Chapter 2

"Who wants to harm me? To set up such a vicious plan."

"I'm just a high school student who dropped out not long ago. I haven't had any life-or-death grudges with anyone. Why would someone set up an ambush on my way?"

Su Chen's swift and agile figure continued to run, but his heart felt a bit heavier.

In the end, the trio who set up the ambush didn't reveal any useful information.

The mastermind was very cautious, hiring gang members, making the whole thing look like a personal vendetta.

The order was placed by a stranger, and the payment was made in advance.

Such actions clearly showed that the mastermind knew Su Chen wasn't easy to deal with. If the ambush succeeded, it would be great; if it failed, it wouldn't matter, as the mastermind couldn't be found.

Before long, Su Chen reached his destination. Looking at the towering Tianwu Building, he took a deep breath and pushed the doubts out of his mind.

He ran into the second training hall, leaned on his knees to catch his breath for a moment, and then looked up to see the big guy Hei Zi walking over.

"Brother Chen, congratulations! I heard that Manager Paul intends to appoint you as the head of the second group's sparring team. That's great news! Your monthly salary will increase by fifty percent, and you can buy more nutritional supplements for Little Sister Su."

Hei Zi had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and his towering figure was covered in bulging muscles, making him look like a little giant.

Compared to him, Su Chen, with his normal build, could only be described as slender.

"It's not certain yet, don't get too excited," Su Chen quickly denied, but the smile on his lips betrayed his joy.

The sparring job at the boxing gym was considered high-paying, with a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan, which was quite a lot.

However, there was one downside: during working hours, he would be beaten up every day, and injuries were a common occurrence. Sometimes, if the injuries were severe, he would even have to pay for medical expenses, so his actual net income wasn't much.

Being the head of the sparring team was different. With a monthly salary of 12,000 yuan, he could just give orders and arrange personnel, earning money easily.

The previous head of the second group, Wang Tingwei, was now well-fed and plump, looking like a man of good fortune.

"Brother Chen, you don't need to be modest. Your group lost two sparring partners last month, and the head, Wang Tingwei, bears significant responsibility. He's likely to lose his position. If not you, the top sparring partner, who else would be promoted?"

"Let's wait and see. I'll treat you when it happens," Su Chen said with a smile. "By the way, you have a C-level boxing match next month. Those guys can punch with 600 pounds of force. Be careful."

"Don't worry, Brother Chen. A C-level match is no big deal. My boxing techniques were all taught by you. Why should I be afraid?"

Hei Zi clenched his fist confidently, his eyebrows raised. At that moment, one could see a hint of childishness in his eyes, indicating that he wasn't very old.

"It's a pity that you don't have enough strength, Brother Chen. Otherwise, you could have become a boxer and earned much more."

Hei Zi was straightforward, always bringing up the sore spot, making people laugh and cry.

Su Chen's face showed a hint of disappointment, but he quickly smiled.

"What's good about being a boxer? One wrong move and you could be killed or crippled on the ring. I still need to take care of Little Ling at home and can't take risks like you."

"It's getting late. I need to prepare to go on stage. You go and get busy."

Su Chen waved goodbye to Hei Zi and walked to the locker room, opening his equipment cabinet and taking out the specialized protective gear.

This was the equipment provided by the boxing gym, available only to sparring partners, not to boxers.

A half-body armor made of soft rubber and a helmet that protected the temples, ears, and back of the head, preventing fatal blows.

Su Chen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt his strength recover a bit. He thought he could handle the half-hour sparring session without any problem.

Just as he was about to go out, he saw someone come in.

This person was about twenty years old, wearing protective gear, with a small and agile build, and a sly look. His body was bruised and purple, clearly just off the ring.

Seeing Su Chen, he first looked happy, then a bit worried.

He walked to Su Chen's side, opened another equipment cabinet, and peeked at the door to make sure no one was paying attention. Then he whispered:

"Brother Chen, be careful today. Someone has it in for you. The 'Top Sparring Partner' title has brought you trouble. Wang Tingwei, the old dog, might have given you a death mission..."

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat.

This person was called Haozi, who was sly and slippery but still had a sense of righteousness. He called everyone brother, regardless of age, and had good connections in the lower ranks of the Hai Cheng branch, with very reliable information.

A few times when Haozi was injured, Su Chen had taken his shift and completed the sparring tasks. Although Haozi didn't repay him much, he remembered Su Chen's kindness.

A 'death mission' didn't mean someone would really die, but it referred to a boxer who went crazy and treated the sparring partner like an enemy, trying to beat them to death.

"Fame can be dangerous!"

Fame was good, but for Su Chen, who preferred a low profile, this high-paying job had suddenly become much more complicated.

"These days, it's really hard to earn money!"

Hearing Haozi's message, Su Chen sighed but wasn't overly worried.

...

As he stepped out, a fat man in his thirties or forties, with a balding head, came up to him and said with a smile, "Su Chen, you are the pillar of our second group, the top sparring partner. This time, you must help me out."

"Who is the boxer?"

Su Chen ignored his smile and asked directly.

This bald man was Wang Tingwei, the head of the second group's sparring team at the Tianwu Boxing Gym's Hai Cheng branch. He was a typical smiling tiger, a master of deception, who could make people grateful even after he had tricked them.

