Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups-Chapter 59 - 57 Strength System

The coaching session ended.

Zheng Haokang was changing his close-fitting clothes and trousers in the dressing room specially cleared out by the club.

At this moment, a somewhat effeminate middle-aged man pushed the door open and entered, talking non-stop.

"Haokang, have you really decided to retire next year and enter the entertainment industry?"

"Didn’t you see how enthusiastic everyone was about you today? The appearance fee is nothing compared to a fraction of the registration fee..."

Glancing back at the chattering talent agent, Zheng Haokang did not respond to him.

The agent continued to prattle on:

"I think it’s such a pity, you are at the prime of your youth and strength, you should be fighting hard..."

"What’s there to regret?"

Zheng Haokang put on a tight shirt and interrupted him:

"What’s the difference between boxing on the stage and boxing in movies? Both are performances for the audience, for entertainment. Isn’t it fine as long as there’s money to be made?"

Hearing this, the agent was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but nod:

"It seems to make some sense."

"Don’t let this news out for now."

Zheng Haokang faced the mirror of the vanity table and adjusted his hairstyle.

"I’ll announce it to the public after I win the title defense challenge match. It’s guaranteed to be explosive news and make the front page of newspapers."

Hearing this, the agent’s face, which had been pained, finally showed a hint of happiness.

"Haokang, you always think on your feet. It seems my worries were unnecessary..."

Indeed, Zheng Haokang is the newly crowned Boxing King, the champion of the KFC World Fighting Tournament.

But in this entertainment-driven, mundane world, no matter how famous a Boxing King is, in terms of commercial value, he’s really only comparable to a second-tier celebrity.

If he could use his current fame to successfully break into the entertainment industry and produce a high-grossing Kung Fu movie, that would be a different story.

The combined effect of the two would attract capital enthusiasm, and there’s definitely a possibility of rising to the top as an action superstar.

Looking at Zheng Haokang’s handsome appearance and muscular body, the agent couldn’t help but have stars in his eyes, lost in fanciful thoughts.

Zheng Haokang got dressed and asked offhandedly:

"Where’s Xiang?"

"He’s waiting in the parking lot."

"You go out with him in one car first, lead the reporters away."

Before leaving, Zheng Haokang instructed: "I’m going to Jenny’s place tonight, it’s not good to be followed by paparazzi."

"Uh, okay."

The agent nodded in agreement.

He knew that Jenny was the third-tier celebrity that the newly crowned Boxing King had just charmed.

The two walked out of the club venue.

There were still many fans and reporters outside, shouting:

"Zheng Haokang, Zheng Haokang, I love you!"

"Zheng Haokang, look over here..."

Click click click—

The reporters raised their cameras and jockeyed to hand over microphones, asking various questions about scandals.

Zheng Haokang, wearing sunglasses and a faint smile, waved his hand in a gesture.

Several bodyguards surrounded him, shouting, "Make way, please."

They shielded him through the crowd and took the elevator down.

.........

Wantong Mall, underground parking lot.

The cold-toned daylight lamps were sparsely lit, casting a somewhat dim light.

Zheng Haokang stood in front of the security passage door, smoking a cigarette.

He faintly heard the noise at the exit die down, so he stepped towards the spare off-road vehicle parked nearby.

He walked up to the car, took out his keys, ready to unlock the door when—

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing not far away, by a pillar.

Zheng Haokang didn’t pay attention and continued to open the door, ready to get in.

But then he heard the sound of hurried footsteps that were getting closer and faster.

He immediately looked up.

He saw the figure from before quickly running towards him.

Whoosh, a gust of wind assaulted him.

Zheng Haokang’s eyes narrowed and his instinctual warning bells rang, prompting him to dodge immediately.

Bang!

The assailant, taking advantage of the momentum from running, suddenly delivered a flying side kick, hitting the back of the vehicle.

The car alarm blared immediately.

Amidst the shrill alarm, Zheng Haokang sidestepped out of the way.

Looking at the clear footprint indented on the car body, his pupils couldn’t help but constrict slightly.

One should know that the thickness of an off-road vehicle’s bodywork is not comparable to that of an ordinary car, at least 1 centimeter thick.

The force of this kick, even among heavyweight competitors, is rarely seen.

Zheng Haokang assessed himself and knew that only by setting a firm stance and kicking with full force in training could he barely cause a similar effect.

And yet the opponent looked much leaner than himself.

How could he have such great strength?

Zheng Haokang was filled with suspicion and stared at his opponent:

"Who are you? What do you want?"

That person was wearing a mask, covering half of his face.

However, his exposed eyes were bright, vaguely revealing some sort of eager anticipation.

"Mr. Zheng, I am your fan. I only came here today to challenge you!"

Finished talking, his figure suddenly flickered, and he charged up with a swinging punch.

