21. The Mafia Heiress Spirals Upward

The two of them stepped onto the ring, but the surrounding club members all wore grave expressions—gone was any trace of their earlier amusement.

“Why would that madwoman pick a fight with a freshman?” The members were bewildered. Meanwhile, several senior students with more experience stationed themselves at the edge of the ring, ready to intervene if the newcomer got hurt.

“I still don’t get it. Why do you want to fight me…” Chen Shang scratched his head, his breathing growing a little rapid.

This made no sense according to Chiyo Yasougi’s AI logic!

“Enough talk,” Chiyo’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit as she smacked her gloved fists together, producing a sharp crack.

According to her background, Chiyo Yasougi did indeed love challenging strong fighters and was notoriously domineering. Once she set her sights on a target, there was no escaping a showdown.

But no matter how you looked at it, Chen Shang didn’t seem like a strong opponent.

Now that the “Challenge Chiyo Yasougi” story event had been triggered, there were only two possible outcomes for Chen Shang.

The first was to somehow defeat Chiyo Yasougi, which would cause her affection for him to skyrocket and ensure her special attention from then on.

Chen Shang certainly didn’t want that. After all, she was designated as the second male lead Xu Qing’s woman… or rather, his obsessive admirer. He had no interest in pursuing her.

The other outcome was to lose to her. Chiyo Yasougi was an extreme power supremacist, respecting only those stronger than herself. So deliberately losing was clearly the more peaceful solution.

However, that would trigger another troublesome subplot.

Sparring with this ruthless heiress, even surrendering at the speed of light, would inevitably mean taking a few punches to the face, leaving obvious injuries. If his sister, Nayuta, saw those wounds—and her affection level was above fifteen—the “Avenge My Brother” storyline would be triggered.

Then, his fiercely protective, brawl-hardened little sister would show up with an iron rod on the next school day to settle accounts with Chiyo Yasougi.

Unless he could pacify both sides, the ensuing chaos would rival a harem in flames.

He absolutely did not want that!

Chen Shang had no intention of getting dragged into such a mess, especially since he didn’t want anything to do with either of these “heroines.”

“As expected—there’s only one thing to try: that bug!” Chen Shang muttered under his breath, his mind racing through everything he knew about Chiyo Yasougi.

Formulating a quick plan, he lifted his head and tried to sound composed as he addressed Chiyo across the ring:

“I’m just a beginner at martial arts. Could we maybe set some limits on the rules for this match?”

“I can tell you’re a novice—your boxing is awkward,” Chiyo snorted. “So for this match, I’ll only use boxing. You can attack me with any technique you like.”

Chen Shang narrowed his eyes. “Any technique?”

“Oh, oh, oh! Boxing versus no-holds-barred combat?” The club members below immediately caught on to Chiyo’s meaning.

No-holds-barred fighting meant punches, elbows, throws, kicks, even close-range weapons—virtually any combat technique was allowed except for the universally banned moves like eye-gouging or groin kicks. Almost no restrictions at all.

By contrast, Chiyo Yasougi had voluntarily put on boxing gloves and would only use punches. On the face of it, the odds seemed stacked in Chen Shang’s favor.

But he didn’t dare let his guard down. With his current physique, taking a punch from Chiyo after she unlocked her strength could mean more than just a simple fracture.

“Any technique? You said it.” A sly grin crept onto Chen Shang’s lips. He had a plan.

“Then let’s begin! Show me…” Chiyo bounced on the balls of her feet, fists at the ready. “Let me see just how strong someone with the aura of a killer truly is.”

Her last words were spoken almost too softly to hear—only she caught the end of her own sentence.

What was that about?

Chen Shang was puzzled, but quickly steadied himself for the fight.

Next, he simply lay down on his back in the ring, supporting himself lightly with his arms.

The club members below looked on in confusion.

“Why… why did he just lie down?”

Even Chiyo paused, her gaze icy as she barked, “What are you doing on the ground? Get up!”

But Chen Shang remained on his back. “Come on then. I’ll let you hit me while I’m lying here.”

Chiyo was stunned for several seconds before a cold smile spread across her face. “I see—you think that if you just lie down, I won’t be able to hit you?”

Boxers’ attacks are only effective from the front; they’re at a loss when it comes to ground techniques. As ridiculous as lying down looked, even a champion boxer would be hard-pressed to deal with it.

Meanwhile, someone lying on the ground could use kicks or grapples at will, harassing the boxer from below.

Chiyo’s eyes widened. She leapt into the air, cocking her right fist back.

In an instant, her body was parallel to the floor, right fist aimed directly at Chen Shang lying below.

As her punch dropped from above, Chen Shang simply rolled aside, dodging easily.

The spot where Chiyo struck left a small dent in the floor, with spiderweb cracks radiating out.

Her attack was fierce, but the wind-up was huge—anyone paying attention could dodge it.

Seizing the opening as she lost her balance, Chen Shang retaliated with a sweeping kick to Chiyo’s shin from his half-reclined position.

Smack—a sharp sound as her shin took the blow. Chiyo grunted, quickly righting herself and withdrawing.

“Hmph, so all you can do is sneak attack like a coward?” She arched an eyebrow disdainfully and attacked again.

This time she leapt above him once more, intent on repeating the same aerial punch.

While the move was easy to dodge, one mistake from Chen Shang and he’d be down several ribs.

Night Axis City’s top hospitals could heal broken ribs in two weeks, but at an exorbitant price.

Chiyo seemed angrier this time, provoked by Chen Shang’s shameless tactics. Her attack was even stronger, but her wind-up and openings were more obvious.

This time, Chen Shang didn’t dodge. Instead, he activated the skill Calm Hormone.

With the drug’s effect, his mind was as tranquil as a mountain—no trace of fear, even with Chiyo’s fist just two feet away.

Found it—her right ankle!

His gaze locked onto Chiyo’s right ankle. In a flash, he launched a fierce kick at it.

Time to gamble!

The instant his toes struck Chiyo Yasougi’s right ankle, something bizarre and terrifying happened.

Chiyo’s limbs began flailing wildly in midair, as though she were a game character suffering a physics glitch.

Then, her body spun upward in a spiral, only stopping when her head collided with the three-meter-high ceiling.

It took a stunned half minute before someone shouted, “Quick! Someone help! The madwoman’s head is stuck in the ceiling!”

The fight club members rushed to fetch mats, while several ran out to find the club advisor.

After an indeterminate time, Chiyo finally pulled her head free from the ceiling under the horrified stares of both members and teachers, landing in a heap on the mats.

“That bastard…” Her eyes were wild, teeth clenched as she glared at a nearby member. “Where did that bastard go?!”

“H-he already went home,” the member stammered, cowed by her wrathful glare.

With a cold snort, Chiyo grabbed her kendo uniform and bamboo sword, leaving the gym.

What did he do to me? Why did I suddenly lose control and fly away?

Chiyo muttered to herself as she walked, dialing her phone. “Sis at headquarters, help me catch someone. I’ll send you his details—just bring him straight to the Longmen District branch. I have questions for him.”