepared to leave. He had stated when registering that he wouldn't be staying overnight, and the address he wrote wasn't far.

"You, you're coming back tomorrow, right?"

Brother Leopard's expression was somewhat subtle.

Chen Chong said:

"Don't worry, Brother Leopard, I'm not the type to just come for a free meal and run."

Brother Leopard's expression had just softened when he heard the second half:

"As long as you guys provide meals here, I'll keep coming."

Brother Leopard's expression became incredibly colorful in an instant.

He chuckled dryly:

"Don't worry, little Chen, we who run a boxing gym keep our word. The boss has a grand vision; he doesn't care about the cost of your meals."

On the way home, Chen Chong no longer felt his stomach bloated.

"26%. Are my appetite, digestive capacity, and conversion ability all superhuman? I feel even stronger. I'll see how much my punching power has increased tomorrow."

Filled with hope for tomorrow, Chen Chong walked through the dim streets.

Except for the wealthy districts, the Satellite City was a paradise for gang members at night.

By now, pedestrians had thinned out, and he quickened his pace.

Returning home, Chen Liping, who was sitting in the dining room, immediately stood up:

"Chong'er, you're back! Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten, Aunt. At the boxing gym."

"The boxing gym?"

Chen Liping showed a surprised expression:

"You really joined that boxing gym?"

"Yeah, they provide meals."

Seeing Chen Liping's expression instantly turn worried, Chen Chong immediately said:

"Don't worry, Aunt, this gym seems legitimate for now. If there are any shady people, I'll just come back; it's not like I paid any money anyway."

"Wow, cousin, you really went to learn boxing? Do you know how to box now?"

Shen Dong, who had been unable to win the remote control from his sister in the living room, was dejectedly watching a romance drama with Shen Ying. Hearing Chen Chong return, he hurriedly rushed over with interest.

Chen Chong shook his head:

"Not yet, I'll teach you once I learn."

"Yay!"

Shen Dong jumped up happily, rushed back to the living room, and threw a shadow punch toward his sister's face, only to be suppressed by a backhand slap from Shen Ying.

Chen Chong smiled faintly and said slowly:

"If you're learning to box just to bully your sister, I won't teach you. A real man learns to box to protect his family."

"The she-dragon needs protection? Ouch!"

Shen Dong was pinned to the sofa by Shen Ying, who wore an expressionless face. Unable to get up despite his flailing, he could only mutter under his breath.

"I'm going to take a shower."

Chen Chong greeted them and headed into the bathroom. Chen Liping and Shen Ying watched his back, their expressions distinct from one another.

Before entering his bedroom, Chen Chong noticed that Shen Jianping hadn't returned yet; he was likely working the night shift at the factory.

After saying goodnight to his aunt and the siblings, he closed his door, shut his eyes for a moment, and then opened them.

He didn't turn on the light. Standing by the grid-paned window, he recalled the tips on force generation that Coach Yu had mentioned. Facing his reflection in the glass, he slowly threw punches, corrected his form, and threw them again...

The next morning.

Chen Chong walked out of the restroom, feeling somewhat surprised.

The weight had actually decreased even more than before?

Lost in thought, Chen Chong nodded slowly; it made sense that his ability to convert and utilize energy had improved.

Looking at the 38% before his eyes, Chen Chong pushed open the door and jogged across the long street, arriving at the Dragon Tiger Leopard Boxing Gym.

"Little Chen, you're here early."

Brother Leopard saw Chen Chong and greeted him with a normal expression.

Chen Chong nodded in return:

"Morning, Brother Leopard. Is there any breakfast left?"

The corners of Brother Leopard's mouth twitched as he pointed toward the training room:

"Just set out."

On the table against the wall sat three stacks of large bamboo steamers. Chen Chong walked over, lifted a lid, and saw they were all palm-sized meat buns. Beside them were a bucket of porridge, a pot of soy milk, a basket of eggs, and two plates of pickles.

Amidst the gasps of those around him, Chen Chong ate twenty meat buns and ten eggs, stopping only when he was about seventy percent full.

Being too full wasn't good for the body.

Furthermore, since the gym was being straightforward, he should show a little consideration.

After breakfast, while no one was paying attention, Chen Chong walked over to the punching machine in the corner.

40%... Chen Chong narrowed his eyes, raised his fist, and adjusted his stance slightly from the day before.

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

55kg.

54kg.

58kg!

Chen Chong looked at the swaying punching machine and couldn't help but lick his lips.

A massive improvement—more than he had imagined!

Based on the percentage increase after digesting food, his punching power should have been around 50kg;

But combined with the boxing theory he learned yesterday and his practice throughout the night, he had grasped quite a bit. His learning ability was not bad at all.

