America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"Want to go boxing?"

"Yes." Li Qun nodded.

"Let me change my clothes."

Dr. Banner got up and went to the bedroom; he was now wearing a bathrobe.

A short while later, Dr. Banner came out of the bedroom, dressed like a dockworker.

"You should change your clothes too."

Dr. Banner tossed a few of his own clothes to Li Qun; the clothes reeked of sweat.

“When you register, I’ll put in a good word for you. Just think of a name and sign it,” Dr. Banner said.

"I see."

After preparations were complete, Bruce Banner opened a portal and brought Li Qun to the vicinity of the underground boxing match, in an abandoned factory.

Bruce Banner skillfully led Li Qun to the registration desk for the underground boxing match.

The underground boxing match was organized by a certain gang. Li Qun didn't know which gang it was, but he knew that the person above them must be Wilson Fiske, the kingpin of the New York underworld.

The person at the registration point looked up and sized up Li Qun. Li Qun had a fake mustache on his upper lip, but he still looked very young. The person didn't say anything, and Bruce Banner paid the $100 registration fee for Li Qun.

"Don't win too quickly. Beat your opponent in three minutes, understand?" Bruce Banner whispered to Li Qun.

"I see."

Bruce Banner patted Li Qun on the shoulder, and Li Qun walked toward the players' tunnel.

Chapter 93 I can talk to you all night

As Li Qun walked out of the players' tunnel, he immediately saw the venue for tonight's match, an octagonal enclosed fighting platform, commonly known as an octagonal cage, which Li Qun had seen on television.

Li Qun waited for a while in the players' tunnel.

The match was taking place in the octagon, but it didn't keep Li Qun waiting long before it ended. A muscular man wearing a hood and a white vest knocked the challenger to the ground with a single punch.

"Hey, what's your name?" The host moved to Li Qun's side and asked in a low voice.

“Jack,” Li Qun replied, using the name he had provided when registering.

"A nickname, I want a catchy nickname," the host said.

"Take this guy on stage, for example, he's called the Wanderer."

“Call me Monkey King,” Li Qun replied.

"Monkey King? What's that nickname?"

The host walked away, and Li Qun entered the octagonal cage, where the entrance and exit were quickly locked.

"The new challenger is... Black Monkey!" the host announced loudly into the microphone, and the audience booed for Liqun.

"Black monkey?"

Li Qun frowned. Anyway, he was only going to fight one match, so he could just leave the nickname to himself.

"start!"

"Ding ding~!"

The "vagrant" walked towards Li Qun, who felt that the person looked somewhat familiar.

"Liqun, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing the voice of "The Wanderer," Li Qun immediately realized that the person in front of him was Steve Rogers.

"Johnny, what are you doing here?" Li Qun asked in a low voice.

“You’re here for the money, aren’t you?” Steve asked in a low voice.

"So what?"

“It’s going to be hard for you to beat me, you might as well just admit defeat,” Steve said.

"I want to give it a try."

“Johnny, what are you doing here?” Li Qun asked.

“It’s also about the money,” Steve replied.

On Thanksgiving, Steve officially became Sharon Carter's boyfriend, and the two began dating with marriage in mind.

The couple planned to move out of their current studio apartment and rent a larger one. Steve didn't feel much pressure then, but he was aiming for marriage and was already considering it.

If he were to propose, he would need to buy a wedding ring, which he definitely couldn't afford with his current salary.

The underground boxing tournament offered participants a variety of options. Unlike Liqun, Steve chose to defend his title, for which he received a prize of 20,000. This way, Steve could win more throughout the night, but he had to keep winning until the very end; otherwise, he would receive nothing if he lost.

Bruce Banner, standing in the stands, didn't recognize Steve Rogers in the octagon and kept booing Li Qun, perfectly blending into the audience.

Seeing that Li Qun had no intention of admitting defeat, Steve had no choice but to use his fists to persuade Li Qun to back down. He controlled his strength perfectly; one punch was enough to knock someone unconscious.

There are black market doctors at the boxing match venue who can treat the participants on the spot for much lower prices than regular hospitals, but they only accept cash payments.

Steve threw a punch at Li Qun, aiming straight for Li Qun's jaw.

Li Qun quickly crouched down, lowered his body, and darted behind Steve.

Steve lost sight of his target and instinctively tried to turn around, but immediately felt a force knock him to the ground from behind.

