The Vanishing Serve
"What the hell is this, what the hell is this, what the hell is this!" Important things must be said three times. At this moment, not only was Djokovic dumbfounded, but even the spectators were stunned. They looked at Jiang Hai; they really didn't know this guy. And what the hell was that serve just now? What kind of serve makes the ball disappear? That damn thing must have exceeded the speed of sound!
Austin Walton and Bright, who were in the crowd, also took a look and couldn't help but shrink their necks. This Jiang Hai was too terrifying. What kind of person could possess such strength? This guy couldn't be a robot wearing human skin or an alien, could he?
"30-0..." Although he was also dazed, the person acting as the referee managed to react. After rubbing his eyes, he spoke.
"Same spot, sixty percent power." Looking at the bewildered crowd, Jiang Hai said with a chuckle to Djokovic in front of him. Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Djokovic licked his lips and then moved toward that position.
He was the world number one, the world number one! He couldn't just admit defeat so easily; he at least had to put up some resistance!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, then positioned his racket, and looked at Jiang Hai in front of him.
Jiang Hai didn't trick Djokovic; he still hit the same spot. He tossed the tennis ball high, then Jiang Hai exerted force directly and swiped at the tennis ball in mid-air. Just like before, almost immediately after producing a sonic boom, the tennis ball vanished. Then, the small pit in front of Djokovic instantly deepened a bit, and at the same time, the racket in his hand flew off. Because of this deflection, the tennis ball didn't hit the wall at the same spot as before, but hit another spot instead. This time it sank in to a quarter of its depth, then slowly fell down. Seeing this scene, and feeling his own trembling right hand, Djokovic was truly dumbfounded. Even if it killed him, he couldn't understand what was going on. This wasn't scientific at all.
But there was no help for it; Jiang Hai was inherently unscientific. While Djokovic was dazed, Jiang Hai had already taken the fourth ball. Now the score was 40-0. If Djokovic failed to receive this ball, he would lose.
"Ready? Still the same spot." Looking at Djokovic, Jiang Hai said with a chuckle while bouncing the ball.
"Bring it on!" The feeling of being completely helpless and crushed in front of Jiang Hai made Djokovic feel like he was going berserk. Once his competitive spirit flared up, he held the racket with both hands, determined in his heart that he must defend this one.
"Here it comes, eighty percent!" Seeing that Djokovic was ready, Jiang Hai took a deep breath and tossed the ball high. Instantly, the veins on his right arm bulged, and he swung the racket, smashing it toward the tennis ball.
"Bang!" With an explosive sound, the tennis ball vanished instantly again. It didn't even take 0.1 seconds. Almost the moment the tennis ball disappeared, the pit on the concrete floor in front of Djokovic visibly deepened and widened again. Instantly, a massive force transmitted from Djokovic's hands. He could only grit his teeth and hold on with all his might, not hoping to hit the ball back, but just hoping his racket wouldn't fly away. His persistence paid off; holding the racket with both hands, the racket didn't fly away this time, but it still didn't stop the ball. Although the racket didn't fly away, the strings couldn't withstand Jiang Hai's serve. Yes, just like watching a cartoon, the moment Jiang Hai served, the center of the tennis racket in Djokovic's hand looked as if it had been bombarded by artillery; the entire string bed of the racket exploded from the middle, and it pierced through!
Yes, Jiang Hai's serve went straight through the tennis racket in front of him, leaving absolutely no chance. The upside was that the audience finally saw the tennis ball this time. After passing through the racket, the tennis ball's speed finally slowed down enough for people to clearly see the process of the tennis ball hitting the wall. And at this moment, Djokovic's constantly trembling hands told everyone that he had lost.
"One to zero, change of service game..." Watching this ball finish, the person acting as the referee swallowed hard, but still said it seriously. However, just as his voice fell, Djokovic had already thrown the racket in his hand onto the ground.
"I admit defeat." Just kidding, the racket was smashed to pieces; he didn't think he could last another round in Jiang Hai's hands.
With those constantly trembling hands, he understood very well that without ten days or half a month of recuperation, he probably wouldn't even be able to hold a cup steady.
"Wow!" Hearing Djokovic's words, the crowd here couldn't help but exclaim. Originally, they came to watch Djokovic bully someone, but unexpectedly, it turned into watching Djokovic being bullied.
