70: Excessive self-defense

Seconds later, the judging panel acted, and a fierce wind swept back, dispersing the thick smoke and dust.

The entire area was in ruins; the originally flat and sturdy alloy combat arena had completely vanished.

In its place was a massive, bottomless crater, over a hundred meters in diameter!

At the crater's edge were countless broken metal plates, sparking with electricity.

Ruin!

A shocking ruin!

Lu Yuan raised his hand, and the Raging Waves Sea Soul, which had sunk into the giant pit, transformed into specks of light and was retrieved into his card space.

Without the giant turtle's support, the edge of the pit collapsed again, and rubble rolled down with a clattering sound.

He stared at the bottom of the pit.

In the center of the ruins, amidst the chaotic rubble and twisted metal.

A figure was curled up there.

It was Lin Dong.

He was covered in blood, like a tattered rag doll.

His upper limbs were twisted at an unnatural angle; clearly, multiple bones were broken.

As for his lower limbs... they were flattened into a sheet of flesh.

Yes, a sheet of flesh from his thighs down.

At his chest, a faint, almost invisible energy shield, like a broken eggshell, barely enveloped his upper body.

It was a completely shattered small protective card that, at the last moment, had shielded him from the most fatal part of the Raging Waves Sea Soul's suppressive power.

Even so, he was not far from death.

Think about it, if a person is divided by two, can he still live?

Even if he was saved at all costs, as a Card Master, he was completely crippled!

"Quick! Save him!"

"Medical team! Stretcher! Hurry!!"

"He's still breathing... right."

The medical team and judging panel members, who had been waiting on the sidelines, awoke as if from a dream and rushed into the ruins!

Soon, an upper body was lifted onto a specialized hover stretcher and swiftly sent to the hospital.

"Whoosh—!!!"

The long-accumulated audience finally erupted!

"My god... this... this is simply..."

"Too ruthless! He really crushed him! Is Lu Yuan a devil?!"

"Is this a competition? This is clearly murder!"

"Murderer! Disqualify him!"

"Serves him right! Lin Dong brought it upon himself! He used that chain card, and even a forbidden technique!"

"Exactly! If Lu Yuan didn't have a second gold card, he would be the one lying there now!"

"Lu Yuan is awesome! Who cares about the Lin Family! Just do it!"

"Two gold cards... too strong... unimaginable..."

VIP seats.

"Pfft—!"

Lin Haige glanced at his half-son on the stretcher, feeling a sweet, metallic taste rise in his throat.

A terrifying, palpable killing intent radiated from him!

Crippled!

His son! The Lin Family's heir! Crippled by Lu Yuan in front of the entire city!

And that Beast Binding Chain! He had used extensive connections and resources, spending a huge price to acquire that one-time use item card!

He had thought he had victory assured, but instead of gaining a little, he lost a lot! He lost both his wife and his army!

"Use the best medical care! He absolutely cannot die!"

"Contact the family's enshrined! Contact the association's disciplinary department! Put pressure on them!!"

Lin Haige almost squeezed these words through gritted teeth, roaring at his confidant behind him.

"Lu Yuan, I will kill him in this life!"

The rage in his heart was not entirely due to his son's tragic state.

It was more because Lu Yuan was almost completely unharmed!

If Lu Yuan had also been severely injured and dying, he might have been able to accept it.

But now, his Lin Family had unilaterally suffered a devastating blow! All their investments and schemes had turned into nothing!

He couldn't swallow this insult!

On the other side.

Yao Tianxiao looked at the tragic scene in the arena, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This Little Fellow, Lu Yuan, was even more ruthless and decisive than he had expected.

However... he nodded slightly, thinking, that's how one should treat enemies!

If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back with the spring breeze.

He appreciated this kind of character.

He gave a look to the guard beside him.

The guard nodded slightly, indicating understanding, and immediately retreated.

Mother Yao, however, was worried: "Tian Xiao, Lu Yuan went too far this time. The organizing committee..."

Yao Tianxiao waved his hand: "It's fine, just watch. Didn't the rules say, cards have no eyes!"

He believed that Lu Yuan was not a reckless person; if he dared to do this, he must have something to rely on, or rather, he was prepared to bear the consequences.

And his Yao Family would naturally provide all the help they could.

Audience seats.

Sun Libang once again sent out the earth-shattering scene from earlier, along with the latest energy fluctuation data.

At the end of the message, he pondered for a moment and added an assessment:

"Target personality assessment: Vengeful, ruthless in methods, extremely strong awareness of resisting authority. Threat level elevated to extremely dangerous. Observation recommendation: Maintain. Supplementary assessment: His conduct and demonstrated potential... highly conform to the 'Spark Plan' standards. Still recommended... attempt contact."

..."What's going on?! Someone explain!!"

Several middle-aged men in competition organizing committee uniforms appeared at the edge of the arena, their faces ashen.

The one leading them was the chief person in charge of this competition, the mayor of Jiangcheng City, Wang Kun.

He looked at the scene before him, like a disaster area, trembling with anger.

