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墨書 Inktalez
After finishing our meal while bickering with Old Bi, we walked out of the cafeteria and were met with an unbelievable sight: Shen Han had somehow come out and was talking to Jing!
"Hey, someone is trying to steal your girl," Old Bi nudged me.
"Shut up!" I hesitated, unsure whether to approach them.
But Old Bi pulled me over. "Hey, latecomer! It's not an exaggeration to call you that. You’re late for the competition, and now you’re late in love too. Look at this beauty; she likes Brothers!" Old Bi pointed at me.
Being singled out by Old Bi made both Jing and me awkward. I felt even more uncomfortable; my personality wasn't one to break the ice easily. I preferred girls who were smart but not overly so, someone with whom we could share unspoken understanding at times, while I often took the lead in most situations.
Old Bi's words clearly had no effect on someone like Shen Han. "Is he your boyfriend?" Shen Han ignored Old Bi and directly asked Jing.
Jing's face turned red from embarrassment, and she stood there silently with her head down.
"No? Then can you at least give me your number? We can be friends, right? You're kind-hearted; I like you," Shen Han persisted.
"Hey, you're crossing the line," Old Bi said, a bit irritated. For some reason, he had taken an instant dislike to Shen Han and seemed ready to confront him.
"Brother Bi!" Jing tugged at him, quickly glancing at me before lowering her head again. "If you lose to my Brother Wang in the competition, I'll give you my number!"
What the hell! I slapped my forehead! This girl! If you want to help me, this isn't the way! Isn’t this counterproductive? Brothers are stubborn as mules! Things are getting serious!
As expected, Shen Han turned around and strode up to me, saying bluntly, "People like you only know underhanded tactics. You probably rigged the first round too! Now you want to win by relying on women? Are you even a man? Are you a soldier?! Let me tell you, I’m determined to take first place! Remember this! I won’t go easy on you! I’ll teach you a lesson so she knows what a real man is—a soldier!" With that, he shot a glance at Jing and walked away, leaving me dumbfounded.
First came shock, then disbelief, followed by intense anger. If he hadn’t walked away so quickly, I might have charged at him. Honestly, being an only child at home, I had never been spoken to like that before. Who did I provoke? Why was I being looked down upon for no reason? I really wanted to jump up and yell at him in a Northeast dialect, "Are you crazy?!"
Before I could react, Old Bi stomped his foot and exclaimed, "Is he an idiot?! Just straightforward?"
Jing looked at me with a face full of fear. She hesitated to approach me, sensing my fluctuating mood. I was indeed quite irritated and was about to curse at her, but the words caught in my throat. It would only make things worse; after all, Shen Han had already labeled me as a "creepy" person. I felt a bit helpless.
I took a deep breath and quickly calmed myself. At that moment, Jing timidly leaned closer and said, "Brother Wang, I'm sorry. What should we do now?"
"What should we do? Just take us back to the base," I replied, glancing at her with indifference.
"Do you really want me to drive you?" Jing asked, a hint of guilt in her voice.
"What can I do? After all, I'm a man who relies on women," I feigned helplessness.
"Pfft!" Jing suddenly burst into laughter, her body shaking. "Brother Wang, you're sometimes so cute."
I shrugged, indicating that there was nothing I could do.
"Old Wang, your self-control is impressive! If it were me, I would have just started fighting!" Old Bi remarked in surprise.
"What’s the point of fighting here? Let’s go. When faced with such people, justice will prevail in the hearts of the people," I said as I turned to walk outside.
Jing was going to sleep here tonight. After dropping me and Old Bi off, she would return. However, I felt uneasy; I was worried she might run into that "madman" again. But Jing was quite clever; she planned to find her sister in the next room when she returned later that night. With them around, she should be safe.
Still not reassured, I called Old Ma to give him a heads-up. We arranged a time for Jing to pick us up at the gate before we parted ways.
Back at the Unit, it was another busy day as I dealt with unfinished tasks. By the time I finished, it was already 1 AM. I collapsed into bed and fell asleep just like that. Life in the military, especially for an officer in Basic Unit, truly lived up to its reputation: wake up and work until lights out!
The next day, Old Tang led the training session. I arrived at the entrance on time and saw Old Bi chatting with Jing outside the car. "Hey, you're early today," I remarked, surprised by Old Bi's early arrival after greeting Jing.
"Just wanted to see some pretty girls! Hehe," Old Bi grinned back at me.
"Alright, you go ahead and get through the first round!" I said bluntly. From what I knew about Old Bi, his skills were limited to having practiced military boxing, with maybe a bit of fighting technique. He might be quick on his feet and agile, but I didn't think he had much chance of making it to the second round—oh, perhaps in the losers' bracket.
Old Bi grinned and said, "I'll do my best to just get by."
"Let's go!" We both climbed into the quiet vehicle.