Zheng Haokang did not dare to be negligent, and assumed a defensive stance, taking a step back with a Back Flash.

In an instant, the opponent’s continuous Combination Skill bombardment came at him like a storm.

Heavy punches hammered down, Swing Punches pursued, leap-step high Sweep Kicks followed by chopping leg strikes.

The speed wasn’t too fast, but the various techniques were linked extremely tightly, without any pause, and the power was surprisingly great.

As a professional fighter with a background in Sanda, Zheng Haokang could see through the pattern of the opponent’s moves.

But every time he thought he had caught a flaw and tried to counterattack, he would always be preemptively dodged or disrupted by an Interception.

Forced to choose the most conservative course of action in the end.

He bent his arms to guard, protecting the vital parts of his body first, and withstood this wave of offense.

At this moment, Zheng Haokang felt quite frustrated.

With such strength, competing in the world’s top mixed martial arts competition and vying for the gold belt would be a breeze.

How could he be a fan of his?

And since when are fans this mad?!

Right off the bat, they start fighting with all their might without saying a second word.

Is he treating me as a boss in a game or his father’s murderer?

Zheng Haokang felt like he was encountering a monster and couldn’t help but consider beating a retreat.

However.

The opponent was extremely sensitive to changes, seizing the flaw the moment he was negligent.

Suddenly closing the distance with a sidestep, the attacker threw a flying kick.

Zheng Haokang could only manage to block with his arms, getting kicked back several steps and nearly falling over.

A drilling pain immediately followed in his arms, seeming like the radius bone was cracked from the kick.

Fortunately, at this time, the opponent’s onslaught loosened, stopping in place.

Staring at him blankly, full of confusion, he said:

"Aren’t you a world-level Boxing King, the champion of free combat? Why are you so weak?"

Upon hearing these words, Zheng Haokang’s face suddenly felt burning hot.

Feeling that the opponent was deliberately humiliating him, anger surged in his heart.

He is Zheng Haokang, who was hailed as a fighting genius from a young age, triumphed in professional competitions all the way, and held the reputation of the "Fighting King."

How could he be beaten up so badly by someone with an unknown background, who casually claimed to be a fan?

He looked extremely serious as he reassumed his fighting stance.

Soon after, he employed Grapple Skill, which was banned in the ring but very useful in real fights, combined with boxing and throwing techniques.

Strangling the neck, grabbing the shoulder, twisting the wrist, entangling the arm—his moves became sharp and decisive, without any hesitation.

Zheng Haokang truly deserved the title of Boxing King.

Despite being at a disadvantage in raw physical Strength in the fight, his mental state adjusted quickly, and his various techniques were extremely proficient.

At one point, he did cause the opponent a bit of trouble.

But that was just about it.

Just as he bent down to dive in, stepping forward to get close, trying to use clever force to wrap around the waist and rotate for a Counter-slam.

Snap!

The opponent simply grabbed his shoulder and flung him over with a Counter-slam.

Zheng Haokang fell to the concrete floor with a grunt, hastily scrambling up.

At this moment, the next attack from his opponent was already on its way.

The Whip Kick tore through the air, the wind howling.

It blew Zheng Haokang’s hair into disarray.

A sole hung there just half an inch from his face.

Then—

It slowly retracted.

Zheng Haokang’s eyes bulged, his chest heaved, feeling a sense of survival from a disaster.

But the eyes of the opponent standing before him showed a hint of disappointment.

Like a climber who finally stood atop a mountain peak, failing to see the breathtaking view they had envisioned.

This person who called himself a fan of Zheng Haokang.

It was Fang Cheng, who had missed the guidance lesson by late arrival.

He chose this way to complete an actual sparring experience with a world-class fighting champion.

Also, through this fight, he clarified a rough Strength system.

The actual ability of Zheng Haokang, who should represent the highest level of human fighting skills and peak physical fitness, was far from that of "Berserk Shijima Gorou."

Nor could it match that mysterious man in black who died at his hands.

Zheng Haokang’s strength was at most slightly better than Shijima Gorou in a normal state.

Fang Cheng suddenly realized.

Unknowingly, he had also reached a sort of inhuman level in some sense.

Thinking of this, although a sense of achievement surged in his heart, he also felt a bit of melancholy.

After a few seconds of silence, he looked at the Skill growth obtained from the fight.

[Boxing experience+10]

[Sanda experience+10]

[Jujutsu Experience+15]

He glanced at Zheng Haokang, who was still dazed, then Fang Cheng immediately turned and left.

"Wait!"

It was then that Zheng Haokang suddenly called out:

"Can you tell me, have you seen those monsters like I have?"

Fang Cheng paused upon hearing this.

Turning his head back, he fixed his gaze on the fighting star.