Chapter 13

Early in the morning, Wang Ge got up as usual, being very careful not to make any noise that might wake his sister from the creaky wooden bed.

He quietly put on his clothes and walked out of the house. When he got downstairs, although it was still dark, the vendors selling breakfast had already set up their stalls, offering a variety of options like fried dough sticks and soy milk, steamed buns and mantou, and crepes.

Although the Federation had long banned unhealthy foods like fried dough sticks for food safety reasons, this was only enforced in the elite and prestigious zones. In the civilian areas, these were still one of the favorite breakfast options for the hardworking masses.

Wang Ge had soy milk and fried dough sticks downstairs, then bought his sister's favorite coarse grain crepe and five-grain soy milk. He also bought vegetables and meat from the morning market and carried them upstairs. His sister found it too difficult to go downstairs herself, and Wang Ge couldn't return during the day, so he had to buy the groceries and bring them up. Fortunately, his sister was very understanding and had learned to cook at a young age, which gave Wang Ge some peace of mind.

Wang Ge took his solar-powered outdoor pot and research collection bag, then gently lifted the corner of the curtain by the bed.

No matter how hard, no matter how difficult, no matter how dangerous, as long as he saw his sister's smiling face while she slept, Wang Ge felt a surge of strength.

Wang Ge smiled slightly, put down the curtain, and tiptoed out.

As soon as the door closed, Wang Fei, who had been pretending to sleep, slowly opened her eyes. She didn't look at the steaming crepe and soy milk on the table but immediately started to sit up, using her weak arms to support herself. Her legs were stiff, and it was very difficult for her to do this.

Using the strength of her delicate arms, she first hugged one thigh to the window, then grabbed the windowsill to move her buttocks over, and finally hugged the other thigh over. Her small hands struggled to lift her body to a height where she could look down from the window.

Even though it was a simple task, the little girl was drenched in sweat from the effort.

Wang Ge's steps were quick, and after Wang Fei completed this effort, she could see Wang Ge's figure rushing out of the building entrance in just a few seconds.

It was still dark, and the dim yellow lights from the breakfast stalls illuminated Wang Ge. Wang Fei's eyes followed Wang Ge's steps, watching him disappear into the darkness.

Her brother had done so much for her, but she could do very little in return. Wang Fei couldn't help her brother at work; all she could do was watch him leave in a hurry every day and pray for him.

Wang Ge had almost reached the foot of Gele Mountain when he saw the red police tape. He then remembered that the police had deployed mechs yesterday, and with such a large-scale operation, the mountain would definitely be closed today.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to gather herbs for a while. Wang Ge shook his head in disappointment; this would reduce his income. However, starting today, he was a signed C-level boxer, and although fighting in the black market was dangerous, the income was much higher than being a sparring partner.

The income of a black market boxer mainly came from three sources: first, the prize money from the boxing ring, which was given regardless of winning or losing, and was usually calculated based on the opponent's strength and the difficulty of the match.

Second, the bets from the audience. If they bet on Wang Ge and he won, he would get a small commission. Although the commission rate was low, it was still more than what he earned as a sparring partner.

Third, the tips from wealthy patrons. If they enjoyed the fight, they would throw a lot of money. Although the boxing ring would take a cut, this was the biggest source of income for boxers.

However, Wang Ge didn't give up his job as a sparring partner. He needed money, and every little bit helped.

He worked as a sparring partner at Training Ground 22 for most of the day, until he finished at 5 PM. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he pushed open the door and walked out. In the dimly lit corridor, he saw a red dot flickering. He paused, sensing something and called out, "Curly?"

"Big Wang, can we talk? Can you be a bit less stingy?" It was indeed Curly, who was smoking and leaning against the wall, winking at Wang Ge. "You're a C-level boxer now, and you can earn at least five figures per match. Can't you spare a little pocket money?"

"Five figures? Do you think I'm a gold or silver medalist? Without the wealthy patrons' tips, I won't even make five figures if I'm beaten to death on the stage!" Wang Ge sneered and rudely pulled the cigarette from Curly's mouth. "If you don't want to die early, quit smoking. You're my only brother!"

"Ha, I just had one..." Curly scratched his curly hair, embarrassed. "You know, the pressure of fighting in the black market is high, and a cigarette helps to relax. It feels good!"

"Feels good?" Wang Ge rolled his eyes. "Smoking is a boxer's taboo. When you're panting and can't catch your breath on the stage, you won't feel good at all!"

Curly was speechless and changed the subject. "Big Wang, I believe in you. In C-level matches, it won't take long for you to become a new silver medalist. Then you'll have plenty of wealthy patrons cheering for you, and you'll definitely earn five figures per match!"