His method of force generation had become rationalized in an instant, leading to a huge surge in power. In just one night, he had gained over ten kilograms, an increase of more than forty percent.

Chen Chong pursed his lips.

If yesterday's data could be attributed to discrepancies between different machines, the massive progress on the same machine overnight proved everything.

This was his ability, his talent.

Chen Chong clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, feeling a sense of hunger rising from the depths of his heart.

Bang!

Throwing one last punch to refresh the number on the machine, Chen Chong turned around abruptly and walked to the wall to begin his stance training.

As soon as he left, someone immediately craned their neck to look at the machine. However, they were somewhat disappointed to see the number "44kg."

But in the center of the room, Yu Feng turned his gaze back, his eyes slightly lowered.

Judging by the kid's movements, he had listened to what was said yesterday and had actually understood it.

A while later.

Catching a glimpse of Chen Chong sitting on the floor, Yu Feng subconsciously checked his watch.

"Five minutes... After yesterday, he can still stand today?"

He couldn't help but turn to look at Chen Chong a few times, only to find that after a brief rest, the boy had spread his legs, lowered his waist, retracted his fists, and settled into a horse stance.

Yu Feng's brows twitched, but he said nothing, turning back to continue instructing the apprentices in front of him on their punching techniques.

Yet, without realizing it, the amount of attention he was dedicating to Chen Chong had already surpassed that given to anyone else.

Chen Chong had originally assumed he wouldn't be able to hold his horse stance today.

However, after a night's rest, he didn't feel the slightest soreness in his legs. Once he had eaten and digested his meal, the soreness simply vanished on its own; there was no buildup of lactic acid whatsoever.

This allowed him to train with even greater efficiency and without any worries throughout the morning, and his horse stance duration quickly climbed to over ten minutes.

"Brothers, chow time!"

At twelve o'clock, Brother Leopard walked in on time, carrying even more boxed meals than the day before, and called out to everyone.

Chen Chong glanced at the wall clock and only then realized that, without noticing, it was already noon.

He ended his horse stance, straightened his body, and was walking over to help set the table when he passed Yu Feng. The bald, iron-tower-like man called out to him:

"Chen Chong, no need to do horse stance this afternoon. Come over and practice punching."

Chen Chong was stunned for a moment.

Hadn't it been said that those without a foundation should spend the first few days just standing in the stance?

He snapped out of it and quickly broke into a smile:

"Understood, Coach Yu."

During lunch, Chen Chong naturally drew the attention of others again.

However, he didn't let himself go, eating only until he was seventy percent full. He didn't look as shocking as he had the previous night, so everyone slowly grew accustomed to it.

Yu Feng didn't pay much attention to Chen Chong's astonishing appetite; he was only frowning slightly as he looked at the greasy, meat-heavy dishes covering the table.

Once Chen Chong put down his chopsticks, the apprentices began to clear the table.

Yu Feng and Brother Leopard walked over to a corner and spoke in low voices:

"Wasn't it said that today's meals would use Nutrient Paste?"

"It's about time, and Chen Chong is the only newcomer these past two days."

Brother Leopard looked at the registration book in his hand and pushed up his glasses:

"There's plenty, and it would be penny-wise and pound-foolish to drive away talent over the cost of a meal or two."

Yu Feng immediately raised an eyebrow:

"You mean..."

Brother Leopard nodded:

"Is there any good material?"

Yu Feng glanced toward the wall, was silent for a moment, and said:

"Just him. He's not bad."

Hearing Yu Feng's assessment, Brother Leopard looked at him with some surprise, then followed his gaze toward the wall and immediately frowned:

"That kid?"

He muttered a few words that Yu Feng didn't catch clearly.

By the wall.

Chen Chong had replaced his lunch break with horse stance.

Having just finished eating, his energy reserves were at their peak. Compared to letting his body digest on its own, he found that pairing it with appropriate exercise yielded better results.

Just as he tightened his core and counted silently, his heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked up.

Behind the beaded curtain at the entrance of the gym, Brother Leopard's head turned, as if he had just looked away.

Watching the two men standing in the dim light, Chen Chong suddenly thought that he had never seen the boss Brother Leopard spoke of, nor had he seen any other instructors in the gym besides the two of them.

In the afternoon.

Chen Chong stood with the other apprentices in front of Coach Yu, ready to officially learn how to punch.

However, to his surprise, Yu Feng only gave a brief explanation of the basic theory—which was largely the same as yesterday's content—and then told them to practice on their own.

Other apprentices who wanted to ask questions were also discouraged by his exceptionally cold expression.

Everyone could feel that this coach, who was already a man of few words, seemed to be in a bad mood, so they looked at each other and no one dared to ask for trouble.

