Empire of Shadows

Ethan looked at his brothers below the ring and tapped his head with his boxing glove.

He had been training constantly during this time.

At first, he didn’t understand.

Why did Lance send him to box instead of letting him work with everyone else? He thought Lance might have some issue with him.

But as he continued to train, and his coach kept telling him stories of what had happened—like those boxers from the bottom of society who eventually achieved great success in their careers—he gradually began to understand something.

The Lance Family didn’t lack a fighter.

He was tall and strong, which would only make him a more obvious target in a gunfight, and his marksmanship wasn’t very good.

Many people thought that with his great strength, shooting should be simple, but in fact, it wasn’t very convenient for him to shoot. His hands were relatively large, and his fingers were also relatively thick, which made it inconvenient for his fingers to pull the trigger.

He wasn’t very good at aiming either. Of course, it might have been a lack of practice. In short, compared to using weapons, he preferred to use his fists.

In the Lance Family, adding him wouldn’t significantly increase the family’s strength, not even a little bit.Without him, the family’s strength wouldn’t immediately decrease by much either. He was just an ordinary person.

But from the moment he started learning to box, he felt a very special feeling, as if he were born for boxing.

He had more strength than others, and he could take a punch better.

He had great stamina and could train continuously. He liked this kind of fist-to-flesh competition.

Simple, direct, satisfying, regardless of winning or losing.

He could hold up a banner in this area. He could become a great person, in another way, to make people proud of him.

This is my path!

He devoted himself to training seriously, and through high-intensity training, he successfully gained weight, reaching the light heavyweight level.

The coach said he would have three fights, and then consider whether he should continue to move up to heavyweight, or first make a name for himself in this weight class.

The cheers of his brothers and sisters below the ring, at this moment, gave birth to a strong desire for victory in Ethan’s heart.

The coach’s forehead was pressed against his, his eyes staring straight into his, as if he wanted to instill all his upcoming words into Ethan’s head.

“That fool’s only victory was by points. Except for a knockout victory in a lower weight class match, he has never had a knockout in training or a match after reaching heavyweight.”

“I don’t have any more tactics to teach you. This is just the first step on your legendary journey. You will complete it!”

“Watch his hook, protect your chin, and then let him taste your fist!”

The coach patted Ethan’s head, then gave him some encouragement. “Go! Take him out!”

After the coach said these words, he got off the ring. The opponent’s coach also left. With a dang, the two fighters came to the center of the ring.

There were no scantily clad girls, and no… well, there were still shouts of encouragement.

Perhaps afraid that someone on Ethan’s side shouting encouragement would make their own fighter lose momentum, the opponent’s coach and coaching staff also began to shout encouragement.

This made their fighter feel a little ashamed. He even wished these people would shut up.

“Begin!”

Ethan’s coach observed seriously from the side of the ring. He felt that Ethan had the qualifications to win the heavyweight gold belt. Some things, you could tell with just one look.

Ethan stared intently at the opponent’s face. Both sides were still probing. Boxing is not a simple and naive competitive sport.

It involves a lot of complex knowledge that cannot be mastered without systematic learning.

By the end of the first and second rounds, you have to figure out the attack range of the opponent’s lead and rear hands, interpret their punching habits as much as possible, and understand their defensive habits.

Then the fight will start to heat up, and they will start to attack more proactively.

But Ethan didn’t like that. He liked to throw heavy punches. He liked to land solid hits on his opponent’s face.

From the very beginning, he adopted a more oppressive style of fighting. He was constantly invading the opponent’s space, and of course, he was also ready with his guard up.

This was a very aggressive style of fighting, and also a style that showed strong self-confidence.

The fighter on the other side was a little annoyed. Although he was also a novice in the heavyweight class, he had a period of learning and experience, as well as experience in fighting.

But what about the other guy?

A rookie who had appeared out of nowhere, with no record of any matches, a complete newcomer, was actually so disrespectful to him?

He decided to let this big guy feel the power of his heavy punch.

He jabbed Ethan’s arm with his fist, and then threw a liver shot at Ethan’s waist and abdomen.

Almost instinctively, the muscles in Ethan’s waist and abdomen tightened. A heavy force was immediately transmitted through the fat and taut muscles to a deeper level.

It hurt a little.

But, just a little.

A ferocity that he himself had not noticed flashed in his eyes. He also gave the other party a hook.

After the two exchanged their first attacks, they briefly pulled away.

The expression of the opponent’s coach became a little more solemn, because he found that his own fighter’s expression was not as relaxed as before.

He noticed the place on the fighter’s waist that had been hit. The redness was a bit abnormal. In the place where the force was more concentrated, there were even some slight red spots.

Although the coach knew very well that when a heavyweight fighter throws a punch, the capillaries are very likely to burst, he didn’t expect it to burst so quickly.

This was still the probing stage. Was he already using his full strength?

The stamina of a heavyweight fighter is limited. Didn’t this rookie know how to manage his stamina?