Who was that yellow race person, and why was he so strong? Almost instantly, everyone was discussing Jiang Hai's existence. To be honest, a person who played tennis like this—they hadn't even heard of it in their entire lives, let alone seen it.
However, Jiang Hai didn't care about them. He walked over, patted Djokovic's arm, returned the tennis racket, and then walked toward the crowd. Watching Jiang Hai's back, Djokovic smiled helplessly; the defeat was too miserable.
And Jiang Hai had no intention of coddling his feelings; he just smiled and walked to the front of the crowd.
The onlookers there, at this moment, subconsciously cleared a path. There were even quite a few people recording videos. Fortunately, this time, the hotel security, or one could say the Walton Family's security personnel, had all been mobilized.
They dispersed the crowd, allowing Jiang Hai to walk into the crowd. However, although Jiang Hai had disappeared, the topic these people were discussing had not disappeared. Some meddlesome people even posted it directly online. The video was discovered the moment it went online because this video featured the current number one in the tennis world, Djokovic, so the video was quickly watched by many people. But after watching it, everyone's first thought was that this was computer-generated, because the ball Jiang Hai hit was clearly not something a human could hit. A completely vanishing serve—thinking about it was truly too terrifying.
Some meddlesome people even calculated a formula; if the things in the video were real, then Jiang Hai's serve would have to exceed 300 meters per second. What is the concept of 300 meters per second? Nowadays, serves are basically calculated in kilometers per hour.
Currently, the fastest serve speed in the tennis world belongs to Isner, at 253 kilometers per hour. And if calculated based on Jiang Hai's 300 meters per second, that would be 1080 kilometers per hour. What kind of concept is this? How fast is a high-speed train, and how fast is an airplane?
Was Jiang Hai's ball nearly at the speed of sound? Actually, it was indeed nearly at the speed of sound, because when Jiang Hai hit the ball, there was a sonic boom first before the ball went out, so it was inevitable that it was at the speed of sound.
However, such a speed is completely impossible, so basically everyone on the internet thought that Jiang Hai's serve was fake, made with movie special effects or something similar. But when many identical videos, but with different filming perspectives and different personnel, were posted online, these people felt a bit awkward, because there really were people who had seen it with their own eyes.
At the same time, some meddlesome people dug up information about Jiang Hai. A billionaire from Winthrop, Boston, and his performance at the NBA All-Star Game were also dug up by others. Such a guy was naturally highly concerning to everyone.
Especially domestically, more people knew about Jiang Hai. However, these people were just watching; those who truly understood Jiang Hai would not talk nonsense. And at this moment, Jiang Hai didn't know about this; after Djokovic admitted defeat, he went to eat German pork knuckle.
After chatting and laughing with everyone for a while, Pula Walton also went to find Jiang Hai.
"Darling, you really are amazing. Watching you play, I even had some feelings." Looking at Jiang Hai, Pula Walton sat beside him, held his hand, and whispered. Hearing her words, Jiang Hai also smiled. Indeed, these words were very stimulating to men and would give a man a special kind of feeling.
"Then do you want me to treat you right now?" Looking at Pula Walton, Jiang Hai whispered.
"Better not. The banquet is about to start. But tonight, I guess you won't be able to sleep." Glancing sideways at Jiang Hai, Pula Walton said with a chuckle. Afterward, the two of them ate some food together, and then the Walton Family's banquet officially began. However, to be honest, for people in the business world, the Walton Family's banquet was naturally very important.
This was not only an opportunity to make connections with the powerful and influential, but also an opportunity to curry favor with the Walton Family.
Almost no one would want to get on the bad side of the Walton Family's Walmart, because no matter what you do, it is basically related to the supermarket. Whether you are raising cattle, farming, growing fruit, growing vegetables, or doing light industry, cosmetics, facial cleanser, or brewing wine, making food, or even making toilet seat covers, everything has an inseparable relationship with this group.
Therefore, curry favor with this family is actually quite an important matter for everyone.
However, these people did not include Jiang Hai. Jiang Hai coming was already giving them the greatest face. So, at the banquet, after Roberson Walton finished speaking, Jiang Hai's mouth basically never stopped.
