Chapter 4: Jamie Smith and May Lee (Continued)
On that starlit night, Jamie Smith strode out of the bedroom, his steps heavy yet resolute, as if each tread was in sync with the rhythm of fate. He descended into the basement, a vast space of over a hundred square meters, the air thick with an ancient and mystical aura. Along the walls stood three long spears, silent sentinels awaiting their master's call. Jamie's gaze swept over them, finally settling on one. The spear, silver-gray and over two meters long, had a cushioned tip—a weapon, yet more, a symbol of his unquenched spirit.
Despite the casual ease of his chat with Brother Fang, the cheerful banter over dinner with his buddy Chase Ron, a fire smoldered within Jamie Smith. He inhaled deeply, his voice echoing through the basement, "Snowy, initiate training monitoring."
"Snowy acknowledges," responded a mechanical voice, and with that, the basement's shadows sprang to life, cameras whirring to life like awakened guardians.
Jamie grasped the spear, his hands extending it with a low, resonant vibration, as if the spear itself was responding to his call. His grip was unconventional, right hand on the spear's waist, left hand on the tail end, a reverse grip that imbued each strike with an unpredictable edge.
He began to move, each step a race against time, each burst of power like a thunderbolt. The spear seemed to come alive in his hands, no longer a cold weapon but an extension of Jamie's will. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The spear pierced the air like a series of arrows, each one tearing through the silence with a shrill scream.
Data flickered on the wall's light display—"1@ meters per second," "18.6 meters per second," "17.9 meters per second," "18.1 meters per second"... Each number a testament to the peak velocity of each thrust, a record of Jamie's countless hours of training.
Suddenly, with a deafening crack, Jamie lunged forward, the spear's image blurring, the wall's display showing an astonishing "25.3 meters per second." This was Jamie Smith's most famous move—the Shadowless Thrust!
Those in the circle would understand the terror of such a spear speed; in close combat, a single strike could overwhelm even the world's top experts.
Without pause, Jamie approached a hanging heavy sandbag. With a twist of his waist, like a massive gear turning, he channeled his entire strength into his arms, the spear's force explosive, slamming into the sandbag. The custom-made, ultra-heavy sandbag, suspended on a track, weighed a whopping three hundred kilograms.
"Boom!" The low, thunderous sound echoed as the wall's display showed a staggering "625 kilograms." Such was the terrifying force of his casual flick, enough to send the provincial team members' spears flying with a mere touch!
Jamie continued to move, each swipe and smash, each explosive impact, resonating with a deep, powerful sound. The three-hundred-kilogram sandbag swayed under his relentless assault, the wall's display flickering with numbers: "656 kilograms," "689 kilograms," "630 kilograms"...
He paused momentarily, then charged forward, his body like a projectile, the spear an extension of his form, the tip of the projectile, crashing into the sandbag.
"Boom~~" The heavy sandbag was slammed along the hanging track, sliding to the other end, lifting high.
The wall's display showed an even more astonishing number: "1138 kilograms." This was Jamie Smith's other signature move—Mountain Breaker!
From a young age, under his father's guidance, Jamie had learned Bajiquan, Cuff Footwork, and practiced the Six Harmonies Spear Technique. In modern society, martial arts styles often absorbed the essence from one another, with many schools practicing similar techniques like inch power and whole-body power.
At the age of 20, during the World Martial Arts Competition, Jamie was struck by a shield, breaking his right leg. Since then, he had been nursing his injury while deeply focusing on spear techniques.
In college, Jamie studied physics, dissecting traditional martial arts skills from a physical perspective. He always believed that all power exertion was scientific. The body's bones, joints, and muscles were levers, bearings, and power sources.
With a solid foundation from his youth and a deeper understanding of power exertion from a physics standpoint, he continuously refined his techniques, eventually creating the Shadowless Thrust based on traditional "inch power" and the Mountain Breaker from the "Eight Extremes Iron Mountain Depend" technique.
His other spear techniques also improved to a certain extent, with each move—block, grasp, burst, chop, and swipe—exerting a stronger force. With such spear skills, even with a leg injury and significant flaws in his footwork, Jamie managed to return to the World Martial Arts Competition at the age of 25, reaching the top eight the following year.
The importance of footwork, it could be said, accounts for half of actual combat. The fact that Jamie could reach the top eight with significant flaws in his footwork speaks volumes about the terrifying level of his spear skills. He was also rated by the World Martial Arts Alliance as one of the top ten spear skills in all martial artists over the past thirty years, earning him the nickname "Spear Demon."
However, that competition also made Jamie realize that with a wounded leg, unless his spear skills underwent a qualitative change, there was no hope of becoming the world's number one. The more competitions he participated in, the worse his injury would become.