The terms "gold medalist" and "silver medalist" were not officially recognized by the boxing ring, but the audience and wealthy patrons recognized them because they represented a boxer's credentials.

A boxer who won five consecutive matches would be called a silver medalist by the audience and wealthy patrons. A boxer who won ten consecutive matches would be hailed as a gold medalist.

Once a boxer became a silver medalist, they would have regular wealthy patrons, and the number of bets and tips would gradually increase. Without the title of silver medalist, not only would there be few wealthy patrons, but even the audience would be reluctant to bet on them.

If the amount of money bet on a boxer was too low, the boxing ring would mercilessly abandon them or force them to become a sacrificial lamb.

A D-level boxer Wang Ge had once trained with met such a fate. Because he always lost, no one was willing to bet on him, so the boxing ring forced him to fight in a C-level match to help another potential gold medalist, and he was beaten to death on the stage.

"Ha, I hope so." Wang Ge patted Curly's shoulder. "Let's not talk about it. I need to take a shower first."

"Be quick, I need to take you to familiarize yourself with the arena," Curly said. He was waiting here for this. No one had arranged it, and Wang Ge hadn't asked, but as a brother, Curly naturally took the initiative. In fact, he felt guilty for not being able to help Wang Ge with his indenture.

"Got it." Wang Ge responded casually, but he felt warm inside. True friends were rare, and one was enough.

When Wang Ge came out of the shower, he saw Curly struggling with a cigarette in his hand.

Seeing Wang Ge, Curly sighed in relief, broke the cigarette, and threw it into the trash can.

"Let's go, we don't have much time." Curly pulled Wang Ge, and the two left the fifth-floor training ground, taking the simple iron frame elevator to the tenth floor. Although it was a simple iron frame elevator, Wang Ge had never been qualified to ride it before and always walked.

The eighth floor and above were the arena areas. The eighth and ninth floors were D-level boxing rings, the tenth floor was a C-level boxing ring, the eleventh floor was for B-level and A-level boxing rings, and the hierarchy was clear.

Above the tenth floor, there were many small air docks for wealthy patrons to park their luxury vehicles, which was both convenient and safe. This indicated that wealthy patrons would at least watch C-level matches, and they would not bother with D-level matches.

After getting off the iron frame elevator, Wang Ge followed Curly into the C-level boxing ring.

The boxing ring was divided into several halls, each with its own number. Outside each hall, a large screen continuously played highlights of the boxers who would fight in that hall.

Wang Ge found the hall where he would fight, and the screen was just showing him. Since Wang Ge was a newcomer, there wasn't much to show, so it only displayed his photo briefly before switching to a loop of his opponent.

As a veteran, Curly wanted to pull Wang Ge to watch the highlights of his opponent, but he was surprised to see that Wang Ge had already stopped to watch on his own.

Wang Ge was indeed impressive! Curly nodded in approval.

When Curly first started fighting in the black market, he didn't pay attention to the highlights of his opponents on the screens. He walked in with his head held high, thinking he looked cool and dominant.

The first match went well, but from the second match, he was consistently outmatched. At first, he didn't understand why, but by the fifth match, he was increasingly outmatched, as if his opponents already knew his moves before he made them. Only then did he realize the importance of knowing both oneself and one's opponent.

The opponent's highlights were announced half an hour before the match, so there was no time to prepare in advance. This was to increase the excitement of the match.

The highlights on the screens provided a direct way to understand the opponent's techniques and special moves, which was very important for boxers.

Wang Ge watched the highlights three times in a row, just as he was about to call Curly to leave, he felt a strong force hit his shoulder.

Wang Ge instinctively lowered his shoulder and took a step back. He had trained for five years as a sparring partner, and dodging had become second nature. Although the attack was sudden, he successfully deflected the force.

Feeling a strong hostility, Wang Ge quickly turned his head and saw a bald, muscular man at least 190 cm tall walking past.

The man was surprised that he hadn't hit Wang Ge and turned to glare at him, then grinned menacingly, showing a mouth full of white teeth.

"Hey!" Curly, who hadn't seen what happened, sensed that something had just occurred between Wang Ge and the bald man. He glared and was about to chase after him but was stopped by Wang Ge grabbing his arm.

Curly frowned and stared at Wang Ge. Previously, Wang Ge had shown a completely different level of dominance in the life level test room, and Curly was pleasantly surprised by the change after Wang Ge's first kill. Could it be that after just one day, Big Wang had reverted?

Wang Ge smiled and pointed to the screen. Curly was puzzled and looked at the screen, where he saw a familiar bald head in the highlights.

Ah, it was the bald man who had just passed by! Curly instantly understood and looked at Wang Ge.

Wang Ge raised his eyebrows. "I'll pay him back on the stage!"