Along with the announcer’s introduction, Kong Wu finally saw his opponent for real.
He was a short, stocky man. Though he had a nickname like Poison Bee, which sounded extremely swift and agile, the armored cybernetics on his body wrapped him up like a medieval knight.
But Kong Wu was not only a boxer on a winning streak in the mid-tier division; he was also a cybernetic doctor. With just one glance, he could tell from the structure of those armor plates that the man’s mobility had absolutely not been affected!
Earlier, he had deliberately avoided listening to information about his opponent—not because he was arrogant, but because this, too, was part of his combat training.
If this were his real body acting in reality, or John’s revenge operation, Feng Xue would definitely investigate carefully, make arrangements in advance, and raise his chances of victory as much as possible.
But Kong Wu’s role was not like that. He was a martial artist honing his killing techniques and experience against enemies. On a one-on-one arena stage, facing an opponent head-on—if he still had to obtain information beforehand even here, then how was he supposed to face unfamiliar foes?
Feng Xue did not believe his luck would be good enough that he would never encounter sudden situations. Therefore, he had to refine methods for dealing with unknown enemies.
And this was also Kong Wu’s purpose in participating in underground boxing.
“Clang—!”
A small bronze bell suddenly rang out, symbolizing the start of the match. However, based on his past experience, the instance had actually already defaulted to combat beginning the moment Poison Bee stepped onto the stage.
Ignoring the side reward that could not be obtained without breaking the rules, Kong Wu immediately narrowed his eyes and focused his attention on Poison Bee.
But…
Poison Bee had vanished.
His legs were reverse-jointed, arthropod-like structures resembling a grasshopper’s. Though their endurance was average, within the limited space of this arena, they possessed absolute dominance.
The cybernetic implant that had made him famous, the [Bee Needle], completed its release in the instant their paths crossed. No probing, a swift battle to decide the outcome—this was the habitual attitude of a former high-tier competitor toward a mid-tier rookie.
However, the instant Poison Bee’s Bee Needle extended, he abruptly turned his body sideways. At the same time, the announcer’s voice, processed through cybernetics—noisy yet clearly articulated—rang out in sync.
“Poison Bee takes the initiative! This isn’t his usual routine, but who cares? Even after being relegated, a high-tier competitor ought to have this kind of domin—oh! Why did Poison Bee pull back… No, he didn’t pull back, he dodged! Contestant Kong Wu was actually able to launch such a powerful strike from a posture almost like a reverse joint? He’s a flesh-and-blood source-energy user! And judging from the distribution of the muscles in his arm, he hasn’t assimilated any kind of reverse-joint cybernetic implant!”
Amid that grating noise and the clamor of the audience, the two figures separated once more. Kong Wu rotated his left arm slightly, as if easing the burden from the reverse exertion just now, while Poison Bee kept his distance. His right eye locked onto Kong Wu’s every move, while his left eye continuously replayed Kong Wu’s earlier reaction.
“This isn’t mid-tier level…” Poison Bee’s gaze sharpened. He had originally planned to end things quickly and reclaim a wave of wagers from those who understood his style, but he had not expected to run into an expert.
Fortunately, caution had long since become habit for him. Otherwise, that single exchange might have determined his defeat.
“Tsk… No wonder he’s qualified to be the finale for the Masters!”
Poison Bee adjusted his breathing, and the frequency of the energy output within his body began to undergo subtle fine-tuning. During this process, Kong Wu merely observed quietly, attempting to combine his experience fighting the Iron Man Stake with reality and improve his reaction and judgment when facing unfamiliar enemies.
The two entered a brief stalemate. Though those who understood knew that this was a focused confrontation ready to erupt at any moment, the vast majority of those who watched underground boxing were merely the sort who liked standing in a safe place to watch the weak slaughter one another. And at times like this, it was the announcer’s turn to perform—
“The two contestants both chose to open up distance after a brief probing exchange. Are they waiting for an opening? But in this regard, Contestant Kong Wu is probably the one being led by the nose. After all, what Contestant Poison Bee excels at most is finding openings. Is the gap between the high-tier and mid-tier divisions still too great?”
The announcer’s noise served not only to keep the audience from getting bored, but also as a kind of reminder and interference for the contestants on stage. This sort of subtle behavior—slightly exposing one side’s intentions while refusing to spell things out, praising one while stepping on the other—would very easily create an opening if taken to heart.
The organizers of underground boxing had never cared about fairness. Or rather, the emotions of dissatisfaction and complacency were themselves part of fairness.
It was just that neither Kong Wu nor Poison Bee was the type to be provoked by words into revealing an opening. After that bout of instigation ended, neither of them showed any sign of making a move…
No, Poison Bee moved!
It was not because he had discovered an opening. He had launched a surprise attack on his own initiative.
A trace of surprise flashed through Kong Wu’s eyes, and he immediately assumed a defensive posture. Yet in the next instant, Poison Bee retreated back into the corner again.
A feint—one that could not even truly be called a fake move. But before Kong Wu had withdrawn his strength, Poison Bee attacked again.
“There it is, Contestant Poison Bee’s exhaustion tactic. His highly efficient telescopic cybernetic implants allow him to switch easily between real and false moves. Facing this kind of harassment, the enemy will inevitably fall into a defensive dilemma. Either they become fatigued from repeatedly tensing and relaxing, or after staying tense for a long time, they are struck in the instant they finally relax. This is a true open scheme. If you don’t want to be worn to death, you can only take the initiative and attack… Oh, I forgot. Contestant Kong Wu has a flesh-and-blood body. Compared with cybernetic fatigue, he should probably worry first about whether he’s going to get a cramp!”
The announcer’s chatter continued, and even the audience let out piercing laughter. Mixed among it were the curses of spectators who had bet on a swift finish, but Kong Wu ignored all of it completely. If he wanted to, he could absolutely use an EX throw to crush both Poison Bee and the arena in one grip. But recalling that strange insect from back then, he was also thinking: if he encountered an enemy with stat values equal to his own, or even surpassing his own, and that enemy acted in this manner, how should he respond?
The Explosive Arm was the confidence behind his invincibility, but relying on superior equipment to crush his way forward would eventually lead him to someone with even better equipment. In this world, where equipment levels had an upper limit, flesh-and-blood source energy would ultimately have to face the flaw of having lower stat values than cybernetics of the same level.
In reality, with Kong Wu’s current stats, apart from his right arm, everything else was ordinary four-star conversion. If not for the improvements from the Benevolent Chest, Talented Shoulders, and Virtuous Back, he would not be much different from someone with full-body three-star cybernetics. If these boxers, who were all heavily modified at four-star level on average, had advantage attributes at 200 and disadvantage attributes at 150, then excluding his right arm, all of his attributes were probably around 140. As for his right arm… even without activating any skill, his right arm’s strength attribute was 1500.
“There are five seconds left in the first round. Are both sides really going to end it in this kind of attrition? Once the intermission begins, won’t Contestant Poison Bee’s exhausting actions have gone to waste?”
The announcer suddenly spoke, and the referee also walked toward the bronze bell that represented the end of the round. Only this abrupt announcement made Kong Wu, who had always achieved K.O.s within two minutes before, remember that this was a three-minute-per-round arena match. It was just that…
A cold gleam suddenly exploded!
It was precisely the second before the bell was about to ring. Precisely the instant Kong Wu showed a trace of relaxation. Poison Bee suddenly erupted with astonishing speed—faster than before, stronger than before. The “bee stinger” that shot out from his elbow joint easily pierced the sound barrier, and the burst of high heat even raised a cloud of smoke that had no time to disperse.
The true killing move was at this very moment!