Chapter 332: Silas Shocks the Crowd
"Fight ten people..." Everyone turned their heads away, one by one, signaling they didn't know Silas Parker.
Fight ten? He'd be lucky to handle one.
Peter seized the opportunity to pull Silas aside and whispered urgently, "Are you really going to join the Boxing Club?"
"Of course. My mind is made up." Silas felt he couldn't stay low-profile anymore; it was time to address the fact that no one seemed to believe in him.
Felicia Hardy thought about the Boxing Club and realized it might be a good fit for her too. Perhaps she could even snag a women's championship. After all, Felicia wasn't an ordinary person—she was the Black Cat, and her physical fitness far exceeded that of a normal human, though she remained within the limits of peak human potential rather than super-soldier levels like Captain America.
Once the group finally accepted Silas joining the Boxing Club, Felicia immediately announced she was joining as well.
"..." Gwen massaged her temples in silence. She could tell Felicia liked Silas, but was she really going to follow him that blindly? Gwen acknowledged her own feelings for Peter, but she certainly wasn't going to join that boring Computer Interest Club just to be near him.
Liz didn't expect Peter's friends to be so wild, so she turned to Gwen. "Gwen, why don't we join the Music Club together?" The Music Club was diverse, offering everything from pop and rap to choir.
"No," Gwen declined. "I'm planning to check out the Photography Club."
Soon, it was time for the afternoon recruitment. The group split into three: Liz went to the Music Club, Felicia and Silas headed to boxing, and Ned—unable to win an argument against Peter—accompanied Peter and Gwen to the photography booth.
The Boxing Gym
"How are you feeling? Getting nervous yet?" Felicia teased Silas as they walked toward the gym.
"Are you kidding? I'm super brave," Silas replied. He wasn't nervous at all; there was no way he could be intimidated by a group of ordinary students.
They were greeted warmly by Tyrande, the head of the recruitment department, who began showing them the facilities. Silas looked up at the two people sparring in the ring; they were drenched in sweat, the sound of rhythmic punching filling the air.
"Looks good," Felicia noted. She was headed for the women's section.
Whistle! A guy in the distance whistled at Felicia. Her good mood soured instantly. She turned to see a muscular man, about 1.85 meters tall, flexing his physique. "Hey! Beautiful girl, interested in getting to know each other?"
"That's Michael. He's our 85kg junior champion," Tyrande whispered to Silas and Felicia. "He's not a great person; just ignore him." If it weren't for Michael's skill, Tyrande would have tried to kick him out long ago.
However, the warning came too late. Felicia stepped forward. "I refuse, big guy."
"Refuse? Why is that, beautiful?" Michael's massive frame loomed over her. Even though Felicia was 1.78 meters tall, she looked small in front of him.
"No reason," Felicia said, stepping back with a cold glare. She didn't want him anywhere near her.
"Heh," Michael smirked. "I hope we can grab a drink tonight. What do you say?"
"Is your ear filled with manure? Did you not understand what I said?" Felicia snapped.
Michael felt a surge of anger. Usually, girls couldn't wait to say yes after seeing his muscles. This one was spicy! He liked that. "I like your spirit," Michael laughed loudly. He decided he would keep pursuing her as long as she was at this school.
At that moment, Silas stepped in front of Felicia, pulling her behind him. "Your name is Michael, right?"
"Yeah. What do you want, you little sprout?" Seeing Silas's protective gesture, Michael assumed they were dating. He immediately began belittling Silas to make him look weak in front of Felicia.
Silas's expression didn't change. He simply asked, "Want to go a round?"
"What did you say?" Michael dug a finger into his ear as if he'd misheard. "You want to fight me?"
Michael wasn't scared; he was just shocked. He had never seen someone so small challenge him. "Tyrande! You heard him! He's the one challenging me!" Michael shouted, his voice echoing through the gym.
Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. A fight between these two? The outcome seemed obvious.
"Silas..." Felicia tugged at Silas's sleeve. She hated Michael, but she knew his strength. Silas was going to get hurt. She was touched that he would stand up for her, but the physical disparity was too great, and Michael was a trained fighter.
Silas ignored her and stepped into the nearest ring. He looked at Michael and said, "Come on."
The gym went silent for a heartbeat before erupting in cheers. Everyone was in "spectator mode."
"Go for it!"
"Get in there!"
"Interesting," Michael grinned cruelly and stepped onto the mat. "I'll make you regret being born."
Tyrande sighed. He figured he was about to lose a new recruit to the infirmary. Felicia shouted from the sidelines, "Silas, get down! You're not his match!"
"Don't worry, beautiful, I won't break your boyfriend... much," Michael said, though he fully intended to leave Silas in a heap.
Silas almost laughed at the arrogance. "How long do you think this will last?"
"Less than a minute," Michael replied. He wanted to savor the beating.
"A minute?" Silas mused. That seemed like a long time.
Ding!
"Start!" Tyrande shouted from the referee's position. Neither side was wearing boxing gear, which was against the rules, but the momentum was unstoppable.
"Take this, sprout!" Michael lunged at Silas with a heavy fist.
Silas watched Michael approach. The man was full of openings. With a slight twist of his waist, Silas spun around and launched a high roundhouse kick toward Michael's left ear.
"What!" Michael's eyes widened. Silas was too fast—so fast he couldn't react. He only saw the blur of a foot in his peripheral vision.
Thump!
In the eyes of the crowd, Michael completed a mid-air 180-degree rotation before slamming into the mat, motionless. Match over.
The silence was deafening. No one could believe that this lean student had just one-shot the massive Michael. Tyrande rushed over to check on Michael, who was unconscious with a rapidly swelling face and a trail of blood from his mouth; his two front teeth were gone. Once he confirmed Michael wasn't in life-threatening danger, he had other members carry him to the infirmary.
"Silas... you..." Tyrande swallowed hard, still looking at Silas in disbelief.
"It's nothing. I've practiced some martial arts since I was a kid," Silas lied as he stepped out of the ring. "When he wakes up, let me know how much the medical bill is."
Silas led Felicia out of the gym. Once they were outside, she finally spoke. "You're actually that strong?"
"Did I ever say I was weak?" Silas joked.
"You said you practiced Kung fu?" Felicia's eyes lit up, remembering Silas's excuse.
Silas nodded. "Yeah. I learned from an old man I used to call 'Uncle'." (Note: Reference to Old Uncle/Dad from Jackie Chan Adventures).
"Can you teach me?" Felicia asked eagerly. "I want to be the strongest!"
Silas hesitated. He didn't actually know martial arts; he had won through raw power and dynamic vision. But as Felicia pressed herself against him, the physical contact made it hard to think straight.
"Fine," Silas relented. "I'll teach you a few things."
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