activa-t Chapter 46 I'll Do It
Chapter 46 I'll Do It
That night, an abandoned warehouse outside Dongjuzi.
The second basement level inside has been converted into an underground boxing ring, called "Iron Cage Hell".
The entrance was narrow, and as you went down, a mixture of sweat, smoke, and rusty blood rose up in a sweltering heat.
The following suddenly became clear.
The tower is two zhang high, and in the middle stands an octagonal iron cage with thick wire mesh, big enough to fit a fist.
Several gas lamps hung from the ceiling, casting a pale, white light that made the iron cage gleam coldly.
The area outside the cage was packed with people.
There were few foreigners; they were all crammed into the private rooms on the second floor, holding glasses with amber-colored liquor swirling inside.
Those standing below were mostly Chinese, including laborers, thugs, and shady characters, all craning their necks, their eyes gleaming in the bloody light from the stage.
A body is being dragged away from the stage.
He was a lean Chinese man with a sunken chest and the blood foam at the corner of his mouth was still wet.
Two servants dragged their feet, leaving long, dark red marks on the wooden floor.
The host was a slick-haired, mixed-race man who spoke in broken pidgin English with a booming voice:
"Next match! 'Iron Fist' Andrei versus—'Grasshopper' Li Asi!"
This is the grand finale of the evening. Li Asi is a boxer from Jizhou who practices Chuojiao Fanzi.
He stood in a corner of the cage, his face pale and his eyes somewhat blank.
He had a wooden number plate hanging around his neck that read "seven".
A buzz of discussion arose from below.
Li Asi took a deep breath and was about to bend down and crawl into the cage...
A hand gently rested on his shoulder.
Li Asi was taken aback and turned around.
I saw a person wearing a mask.
It was a Nuo opera mask, with a blue face and fangs, gleaming eerily under the gas lamp.
"I'll do it."
The masked man spoke very softly, so that only the two of them could hear him.
Before Li Asi could react, the masked man had silently lifted the ropes and slid into the octagonal cage.
The movements were slow, even somewhat casual.
There was a moment of silence in the audience.
The host was stunned, the tin megaphone held high in the air:
"Hey? Who are you? Where's your license plate?"
The masked man ignored him, walked to the center of the cage, and stood still.
The host looked at a fat man wearing a silk shirt and smoking a cigar by the cage.
The fat man was the ring manager. He squinted at the masked figure in the cage. The figure was tall and thin, but stood firmly.
He took a puff of his cigar, exhaled a smoke ring, and gestured for the host to continue.
If they want to change actors, they can change actors. As long as it's bloody enough, the audience will buy it.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It seems we have an unexpected challenger! This... uh, 'Facebook Guy'! He will face our invincible 'Iron Fist'—Andrei Ivanov!"
The gas lamps shone brightly on the other side of the entrance.
A giant emerged.
He was a true giant. He was nearly two meters tall, his arms were thicker than an average person's thigh, and his neck was short and thick, almost forming a single block of stone with his head.
He was shirtless, his bronze skin glossy and covered with a thick layer of golden hair. His muscles were bulging and muscular, trembling slightly with each step, like a Siberian brown bear wearing human skin.
He was only wearing black shorts and his hands were wrapped in coarse burlap.
He grinned, revealing his teeth yellowed from tobacco smoke, his eyes darting around like he was examining a piece of pork.
The cage door was closed and locked.
The octagon became a gladiatorial arena.
Andrei twisted his neck, and his knuckles cracked.
He looked down at his opponent, who was a head shorter than him, and said in broken Chinese, his voice muffled:
"Yellow-skinned monkey, you, mask, monkey show, wet your pants."
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.
Whistles came from the foreign spectators' stands.
Within the Chinese community, there were those who cursed, those who cheered, and many more who were excitedly watching the drama unfold.
"Who is this? Are they looking for trouble?!"
"The mask looks intimidating, but I hope it doesn't get twisted into a pretzel later!"
"Attack quickly! Attack! I've bet three silver dollars on Andrei!"
"Perhaps he's a master?"
"Bullshit! Look at his build, Andrei could punch him so hard he'd shit himself!"
Master Ma was still standing outside the cage when someone shoved him, causing him to stumble back into the crowd. He opened his mouth, staring at the blue-faced man in the cage, his mind blank.
The host glanced at Andrei, then at the masked man, his eyes darting around, and suddenly shouted:
"Ladies and gentlemen! A last-minute tiebreaker! The mysterious masked man versus—'Iron Fist' Andre! Odds... 1 to 10!"
