Chapter 71 - 71: Searching for Lin Zhen (1)
Upon the arrival of the people from Blue Sky, the internal conflict within Gale Martial Arts Hall immediately stopped, and Dongfang Jun and Lu Ming, who had been in the room all this time, also came out.
Lu Ming took the initiative to speak to the head of Blue Sky Martial Arts Hall, Yang Jianying, “Head Yang, I Imow that you at Blue Sky want to make a name for yourselves in Ice City Base City, but after so many days, your reputation is loud enough, and quite a few people have joined Blue Sky. You’ve gained enough, haven’t you? Must you challenge Gale? You should know that Gale Martial Arts Hall is a flag of our Hua Xia, and shaking it is not good for anyone.”
Yang Jianying, a middle-aged man in his forties and a sixth-level War God expert, bowed his fist in response to Lu Ming, “Mayor Lu, it’s not that I don’t want to give you face, but the rise of a martial arts hall is related to the destiny of countless people, and I cannot change that. Moreover, the battle between martial artists is not under the jurisdiction of the Base City government, right?”
At this time, several people wearing glasses, carrying microphones, and cameras came out from behind Yang Jianying.
“I am a reporter from the All-Knowing Newspaper. Mayor Lu, are you trying to interfere with the normal sparring between martial artists?” A thin-faced, monkey-cheeked man asked first.
Looking at these tabloid reporters, Lu Ming frowned slightly, “That’s not what
I meant. I am just considering the issue from the standpoint of national justice. If both parties insist, the Base City will respect the decisions made between martial artists.”
After sitting down, Lu Ming said to Dongfang Jun, “Dongfang, your Martial Arts Hall must not lose. Blue Sky Martial Arts Hall must not be allowed to rise, no matter the cost. I cannot let the Russians act high and mighty over our heads. This is my bottom line, and also the intention of Base City!”
Looking at Lu Ming’s somewhat ashen face, Dongfang Jun nodded, knowing that the mayor really couldn’t stand the sight of Blue Sky and the Russians, and was genuinely angry.
However, Dongfang Jun was not confident in his heart, as Meng Dong, Fu Chengya, and Shen Yuhua always seemed unreliable.
“That Lin Zhen kid gives a more steady feeling. If he were here, maybe there would be some assurance.”
Dongfang Jun looked at Zhao Liang, who slightly lowered his head unnaturally. He knew that the headmaster was asking about Lin Zhen’s news again. He was here to cover for Lin Zhen, but he was really a little guilty when facing the headmaster.
Dongfang Jun frowned slightly, sensing something amiss with Zhao Liang, but it wasn’t a good time to call Zhao Liang over for questioning with the competition about to begin, so he had to wait until later to do so.
People around dispersed, and a huge leather mat was placed in the center of the hall. The leather mat had countless marks on it but no damage. This mat, made of the same material as the rubber sparring dummies, would recover quickly even if damaged, making it the best sparring battlefield, essentially a temporary arena.
After the mat was laid, the people from Gale and Blue Sky were on both sides, while the reporters set up their cameras. Many people in the audience also took out their phones to film, as the challenge was about to begin.
Russian strongman Nelov, as usual, took the stage first.
His huge body swayed and walked onto the arena while Nelov first made a thumbs-up gesture.
“This Russian devil is quite polite after all.”
“Yes, since he came up with politeness, let’s not be impolite.”
“It seems that this guy is not as brutal as the rumors say, he still knows how to respect our Hua Xia’s No.l Martial Arts Hall.”
Gale’s martial artists were discussing among themselves, but before they could finish, Nelov suddenly showed a thumbs-down sign, gesturing at the crowd of Gale martial artists, and laughed with his wide mouth opened, “What Gale, what Hua Xia’s No.l Martial Arts Hall! In my Nelov’s eyes, you are all trash! Watch me shred you all!”
“Arrogant!”
“What a nerve!”
“Meng Dong, get up there and teach this Russian a lesson!”
Gale’s War Generals, unable to participate due to the rules, could only keep cheering for Meng Dong from below.
Meng Dong nodded, got up, and walked onto the arena.
Meng Dong was also nearly two meters tall, but he still seemed half a head shorter in front of Nelov.
“Hua Xia boy, I hope you won’t cry when I beat you later!”
Nelov sneered and, without waiting for Meng Dong’s response, suddenly burst into action, swinging a punch straight at him!
The sound of muffled thunder echoed in the room, and the faces of all the martial artists present turned serious.
As martial artists, they were all too familiar with this sound. It was a sonic boom, indicating that the martial artist’s punch had exceeded the speed of sound, and a force of over a thousand kilograms was necessary to produce such a sound. Most war general martial artists could achieve this, but it was basically impossible for those in the warrior phase, at least Meng Dong couldn’t do it.
