Work came calling

The gym was thick with the smells of sweat and rust. Bright lights shone on the mirrors, reflecting Lin Rui's bare upper body.

His muscles were defined as sharply as knife carvings, beads of sweat sliding down the grooves of his chest.

He had just finished his final set of max-effort bench presses. The weight plates clanged back onto the rack, making the entire floor tremble slightly.

Just then, a familiar notification chimed deep in his mind, like a crisp call that set his surging adrenaline ablaze:

"Demon hunter, you have endured high-load exercise far beyond your body's limits. Your body was stretched like a bowstring to the verge of snapping, only to be forcibly pulled back by Steel Lungs and Viscera an instant before collapse."

"You have repeatedly challenged your limits through card enhancements and efficient recovery. Congratulations, you have broken through. Strength +1."

Lin Rui lowered his head and opened his stats panel with a thought:

Strength: 8 → 9 (14) Constitution: 9 (15.5) Spirit: 12 (15) Agility: 8 (11.5) Charisma: 15 (17.5)

Values in parentheses are after card enhancements.

He raised his head and met his own gaze in the wall mirror.

His shoulders were as broad as a wall, his chest bulging, yet his waist tapered sharply. He looked like an unsheathed blade, its edge fully exposed, yet carrying a lethal allure.

Heavy panting came from behind him as Toby clambered off a spin bike. Passing Lin Rui, he deliberately slowed down, his eyes darting slyly toward Lin Rui's crotch. Suppressing a wicked grin, he asked in a low voice:

"Leon, your balls... how much have they shrunk?"

Lin Rui was instantly dragged out of the ecstasy of his breakthrough and back to reality. A vein twitched at his temple. He drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to send this idiot flying with a punch, and glared fiercely at him through gritted teeth:

"Your balls are the ones that shrank. If you can't talk properly, shut your filthy mouth."

Toby raised both hands in surrender, but lowered his voice, wearing a sleazy, knowing expression. "Shh... not so loud.

"You're a man. I know you don't want to talk about this. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. I won't tell a soul."

Keep your secret, my ass... Veins bulged on Lin Rui's forehead, and he nearly took a swing.

At the other end of the gym, Molly held two tiny 1.5-kilogram dumbbells. After a few token curls, she immediately began wailing about how hard it was, dropped the dumbbells, and plopped down on a mat.

Her two close girlfriends were the same, giving up after a few reps and huddling with her, chattering away.

Three to five eighth-grade boys were there too, including that "bean sprout," Vincent. They treated the place as their new playground, doing a little exercise, then playing around, perfectly content.

The story of Lin Rui single-handedly taking down five gang punks yesterday and walking out of the police station unscathed seemed to have sprouted wings, spreading like wildfire among the neighborhood's middle schoolers.

The very next day, the gym had become livelier-a bunch of adolescent boys, curious, admiring, and a little tentative, like young animals circling a fierce beast that had suddenly appeared.

The old pastor made a special trip over that afternoon to take a look.

Seeing the gym, which had stood empty for years, suddenly packed with adolescents, his eyes lit up. He immediately trotted happily to the convenience store and returned with a large bag of snacks and drinks, handing them out to everyone.

"Leon, come here. I'd like to talk to you." The old pastor beckoned, calling Lin Rui over to the rest area in the corner, his gratification impossible to hide.

Lin Rui grabbed a towel, wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck, and walked over to the old pastor with natural respect. "What can I do for you?"

"It's wonderful that you've brought these children into the gym. Truly wonderful." The old pastor lowered his voice. "I'll report this to the church and have it run as an official charitable project."

Lin Rui paused, thinking, Even working out counts as charity? In America, anything really can be a public service.

He glanced back at Molly and the other little delinquents, then asked, "I haven't actually done anything. This still counts as charity?"

"Of course." The old pastor nodded, his tone certain. "Don't underestimate the church. We're willing to spend money to attract a younger generation of believers. Besides, the church... really isn't short of money."

