Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 647, Section 61: The Pride of a Champion

"How are you feeling, Jack? Can you still take this guy's punches?"

As V wiped the sweat from Jack's face, Oliver stood below the ring and asked Jack, "I was stunned when I saw you fly up. That guy's fist is probably comparable to an exoskeleton. I think that punch could break a reinforced concrete wall."

"We can still hold on."

Jack glanced down at his swollen, purple arm, the capillaries beneath his skin spreading out like a shattered spiderweb. He tried to move his fingers, and a sharp pain immediately shot through his joints. "But if that fist landed on me..." He grinned, but his words were cut off by the cold mist of the painkiller spray.

V silently unscrewed the silver metal can bearing the words "All-Out Treatment," its surface reflecting the blinding white light from the stadium ceiling.

With a hiss of pressure release, a pale blue medicinal mist gushed from the nozzle, densely covering Jack's battered arms. The moment the mist touched his skin, Jack's muscles involuntarily tensed—it was an almost icy coolness, like liquid nitrogen. Then, the burning pain quickly dissipated like the receding tide, replaced by a soothing numbness, which even cleared his muddled thoughts.

“I remember this is a new product that was just released last month, right?” Jack rotated his wrist, watching the liquid that had congealed on his skin seep into his pores like a living thing. “I remember it wasn’t cheap.” He observed the effect. “But there’s a reason it’s expensive. The effect is like soaking your whole arm in ice-cold whiskey.”

"Wouldn't it hurt a lot to use alcohol for disinfection?"

Karl, who was providing support from below the ring, was a little speechless: "But judging from your appearance, you should be alright. Come on, there's still a little time left, have something to eat."

As he spoke, Carl handed over an energy gel: "Mexican flavor, the kind you like."

"Don't tell me it's a corn chip flavored chewy snack, it really is."

Jack swallowed the energy gel that had already been torn open and found that it really was corn chip flavored. The taste of corn chips mixed with the soft energy gel was actually quite strange, but feeling the replenishment as it fell from his esophagus into his stomach, Jack felt like he had regained some strength.

"With your support team supporting me like this, I feel it would be strange if I didn't win."

"Then you should win first."

V patted Jack on the shoulder, and just then, the bell rang to start the second round.

"I'll settle this with him this round."

Jack stood up, and opposite him, Razor Hughes, whose wounds had been treated, slowly stood up. Judging from his posture, the injuries Jack had inflicted on him in the first round did not hinder his fight at all, and he was still in his prime.

In the second round, Razor Hughes's fighting style was different from the first round. Sensing Jack's threat, he fought more steadily. Instead of throwing punches like in the first round, he clenched his fists and stood them in front of his chest, slowly but threateningly pressing towards Jack.

"Come on, big guy."

Faced with Razor Hughes's stance, Jack changed his posture.

Instead of using the Mexican boxing stance that he used most often in his previous boxing career, he used the Filipino boxing stance.

Mexican boxing emphasizes aggressive, pressuring boxing techniques, using hooks and uppercuts to strike various parts of the opponent's body, with less use of straight punches, focusing on close-range domination.

The Filipino boxing style, however, carries a Southeast Asian boxing influence, exhibiting a fast-paced, Muay Thai-like approach. It emphasizes ferocity and a rapid attack frequency, aiming to overwhelm the opponent with a barrage of punches. Jack's change in stance signifies a reversal of offense and defense in the second round against Razor Hughes, who was the dominant attacker in the first. In the first round, Razor Hughes was the one on the offensive, his powerful and unstoppable attacks relentlessly pressuring Jack, who could only defend by enduring the onslaught. In the second round, however, due to the injury sustained in the first round, Razor Hughes opted for a more conservative approach. Jack, on the other hand, sought to capitalize on Hughes' weakness, aiming to decide the outcome through sheer speed and punches.

Hughes noticed Jack's change in posture. As a champion in the boxing ring, he naturally recognized Jack's current stance and immediately thought of a reasonable way to deal with it.

Faced with the relentless punches and Filipino boxing style that aims to win through speed, the most reasonable approach is to maintain a defensive stance and stall for time. This is because fierce attacks are often accompanied by significant energy expenditure. If Hughes can steadily defend and stall, Jack will run out of energy in just a few rounds, at which point it will be time for Razor Hughes to launch a counterattack.

This is the most reasonable approach.

However, this is not how a heavyweight boxing champion should behave.

His pride, or rather his self-respect, wouldn't allow Razor Hughes to do that.

In the boxing ring, all you need is to win.

This is something Razor Hughes learned after entering the boxing world: as long as you want to win, you can use any means necessary; as long as you can win, you can be as despicable as you want.

So Razor Hughes willingly accepted the military-grade prosthetic modification, turning his body into a true boxing machine.

But despite being a machine, his heart is still that of a human.

He also possesses a pride that he has never wavered from since his days in the animal gang.

That was Razor Hughes. He would definitely knock his opponent down head-on, using punches like cannonballs. In his boxing career, he never once outlasted his opponent through sheer physical exertion.

For Razor Hughes, the only way to win as a boxing champion is by knocking him down.

He was knocked down once in the first round, so he should fight back!
Razor Hughes's mind gradually calmed down.

The mental and physical torment he suffered daily from the military-grade prosthetic body, which required him to inhale suppressants to alleviate, was subsiding, and a sense of peace enveloped Razor Hughes's heart.

There's no need to overthink it.

The opponent has already adopted an offensive stance, so what other response can he possibly have?
Razor Hughes, under the incomprehensible gaze of his coach and the slight smile on Jack's lips, struck the exact same boxing pose as Jack.

Offense against offense.

A champion is never afraid of any adjustment. Since you intend to challenge me with my proud offensive style, then I will accept your challenge.

"No wonder he's the champion."

Jack muttered to himself as he lunged forward, throwing a punch.

(End of this chapter)