Fine wine and delicious food were stuffed into his mouth one after another; he really ate quite a lot. Pula Walton was naturally not by his side; she also had guests to accompany. Just when Jiang Hai was about finished eating and was planning to go back to his room to hang out with Cheryl Lee and the others, a figure came before him, which made Jiang Hai look up and look at him with some surprise.
Returning to Peace
"Hey, Jiang, can we talk?" Raising his head, Jiang Hai looked at the person in front of him. Jiang Hai recognized this person; he was Pula Walton's older brother, Jack Walton.
"Of course." Hearing his words, Jiang Hai pointed to the seat in front of him and replied. Jack Walton smiled upon hearing Jiang Hai's response, then sat across from him. He waved his hand, and naturally, members of the Walton Family came to usher away other unrelated people. This was a Walton Family dinner party, so naturally, no one would come to bother him.
"I often hear my father and Pula mention you, but this should be the first time we've met face-to-face." Jack Walton said, looking at Jiang Hai.
"It is indeed the first time we've met. I've also heard Pula mention you." Jiang Hai replied with a smile.
"Jiang, you must have some understanding of our family, right?" Jack Walton looked at Jiang Hai and began speaking to him.
Listening to him talk endlessly, Jiang Hai's mind started working. He knew the purpose of this person's visit.
As mentioned before, the Walton Family is currently facing a generational gap.
The second-generation descendants have grown old, and among the third generation, a definitive candidate capable of carrying the banner has yet to emerge.
The most likely candidates to take over as Walmart Chairman are him, Jack Walton, and Cooper Walton, from Jim Walton's family.
The sole reason these two appeared before Jiang Hai was to secure his support.
Jiang Hai is currently an important guest of the Walmart Group; he is an extremely significant figure.
In this situation, his opinion could, to some extent, not only decide things for Pula Walton but also influence the minds of other shareholders. However, Jack Walton had a slight advantage over Cooper Walton: Jack Walton and Pula Walton shared half the same blood—they were half-siblings—so their relationship was indeed closer.
That is why he proactively came over to speak with Jiang Hai, instead of just showing his face and leaving, like Cooper Walton.
Before he knew it, he had chatted with Jiang Hai for nearly half an hour, only leaving when Roberson Walton came over to call him away. Although he didn't say anything substantial to Jiang Hai—such as future benefits he might provide—they talked about many things. Compared to others, his relationship with Jiang Hai was indeed closer and more familiar.
After he finished speaking, Pula Walton also came over, looking at Jiang Hai with a grin.
"You must be quite annoyed, right?" Pula Walton whispered, looking at Jiang Hai. Earlier, her father had taken her to meet many people, and the sole reason for this was, of course, to create time for Jack Walton to be alone with Jiang Hai.
Pula Walton, knowing what her father meant, couldn't say anything, as she was also on her father's side.
This was also why her father allowed her to mess with Austin arbitrarily. Naturally, he knew about Jiang Hai playing tennis today but didn't say anything, which was tacit approval for Pula Walton to go back and deal with Austin Walton.
It seemed that life for his favorite youngest son would become increasingly difficult within the family from now on.
"It was fine. He didn't say anything messy, just talked casually." Hearing Pula Walton's words, Jiang Hai chuckled. He was telling the truth; Jack Walton really hadn't said anything chaotic like, "I'll look after you later," or "This is what will happen after I take power." He hadn't said any of those things, just had a very normal conversation.
So Jiang Hai wasn't offended. Although he was a loser and a shut-in, he wasn't autistic. If the other party approached him without hostility, he would naturally talk back, as long as the topic wasn't repulsive to him.
"Alright. Are you coming back to Atlantic City with me tomorrow?" Seeing that Jiang Hai was not annoyed, Pula Walton nodded. She was most afraid that Jiang Hai would take his anger out on her because of her relatives. As long as he wasn't angry, that was the best outcome.
"I won't be going back tomorrow. I'm going back to the Manor." Although nothing was happening at the Manor right now, Jiang Hai still decided against going to Atlantic City. Pula Walton and her girlfriends played very wildly.
