50: Chapter 50 A Battle of Life and Death in the Arena

As soon as Li Chengxi squeezed through the crowd, he saw—

A human head, rolling on the ground.

A headless corpse, lying in a pool of blood.

Lin Mo stood beside the corpse, holding a knife that was still dripping with blood, his face devoid of any expression.

Li Chengxi's pupils constricted violently.

"This... this is..."

The guards around him all stared with wide eyes.

Another killing?

He just killed someone yesterday, and he's killing again today?

This kid is simply audacious!

What does he think the military camp is?

A place where he can kill whenever he wants?

Chop people down as he pleases?

Does he have no respect for the law?!

Uncle Zheng's expression also changed.

There weren't many people at the scene yesterday, so Li Chengxi was able to forcibly suppress the matter.

But today's incident...

There's big trouble now!

Hundreds of eyes were watching!

In full view of the public, Lin Mo, a student soldier, had publicly decapitated a Lieutenant and Vice Captain.

Even if Li Chengxi tried to protect him by force, he probably wouldn't be able to.

Someone would definitely report this to the Battalion Commander, and even to the War Zone Command Headquarters.

Killing someone in public, and an officer at that, is the military's greatest taboo!

"Uncle Zheng..."

"What... what do we do now?"

Li Chengxi's voice was dry, and his face was extremely grim.

He had originally wanted to see Lin Mo's true combat power, to see if he really had strength close to Tier 3 as Uncle Zheng had said.

But he hadn't expected Lin Mo to be so decisive; he chopped without hesitation. Even Uncle Zheng, who was right there, hadn't been able to stop him in time and could only watch as Lin Mo took Zhao Lie's head with a single stroke.

Uncle Zheng didn't speak; he didn't know what to do either.

Just then, a shrill, furious roar came from outside the crowd:

"Zhao Lie—!"

A figure rushed in at an astonishing speed.

It was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a face full of scars and a ferocious gaze.

He rushed to Zhao Lie's headless body, looking at the head that had rolled away, his entire body trembling.

Luo Cheng.

Captain of the 17th Squad of the Sixth Battalion's Elite Assault Team, at the peak of Tier 2 Level 9, only one step away from Tier 3.

Those three veterans were his subordinates, and Zhao Lie was his right-hand man and trusted Vice Captain.

He knelt down, picked up Zhao Lie's head, and looked at the face that had died with its eyes open, his own eyes slowly turning red.

Then he stood up, turned around, and stared at Lin Mo.

The killing intent in those eyes was almost tangible.

"You killed him?"

Lin Mo looked at him.

"Yes."

Luo Cheng took a step forward, and the aura of Tier 2 Level 9 erupted!

The pressure was more than twice as strong as Zhao Lie's just now. Many of the surrounding students were directly forced to sit on the ground, unable to catch their breath.

"Fine. Then you will pay for his life with yours."

Luo Cheng said each word with deliberate weight.

He raised his hand and struck a palm toward Lin Mo's head!

This palm strike was fast and ruthless, carrying the determination to kill!

Just then—

"Stop!"

Li Chengxi rushed out and stood in front of Lin Mo.

Luo Cheng's palm stopped in mid-air, his eyes staring gloomily at Li Chengxi.

"Staff Officer Li, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Chengxi took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Captain Luo, this matter hasn't been fully investigated yet. Don't be impulsive."

"Investigated?" Luo Cheng sneered.

"My man was killed by him, his head chopped off, and you still need to investigate something? You want to shield him?!"

"Your man was the one who attacked first."

Li Chengxi pointed at Zhang Hao, Xiang Yifan, Old Hei, and Wu Feng on the ground.

"Look for yourself. What state have these people been beaten into?"

"They are all allies who came to support our patrol area. Instead of being grateful, your men repaid their kindness with enmity and attacked them. Even if Lin Mo hadn't killed Zhao Lie, I would have sought him out for trouble!"

Luo Cheng glanced over and scoffed, "A bunch of trash. If they got hit, they got hit. My man is dead, so he must pay with his life."

Li Chengxi's face darkened. "Luo Cheng, I am the highest commander of this outpost. You are disobeying orders! I'll say it again: I will handle this matter. Step down."

"You handle it?" Luo Cheng stared at him.

"Staff Officer Li, I call you Staff Officer to give you face. If I don't give you face, what can you do to me?!"

He took a step forward, his voice chilling.

"A life for a life—it is the natural order of things. Today, he must die."

Li Chengxi's face turned ashen.

He was a Major Staff Officer and the overall commander of this temporary outpost, while Luo Cheng was only a Captain. Logically, Luo Cheng wouldn't dare speak to him like this. But the problem was that Luo Cheng was from the Elite Assault Team, directly managed by the Battalion Commander; Li Chengxi truly had no authority over him.

Luo Cheng was at the peak of Tier 2 Level 9. If he really wanted to fight, Li Chengxi couldn't stop him. Only Uncle Zheng in the entire outpost could, but if Uncle Zheng intervened, the underlying meaning would completely change!

The conflict would escalate into one between him and the Sixth Battalion Commander!

And...

More importantly, Luo Cheng had a point!

A life for a life—that logic held up anywhere.

Even if your people started it, chopping someone's head off was taking it too far.

Li Chengxi was momentarily speechless.

He looked back at Uncle Zheng.