The gamblers became even more excited, and shouts and urging filled the air.
Inside the cage, Zhou Xing slowly exhaled and inhaled.
The Fishing Toad Force circulated within his body, and the clamor of the ocean waves filled his ears, yet his eyes behind the mask remained calm and still.
His lips moved slightly, his voice muffled through the mask, audible only inside the cage:
"Judge of Tianjin, please enlighten me."
Andrei's pupils contracted sharply, and then a sinister grin spread across his face:
"You? A pressure point master? Haha! Good! I'll twist you into a pretzel!"
Before he finished speaking, Andrei moved!
Despite his massive size, his first step seemed slow but was actually fast, and the entire cage seemed to shake!
His right fist, like a battering ram, struck Zhou Xing squarely in the face without any fancy moves!
The force of the punch compressed the air, producing a muffled whistling sound!
Zhou Xingting had already raised his guard, neither blocking nor parrying.
With a slight shift in his footing, he executed a Wing Chun turn, sideways, and the heavy fist grazed the edge of his mask, the wind from which stung his face.
At the same time, his left hand moved like lightning, delivering a powerful punch to Andrei's ribs.
"Bang!"
The punch landed, but it felt like hitting a thick, oil-soaked cowhide.
Andrei's rib muscles tightened and snapped, dissipating most of the force. He only let out a muffled groan, his movements continuing without pause. His left arm swept across like a steel whip!
Zhou Xing ducked, activated the River Demon's Formation, and his spine twitched like a snake, narrowly dodging the sweeping attack. He had already slid to Andrei's side and behind.
Just as he was about to make a move, Andrei seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. With a swift turn, he combined the force of a wrestling strike and came embracing him!
The octagonal cage has limited space, but this one can cover a very large area.
Zhou Xing retreated quickly, and with a soft "thud," his back was pressed against the cold barbed wire.
There's no way to retreat!
Andrei's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He proceeded cautiously, throwing punches with both hands and nimbly alternating footwork to block all possible escape routes.
It's a combination punch from Western boxing, but with far greater power!
Zhou Xing swayed left and right, listening to the force, and the [River Demon Appearance] made him like a slippery fish, always slipping past the fist at the last second.
Screams and roars erupted from the audience:
"Kill him!"
"Tear him apart!"
The space inside the cage was ultimately limited. Zhou Xing twisted one arm to grab and throw, and a powerful straight punch came straight at him.
His eyes narrowed, and he stopped avoiding the question.
With arms crossed and raised to block the punch above, he simultaneously exerted force from his waist and abdomen, activating the [Human Puppet Form], instantly tightening his chest and abdominal muscles like an iron plate!
"Bang! Bang!"
Two muffled thuds, like heavy hammers striking solid wooden stakes.
Zhou Xing's body trembled violently, and his bones and fascia creaked.
Using the force of the impact, he slammed his heel into the barbed wire behind him!
"Splash!"
The web series "Barbed Wire" is trembling!
Zhou Xing sprang up like a gecko using leverage, his body suddenly rising high and flipping over Andrei's head!
In mid-air, his right leg moved silently and pointed downwards from an extremely tricky angle, perfectly capturing the essence of "flowers hidden beneath leaves." His toe, like a spear, pierced the Fengfu acupoint on the back of Andrei's neck!
That was a quick and cunning change of tactics!
Boxing emphasizes a firm stance in the lower body; once a kick is delivered, it is sure to be a killing move.
Andrei reacted quickly, suddenly lowering his head and shrinking his neck, his thick neck muscles bulging.
"puff!"
The toes touch the ground, and a hidden force bursts forth!
Zhou Xing felt a huge shock coming from his toes, which only penetrated less than half an inch before being blocked and bounced off by the steel-like muscle layer.
Andrei cried out in pain, roared, and reached back to grab at nothing.
Zhou Xing was already several feet away, his breathing slightly disordered, but his steps steady.
The first strike, delivered with hidden force, failed to achieve full success.
Andrei touched the back of his neck, where a brief numbness and stinging sensation came from. He turned his head, his eyes becoming even more ferocious:
"Monkey! Pressure point technique? Useless! I am Iron Block!"
Boos came from the foreign spectators below the stage.
In the Chinese group chat, some sighed, and some cursed:
"I knew it wouldn't work!"
"All show! Andrei, kill him!"
"The ocean! The ocean!"