"Then you can give it a try," Xu Ke said with a cold twist of his lips.
In the next moment, the match began, and the boxing ring fell into an unusual silence as everyone’s eyes eagerly watched the contestants on the field.
"I’ll give you a chance. If you kneel down now and admit defeat, and say out loud three times that Brother Long is a bastard, I’ll let you go. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair," said Ma Feng, licking his lips and revealing his deliberately sharpened teeth.
Such an ugly face made Xu Ke completely give up on the idea of further communication. Under the gaze of the whole audience, Xu Ke did not utter a word and, like a cannonball, charged straight at Ma Feng opposite him.
It’s often said: the best defense is a good offense.
This saying is not unfounded. Xu Ke completely abandoned defense and, with an unstoppable momentum, threw the first punch of the day toward Ma Feng.
This punch was a basic straight punch, something every boxer knows, without any technical intricacy—merely relying on sheer physical strength. The fist wind pierced through the air with a tearing sound and reached Ma Feng’s face. Ma Feng stood firmly with feet apart, knees slightly bent to maintain balance, and then responded with a straight punch of his own, meeting Xu Ke’s fist.
Their fists collided, and Xu Ke could hear the gasps from the audience. Everyone thought Xu Ke was being reckless and expected to see him flying back in the next second, yet the very next moment they all widened their eyes.
Look, what did they see? Ma Feng, seemingly strong as an ox, was pushed back two steps by Xu Ke’s punch.
Spectators from afar only saw Ma Feng retreat two steps, but the referee standing closer saw Ma Feng’s trembling hands. Ma Feng himself felt Xu Ke’s terrifying power more directly than anyone else, as the sharp pain spread from his fingertips to his scapula when their fists met, and he could even hear the sound of bones cracking inside his body.
Evidently, Xu Ke is a speed-type fighter; why does he possess such formidable strength? Had he known the opponent was this powerful, he would never have foolishly taken the punch head-on just to show off his technique.
At this moment, Ma Feng’s heart was filled with endless regret.
"You should feel proud to have taken my punch," Xu Ke said, flexing his wrist, the cracking sound of bones making Ma Feng involuntarily tremble, as though experiencing the bone-breaking pain all over again.
"It was my carelessness just now, but don’t get too cocky. The winner of this match hasn’t been decided yet," Ma Feng gritted his teeth, ignoring his broken arm, and spoke harshly with sweat trickling down his face.
This time he was prepared, confident he could knock the opponent to the ground.
"It’s over soon." In Xu Ke’s eyes, Ma Feng was merely a spent force. Xu Ke’s fist arrived almost simultaneously with his words. Ma Feng was initially focused, subconsciously raising Xu Ke’s danger level several notches, thinking he could surely defeat him this time. Yet, Xu Ke’s speed was even faster than before; Ma Feng hadn’t even reacted before a hook fist hit his temple, leaving him powerless to fight back.
For a moment, Ma Feng felt as if all sounds had completely drifted away, experiencing a silence he had never felt in his world.
The crowd watching stood up one by one, their mouths covered in shock as they witnessed the scene in the center. At that moment, the vast boxing ring was nearly silent, with only the sound of Xu Ke raining punches on Ma Feng’s body.
"Ugh, cough cough." Ma Feng squinted his eyes, his mouth filled with blood froth, his whole body limply resembling a boneless worm, being dragged around the sizable boxing ring by Xu Ke.
Seeing Xu Ke’s actions, the previously quiet boxing ring exploded into unprecedented enthusiastic shouts. They had never experienced such a thrilling boxing match before; Xu Ke’s punches were not hitting Ma Feng’s body but their own blood, making them feel the rush of blood and excitement, igniting a primal urge to jump in and fight.
"Isn’t this a bit too much?" Night Brother said, trembling his eyelids at the scene occurring in the ring. If not for remembering whose territory they were on, he would have already intervened. What was he doing, trampling on his face and even spitting on it?
Unlike Night Brother’s rage and shame, Dragon Brother felt utterly exhilarated, releasing the pressure he had been under from Night Brother’s incessant squeezing, feeling unprecedentedly relaxed and at ease.
Upon hearing Night Brother’s grievance, Dragon Brother smiled indifferently and replied, with no sincerity whatsoever, "Where’s the excess? In the boxing ring, there’s no mercy; I thought you knew that." Dragon Brother grinned sarcastically.
"Fine, fine, fine," Night Brother said, gritting his teeth, with a sinister smile after saying "fine" three times, "I didn’t just bring Ma Feng here today, but it seems Dragon Brother only has this one fighter. Don’t hold it against me then if my people don’t hold back later."
"Are you threatening me?" Dragon Brother asked, his tone turning low and menacing.
"How is it a threat? It’s just a friendly reminder," Night Brother replied bluntly.
On the stands, the tension was thick with gunpowder, whereas below the ring, the gunpowder had dissipated, leaving more of a bloody scent.
Xu Ke dragged the lifeless Ma Feng back to the center of the ring. He was about to toss him onto the ring when he noticed Ma Feng’s mouth opening and closing like it wanted to say something, blood continuously flowing out, tracing down his neck.
Xu Ke grabbed Ma Feng’s head and leaned his ear in, trying to hear what he wanted to say.
"Devil... devil..." Ma Feng’s faint, almost nonexistent whisper reached Xu Ke’s ears, making Xu Ke’s lips unconsciously curl upwards as he replied in a similarly low, raspy voice, "Stay away if you meet me next time."
Having said what he wanted, Xu Ke released his grip, sending Ma Feng crashing heavily onto the platform. The ready medical team rushed in immediately, taking Ma Feng away under Xu Ke’s chilly gaze.
Now freed by Xu Ke’s release, Ma Feng could finally receive treatment, while the audience on the stands cheered loudly in response to Xu Ke’s action, shouting Ju Feng’s name so loudly it seemed as if they would bring down the underground arena.
The continuous chanting of Ju Feng reignited Xu Ke’s blood that had just calmed down.
Xu Ke focused his gaze on Night Brother’s camp. Under everyone’s gaze, Xu Ke first gave a thumbs up in Night Brother’s direction. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, he turned his thumb downwards, brutally mocking Night Brother’s side.