Playing for a few days occasionally was fine, but if he went all the time, Jiang Hai wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Then we should go back and rest." Hearing that Jiang Hai wasn't planning to go, Pula Walton pouted, but then quickly got over it. She took Jiang Hai's arm and left. No one knew what the others were thinking as they watched them leave, but once Jiang Hai returned, he probably wouldn't get any sleep that night... Sure enough, upon returning to the room, Jiang Hai found that the girls were already prepared. Perhaps because Pula Walton had trained them well, these girls were extremely enthusiastic about that sort of thing.
Although the women at Jiang Hai's home would wear provocative clothes to tempt him, the main point was to let Jiang Hai transform into a wolf and take the initiative. They were merely obedient, doing whatever Jiang Hai asked. They would use every method to make Jiang Hai comfortable, but these girls were wilder.
They would actively attack. Upon seeing Jiang Hai and Pula Walton enter, they immediately rushed over without a word and started helping Jiang Hai undress. As soon as a certain indescribable object appeared, it was immediately snatched and swallowed into a mouth. They didn't need Jiang Hai to move; they would take the initiative themselves. Coupled with their own fighting prowess, they gave no one a chance to rest. Battles usually have a beginning, middle, and end, but not with them. The moment the fight started, it was white-hot and remained white-hot until the very end, only subsiding after everyone was exhausted. This was why Jiang Hai had a love-hate relationship with them.
The night was silent—or rather, there was no sound until noon the next day. When Jiang Hai woke up again, it was past eleven o'clock. After getting up, the beauties beside him had long since disappeared. Looking at the card placed on the bedside table, Jiang Hai smiled. After putting the card away, he took a shower. After eating lunch at the hotel, Jiang Hai drove his car toward Winthrop. After several hours of driving, Jiang Hai returned to the Manor before dinner began.
Although he had only been gone for a few days, the girls at Jiang Hai's Manor seemed very happy upon his return.
Everyone ate dinner together, and then, as usual, after Daliana, Marian, and Talaga had finished bathing, everyone else went to bathe together. What happened during the bath, perhaps even Heaven didn't know, because Jiang Hai's bathroom had also been covered up. Hugging his favorite girl at night, Jiang Hai peacefully drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, when Jiang Hai woke up and looked at the familiar ceiling in front of him and felt the familiar body beside him, he smiled. This was his most familiar environment!
After washing up, he started his daily routine again: first, checking and feeding the horses, then touring the ranch, the dock, and the wine estate. After returning, he played briefly with the cats and dogs, brewed tea, and went to relax under the big tree outside, playing on his phone.
This was his life, and he loved it. Honestly, who wouldn't like this kind of life?
The following days returned to peace. Indeed, Jiang Hai had no desire to seek excitement or upgrade himself. All he wanted to do was live every day safely and peacefully, enjoying his current life, nothing more.
As for whether there would be any disturbances in the future, that was irrelevant to Jiang Hai. He had no intention or desire to think about those things, as they had nothing to do with his current self. He had clearly planned his retreat and everything else.
He hadn't thought about changing the world, changing the country, changing the nation, or even changing himself. He didn't possess the sentiment of "helping the world when successful," nor did he intend to "sell his literary and martial skills to the imperial family."
He was just Jiang Hai, an extremely ordinary person living according to his own thoughts and ideas—it was that simple.
In the blink of an eye, June passed, and July was almost over. The sun in Winthrop grew hotter, and summer officially arrived here. Compared to basking in the sun outside, Jiang Hai preferred staying indoors with the air conditioning on.
Winthrop is located in the North. Although the northern summer is not as hot as the South, for Jiang Hai and his women, it was genuinely not much different. Jiang Hai's women would usually take a walk around the vegetable garden or the vineyard in the less hot morning, and then spend the entire day at home. Besides Daliana, Marian, and Talaga, who still wore pajamas, the others were generally dressed extremely lightly. Vests and shorts had disappeared; sometimes they would wear nothing more than a thin gauze dress, or nothing at all. The moment Jiang Hai told them to put clothes on, they would immediately rub against him. Indeed, between a man and a woman, there is nothing one round can't solve. If there is, make it two rounds, and if there still is, make it three rounds... eventually, Jiang Hai would be too tired to manage them. Well, that was certainly a method: a wheel battle. Jiang Hai couldn't handle it.
