Demons Beside You

When Chen Zhao reached the gym, that reporter appeared before him again.

“Mr. Chen, you’re an illegal doctor, right? Did you give Rufford illegal drugs? His improvement is shocking. Does this have anything to do with the medicine you gave him?”

In this country, reporters were the true kings. They could twist any sentence to fit their goal.

“Who told you I’m a doctor? I’m not.”

If Chen Zhao admitted that he was a doctor, the Public Health Department wouldn’t be the first to find him. It would be the IRS.

How scary is the American IRS?

There was a rumor that the IRS got their eyes on a drug lord for tax evasion. When he finally got arrested, it was because the IRS found evidence while even the FBI couldn’t. One could imagine how frightening the IRS was.

“Mr. Chen, Mr. Rufford admitted it himself.”

“Admit what? I know Rufford, but that doesn’t mean I gave him treatment.”

“Mr. Chen, are you doing this to hide the fact that you gave Mr. Rufford steroids?”

“If Rufford used steroids, the IAAF and Anti-Doping Organization can come for me. If you have evidence, please take it out. Otherwise, wait for my lawyer’s message.”

A lawyer’s message didn’t actually have any legal effect. It was basically just a threat to attack if the other kept going.

Kate gritted her teeth at Chen Zhao. This Chinese man was more troublesome than she’d expected. His answers were seamless.

“Mr. Chen, if you’re worried about your identity being exposed, I can ensure to keep your identity hidden…”

“What identity? I’m just a Chinese man working in America on a green card. If you keep making harmful guesses, I’ll report you for harassment, defamation, and racism.”

“When did I act racist?”

Anybody would be in trouble if they were found to be racist. Even the godly reporters didn’t dare to touch that line. If she was sued for this crime, she would lose her job even if she wasn’t found guilty.

Chen Zhao was just showing off. If Kate wanted to make his life hard, he would do the same.

“I just feel like you’re being racist,” Chen Zhao said matter-of-factly.

Racism was a true problem, but some minorities also felt that any offenses toward them was racism.

Kate stared at Chen Zhao’s back and clenched her fists.

Chen Zhao entered the gym. He waved to all the people he was familiar with. He was well-known here too. After all, not many dared to have Gaia be their coach.

Gaia was currently teaching a student in the ring. That student was six feet tall, like Chen Zhao. His weight was similar too. However, he was much weaker. Gaia held up a pad with one hand and didn’t even budge when the student’s fist hit it.

If it was Chen Zhao, Gaia would need to hold the pad with both hands.

“Harder, harder. Too weak, Anderson. Did you eat breakfast? Or did you use all your energy on girls?” Gaia pushed the student’s fists away with the pad. The student took two unsteady steps back.

“Okay, Anderson. Go take a rest.” Gaia patted his shoulders.

“Chen, put on your gear and come practice.”

When Gaia and Chen Zhao practiced, Chen Zhao was the defense. He took the pad and put on protective gear.

“Up, down, up, down, left, right, right, left, up…”

Gaia would tell Chen Zhao where she was attacking before she did so. Then Chen Zhao would do the appropriate defense. After 15 minutes of training, they were both sweating.

Anderson offered them water and patted Chen Zhao’s arm. “Chen, how come we have similar build but our strength and speed are so different?” He wanted to learn Chen Zhao’s ways.

“Maybe it’s because I exercise often,” Chen Zhao said. “I’m a coach too, so maybe I’m more familiar with how to make myself stronger.”

Similar build didn’t mean that they had the same power. There was still the problem of fat ratio.

A regular person had around 10% to 12% body fat. Athletes had around five percent, while the top athletes could reach three or four percent.

The lower the fat, the stronger the bursts of movement. According to biology, fat was for preserving energy. This way, the animal wouldn’t die of starvation from lack of food. On the other hand, muscle represented an animal’s status in the food chain. The stronger and faster they were, the more advantageous they were.

When civilizations appeared and society turned from hunter-gatherers to agrarian cultures, fat no longer had a survival advantage. Instead, it got in the way of labor.

However, thousands of years later, the human body still hadn’t become completely removed from the primitive state. Being overly strong could actually shorten the lifespan.

For example, many athletes were talented, but the talent was only for unleashing potential. Throughout their career, they could become faster and stronger, but after their golden age, their bodies would deteriorate quickly.

The injuries and ailments accumulated throughout their career would start attacking their bodies.

Anderson and Chen Zhao chatted for a while. Chen Zhao learned that Anderson was an amateur hobbyist. His goal seemed to be to join an official competition, but his potential was so-so.

“Anderson, go against Chen and feel his power,” Gaia said.

They both put on protective gear and Anderson felt the entirety of Chen Zhao’s heavy fist. Even though Chen Zhao had held back, he was still forced back each time.

“Anderson, Chen, switch. Anderson attack, Chen defend.”

The two switched positions. Anderson’s feeling changed again. Rather than fighting against a human, it was like he was facing an unmoving wall.

Gaia was both of their coaches, so she obviously knew their differences.

Chen Zhao’s fitness was too amazing. Even Gaia might not be able to win against him for pure strength—let alone someone average like Anderson.

Getting off the ring, the three rested and drank water at the window. “Gaia,” Anderson said. “How can I become like Chen Zhao?”

Gaia glanced at Chen Zhao. “In terms of fitness, there’s barely any way of surpassing Chen. You can only go from technique.”

“Is there any way of improving in technique?”

“Keep practicing,” Gaia said. “There’s no cheating method. Even geniuses have to keep working hard. You’re not a genius, so if you want to become a professional fighter, you have to work even harder. My suggestion is that you find a professional boxing coach.”