Uncle Zheng stood in the crowd, expressionless.

But he gave a slight nod.

Li Chengxi now knew what to do.

He took a deep breath, looked at Luo Cheng, and said solemnly:

"Captain Luo, since you insist on avenging Vice Captain Zhao, I won't stop you by force. A life for a life—I have nothing more to say!"

Luo Cheng sneered, "Finally, you're talking sense."

"However!" Li Chengxi's tone shifted.

"Ultimately, this matter was triggered by students. According to the rules, it must be resolved in the students' own way."

Luo Cheng narrowed his eyes. "What way?"

Li Chengxi said each word clearly:

"The arena! Life and death are irrelevant!"

Luo Cheng was stunned for a moment.

Then, he laughed.

The smile was full of contempt and killing intent.

"The arena? Fine."

He looked at Lin Mo behind Li Chengxi.

"Just him? A teenage student? Fighting me?"

Li Chengxi didn't speak.

Lin Mo suddenly spoke up:

"This suggestion is good. Life and death are irrelevant!"

Luo Cheng's gaze landed on his face.

In those eyes, there was no fear whatsoever.

There wasn't even a ripple of emotion.

A strange feeling suddenly surged in Luo Cheng's heart.

This kid... isn't afraid of death?

But he quickly suppressed it.

Whether he was afraid or not didn't matter. He was at the peak of Tier 2 Level 9; unless Lin Mo was a Tier 3 Awakener, he could never lose!

Although he knew Lin Mo had some skill since even the Tier 2 Level 5 Zhao Lie had died at his hands, Luo Cheng knew it was absolutely impossible for Lin Mo to be a Tier 3 Awakener.

"Fine. Life and death are irrelevant!"

"Wait."

Li Chengxi spoke.

"Not today."

Luo Cheng frowned. "Why?"

Li Chengxi pointed to the corpses and the wounded on the ground.

"These people need to be handled first, and I also have to report today's events to the War Zone Command Headquarters. Tomorrow morning, at the training grounds, the two of you will fight publicly."

Luo Cheng stared at him for several seconds before finally sneering:

"Fine. It's just living for one more night. I'll give you this face, Staff Officer Li!"

He turned around, picked up Zhao Lie's headless body, and strode away.

The three veterans were helped away by their companions. When they passed Lin Mo, their eyes were filled with malice and terror.

Sun Hu was being supported by others, his legs still shaking and his crotch wet.

The crowd of onlookers slowly dispersed, but the discussions didn't stop for a long time.

"That Lin Mo... is he really going to fight Luo Cheng tomorrow?"

"Captain Luo Cheng is at the peak of Tier 2 Level 9! How can he fight him?"

"But didn't you see him kill Zhao Lie just now? He cut off his head without even blinking!"

"That's different. Zhao Lie was only Tier 2 Level 5, but Luo Cheng is Tier 2 Level 9!"

"I think it's looking grim. He's dead for sure tomorrow..."

Li Chengxi stood where he was, looking at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo was crouching beside Wu Feng, feeding him water, his expression still as indifferent as if nothing had happened.

Li Chengxi walked over and lowered his voice:

"Are you confident about tomorrow?"

Lin Mo looked up at him.

"I don't know."

Li Chengxi was taken aback.

In his impression, Lin Mo had always been a ruthless person of few words.

At a time like this, shouldn't he say something tough?

A simple 'I don't know'?

The fight hadn't even started, and his momentum was already weaker than his opponent's.

How could he fight like this?

Li Chengxi suddenly didn't know what to say; he was even starting to regret it a little.

It seemed he shouldn't have made that suggestion.

What if Lin Mo wasn't Luo Cheng's match? Wouldn't he be personally sending this genius he hoped to recruit to the executioner's block?

Uncle Zheng walked up and patted his shoulder.

"Let's go. My deduction won't be wrong. Don't worry!"

Li Chengxi nodded and turned to leave.

After a few steps, he couldn't help but look back.

Lin Mo was still crouching there, the afterglow of the setting sun falling on him, casting a long shadow.

...

That night.

Lin Mo's dormitory was crowded with people.

Wu Feng lay on a stretcher, his left shoulder wrapped in thick bandages, his face still somewhat pale, but he insisted on coming over despite everyone's advice.

Old Hei and Old Yu also lay nearby; one had a badly swollen neck, and the other had bandages wrapped around his chest.

Zhang Hao and Xiang Yifan sat in the corner, their faces black and blue, but at least they could move now.

Yi Xiaoyu, Lin Sisi, Shen Yi, and Ye Zhixia—the four girls—surrounded Lin Mo, none of them speaking.

The atmosphere was very heavy.

In the end, it was Wu Feng who spoke first:

"Don't fight tomorrow. I've already notified the Battalion Commander. Things are almost finished at the main battlefield, and he'll rush over tomorrow!"

Lin Mo shook his head:

"I can't hide from it. If I don't fight, Li Chengxi won't be able to give an account to his superiors!"

Wu Feng was silent for a while before saying in a low voice, "Luo Cheng is at the peak of Tier 2 Level 9, only one step away from Tier 3. Even in my prime, I wouldn't last ten moves against him."

Lin Mo looked at him.

"I know."

Wu Feng was stunned. "You know and you're still fighting?"

"It's all the same. Killing one is killing; killing two is also killing!"

Lin Mo said indifferently.

...