Cesca's Recovery was impressive. As soon as the bell rang again, he bounced back to life, showing no trace of having been knocked down just a minute ago.
But his close-range tactics were far too predictable. Once Jason Luo adapted to his dirty style, handling him became much easier.
Cesca charged forward again, reaching out to hook Jason Luo's neck. This time, Jason Luo—eager to finish things—didn't even dodge. He let the glove catch him, then suddenly ducked low and stepped back, leaving Cesca grasping at air.
When the first trick failed, Cesca switched immediately to the second—lunging straight into Jason Luo's chest!
But once you'd seen through this pattern, it wasn't hard to deal with.
Jason Luo backpedaled and slipped away while throwing a heavy swing, nearly knocking Cesca off balance. Cesca stumbled sideways past him in a clumsy rush, making the scene look almost comical—Jason Luo seemed like a matador playing with his opponent.
The crowd burst into laughter. Fighters who relied on dirty tricks might sometimes exploit loopholes in the rules to win, but they were universally despised. Almost no one respected or enjoyed watching such boxers.
The jeers rang in Cesca's ears, filling him with shame and frustration. But beyond this, he had no better way to close the gap on Jason Luo.
Now that Jason Luo had figured him out, he completely controlled the fight. Still, he needed to press harder. In a points tournament, when scores were equal, the time it took to win could affect the rankings. Ending the fight quickly was critical.
Jason Luo stopped conserving Stamina. He unleashed heavy punches one after another, keeping Cesca's head pinned down. Yet he still stayed wary of Cesca's Body hook, refusing to get careless.
Sure enough, in the middle of Jason Luo's fierce assault, Cesca suddenly burst upward, launching a fully-charged uppercut. But Jason Luo, laser-focused on that very possibility, had been waiting for this moment!
He instantly stopped his offense, slipped his head aside to avoid the blow, and planted his feet firmly. Power surged up from his legs, through his waist and core, before he snapped his body forward. His heavy hook rocketed upward—
"BOOM!"
That punch was vicious.
Caught square on the jaw, Cesca flew backward more than two meters. His eyes shut mid-air, and when he hit the canvas, he was already out cold, his legs twitching twice before falling still.
Holy hell!
Even Jason Luo was startled. Was that too much? He'd have to be cautious with this move in the future—especially against technical fighters. Best to avoid it altogether. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally kill someone and be scarred by it forever.
Still, he didn't celebrate right away. He had to be sure Cesca wasn't about to pull some miracle comeback. If the guy got up again, this fight could drag on forever...
The referee rushed over and pried open Cesca's eyelids—his pupils were dilated. Fortunately, he was still breathing. No need for a count. The referee waved his arms urgently, declaring the fight over, while medical staff hurried into the ring.
"Whew!"
Jason Luo exhaled in relief. Looked like the guy wasn't cheating after all...
"Ding. Congratulations on defeating your opponent in an official match. The Greedy Wolf talent has automatically extracted 1 point of Strength, 1 point of Rear Heavy Punch Power, 1 point of Toughness, and 1 point of Recovery from your opponent's superior Attributes. Please continue working hard and monitor your stats."
Finally finished! This guy's physical stats really were a lot like mine...
Though the match was over, the scoring couldn't proceed immediately since Cesca was still unconscious. Jason Luo remained on stage to wait.
Several doctors worked frantically around Cesca—oxygen masks, chest compressions, checking his vitals... After a tense few moments, Cesca finally stirred.
Supported by the medics, he walked two slow laps around the ring before his eyes regained focus. He glanced at Jason Luo once, then dropped his head in defeat.
The scores had long been prepared and were now officially announced.
Though the fight had looked dramatic, technically it hadn't been much of a showcase. The result was no surprise: Jason Luo, 3 points; Cesca, 1 point.
Jason Luo had hoped for 4 points, but he knew his current technique lacked standout highlights. He couldn't blame anyone else for that.
...
Stepping down from the stage, Pedro and Raul were ecstatic.
"Haha, not easy—not easy at all! Another one in the bag. Looks like we really might have a shot this time!"
Raul grinned so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. "Just wait here—I'm off to gather intel. Heh, kid, you're something else. The more you fight, the stronger you get. I'm going to cash in big..."
He turned and dashed off.
"Hold it."
Pedro stopped him. "Go wash your hands first. What kind of 'lucky hands' nonsense? In this whole points tournament, you've drawn nothing but tough opponents. No wonder you never get good results."
Raul froze for a second. "You're right. I really should wash up. Don't worry—I'll scrub five or six times today. I'll definitely draw a soft target..."
With that, he spun around and sprinted toward the restroom.
As soon as Raul left, Jason Luo stood on tiptoe, scanning the stands.
Pedro knew exactly what he was looking for and scolded, "You never practice your techniques properly, but you've got no problem using that old man's tricks. Stop searching—they're right there!"
Following his coach's finger, Jason Luo finally spotted Brown and Tony Huo on the far side of the stands, waving at him. Jason Luo waved back, and Tony Huo raised a thumbs-up.
Because rings were assigned randomly after check-in, no one could predict the distance. This time, Brown and Tony hadn't gotten the right seats—the video they recorded was too far away to be clear.
After exchanging greetings, they could only watch the other matches and wait for Raul's return.
Pedro pointed out other fighters' strengths and techniques, but Jason Luo soon zoned out. Noticing the silence, Pedro turned back and saw him slumped over, looking as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant.
"What's wrong?"
"Coach... my dad gets discharged from the hospital tomorrow. I don't know if I'll still have a chance to come here. I..."
Pedro went quiet too, before finally saying, "Kid, you've got to learn to be strong—not just in the ring, but in life. Every problem has a solution, both in boxing and outside of it. Hopefully things go smoothly tomorrow. But if not... I'll fight for you. And don't forget—you signed a contract with Raul. You're eighteen now, a legal adult. You have the right to decide your own path. If he tries to interfere, it's illegal."
Jason Luo quickly shook his head. "No, that won't work. My dad is my only family. If I abandon him too, he'd have nothing left in this world... And I can't live without him either. I'm already lonely enough. Losing my only family and living like an orphan—it's too painful..."
Pedro was stumped. "You really do think differently. To me, family means the ones who care for each other. You seem to see it more as blood ties."
"No, Coach! I believe my dad will come out of this one day. In his current state, who else in the world could he rely on? I'm his son. Everyone else might abandon him, but I can't! Taking care of him is my duty—the responsibility my mother left me. I will never give that up!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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