"There's a picture of his father hanging on it..." The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. In a cowshed outside New York State, Jiang Hai was leaning against a stack of straw, looking at his phone while eating. After spending so much time with the cows lately, he had gradually grown accustomed to their taste. At least around fifteen cows—he could still eat.
Currently, his phone was playing a crosstalk performance he had downloaded. As for whether it had copyright, Jiang Hai wasn't sure. He simply downloaded it without thinking. The performance wasn't just by one person; it was by the entire De Mou Society. Now, it was the crosstalk of Mr. Guo, the leader of the group. It had to be said that Mr. Guo's crosstalk was quite entertaining, especially when most people in China were following the main theme. Although some of the jokes seemed a bit crude, often poking fun at the supporting characters, that was the essence of the humor. As Mr. Guo's partner, Yu Shaobao, often said, it was their job. If their crosstalk didn't make the audience laugh, what else could it be? Jiang Hai admitted that he was a bit vulgar himself.
He liked money, beautiful women, and a luxurious life, and he thoroughly enjoyed all these things.
Even though he was in the United States, in addition to listening to crosstalk, he often watched domestic variety shows.
Of course, he wasn't into shows like Kuaiben, which were obviously biased toward the young and old. He preferred programs like Running Man, God of Songs on the Internet, and Refrigerator.
On the other hand, he didn't care much for American variety shows. He felt their humor could often be too raunchy. Many people in the U.S. openly discuss topics like the length and endurance of men, whether women enjoy oral sex, or the sounds of moaning—all of it on TV, without batting an eye. As a country farmer without a girlfriend, living in the suburbs, Jiang Hai found these shows overwhelming. His nutrition was almost out of sync with what he was watching.
However, there were a few programs he enjoyed, like Victoria's Secret. It felt like no one was hiding anything, and watching the models strut on stage calmed him.
Well, it was all just pure admiration for the clothes. Whether you believe it or not, Jiang Hai certainly did.
When it came to American variety shows, E was the most popular channel, especially for professional wrestling. The channels included RA, SAKN, NA, RH, E, and others. Wrestling was loved across the Americas, including North and South America, as well as the island nations.
However, he watched wrestling for entertainment, knowing that the fights were staged. The outcomes and even the action were scripted. Jiang Hai had seen some wrestling before, during the time when HHH and Gao Bo were competing. Back then, it might have been real fighting, since there was blood almost every week.
Now, however, it was just entertainment. Sometimes the opponents would already know when a move was coming. For example, women's matches were often predictable. Still, Jiang Hai couldn't help but enjoy them—though his nutrition might not be up to par.
Today was the 16-to-8 round, with the quarterfinals tomorrow. It was the last night to watch, so Jiang Hai needed to stay alert. The only old cowboy around, Robbins-Garcia, had to visit the slaughterhouse tomorrow to oversee the cattle being slaughtered. To avoid any issues, Robbins-Garcia wouldn't be coming to watch tonight, leaving Jiang Hai to monitor for the next four hours.
After returning to the hotel, Jiang Hai ate, washed up, and went to bed early, at 8 PM. He slept soundly until 1:30 AM, then got up, washed again, and drove to replace Enol Ceci.
From 2 AM until 6 AM, it was Jiang Hai's time. His physical fitness exceeded that of an average human being. He could easily handle it, especially since he had already slept six hours before. Missing sleep for a few days wouldn't bother him; after all, if he had undergone proper training, he could probably last even longer.
But Jiang Hai wasn't interested in such hardships. Why suffer? He'd rather think about how to improve his own abilities, particularly his scales. Upgrading them just one level would mean a different method of improvement, and his strength would double. If he upgraded again, there might be even more changes.
At the moment, Jiang Hai's mind was calm. He sat back, sipping tea, watching crosstalk, and eating melon seeds. Time passed without notice. Behind him, the cows lay kneeling, softly breathing. Of course, in addition to their breathing, there were plenty of farts. Cows might be the most flatulent animals in the world. They didn't eat soybeans or drink cold water every day, so where did all the gas come from?
Luckily, Jiang Hai was sitting upwind. If he had been downwind, he would have been in trouble.
By the time it was around 3 AM, the sky in the easternmost part of the United States began to lighten. The sun rose early, especially considering the time difference between the eastern and western parts of the U.S., which was about an hour apart.
But an hour difference wouldn't stop the sun from rising quickly. By 3 AM, it had already begun to appear. The darkest time before dawn was also when humans felt the most sleepy.
Even Jiang Hai couldn't resist yawning. Just as he was in the middle of his yawn, he suddenly noticed several figures in the distance, slowly moving toward him.
"Who's there?" Rubbing his eyes, Jiang Hai turned on his phone's camera and shouted at the figures.
"It's me," came the reply. The response seemed ordinary enough to lower his guard, but Jiang Hai's vigilance heightened, as the voice sounded unfamiliar.
"Who are you?" Jiang Hai shouted more loudly.
Hearing his shout, the cows behind him woke up. However, cows weren't night vision animals, so all they could do was stare blankly with open eyes.
The figures didn't respond to Jiang Hai but started running toward him. His eyes narrowed. These people clearly had ill intentions. He immediately set his phone on the haystack and activated the video recording function.
The group of five people charged forward. Four of them were empty-handed, but one had something on his back. Seeing Jiang Hai recording, the four attackers glanced at each other, then split up. Three of them ran toward him while the fourth, along with the one carrying something, headed toward the cowshed.
It was clear to Jiang Hai that they were after his cows.
What was going on? These cows were his life and property. Without hesitation, Jiang Hai rushed toward the three attackers.
The attackers didn't think twice and charged at him. Jiang Hai knew they had planned this attack. His cowshed had been left unguarded except for him.
The five weren't armed. Even if it were three against one, they didn't expect Jiang Hai to be their match. When the first man threw a punch aimed at Jiang Hai's nose, Jiang Hai saw through their strategy. The nose, stomach, and vital points—these were the most vulnerable spots on a man. A blow to the nose could lead to a concussion and blurred vision, throwing off balance. A punch to the stomach could cause nausea and weakness.
As the attacker aimed for his nose, Jiang Hai swiftly tilted his head, letting the punch miss. With a swift push of his left hand, the attacker's arm was thrown off course. In that same motion, Jiang Hai's leg shot out, kicking him in the abdomen.
"Bang!" The punch landed with a muffled sound, sending the man flying back five or six meters before crashing heavily to the ground. He writhed in pain, unable to make a sound.
Seeing one of their group taken down so easily, the remaining two attackers hesitated for a moment. But Jiang Hai didn't waste any time.
Bell had taught him that distractions in a fight could cost you your life.
Without missing a beat, Jiang Hai charged forward at the remaining two.