In the subsequent process, the two sides also had some contact, but there were few violent outputs as direct as the first contact.

At the end of the round, Ethan’s coach jumped into the ring. While helping him relax, he asked, “First time in the ring, how does it feel?”

Ethan nodded. “It’s no different from usual, it’s just that that guy doesn’t feel very strong.”

Seeing his relaxed expression, the coach checked the red area on his waist and abdomen. There were no particularly obvious signs of burst blood vessels. His defense was as high as ever.

Of course, he would not blindly let Ethan become arrogant. “This is still the probing stage. Next, this guy will definitely find a way to consume your stamina.”

“Throw fewer punches, but don’t hesitate when you get a chance. Remember to conserve your stamina.”

The fighter on the other side looked at Ethan sitting in the opposite corner, a complex look in his eyes.

His liver was still a little uncomfortable. He thought it was just an ordinary punch, but he didn’t expect it to be so heavy.

“That young man is fighting for the first time. He’s not experienced enough. This is our advantage.”

“Find a way to make him throw more punches and disrupt his stamina management.”

“Find a chance to finish him. If it’s not so easy, then score more points and win by points.”

The fighter’s expression was a bit strange. A heavyweight fighter who wins by points sounds like an insult.

If it were featherweight or lightweight, then a fighter’s punch might just be a punch. It’s not so easy to destroy a person’s body and defense.

But heavyweight fighters, every one of them is a heavy hitter. This is also what makes heavyweight boxing matches so attractive to people.

People don’t like to watch two skinny monkeys trading blows for more than ten seconds in the ring and then pulling away with nothing wrong with them. What they want to see is a heavy hitter whose every punch can bring a surge of adrenaline.

So for a heavyweight fighter to win by points… this was undoubtedly disrespectful to a heavyweight fighter.

In the end, he still nodded. Raising his win rate was the key now. Whether it was a knockout or not was not important.

Lance and the others, sitting below, actually couldn’t understand the boxing match either. Most of them subconsciously regarded this as a fight, but it wasn’t a real fight; it had rules.

In the second round, the opponent’s fighter clearly had a tactical change. He began to frequently bait Ethan into action.

The stamina consumed in defense is far less than that consumed in attack. Ethan had some shortcomings in his match experience. He always couldn’t hold back.

In the second round, although the opponent had blocked Ethan’s attack, he had also taken a few hits. He was even more wary of Ethan’s heavy punches.

However, their tactics were very successful. Ethan had already started to pant; his stamina consumption was relatively large.

Don’t look at it as just seven or eight, or ten-something attacks. This also consumed a lot of stamina.

The coach fanned him while saying, “He’s baiting you to attack. He just wants to consume your stamina. Remember the points game we learned?”

“He wants to play a points game with you. In the next attack, don’t use your full strength. Focus on scoring big points.”

Since they were going to be shameless, then let’s all be shameless together. It was them who were shameless first anyway.

The coach had already thought about how to express his dissatisfaction after the match. He would tell the boxing association, he would tell The Boxing, that this was a fucking boxing match, not a math competition.

Ethan did not agree, because his ears were still full of his brothers’ cheers and encouragement, and the words telling him to “take out” the opponent.

The coach didn’t know if Ethan had listened. He could only continue to analyze the situation and the opponent’s tactics.

Soon, the third round began. Ethan once again tried to engage the opponent, but the opponent’s fighter still chose to bait him into punching and to dodge quickly.

As they fought, Ethan suddenly dropped his guard. He looked at the opponent who was constantly moving with small steps and took out his mouthpiece. “Can you face me like a warrior?”

The fighter on the other side also stopped his footwork. He turned to look at the referee, his expression as if asking, “What the fuck is this?”

Ethan’s coach, while telling Ethan to put his mouthpiece back in, ran to explain to the referee.

Ethan looked at the fighter opposite him, and as he put his mouthpiece back in, he said finally, “Either fight me like a warrior, or be chased around like a girl.”

The match restarted. Ethan had completely given up on boxing. He walked directly towards the opponent.

The fighter on the other side was very unaccustomed to this kind of fighting style. He clearly could hit Ethan’s chin with a punch, but he just didn’t dare to. He wasn’t sure if this was some kind of trick.

Even the referee at this moment was a little impatient with this heavyweight fighter who lacked courage. He also thought the opponent should go and fight in a lower-level match.

But now he was the referee. He could only keep his opinion to himself.

The third round ended quickly. The two sides returned to their respective rest corners. The coach said a lot, but Ethan didn’t listen to a single word. He just stared at the opponent’s fighter.

The fighter on the other side was very uncomfortable being stared at by him. His coach, on the other hand, had a look of deep joy on his face. “Well done. You’ve successfully recorded this guy. We’ve already won half.”

“Find a way to continue to provoke him…”

He didn’t hear the rest of the words clearly.

In the fourth round, Ethan was still the same, not even putting up a guard, just standing in the ring like an ordinary person, looking at him with a look of contempt.