Li Qun leaped and kicked Steve to the ground, both of them falling onto the ring. Li Qun got up even faster and kicked Steve as he got up.

Steve blocked Li Qun's kick with his arm and quickly countered with a punch.

Li Qun carefully observed Steve, who was fighting somewhat conservatively and seemed to lack combat experience.

Thinking that the other party was the first super soldier in human history created by Nazi scientists, Li Qun decided to let go of his inner constraints.

He staggered to avoid Steve's punches, then used both hands in a cup-like motion to deliver a series of blows to Steve's chest, forcing Steve to retreat repeatedly.

Steve's breathing became erratic, and his gaze towards Li Qun was somewhat bewildered.

Li Qun was swaying back and forth in the octagonal cage, as if he were drunk.

"So Black Monkey came to the competition drunk. I have to say, the way a drunkard moves does have some effect," the host exclaimed.

Steve kicked Li Qun, who immediately fell to the ground. Steve kicked again, and Li Qun rolled on the ground.

Li Qun rolled to the edge of the octagon, with nowhere to hide. Steve was about to kick him, but he was a little too slow. Steve wanted to wait for Li Qun to stand up.

Li Qun didn't give Steve a chance, sliding from beside Steve's legs to behind him, causing Steve to miss his kick.

Steve, having missed his kick, was full of openings. Li Qun hooked Steve's ankle on the ground, tripping him to the ground.

Steve fell, Li Qun got up, the referee counted the seconds outside the octagon, and Steve quickly got up.

"Kung Fu! It's Aurora Kung Fu!!"

The host was shouting into the microphone, and the audience was shouting too, yelling for refunds.

Steve lowered his center of gravity and lunged at Li Qun, switching from boxing to wrestling.

Li Qun leaped high, exceeding the height of the octagonal cage enclosure.

Li Qun spun in mid-air and kicked Steve in the back, sending Steve flying and bending the metal frame of the octagon.

The Liqun landed lightly, causing the entire audience to gasp in surprise.

This match has surpassed anything the audience has ever seen before.

Steve shook his head; hitting the metal frame of the octagon didn't affect his fighting stance. Steve turned around and assumed a boxing position for Li Qun.

“I can talk to you all night,” Steve said to Li Qun.

Li Qun suddenly realized that the person in front of him was one of the most stubborn men in the world, and what Steve said was true.

Li Qun glanced at the timer hanging above the field; three minutes had already passed.

Steve needed the money more than he did, and the most sensible choice for him at that moment was to admit defeat.

Li Qun raised his hand to signal to the referee outside the octagon that he was giving up the match.

"What?! The Black Monkey player, who had been in the lead the whole time, has actually given up! What a pity!!" the host exclaimed.

The spectators in the stands cheered; they had bet on Steve to win.

Li Qun walked out of the octagon and headed towards the exit of the arena.

Bruce Banner squeezed out of the stands and quickly ran to Li Qun's side.

“What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you come here to make money? You made me lose my registration fee, and now you owe me a hundred dollars,” Bruce Banner complained to Li Qun.

“The person in the ring is Steve Rogers. His greatest strength is his durability. No matter how many times he's knocked down, he can get back up,” Li Qun explained to Bruce Banner.

"It's him?"

Chapter 94 Pay taxes, open the door quickly!

"He's in big trouble."

"What big trouble?"

“Gangs don’t do charity,” Bruce Banner said.

"Steve Rogers can definitely defend his title and win the $2 prize, but usually the gang will give Rogers two options: join the gang or use the $2 he earns to pay for his life."

"Rogers will certainly fight back and battle dozens of gang members here."

"Where would the gang make their move?" Li Qun asked.

“They all have guns, so we have to outsmart them,” Bruce Banner said.

“The gangs won’t make a move on the field, or even within a hundred meters. They have to maintain this business; it wouldn’t be good if they scared their customers.”

Bruce Banner and Li Qun walked out of the abandoned factory that had been converted into an underground boxing arena. A small light was on at the factory gate, while the streetlights along the way were all dark. Looking up, the only light they could see was from the Self-Governing Bank, about 600 meters away.

"Liqun, you go back first. By the time Bruce wins and comes out, it will be almost midnight."

“I’ll wait for him here and take him home when he gets into the shadows,” Bruce Banner said.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. I was thinking the same thing – to send Steve on his way before the gang makes a move,” Li Qun said.