"Around one million dollars or so. Depends on the market value."
"Damn, that's a lot of money!"
Meilan chuckled heartily. "I know right?! I'm happy that Earth could finally enter the Age of Interstellar after World War Three. But, the living cost has gone up astronomically since then due to the massive inflation drop rate."
"That should explain why the poor struggle to even have a decent life." Ye Shen muttered under his breath. At this moment, Ye Shen became even more determined to bring prosperity to Meilan and Grandpa Wang to repay their kindness.
Before the chicken went cold, Ye Shen dug into his meal with gusto.
"Mmm! It's so delicious! It's so tender and flavorful!"
"Of course… I used real, free range chicken for this recipe. As a fighter, the quality of your food and nutrition is paramount. Especially when your body is hundred percent organic."
Ye Shen listened to her words with a tad of uneasiness. He understood that Meilan must be longing for his father who had passed away. It goes without saying that Meilan tried to make amends for what happened in the past by taking care of Ye Shen.
"Thank you for always looking after me." Ye Shen remarked. "To commemorate my first official win in the cage, I bought some juices and white wine. I hope they fit your taste."
"Wait, your first official win? Where did you fight?"
"Emperor of The Street. The cash prize is small, but it's worth the while to entertain myself while waiting for the Debut Offer in the UMT."
"The EOTS!? Do you even know what kind of people who participate in that brutal fight club? Look, I don't want to tell you what to do. It's not my business, I get that. But—"
Ye Shen put a finger on her lips before she yapping nonstop. "I know the risk… Yet I still need some money for myself. I can't just ask for money everyday, right? Relax, I know what I'm doing."
Meilan slumped into the backrest, she was lost for words. At this moment, she understood that Ye Shen was a free spirited man, and a powerful fighter. He would fight anytime, anywhere if the conditions are met.
"My goodness. Did you get hurt somewhere?"
"Not even a scratch." Ye Shen replied while finishing his plate. "Speaking of fighting, have you heard from Bai Ning regarding my debut fight?"
"Not yet. She was still busy preparing Zhang Quan's next fight. His opponent has a C Ranked System, and has 300 MMR, whereas Zhang Quan has only 200 MMR. It would be a tough fight for him."
Ye Shen touched his chin, pondering for a moment.
"Does the one hundred MMR difference justify a fighter's capability?"
"In the UMT? Yes. For every twenty five MMR that you earned, it tells you the strength of each fighter. One hundred MMR difference would mean that Zhang Quan's opponent is four times stronger than him."
"If that's the case, Zhang Quan is utterly fucked. This matchmaking is definitely rigged by the stronger and perhaps wealthier opponent."
"We can't say for sure. But there's a possibility for such things."
"Well. Let's hope he'd survive from that fight."
After finishing his meal, Ye Shen cleaned the dishes and went to bed right away. Though he hates to sleep like a common mortal, he couldn't fight the fatigue since his current physical condition still requires mandatory sleep.
While his body was resting, Ye Shen's mind was still pretty much active. He even sharpened his technique that he mastered in the past in his dream.
****
The next morning, Ye Shen woke up so early to do his mandatory workout. The sun hadn't even peeked in the eastern sky just yet. In just an hour, he had finished the daily workout routine, including the ten kilometers run in less than thirty minutes.
After he hit the shower, Ye Shen was ready in his training outfit for the day. In the meantime, Meilan just woke up, still dragging the blanket with her. She didn't realize that she was in utter mess.
"Why so early? It's still six o'clock." She said while yawning wide.
"En. There's something that I want to try. I'll be back at lunch hour for a quick lunch." Ye Shen replied while putting on his shoes. "How about you? Do you have any plans for today?"
"Not in particular. Just a gym class in the evening. I'm just going to rest until then."
"Alright then. Talk to you later. Bye!"
"Good bye…" Meilan saw him off while waving at him.
However, Ye Shen reopened the door when he was just a few steps outside.
"Meilan, let's hang out this evening. It's been a while."
Her fox ears and tail perked up in happiness. "Of course! Let's go!"
After a quick jog, Ye Shen arrived at the gym. As for this time, he opted to enter from the front entrance since there's no paparazzis on the gym's premises.
Bai Ning quickly came over, showing him the waiver which was ready to be signed.
"Ye Shen, look what I got for you!"
"What is this?" Ye Shen tilted his head. Confused.
"Your opponents for the Debut Fight in the UMT had signed his part. And now it's your turn. Once you sign the waiver, the Head of Marketing Division will reveal the date and venue in a short notice once both parties agreed."
"Eh? That was quick. I thought you were busy preparing Zhang Quan for his rank up match."
"The email arrived last night, and I just checked it this morning. And I immediately processed everything for you." Bai Ning crossed her arms under her sizable bosoms. "About Zhang Quan's fight, I've done my part. The rest is up to him. The opponent is much stronger than him this time. He must be really nervous."
Ye Shen turned his head towards Zhang Quan who was punching the hanging sandbag furiously. The sound of his punch and kick resounded aloud like gunshots.
Ye Shen shook his head, he felt sorry for Zhang Quan's lack of comprehension in fighting. What Zhang Quan did at the moment was just wasting his stamina. Through the eyes that had been trained to see the most grotesque, sophisticated martial technique, he could easily tell what Zhang Quan needed the most.
"You're wrong, Bai Ning. There's still a way to win this fight."
"I know what you're thinking, Ye Shen. Please don't mess with him. His mental state would definitely goes haywire if you interrupted him."
"Relax… I'm just going to show him a pointer or two!"