This also made him very annoyed. He tried to approach Ethan and threw a probing punch.

Ethan didn’t dodge, didn’t even defend, just let the light punch land on his face.

From the slit of his eyes, which were slightly deformed from being squeezed, a look of mockery and contempt fell on the opponent. The opponent’s fighter couldn’t help but give Ethan another punch.

It was still a probing punch. He pulled away after hitting. Ethan still didn’t move.

Even… he even punched himself.

Hit harder than he had been hit.

His expression finally changed a little. The people began to boo him, and some people greeted him and his family.

A fighter always has a temper, otherwise they wouldn’t have become a boxer. His face began to flush rapidly. His coach suddenly realized that his own fighter had been provoked.

He ran up to Ethan and gave him a few more punches. The mockery in Ethan’s eyes grew stronger. A wave of anger instantly rose from his body and got stuck in his throat.

If he didn’t give the other guy a hard punch, he wouldn’t be able to get this breath out.

He clearly knew this might be a trick. He clearly knew he shouldn’t do this.

But as a fighter, once his temper flared up, it was very difficult for him to be bound by reason.

He also didn’t believe that Ethan could take a heavy punch from him.

His body began to expand. The muscles in his back made his arm begin to swing back. This would be a super heavy cannon.

Ethan caught this small movement. His fist was also pulled back, an extreme punch.

Two clouds of sweat were thrown out. Ethan staggered back two steps and finally stood firm.

But the other party fell down straight.

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Ethan’s coach waved a towel in surprise. The referee rushed up to count for the other fighter.

But it was obvious that he could no longer stand up.

After counting to five, the referee gave up counting and declared Ethan the winner…

After the match, Ethan’s face was swollen, but it was full of a simple, happy smile.

“What were you thinking?” Lance patted his obviously much firmer muscles. “What if you couldn’t take that punch?”

Ethan scratched his head. “I didn’t think about it, but I knew that a fighter who always avoids a direct confrontation with me cannot knock me down.”

As he said this, the opponent’s fighter and his team were just preparing to leave and passed by here.

The opponent’s coach snorted angrily. In his view, Ethan had used a disgusting psychological tactic. He would complain to The Boxing magazine about this practice.

The ring should be pure. These people should not be allowed to bring these bad habits into the ring.

The opponent’s fighter’s face was also swollen, his eyes bloodshot. Ethan’s punch was indeed terribly heavy.

He walked over, ignoring the gazes of the many people around Ethan, and came to Ethan’s front.

“Next time, I will defeat you with my fists.”

A slight smile appeared on Ethan’s face, but the swollen half of his face made the smile look a bit like a twitch. “Wait until you catch up to me.”

The two bumped fists, and the opponent quickly left. However, it could be seen that this match had also caused some changes in his mentality.

“Now, can we go for a big meal?”

The coach wanted to stop him, but thinking that this was the victory of his first official match, he didn’t stop him in the end.

One win, one knockout in one fight. Although still a novice, he had already begun to show his prowess.

After the meal, the coach said that he would arrange the next match for Ethan soon.

Every year, many novices make their debut, or move up from lower-level matches to heavyweight matches. They are all eager to “farm stats” to increase their fame.

To become a boxing champion and get the gold belt, it’s not just about being able to fight. You also need a ranking, you need sufficiently impressive stats, and you even need an interest group to push you from behind.

Lance didn’t understand these things and let the coach make the arrangements. But if there was anything he needed him for, he could contact him anytime, anywhere.

Ethan’s performance also let Lance see his talent and future in this area. As long as he walked down this path firmly, even if he couldn’t become a role model for an era, he would leave his own unique mark on this starry sky.

In a way, this was also what many people were painstakingly pursuing—a moment of eternity.

It could also be called, immortality.

Seeing these people shining in their suitable fields, Lance was very happy.

Few who walk this path can have a good end. No one knows if an accident will come before the grand finale.

On the first day of October, there were only a few days left before the deadline Bandy had given the Five Families to think.

The city suddenly became quiet, which actually made people a little unaccustomed.

Perhaps having gotten used to the sudden burst of gunfire, the people of Golden Port had become less sensitive to the sound of gunfire.

However, without the disturbance of gunfire, the number of people on the street gradually increased, but there were still very few tourists. Various industries also realized the importance of “stability” for the development of modern social economy.

Alberto had already prepared to make a move on Francisco’s uncles and grandfathers. Lance’s side had also roughly figured out the current situation of the Tita family. At the same time, the gunmen from Yalan had also arrived in Golden Port.

Rick could pay to recruit gunmen from Yalan, and so could Lance. For these people who were on the verge of starving to death in Yalan, they didn’t care who they worked for.

They only cared about one thing, and that was whether they could make money from this matter.

The sincerity Lance gave was very sufficient, $3,000 per person. This price was much higher than the price Rick had offered.

Now what he lacked was an opportunity to catch a member of the Tita family alone.

(End of chapter)

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