After that competition, he announced his retirement.
A professional martial artist, at the prime of his career at 26, Jamie Smith retired with his injuries.
In the basement, Jamie's face was beaded with sweat as he walked to the wall and gently placed the spear back in its place.
Looking at the three training spears in front of him, Jamie was silent. What good was his formidable spear skill? In modern society, martial arts combat was just a sport, and facing Sean Hill's coercion, he could only endure, with no other options.
"Jamie," May Lee, wearing pajamas, walked down the stairs and looked at Jamie, who was beaded with sweat, "What's wrong?"
Under normal circumstances, after a day of training at the martial arts gym, Jamie would usually just rest when he got home, rarely practicing with the spear again. And she could sense from the back of her boyfriend's silhouette against the wall that Jamie seemed to be in a bad mood.
"Let's talk upstairs," Jamie said as he turned off the light and led May Lee up to the living room on the first floor.
Living Room.
"Bring two bottles of juice," Jamie said as he sat down on the sofa. May Lee also sat down and asked, "Jamie, what happened?"
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At that moment, a female robot came to Jamie Smith and May Lee with a bottle of juice in each hand, handing them to the master and mistress. The butler robot, familiar with their usual drinks, was capable of doing housework, cooking, chatting, and even acting as a bodyguard... It was a third-generation intelligent robot, with a price tag comparable to that of a luxury sports car.
"Tell me quickly," May Lee poked Jamie Smith's shoulder as he sipped his drink.
"As you expected, Sean Hill made his move again, forcing me to lose my job," Jamie Smith shook his head, "He's such a madman, with no limits to what he does. Oh well, it was my senior who invited me to the martial arts gym in the first place. With my spear skills, I can make a living anywhere."
"Don't be angry," May Lee hugged her boyfriend's arm, comforting him, "It's not worth getting upset over a jerk."
Jamie Smith looked at his girlfriend and nodded. His girlfriend, May Lee, was a talented singer. She had no company or agent, and she attended Binhai Conservatory of Music. During her college years, her first live broadcast of her self-composed song "Pear Wood" went viral on the internet.
Her voice was very clean, and her songs had a special magic that could soothe people's souls. During college, she wrote more than thirty songs, and just from the download revenue, her income was tens of millions.
She was a very special category in the music circle. She did not participate in any variety shows, had no company, and no agent. She live-streamed once a month to sing, and occasionally posted some videos. In addition to singing videos, she also had game videos.
Her favorite game was "Martial Arts Online," where she was a catgirl female swordsman with a high ranking.
There were not a few professional martial artists playing "Martial Arts Online." Jamie Smith occasionally played and met May Lee, who was playing a small account. May Lee had never seen such a formidable player with a spear and immediately added him as a friend, using various methods to team up with Jamie Smith...
They got together through the game. Jamie Smith was also attracted to this catgirl swordsman, and the two gradually got closer.
"Sean Hill is a jerk," May Lee said, hugging her boyfriend's arm. "He claims to be a non-marriage advocate, but he changes girlfriends one after another. How could I, May Lee, look up to him? If I were pursuing fame and fortune, I wouldn
't just live-stream once a month."
Although they had never met in reality, Sean Hill still pursued May Lee crazily. Knowing that May Lee had a boyfriend and that she and her boyfriend were preparing to get married, Sean Hill still didn't give up.
Jamie Smith said with emotion, "May, you are straightforward. You directly blocked him and directly changed platforms to open an account on another live broadcast platform 'Micro World.'"
"I only live-stream once a month," May Lee said with a smile. "Changing platforms, I can still slowly accumulate fans. The 'Micro World' platform also has nearly half the traffic of the Tiger Shark platform, which is not bad."
"Sacrificing the tens of millions of fans you have accumulated over the years, and changing platforms just like that, only you can do it," Jamie Smith said.
"I earn money from song royalties, and live-streaming is up to fate," May Lee said, sipping her juice. "Life, after all, is about being happy. If I'm not happy, of course, I'll change platforms."
Jamie Smith was quite moved.
May Lee faced the coercion and temptation without hesitation, blocked the other party directly, and then changed platforms directly!
"In fact, our income is high enough, and we don't have to make ourselves too tired," May Lee comforted her boyfriend.
"Hmm," Jamie Smith nodded. They had discussed it before, blocking Sean Hill's contact information, out of sight, out of mind.
"Are you planning to go back to Mingyue City next?" May Lee asked.
"Well, it's easy to open a martial arts gym and be a high-end private coach in Mingyue City," Jamie Smith asked, "Are you planning to go back with me this time? We are going to get the certificate on New Year's Day, and we can go back in advance to meet the in-laws."
