After taking a shower and changing into casual shorts and a T-shirt, Logan made his way to the basement. The underground space spanned over a hundred square meters, with three silver-gray training spears lined up neatly against the wall. Logan grabbed one of the spears, its two-and-a-half-meter length gleaming under the soft lights. Despite his lighthearted demeanor during his conversations with Michael and casual banter over dinner with Ethan Carter, Logan was seething internally.
"AI Assistant, start training monitoring," Logan commanded.
"Command received," the assistant responded.
Lights flickered on in the basement, and multiple sensors activated, tracking every movement in the room. Logan held the spear in a reverse grip—right hand gripping the middle, left hand holding the tail end. With a sudden burst of energy, he lunged forward, driving the spear through the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The spear moved like a blur, each thrust accompanied by a sharp whistle as it cut through the air. The digital display on the wall captured every detail:
"18.2 m/s," "18.6 m/s," "17.9 m/s," "18.1 m/s."
The readings reflected the speed of each strike.
Then, Logan steadied himself, took a deep breath, and thrust the spear forward with explosive force.
"Boom!"
The impact resonated through the room. The wall display updated with a new record: "25.3 m/s."
This was Logan’s signature move: the Phantom Thrust.
Anyone in the martial arts world would understand the significance of such speed. At close range, this move was virtually unstoppable—even the top martial artists in the world struggled to defend against it.
Stolen novel; please report.
Logan approached a suspended 300-kilogram heavy sandbag. With a subtle rotation of his hips, he generated immense force, channeling it into his arms. The spear struck with a reverberating thud, sending the bag swinging on its custom track.
"656 kg," "689 kg," "630 kg"—the display numbers climbed with each hit.
Finally, Logan stopped, taking a step back before lunging forward with a full-body charge. His entire body moved as one, the spear acting as the sharp tip of a missile.
"Boom!"
The sandbag slammed into the end of the track, lifting high into the air. The wall display flashed:
"1138 kg."
This was Logan’s other signature move: Mountain Breaker.
Logan had developed these techniques through years of study. From a young age, he trained in traditional martial arts under his father’s guidance, mastering techniques from multiple styles. Combining his understanding of biomechanics with his physics degree, Logan deconstructed and refined traditional techniques, giving rise to these devastatingly effective moves.
However, his journey had been anything but smooth. At 20, during a world martial arts championship, an opponent’s shield strike shattered Logan’s right leg. The injury sidelined him for years, and he turned his focus to refining his spear techniques. By the time he returned to the ring at 25, his advanced spear skills had carried him to the quarterfinals of the global championship.
Despite this achievement, Logan had to face reality: without flawless footwork, winning the championship was an impossible dream. He retired shortly after, recognizing the limits imposed by his injured leg.
Now, as he stood in the basement, Logan placed the spear back against the wall and sighed. No matter how advanced his techniques, the modern world treated martial arts as just another sport. Against someone like Evan Charles, even his skill and determination felt insignificant.
“洛根？”艾米丽的声音从楼梯上传来。她穿着她平常的家居服，当她看到洛根被汗水浸湿的身影时，她的眼睛里充满了担忧。“怎么了？”
洛根瞥了她一眼，勉强露出一个微微的微笑。“我们上楼谈谈。”
他关上灯，带她回到客厅。
在客厅里，洛根瘫软在沙发上。“AI 助手，拿两杯果汁来，”他喊道。
片刻之后，一个人形机器人出现，手里拿着两瓶果汁。它把他们交给了他们，它的动作流畅而高效。
“好吧，洒出来，”Emily戳了戳他的肩膀。“你怎么这么激动？”
洛根抿了一口饮料，说道：“埃文·查尔斯终于行动起来了。他向迈克尔施压，让我解雇我。
艾米丽皱起眉头，紧紧抓住他的手臂。“那家伙真是个垃圾。不值得为他烦恼。
洛根对她的愤慨咯咯笑了起来。“你说得对。此外，我会找到另一种方法。凭借我的技能，我总有办法谋生。
艾米丽看着他，她的表情变得柔和了。“我们会一起想办法的。你不必独自面对这一切。
洛根点点头，感谢她坚定不移的支持。
与此同时，在城市的其他地方，艾米丽的父母正在进行他们自己的对话。
“她叔叔今晚来了，”她爸爸说，难以置信地摇了摇头。
“这么多年过去了？”艾米丽的妈妈问道。
“是的。他来谈论 Emily，谈论所有的事情——具体来说，是为了推动与 Evan Charles 的匹配。
艾米丽妈妈的脸色变得严肃起来。“那个傲慢的混蛋？他认为他可以把我们的女儿卖给出价最高的人吗？我告诉他确切地可以把他的'报价'推到哪里。
艾米丽的爸爸叹了口气，但微微一笑。“我们抚养她长大，让她自己做决定。据我所知，她选择了洛根的一位好人。
回到联排别墅，洛根喝完了酒，看着艾米丽。“你准备好搬回红木城了吗？我们以前谈过这个问题——在婚礼前安顿下来。
艾米丽笑了。“我认为是时候了。让我们重新开始，远离所有这些噪音。
洛根的决心更加坚定了。尽管前方充满挑战，但他无意退缩。他们将一起建立新的生活——也许，只是也许，他仍然会找到一种方法来达到武术界的巅峰。