Chapter 37: She Can't Beat Me, Come!

"You can't beat me," Jiang Chen said with a confident smile.

Black Widow, who had been smiling, frowned slightly at his words. Can't beat him? Maybe an ordinary woman couldn't, but Black Widow was far from ordinary. She had been trained and transformed by the Red Room. Underestimating her would be a mistake.

Black Widow sneered. Though she had some affection for Jiang Chen, that didn't give him the right to look down on her. Did he think his well-toned abs would be enough to win? The idea was laughable.

"How do you know if you don't try?" she replied, smiling playfully.

A foreign man who had just been floored by Black Widow hurried over to Jiang Chen and whispered, "Dude, this girl's seriously tough. You might not want to mess with her."

"Trust me, just a friendly warning," he added, giving Jiang Chen a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Jiang Chen only smirked, then turned to Hawkeye. "She can't beat me. How about you give it a try?"

Hawkeye, caught off guard by the provocation, was momentarily stunned. A flash of disdain crossed his face. Though he wanted nothing more than to knock Jiang Chen down, he didn't consider him a worthy opponent.

Seeing Jiang Chen ignore her to challenge Hawkeye instead, Black Widow's face darkened with displeasure. "What's the matter? Afraid it'll be embarrassing to lose to me?" she taunted.

Jiang Chen chuckled and stepped into the ring. The foreign man shook his head in resignation. "Still too young…" he muttered under his breath.

Once inside the ring, Black Widow grinned. "What are we doing? Boxing, wrestling, or martial arts?"

Jiang Chen shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

Black Widow approached him, her smile turning mischievous. "I hope luck is on your side."

But before she could finish, Jiang Chen delivered a swift backspin kick, knocking her to the ground in one fluid, powerful motion. The strike was so fast, she didn't even have time to react.

Black Widow hit the floor hard, struggling to process what had just happened. The force left her disoriented.

"No amount of talk can change what's inevitable," Jiang Chen said calmly, looking down at her.

For a moment, Black Widow lay there in confusion. How had he gotten so strong? His transformation wasn't just physical—his speed, strength, and even his attitude had shifted. Only a few days had passed, so how could he become this powerful?

"Damn, that was amazing!" exclaimed the foreign man from earlier, who watched in astonishment. "That's some serious payback!"

But as soon as he said that, Black Widow shot him a deadly glare, causing him to retreat in fear.

Black Widow grimaced as she stood up, glaring at Jiang Chen with renewed determination. She was ready to fight again, but just then, Hawkeye stepped into the ring.

"I'll take it from here," he said, challenging Jiang Chen.

Black Widow glanced between them, then, with a frown, left the ring. The pain from Jiang Chen's kick was still lingering, and if she were an ordinary person, that blow would have done serious damage.

"You'd better start praying," Hawkeye sneered, though he couldn't hide his shock at the kick Jiang Chen had landed on Black Widow. He convinced himself it had been a lucky shot—surely, in a real fight, Jiang Chen couldn't take her down.

Jiang Chen said nothing, only locked eyes with Hawkeye.

Earlier, when Jiang Chen had sparred with Black Widow, the few people watching assumed it was a lighthearted contest. But when Hawkeye stepped into the ring, the atmosphere changed. More people gathered, eager to witness the clash between two men—a contest of raw power and skill.

Hawkeye smirked. "I'm not just an archer, you know. I can fight too."

Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Chen delivered a sharp punch to Hawkeye's face, sending him crashing into the ropes. Hawkeye bounced off and collapsed to the ground, his face burning with pain.

Another sneak attack! he thought bitterly.

"Get up! Keep going!" shouted the onlookers, their excitement building as they cheered for the fight to continue.

Dazed, Hawkeye slowly stood up, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. But before he could regain his footing, Jiang Chen hit him with another punch to the other side of his face. Hawkeye fell again, this time unable to stand.

"Stand up! Fight back!" the crowd roared.

Jiang Chen smirked. "He's not getting up again."

The power behind his punches was undeniable. Even if Hawkeye wanted to stand, his body wouldn't let him.

Black Widow, watching from the sidelines, was stunned. The sheer force and speed of Jiang Chen's strikes were terrifying. How had he grown so strong, so fast?

Jiang Chen looked down at the fallen Hawkeye and smirked. "Remember when you pointed that arrow at my head? I told you, you shouldn't be called Hawkeye. You should be called Blind Monk."

He paused, letting the words sink in. "In fact, you're closer to a blind man."

"These two punches were just a warning. If you ever point an arrow at my head again, I'll make sure you really are blind."