Jamie Smith and May Lee had a very good relationship, and they had agreed to get the certificate on New Year's Day, which means "a lifetime". Both parents have met and agreed.
"We are going back to Mingyue City, which means we are going to live there for a long time," May Lee looked at the various places in the living room. "A lot of things here also need to be moved, and I also need to say goodbye to my friends in Binhai City. I have been in Binhai since I went to college, and I have been here for so many years. Suddenly, I really don't want to leave."
"If you really don't want to leave..." Jamie Smith said.
"Let's go back, I also want to go back to my hometown," May Lee smiled and said, "Mingyue City, my parents, grandparents, and grandparents are all there, and I also want to go back."
They were really predestined, they got together in the game, and they both came from Mingyue City.
"You go back first and clean up the house in Mingyue City, and get everything ready," May Lee said, "I have to say goodbye to my friends, and I also need to arrange for my assistants." She hired two assistants to take care of some of her business affairs. She went to Mingyue City, and the two assistants also needed to go with her. Moving and renting a house need to be arranged.
"Okay," Jamie Smith nodded, his house has been empty for several years, but his parents will often take the robot to clean.
"Go take a bath first, look at you, you're all sweaty and smell like alcohol. Didn't you say you wouldn't drink?" May Lee said angrily.
"This time it's Big Bear, I haven't seen him for more than a year, so I just had a little beer," Jamie Smith said, "I'll take a bath first." He immediately ran away from the living room.
May Lee sat on the sofa, thinking about the life with Jamie Smith back in Mingyue City, and she was very happy.
"Drop."
A picture appeared in front of May Lee, and a middle-aged couple appeared in the picture.
"Dad, mom," May Lee shouted happily, "Have you had dinner yet?"
"We've had it early," the middle-aged man asked, "May, your uncle came to our house tonight."
"Uncle? Hasn't he not been to our house for many years? He didn't come when I was in college," May Lee was puzzled. Her uncle's wife had a big shot on her side, and after years of operation, her uncle's family became a local tycoon with a fortune of more than one billion, and her uncle and his wife looked down on the poor relatives of the Lee family, and they almost never interacted.
"Why would he come if there's nothing wrong?" May's mother hummed, "He came this time for your matter."
"My matter?" May Lee was puzzled.
"He wants you to be the girlfriend of Hill's son, 'Sean Hill', and came to our house to persuade us, the old couple," May's mother said angrily, "This old shameless, wants to sell his daughter for glory, sell his own daughter! Let my daughter jump into that fire pit! That Sean Hill is a playboy, and he has said more than once on the variety show that he is a non-marriage advocate. Such a playboy, is he worthy of my daughter?"
May's father also said, "Your mother and I scolded him, and we scolded your uncle away. That Sean Hill is not someone who lives a day, and Xiao Smith is a down-to-earth person who practices martial arts. After retiring, he spends most of his time practicing martial arts every day. In my opinion, he is still very good."
"Thank you, mom and dad," May Lee smiled, and her parents' firm support made her have fewer troubles.
"May, your future husband is the one who will accompany you the longest, not us," May's father looked at his daughter, "Your mother and I are old, so you have to choose a good husband! A woman's marriage is like being reborn for the second time, and the ancients said that a woman is afraid of marrying the wrong man! Xiao Smith, a down-to-earth martial arts practitioner, is still very good in my opinion."
"Hmm," May Lee nodded.
They chatted for a long time, and May Lee and her parents finally hung up the video call.
...
On the other side of the video call.
May's father and May's mother sat in the living room.
"Wife, you have to take care of May more in the future," May's father said.
"Chad, your illness, are you going to hide it from May?" May's mother's eyes were red.
May's father shook his head and said, "You know, I have a terminal illness. Even if I go through all kinds of medical treatments, I will only live for one or two years, and I will suffer a lot. Conservative treatment, living happily, can also live for about a year, which is enough. Now I just want my daughter to get married happily, and don't bother them at this time. When they get married, when my illness is completely uncontrollable, and in the last month, I will tell them."
"Telling her now is useless, and it will only add to her daughter's troubles," May's father said with a smile, "In this life, the fewer the days of trouble, the better, and the more the days of happiness, the better. I just hope that my daughter has more happy days."
"You, this life has always been considerate of others," May's mother said with red eyes.
"Today, I scolded my eldest brother, and I scolded him so much that he was dumbfounded and couldn't believe that I dared to scold him like that," May's father laughed, the closer to death, the more clear he became.
Life is all about this, being happy is the most important thing.