Chen Chong included.

The atmosphere in the gym was subtly oppressive until Brother Leopard came over and told a few jokes, which eased the tension slightly.

In fact, compared to the taciturn and intimidatingly powerful coach, Brother Leopard, while not an instructor, was much more popular with the apprentices. No one disliked this generous gym manager who provided meals and had no airs.

Chen Chong didn't join in the laughter, just listened quietly.

A few people who weren't there yesterday had arrived today; he counted them and found there were more than ten people.

It seemed that in order to break into the market, this newly established small gym had over-recruited for its first batch of students.

These students included laborers interested in fighting and students who wanted to learn how to punch to apply for the Wu Yuan—

Lichuan has two major colleges, one academic and one martial: the Lichuan Vocational School of Science and Technology and the Lichuan Martial Arts and Combat Academy. Locals are accustomed to calling them Ke Zhuan and Wu Yuan for short.

There are also freelancers like Chen Chong who come here just to scrape by.

Chen Chong is actually a bit of an oddity; free enrollment should theoretically come with certain ability requirements, yet the Dragon Tiger Leopard Boxing Gym accepts anyone who walks through the door.

People like him with no foundation, along with the majority of these trainees, don't look like the type who could build a reputation for the gym.

Competitions? Exchanges? Relying on them would only be counterproductive.

It feels more like they are just filling quotas to collect government subsidies, though one has to wonder if the government even offers such things.

Chen Chong doesn't quite understand.

But thinking of that business license stamped with the official red seal, he temporarily pushes his doubts aside.

Dinner is, as always, sumptuous.

"Brothers, the free enrollment for our Dragon Tiger Leopard Boxing Gym has officially ended, and you are our very first batch of trainees."

Brother Leopard holds a bottle of gray "Silver Peak" beer and laughs heartily:

"I want to say to you all: welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!"

A round of cheers erupts, and everyone raises their glasses, except for Chen Chong, who holds a glass of orange juice.

Due to some past events in his previous life, he never drinks alcohol. Brother Leopard tried to persuade him for a long time, but he refused politely yet firmly, and in the end, Brother Leopard had no choice but to serve him a soft drink.

After three rounds of drinks, Brother Leopard wags his finger:

"It's been a while, and you've only seen Old Yu and me. You must be curious about where the others in the gym are, right? Who is the big boss and master instructor of our gym, and why are they offering free enrollment? Hey, I won't lie to you—while Master Yu is formidable, the boss is even more so. Otherwise, how could there be such a grand blueprint and such bold ambition to come to the city to open a gym and recruit people? I was just like you all once, a clueless greenhorn. It was only by following him that I achieved the status I have today."

"Actually, it's not just you who want to see him; he wants to see you, too. So today is our last day in this gym; tomorrow, you will all meet the boss."

A trainee asks drunkenly:

"Brother Leopard, why are we moving to a new place?"

A subtle smile plays on Brother Leopard's chubby face, but he only nods without saying a word.

Confusion flickers across the faces of the crowd. Just as they are laughing and saying, "Brother Leopard loves to keep us in suspense," Chen Chong suddenly feels that something is wrong.

58%, 59%... The numbers before his eyes keep jumping and flickering, much like an old television at home about to malfunction.

What is going on? This has never happened to him before.

A thought pops into his mind out of nowhere: the dinner wasn't clean.

Combining this with his earlier suspicions, Chen Chong's heart tightens, and he stands up abruptly. However, he only makes it halfway up before his legs go weak, and he collapses back into his chair.

His expression turns ugly in an instant.

Even after the most grueling horse stance training, he had never been unable to stand up before.

"Chen Chong, why are you... dancing? Hey, how come there's one Chen Chong, two Chen Chongs, three Chen Chongs..."

A trainee nearby stares at Chen Chong with glazed eyes. Before he can finish counting with his slurred speech, he slides under the table, as if those two bottles of low-alcohol beer were enough to leave this diligent trainee completely wasted.

Chen Chong looks around and finds that most of the trainees have already collapsed. Only Brother Leopard sits across from him, elbows propped on the table, watching him with great interest.

He tilts his chin slightly, and the fluorescent light reflects off his glasses:

"You're indeed a bit sharper than the rest of them."

As his vision begins to spin, Chen Chong is about to demand an answer when a thought flashes through his mind:

"Where is Yu Feng?"

No sooner does the thought cross his mind than a shadow looms over him from behind.

Thud.

Watching Yu Feng put away his hand-blade and join a group of fierce-looking men pouring in from the door to carry the trainees downstairs, Brother Leopard picks up the half-finished beer left by a trainee, takes a satisfying gulp, and smacks his lips.

Propping his legs up, he exhales in contentment:

"City booze really is good."