As expected, Meng Dong hadn’t anticipated Nelov’s punch to be so fast.
Watching a video and experiencing a real fight were entirely different things.
His arm went numb and Meng Dong stumbled backward. Nelov laughed maniacally as his punches rained down like a torrent, trapping Meng Dong in a defensive position.
However, Meng Dong’s willpower was still strong. Even though he was at a disadvantage, he was still giving his all to resist and counter. Nelov wouldn’t be able to defeat him with just a few moves.
Reporters below were covering the situation on the stage. Not only had the people from Blue Sky brought reporters, but Gale Martial Arts Hall had also attracted quite a few journalists. After all, the topic of martial artists was always of interest and never lacked attention.
“Hello everyone! We are now at Gale Martial Arts Hall. As you all know, the three Russian disciples from Blue Sky Martial Arts Hall have basically swept through all the Ice City Martial Arts Halls. Today, they have come to Gale Martial Arts Hall. Can Gale, as Hua Xia’s No.l Martial Arts Hall, retain the last bit of pride of Hua Xia martial artists? Let’s watch the situation on stage.”
“The battle between Nelov and Meng Dong has reached a fever pitch. We can see that Meng Dong is very tenacious. Nelov throws a heavy punch! Meng Dong blocks it, ah! Meng Dong retreats again. He has been pushed by Nelov to the corner of the ring. If he falls down, he will be judged as a loser. Meng Dong is in danger! Ah! Meng Dong manages to pass through Nelov’s armpit with an unconventional pose. It seems Nelov still needs some time to win, but if things continue like this, Meng Dong’s situation is worrisome. Will all Ice City Base City’s martial artists be no match for these Russian martial artists? We now need a hero. This is our reporter at the Gale Martial Arts Hall sending back the report to you.”
Many martial artists among the audience were sharing videos of the match. This battle had captured everyone’s attention. Dongfang Jun from Gale offered a high reward and even the Base City agreed to give a generous prize.
For the people in Ice City, this battle was of utmost importance. If Gale were to lose again, there would be no hope left for the martial arts halls in Ice City. At this point, no one believed that the martial artists from Changfeng could be more powerful than those from Gale. After all, Chen Jingchou was the only one with some fame, but he clearly wasn’t a match for the Russian trio. But as soon as the live broadcast of the match started, everyone was dumbfounded.
The Russian team was so strong, and Gale’s first martial artist already seemed to be unable to hold on.
“Change the player! Who is this? I’ve never heard of him before. Who let him go on stage? He’s obviously no match for the Russian bear.”
“Doesn’t Gale have anyone else? Where’s Fu Chengya? Isn’t he a top student from First Middle School? Where’s Shen Yuhua? Isn’t he the number one expert from Second Middle School? Why haven’t they gone up yet?”
“Are you guys blind? Can’t you see that Fu Chengya and Shen Yuhua are both watching from below? They’ll be up next. This match is a three-on-three battle, best two out of three. Understand?”
“Best two out of three my ass. We’re gonna lose the first round. I don’t believe
Gale can pull back two wins in a row.”
“That’s right! Where’s Lin Zhen? He’s such a fierce guy with a 99% improvement rate. As a Level Eight Fighter, he has defeated war general martial artists. I heard that he has also displayed extraordinary monster-hunting abilities in Yi Lan Town. Why not use someone so powerful? What is Dongfang Jun thinking?”
“I also support Lin Zhen. I’ve received news that Lin Zhen has been back from
Yi Lan a few days ago. Why hasn’t Gale let him compete? If we lose this match,
Dongfang Jun should take full responsibility.”
“Could Lin Zhen be scared? Lin Zhen, come out! It’s not just the martial arts hall that needs you now; it’s all of Hua Xia that needs you! ”
“What are you shouting for? The Russian trios are so strong; even if the embroidered pillow like Lin Zhen comes, he’ll just be a giveaway. Coward, deserter! Ouyang Yu despises you!”
As the fight continued on the stage, Zhao Liang couldn’t sit still any longer. He took out his phone and tried to quietly call Lin Zhen.
However, when he made the call, there was no answer from the other end.
Now, Zhao Liang became anxious. The situation on stage was clear; Meng Dong was no match for Nelov. In Zhao Liang’s view, Fu Chengya wasn’t a match for Eva either. And as for whether Shen Yuhua could beat Ivan, Zhao Liang didn’t have any hope. Even if they won, Gale would have lost two out of three rounds.
Watching Meng Dong in constant retreat and on the verge of defeat, bubbles were practically forming at the corners of Zhao Liang’s mouth..