And just at that moment, Qi Li called Jiang Hai. She was coming over soon!
Family Portrait
Boston's airport, because it's always being described, Jiang Hai was too lazy to look at it; he was simply too familiar with it.
Early this morning, he drove his car to the outskirts of the airport, waiting for Qi Li's arrival.
Qi Li's visit this time wasn't because she had found a successor, but simply to take a vacation for herself.
Everyone else had paid leave, let alone her. With no important matters at the company recently, she also thought about visiting Jiang Hai. So, she made a call, set a time, and was coming today.
This time, she didn't need to take a commercial flight. Instead, she took Jiang Hai's private jet. The plane was just sitting there with nothing to do, so it might as well be used to pick people up.
Even if it was just to pick up two people this time, Jiang Hai didn't care. Flying an empty plane was fine; he wasn't short on gas money.
Soon, Jiang Hai received a text message: Qi Li and Du Ning had already disembarked and arrived at Boston International Airport.
Before long, two women with suitcases walked out of the airport terminal. Jiang Hai recognized them at a glance and immediately started waving. The two women also quickened their pace.
"Phew, it's so hot. I thought Boston would be cooler," Qi Li complained as soon as she reached Jiang Hai. Hearing her words, Jiang Hai couldn't help but laugh; she was truly deluding herself.
"The latitude here is similar to the imperial capital, so how could it be cool? But it might be better in the manor. If you still feel hot, we can take a boat out to sea to play," Jiang Hai said with a smile, hearing Qi Li's words.
"That's a good idea. Let's go. I'm a bit impatient to get to your home, and of course, I can also see my two sisters," Qi Li said with a grin, hearing Jiang Hai's words. However, Jiang Hai could only give an awkward smile in response. As for Du Ning, she just watched the pair with a smile, not interjecting.
"Let's go, let's go!" After taking their luggage and putting it away, Jiang Hai wisely changed the subject, then drove towards Winthrop. It took about twenty minutes to get from Jiang Hai's manor to the center of Winthrop town.
It took about an hour and a half to get from the manor to Boston. The actual driving time was two hours, but the surveillance facilities on American roads were quite poor, which was one aspect where it was far inferior to China.
In the United States, besides some public places, cameras are rarely installed, because in the eyes of Americans, this is an invasion of privacy and a manifestation of a lack of freedom. On highways, although traffic police occasionally speed-test and catch people, there are very few sections with cameras. For example, a few years ago, the photo of someone driving and touching *that* became very popular in China.
In China, that was a scandal for that person, and they would even lose their job because of it. But if it happened in the United States, then, sorry, the traffic police department would definitely be sued. You would have infringed upon the individual's right to their likeness and privacy.
Inside the car, that's their private space; they can do whatever they want. If they violate a rule, you can fine them, but if you expose it, as long as that person sues the traffic police department, it's a guaranteed win, with compensation of hundreds of thousands or even millions of U.S. dollars. So, in the United States, there are very few roadside cameras. Jiang Hai has been here for more than three years, so he is naturally very familiar with this frequently traveled road, knowing where the cameras are, where they aren't, and where he can drive faster.
With his car's excellent power, reducing a two-hour drive to an hour and a half wasn't much at all.
As Jiang Hai's car arrived at the gate, the AI had automatically recognized Jiang Hai's image and opened the gate. Jiang Hai then drove to his parking lot. After the car was parked, Jiang Hai helped Qi Li and Du Ning take down their luggage, while the two women had already walked into Jiang Hai's villa. However, as soon as they entered, both of them were startled.
Because at this moment, in Jiang Hai's room, besides Darlena, Marian, and Taraga, there was a sea of white and bare skin. Qi Jie, Qi Ya, Ai Xiaoxi, Feng Yunchen, Aphra, Dina, Hilda, Becky, Sheila, Auxilia, Bridget, Janice, Azarina, Wallis Shelley, Aller, and also Reilis, Belyak, Valentina, Galina, who had specially returned because the company was on holiday today. Out of twenty-two girls in the room, nineteen were bare, either lying, leaning, or standing there. Upon seeing Qi Li and Du Ning arrive, they all stood up.
