Chapter 14 · Breathe Through the Beating

Chen's feet hit the concrete steps before Old Xu finished falling.

The crowd noise turned into a wall of sound. Someone grabbed his shoulder. He shrugged it off and kept moving. The ring lights burned white spots into his vision but he didn't slow down. Old Xu was still on his knees, blood running from his mouth onto the canvas.

The Enforcer turned. Smiled.

"Another one?"

Chen ducked under the ropes. His hands were shaking. Not from fear. From the thing inside him waking up, metal taste flooding his mouth like he'd bitten through copper wire.

"Get down from there." Su Mian's voice cut through the noise. She was at the edge of the ring, one hand on the ropes. "Chen. Don't."

He didn't look at her.

Old Xu coughed. Spat blood. "Kid. You remember what I showed you?"

The breathing drill. Three days ago in the back room, Old Xu's hands on his ribs showing him where to pull the air, where to hold it, where to let the iron inside him drink it down.

"I remember."

"Good." Old Xu's grin was all red teeth. "Because I'm about to see if it was worth teaching you.