The Discarded Punching Bag

When the punch landed beneath his ribs, Lu Chenzhou heard a sharp click. It was not bone breaking. It was Coach Luo Zhan stopping the timer. “Enough.” Han Lie withdrew his red-gloved right hand in the center of the Yaoshu Combat League gym. He had barely broken a sweat. The youth prospects watched Lu collapse against the ropes, but nobody moved to help. A sparring partner was paid to be hit. A fallen punching bag was nothing remarkable. Luo handed him a sheet of paper. “You failed the medical evaluation, and you're too old to be a prospect. The club won't renew your contract. Sign, and payroll will settle today.” ELIMINATED was printed in heavy black type.