A thought stirred in Lin Rui's mind.

The church certainly wasn't short of money, especially the Protestant churches. They had far too many ways to rake it in. The church cared more about its name; as long as it could attract believers, money would naturally follow.

The property housing this gym, for instance, had been donated by a believer and was tax-exempt.

He was already very satisfied with the food truck bringing in over twenty thousand dollars a month, but who would complain about having more money? The moment the old pastor mentioned "money," he perked up.

"The church may have money, but from top to bottom, it's all old fellows like us. Preaching doctrine has almost zero appeal to young people."

The old pastor sighed. "Ever since I picked you up from the police station yesterday, I've been wondering whether we could use your image to bring those lost lambs into the Lord's embrace."

Lin Rui said nothing. He knew the predicament facing the Presbyterian Church. Scripture alone simply couldn't keep people around.

Since the twentieth century, traditional churches in the United States had fallen into irreversible decline.

Statistics showed that Protestant membership across the country was steadily declining, community churches kept shrinking, and the numbers of active pastors and baptisms were falling in tandem.

As an important stronghold of the Presbyterian Church, New York was doing even worse-the high population turnover brought on by urbanization, the departure of younger generations, and the natural deaths of aging believers had reduced Sunday attendance at many small churches to zero.

In marginal areas like the Fortieth Block in the Bronx, it was frost on top of snow: street addicts, homeless people, and gang shootings cropped up endlessly.

The church handed out relief food, yet failed to win back a single heart.

Pastor Essen Borg had given up a comfortable life back then and volunteered to lead a small church in the most chaotic neighborhood. But however hard he worked, all he could do was trade on his old face to raise food and distribute aid.

Only when the granaries were full did people learn propriety. No one wanted to listen to talk of heaven on an empty stomach.

Lin Rui's food truck had saved the Jones family, already the old pastor's greatest achievement in recent years.

Now the gym was also gathering children who would otherwise have slid toward street gangs. During his prayers last night, the old pastor had nearly burst into tears, feeling that the Messiah truly had descended.

"Leon, as long as you can attract more students here to exercise, that's an immense good deed. It doesn't matter even if they don't enter the church."

The old pastor paused and lowered his voice. "The gym is church property anyway, so it's not wrong to say they're growing closer to the church."

"These children finish school at three in the afternoon and have no homework. With nothing to do, they're most likely to get into trouble. Bringing them into the gym... is charity."

"As long as ten children consistently use the gym year-round, I can apply for a personal subsidy for you." The old pastor thought for a moment, then ventured, "Ten thousand dollars a month. What do you think..."

Lin Rui's eyes lit up. Before the old pastor could finish, he seized his hand and declared decisively, "Deal! Ten thousand it is. No taking it back."

The church had helped arrange the food truck's license. After the two-month trial period, its proceeds would go to the church, and he wouldn't even receive an hourly wage. As an international student without a work permit, continuing would mean working for free.

Now that he could have a "new job," he couldn't have asked for more.

The old pastor smiled so broadly that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes folded together. "I'll give you half a month. In half a month, I'll bring the church leadership here for a visit.

"As long as ten students are consistently using the gym, I'll make sure the application goes through. In addition, for every extra student, I'll apply for another thousand dollars a month."

"This subsidy is a reward for you personally. The church will cover the gym's operating expenses. Are you... confident?"

The church really was rich!

They could casually throw together a project and put up fistfuls of cold, hard cash.

Lin Rui nodded readily, his gaze immediately turning toward Molly, who was still fooling around with the little dumbbells. The girl happened to look up, and their eyes met.

A sly, almost wicked smile slowly curled across Lin Rui's lips, and the gleam of a hunter locking onto prey flashed in his eyes.

Molly gave a sharp shudder, a chill running down her back. She instinctively hugged her arms tight as a thought rose in her mind:

What nasty idea... is this guy cooking up now?