On the way, Jing surprised us with some news. She had indeed gone to find those two Female Competitors last night. They lived together, and whether it was fate or something else, they seemed to hit it off well. According to her, these two girls were classmates from the Martial Arts School and had enlisted together; one ended up in the Army while the other joined the Navy. Now they were reunited for this competition, with one specializing in leg techniques and the other in weaponry—no wonder they were inseparable. As for weapons, Jing's Navy counterpart used a hook; although this wasn't a secret since I would see her compete in the morning, I appreciated Jing's thoughtfulness.
When we arrived at the Venue for the competition, all the contestants who hadn't finished their first rounds yet had gathered in the athletes' area. Some were warming up, some appeared calm and collected, while others chatted with acquaintances. An announcement posted at the entrance stated that all first-round matches would conclude by noon, followed by a half-hour break. Starting from tomorrow, there would be dual-line competitions: winners would proceed to their second round in the morning while losers would compete in the afternoon across two Venues simultaneously.
Old Bi was scheduled for the third match of the morning. Once we reached the Venue, he changed into his athletic gear and began warming up in the athletes' area while Jing and I stayed by his side. At 8:30 AM, the referee blew the whistle for entry, and the first contestants entered the Venue.
During the earlier matches, I hadn't paid much attention; instead, I chatted with Old Bi to ease his nerves. However, Old Bi maintained a good attitude and still looked cheerful as he frequently glanced at a tall beauty with long legs. In contrast to yesterday, she was now seated in the audience area along with her friend. Perhaps they encountered guys like Old Bi too often; both women appeared aloof and completely ignored the gazes directed at them.
Shen Han sat shyly at the edge of the audience section, likely wanting to come over but feeling too embarrassed. We pretended not to notice him.
The matches progressed quickly. Sometimes I found it quite interesting; reading about masters battling often depicted long fights, but here everything happened so fast. When there was a significant skill gap, victory could be decided within just a few moves. Even skilled fighters of similar levels preferred not to engage for too long to avoid revealing their techniques; they often opted for a strategy of probing before striking decisively.
Before I knew it, the previous match had ended, and it was Old Bi's turn to compete. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good luck!" Jing cheered alongside me.
Old Bi chuckled and teased Jing, "How about you give me a kiss for motivation?"
"Get lost!"
I shook my head as I watched Old Bi saunter onto the stage leisurely. The referee was registering competitors when Old Bi's opponent stepped forward—a short but stocky Brother with a shaved head and a round face. He looked like he could easily outweigh Old Bi by two times. Typically, fighters with such builds had solid lower bodies; it was clear that he must have some strength in his upper body as well. I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious for Old Bi.
After exchanging respectful gestures with his opponent, the referee blew the whistle to start the match—whoosh! Old Bi made his move first!
Old Bi charged at his opponent, throwing a punch aimed at the opponent's chest. However, the opponent remained unfazed, swiftly reaching out with his left hand to grab Old Bi's wrist while simultaneously launching a punch toward Old Bi's head with his right.
Old Bi had trained before, and his reflexes were relatively quick. He retracted his fist into an elbow strike, pushing forward toward the opponent's chest while tilting his head to the right to evade the incoming punch. The sound of impact echoed twice as Old Bi struck the opponent's left arm. The opponent quickly pulled back his left hand, using it to shield his chest. Yet, the opponent transformed his right fist into an open palm and brought it down forcefully. Old Bi raised his left hand to block, successfully deflecting the blow.
As soon as they clashed, they suddenly separated again. Old Bi kicked out with his left leg, but the opponent's left hand shot forward in a claw-like motion, aiming for Old Bi's head.
The moment they engaged, both changed their tactics. To avoid the clawing attack, Old Bi pressed down with his left leg while leaning back. The opponent shifted to the left, allowing his hand to sweep past Old Bi's face, resulting in both of their attacks missing.
The Stocky Guy quickly transitioned from a missed strike to a downward chop with his left palm aimed at Old Bi's head.
Incredibly, Old Bi continued to lean back, spreading his legs apart almost into a split. The opponent's arm had its limits; after a certain point, he could no longer continue the downward chop and had to switch from palm to fist. He lunged forward with his left leg and crouched down to strike directly at Old Bi's face.
In an instant, they exchanged several blows that landed solidly against each other. It was surprising how fast Old Bi was moving; he was clearly giving it his all. Honestly, I couldn't discern where Old Bi's opponent came from just yet, but he was reacting fairly quickly for someone of such a stocky build.
Just as Old Bi leaned back into a split position and could no longer bend further without taking a hit, he suddenly reached out with both hands and grabbed hold of the opponent's training gear. With a powerful tug to the left side, he used both his hand strength and body weight to throw the stocky opponent down onto the ground!
(To be continued; more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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