Some stood timidly watching her, while others directly came forward, especially Qi Jie, Qi Ya, Feng Yunchen, and Ai Xiaoxi. These four girls had been quite miserably suppressed by Qi Li, so when else would they come to show favor? So, as soon as they saw Qi Li approaching, they gathered around with smiles.
"Sister, you're finally here," Qi Jie said with a chuckle upon seeing Qi Li.
"Wait, I've heard that Westerners are open-minded, but I never imagined it would be this open. Are you having a nudist convention?" Qi Li said, staring at the rushing Qi Jie with wide, surprised eyes.
"What convention? It's not like you said. We're just like this because it's hot," Qi Jie said, patting her and looking displeased. But Qi Li's gaze towards her was as if to say, 'Are you trying to fool a ghost?'
"Really, it's just because it's hot, and Jiang Hai's place is monitored by a smart system all around, so no one will peek. We do this every day, and besides being a little shy at first, it's quite comfortable," Qi Ya said with a laugh at this point, hearing Qi Li's words. Looking at her sister, who was like a fairy in the snow but had now become like this, Qi Li couldn't help but sigh. It really is hard to learn good habits, but easy to pick up bad ones. How long had it been, and she had already changed like this.
"Come on, let them experience it, and they'll understand." Seeing Qi Li and Du Ning still a bit reserved, Qi Jie, without further ado, waved her hand, and the girls gathered around, beginning to help them unleash their inhibitions.
By the time Jiang Hai came in with the luggage, Qi Li and Du Ning were already mostly undressed. Du Ning was a bit better; she didn't resist and happily let Azarina and the others undress her, then went to catch up with them. But Qi Li was still struggling, though her struggles were useless as her clothes disappeared rapidly before their eyes.
"Jiang Hai, help!" As soon as she saw Jiang Hai enter, Qi Li, only protecting her last two pieces of clothing, cried out loudly. However, upon hearing her cry, Jiang Hai could only shrug. For such a scene, he could only say he was powerless to help. After taking the luggage upstairs and putting it away, when he returned, he found Qi Li completely naked. She was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, protecting her body, and glaring at the grinning people around her.
All afternoon, Jiang Hai and the others stayed in the living room. It wasn't until evening, when the moon began to darken and everyone felt a bit hungry, that they stopped. Qi Ya directed everyone to prepare dinner, and Jiang Hai's family of over twenty people sat neatly at the dining table.
Qi Li and Du Ning seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate at this point, playing and laughing with the other girls, their bodies bare.
And in the dining room, the only four people wearing clothes were Jiang Hai and Darlena and her two companions.
Looking at the scene before him, Jiang Hai couldn't help but smile. He suddenly thought of his experiences over the past three years: from getting the Dragon Ball, then foolishly selling it and buying a manor, to buying cattle, raising fish, recruiting cowboys and fishermen, to treasure hunting in underwater shipwrecks for some extra income, then meeting Dufamen, to his beef winning awards and selling big, becoming a person of status... The first time something happened with Feng Yunchen at home, what happened when Feng Yunchen brought Ai Xiaoxi to take pictures with Jiang Hai, what happened with Aphra and the others, the process of meeting Qi Jie to cover up Aphra and their situation, Qi Jie bringing Qi Ya, encountering refugee boats overseas and meeting Azarina, Azarina taking him to rescue Galina and the others... Now, scene after scene, like a movie, constantly echoed in Jiang Hai's mind... Some people said he was a loser, and even with money, he was still a loser. He had no ambition, no aspirations, he didn't deserve the word 'dragon'... But he wanted to say, this was him, this was his story, this was the life he wanted... Life is short, like grass in autumn; all one seeks is one word: enjoyment. Jiang Hai didn't live for others, so he felt he was living very well now, and that was enough... His current life made him think of a poem: From tomorrow on, be a happy man.
Feed horses, chop wood, travel the world.
From tomorrow on, care for grain and vegetables.
I have a house, facing the sea, with spring blossoms.
From tomorrow on, communicate with every loved one.
Tell them of my happiness.
The happy lightning told me,
I will tell everyone.
Give every river, every mountain a warm name.
Dear readers, I also bless you.
May you have a brilliant future.
May all lovers be united.
May you find happiness in the mundane world.
I only wish to face the sea, with spring blossoms... (End of Book)