This was being broadcast live city-wide! Now it had turned into this! The impact was too severe!

"Mayor Wang! You must severely punish this murderer!"

The Lin Family's representatives immediately surrounded him, pointing at Lu Yuan and accusing him sharply.

"He deliberately tried to kill! He disregards the rules! His competition qualification must be revoked! He must be handed over to the judicial department!"

"Exactly! This child is vicious and cruel; if he is not severely punished, justice will not be served!"

The Lin Family's forces began a full-scale assault, trying to nail Lu Yuan to the pillar of shame.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Nonsense!"

A cold shout came.

Yao Tianxiao had, at some point, walked to the edge of the arena.

"Mayor Wang, before the competition started, what did the chief referee say? cards have no eyes, things change in an instant, accidents are unavoidable, and consequences must be borne individually!"

"Lin Dong himself used a forbidden-level card, the Beast Binding Chain, far exceeding the novice competition's specifications, intending to severely injure or even kill Lu Yuan first. Lu Yuan was forced to retaliate, so what fault does he have?"

Yao Tianxiao's voice was loud, intending to vindicate Lu Yuan.

"Furthermore, how powerful is the Raging Waves Sea Soul? Lu Yuan is just a Second-Tier Card Master. Do you think he can perfectly control such a terrifying beast 100% of the time?"

"In intense combat, with the beast's emotions running high, a slight loss of control leading to excessive defense, isn't that perfectly normal?"

"What's more," Yao Tianxiao paused, a hint of sarcasm on his lips, "Lin Dong isn't dead yet, is he?"

"Yao Tianxiao! You're talking nonsense!"

Lin Haige could no longer hold back, pointing at Yao Tianxiao and cursing loudly.

"What 'loss of control' nonsense! He clearly did it on purpose! My son is crippled! What if it were your daughter? How would you react? Screw you."

"Lin Haige, watch your language!" Yao Tianxiao's eyes turned cold. "Your son used a dirty trick first. He was inferior in skill, so who can he blame? If you can't lose, don't play!"

"And if you dare to mention my family again, I'll let you experience this feeling too."

"You!! Motherfucker!"

"Motherfucker!"

...The two top bigwigs of Jiangcheng City, in front of countless people, cursed at each other like street hooligans!

The scene became extremely chaotic for a time!

The judging panel and organizing committee members quickly gathered, arguing fiercely.

"Lu Yuan's actions were indeed excessive! The venue damage is too severe, and Lin Dong's injuries..."

"But it's a fact that Lin Dong illegally used the Beast Binding Chain! And he initiated the provocation and attack first, so Lu Yuan's actions were self-defense!"

"Self-defense? Is there such a thing as self-defense that beats someone into that state? That giant turtle's final blow was clearly aimed at killing! This is a potential terrorist!"

"You can't say that! A beast of that level has immense power; it's understandable if he couldn't hold back! Moreover, the rules don't explicitly prohibit this level of counterattack!"

"There's a lot of pressure from the Lin Family! We must give an explanation!"

"The Yao Family isn't to be trifled with either! Yao Tianxiao's attitude is very clear: he wants to protect Lu Yuan!"

The arguments were endless, and no one could convince anyone else.

Finally, after nearly ten minutes of emergency consultation and intense negotiation.

The chief person in charge of the competition, Wang Kun, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, walked to the center of the arena, picked up the megaphone, and announced the final verdict:

"Ahem... Ladies and gentlemen, contestants, regarding the match just now between contestant Lu Yuan and contestant Lin Dong..."

He took a deep breath.

"After joint deliberation by the judging panel and the organizing committee: Contestant Lin Dong illegally used an item card exceeding the competition's restricted level and initiated the attack first, intending to harm his opponent."

"Contestant Lu Yuan's actions were a defensive counterattack."

"Therefore, in this match, contestant Lu Yuan wins and advances to the next round!"

Whoosh!

Upon this announcement, the entire venue erupted in an uproar again!

"Holy crap! Inside job! Inside job!"

"They're not even pretending anymore, brothers!"

"Nice, the noble son from humble origins has finally made his mark!"

"He won! Go, Lu Yuan!"

..."However!" Wang Kun's tone shifted, his voice becoming stern, "Given that contestant Lu Yuan, during his counterattack, failed to effectively control his beast's power, causing extremely severe damage to the competition venue and excessive harm to his opponent, it constitutes excessive self-defense!"

"It has been decided to fine contestant Lu Yuan ten million star coins! And issue a severe warning! If there are any similar actions again, his competition qualification will be directly revoked!"

A fine of ten million! A severe warning!

This punishment was undeniably heavy, but compared to the Lin Family's desired disqualification or even referral to judicial departments, it was already the best possible outcome!

"No! I refuse to accept this!!"

The Lin Family's representative was still roaring, but he was stopped by Lin Haige.

Upon learning the final result, he remained silent.

He merely fixed his gaze on Lu Yuan.

Wishing he could devour him alive!

Lu Yuan... Yao Family... just you wait for me!

Just wait!!!

...