Seeing his smile, Su Chen became more alert.

"Others would choose boxers, fearing injuries, but you are the top sparring partner. No boxer can hurt you," Wang Tingwei said with a hearty laugh.

"Come on, go to the fourth ring. Last month, you got the top sparring partner title, and our group's reputation has improved. This is an honor. I'll apply for a bonus for you by mid-month, at least this much." Wang Tingwei held up two fingers.

"The fourth ring?"

Su Chen looked up and saw a tall, lean boxer in red shorts stretching his legs.

The boxer's eyes were bloodshot, his lips were torn, and his gums were exposed, making him look very fierce. He occasionally raised his head and let out a fierce roar.

"That's... Mad Dog!"

"Mad Dog's sparring partner is you. Didn't he just cripple Zhang Xiaobo last month? Such a person should be made to punch walls."

Su Chen stared intently at Wang Tingwei. He couldn't trust a word this fat man said. The bonus was just talk, and anyone who believed it was foolish.

Assigning such a difficult opponent to him, Haozi's information was correct. Wang Tingwei definitely had no good intentions.

Wang Tingwei's eyes darted around, avoiding Su Chen's gaze, clearly guilty. He pointed to a table under the fourth ring and said:

"They all came for you, not interested in any other sparring partners. I had no choice but to agree."

At the table, several large men were sitting, the leader with a fierce gaze and a muscular build.

He sat with one foot forward and the other back, his heel slightly raised, looking like a wolf ready to pounce.

The man glared at Su Chen, seemingly impatient.

"Iron Wolf, rest assured. Su Chen's reputation as the top sparring partner is well-deserved. Nine out of ten boxers who spar with him make breakthroughs. It will be good for your brother."

Wang Tingwei hurriedly went over to smile and said, then pushed Su Chen to go on stage.

Su Chen felt a bit helpless. Taking a salary meant following orders; it was a transaction.

He turned to Wang Tingwei and said, "Sparring rules: no illegal attacks on the groin or throat, and the sparring session stops immediately if the sparring partner is unable to continue..."

Wang Tingwei smiled and said, "Of course, with so many people watching, nothing will go wrong."

As Su Chen walked to the ring, a cold light flashed in Wang Tingwei's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

Su Chen walked onto the ring, carefully checked his half-body armor and soft rubber helmet, making sure the straps were securely tied.

He clapped his gloved hands together, the thick dragon-patterned boxing gloves making a dull "thud."

He twisted his waist to feel the power, finding no issues, and then looked up at Mad Dog, raising his hands to protect his head, saying:

"Let's start, for half an hour."

Before each sparring session, Su Chen had to carefully check his equipment. Taking hits was a tough job, and it required skill.

Other sparring partners might just endure, but he never dared to be careless.

Mad Dog's eyes were bloodshot, his face abnormally flushed, and he looked at Su Chen with a strange gaze, like a wolf in the jungle staring at its prey. He suddenly bared his teeth and smiled:

"You are the top sparring partner, Su Chen. Good, you're indeed professional, but I wonder how strong you are?"

Before Su Chen could respond, Mad Dog rushed forward, a gust of wind following him. He let out a meaningless roar, feinted with his left hand, and then swung his right hand at Su Chen's temple, the punch breaking the air with a "buzzing" sound.

Hearing the wind, Su Chen's heart tightened. He didn't have time to respond, blocking with his left glove and sidestepping with the momentum.

"Bang!"

A dull sound, Su Chen's left hand went numb, and his half-body felt sore.

Before he could steady himself, a leg flashed in front of him, and his chest felt a heavy impact as Mad Dog kicked him.

Su Chen arched his back, his chest slightly concave, to absorb the force, and took several steps back before stabilizing himself, feeling nauseous.

"Is this for real? Is he crazy? A C-level boxer is much stronger than a D-level boxer. A full-force punch of 600 pounds is hard to withstand. My technique for absorbing force is too basic, only able to reduce half the impact. If I keep getting hit like this, I won't last."

Su Chen's mind raced, realizing that if he continued for half an hour, he might be beaten to death.

Mad Dog was psychologically deranged, treating the sparring session like a life-or-death battle, attacking with full force and ignoring defense.

This wasn't training to improve boxing skills; this bastard wanted to kill...

If he could fight back, he could at least try to hurt Mad Dog.

Facing a desperate attacker, just taking hits without fighting back was a sure way to die.

"Stop..."

Su Chen shouted loudly, prioritizing his life over the top sparring partner's reputation.

According to the rules, if a sparring partner found the boxer acting abnormally, they had the right to stop the session.

Normally, when the sparring partner called for a stop, the staff would ring the bell and separate the boxer.

"Su Chen called for a stop, group leader, he called for a stop!"

Haozi saw Wang Tingwei sitting nearby, not moving or ringing the bell, and became very anxious, shouting loudly.

Wang Tingwei glanced at Haozi with a stern look and shouted, "He just went up. Why stop? Su Chen is the top sparring partner. There's no boxer he can't handle. You have no vision."

Iron Wolf also sneered, "My brother just hit a bit hard. It's fine. Let him vent. Don't stop. If you're afraid of getting hit, why be a sparring partner?"

"Ha ha ha..."

The other boxers sitting with Iron Wolf all laughed, looking at Su Chen on the ring with mocking eyes.