Qin Fen arrived again before the small alley from yesterday, looking at the quiet passage, and finally took a deep breath before choosing to take a detour.

He hurried all the way to the construction site, which was already bustling with intense activity. Qin Fen quickly ran into the site and headed for a small, temporary white shack within the area.

"Manager, about yesterday..."

"Who are you?" The old man who usually sat by the desk was replaced today by a middle-aged man with fair skin, a hooked nose, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

"I am..." Qin Fen paused: "I'm a worker here."

"Oh really?" The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, sizing Qin Fen up with obvious disdain: "I didn't see you yesterday. Oh~~ you're the one who skipped work yesterday, aren't you?"

"Yes." Qin Fen nodded seriously: "Manager, I was going to explain about yesterday..."

"Don't say another word." The middle-aged man, seated before a worn-out desk, frowned darkly and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses with a hand. He spoke in an icy tone: "I don't want to hear your excuses for missing work. No reason can cover up the fact that you were absent yesterday. Therefore, you are fired."

"Fired..." Qin Fen felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. The heavy manual labor at a construction site, which few people were willing to do, was the highest paying job available to him—a position he had fought hard to secure, and he didn't want to lose it just like that.

"Manager, I'll work for free today as compensation, is that acceptable?" Qin Fen looked earnestly at the manager, who had a slight beer belly. The income from this job was a crucial pillar of his financial support for attending university.

"Unnecessary." The manager picked up the tea, which had already turned a bit pale, and spoke slowly: "Admitting a mistake requires the right attitude. If you are truly repentant, then kneel on the ground and repent to me. Only then might I bestow this job upon you."

The atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to freezing point. Qin Fen stared coldly at the man sipping his tea. He desperately needed this job, but that didn't mean he should sacrifice his dignity to keep it by groveling.

"What? Is this your sincerity?" He didn't even have the energy to spare Qin Fen another glance, his eyes fixed on the tea in his hand. "It’s all that bastard Old Liu’s fault. Taking in trash like this—that’s why the project progress has slowed, forcing me to be demoted to this place to take over his work! Get out of here! You creature with a mother, but no manners..."

Crack-crack... Qin Fen's hand bones popped incessantly, sounding like kernels bursting. A murderous fighting spirit instantly flooded the entire room. Being fired, being insulted—that was fine! But no one should ever insult another person's mother!

The middle-aged man sitting in the chair glanced at Qin Fen with disdain: "What? You want to fight? With your strength?"

"Manager Zhang, I apologize. The young man is inexperienced; please forgive him, forgive him."

Two middle-aged workers from the site rushed in from outside the door, tightly grabbing Qin Fen’s arms from behind and dragging him out of the room.

"Xiao Qin, what's wrong with you..." the worker dragging him out said kindly, "You can't beat him! He’s a demobilized soldier from the army."

"He insulted my mother." Qin Fen stared coldly at the small white shack: "Insulting family members is unforgivable..."

"You can't beat him." The other middle-aged man also looked slightly downcast: "This guy was wounded in the field. Although his strength has dropped to only Two-Star, he was trained in the military and learned combat techniques civilians can’t pick up. You won't win against him..."

"Why haven't you left yet?" Manager Zhang walked out of the room holding his teacup, looking at Qin Fen dismissively: "Still angry? You don't accept being fired?"

"Firing me is your prerogative." Qin Fen fought to suppress the rage in his heart, but a strange sense of excitement was completely transforming into more fury and battle intent: "But insulting my mother, you owe me an apology."

Manager Zhang's scornful face suddenly twisted into a snarl. Unable to get promoted and instead being demoted, he was already frustrated. Finally catching a kid he could take his anger out on by firing him, and this kid dared to talk back after a few casual insults?

"Apologize? Based on what?" Manager Zhang took a sip of tea, his eyes suddenly turning exceptionally sharp: "Today, I will discipline you on behalf of your mother!"

The army is a place that turns ordinary people into various kinds of fighting machines. Although Manager Zhang's strength had regressed significantly, he retained the fighting instincts honed by military training: fierce, brutal, and ruthless! This was the kind of momentum that common martial arts practitioners lacked in combat.

The words had barely faded in everyone's ears when Manager Zhang stiffened his neck, tilting his head back sharply! His hands opened slightly, his right leg lifted gently, and with a small step from his left leg, his entire body swept through the air towards Qin Fen. As he lunged, his slightly open hands instantly transformed into tiger claws. A flick of his arm stirred up a spiraling gale, one hand concealed near his own shoulder, while the other tiger claw aimed for Qin Fen's Adam's apple.

Shaolin Tiger Claw Hand! A combat technique only Three-Star soldiers in the army were qualified to learn!

Manager Zhang’s neck veins bulged, his entire skeleton vibrated with sound, and the roar he let out truly resembled a fierce tiger unleashed.

Qin Fen stepped backward, leaning forward. His back bones cracked audibly; the raised arm was like a massive splitting axe, carving a beautiful, violent arc around his body, striking directly onto Manager Zhang’s tiger claw.

Shaolin Arhat Fist, Tiger Subduing Posture!

Manager Zhang’s pupils constricted; the tiger claw pushed forward again, joints popping loudly as it collided with Qin Fen's Tiger Subduing Posture.

The impact of the fist and claw created a continuous string of sharp cracking sounds from the bones and joints.

Manager Zhang’s wrist throbbed with numbness. He had asked about this kid Qin Fen from others yesterday and knew he had no background. He had intended to teach him a lesson this time to vent his own frustration, expecting no repercussions. He never imagined that the honest kid everyone spoke of would counterattack with such ferocity!

In the instant Manager Zhang was startled, Qin Fen’s body moved faster than thought. Sensing an opening, he flipped the wrist that had struck out, grabbed Manager Zhang’s wrist, and pulled sharply towards himself. Simultaneously, he stepped forward with his leading foot, rotating his waist violently. The muscles on his back instantly hardened like steel, slamming forcefully into Manager Zhang’s chest.

Shaolin Arhat Fist—Turning Body Single Mountain Support!

Everyone watched in stunned silence. How could the Shaolin Arhat Fist, something considered mere calisthenics, defeat the Shaolin Tiger Claw Hand from the army? How was it possible for a man with years of military experience to be so cleanly defeated by a mere boy?

Qin Fen stared coldly at Manager Zhang, who was struggling to get up. This was purely defensive counter-attack; he wouldn't fear even if the matter went to the police station!