18: Chapter 18: Falcon Team: Holy crap! We were all blind!

Chapter 18: War Eagle Squad: Holy Crap! We Were All Blind!

...

The fighting arena was crowded, with matches taking place simultaneously across six different rings.

Su Han stood at the edge of Ring 3, quietly performing warm-up exercises. The excited chatter of other Special Forces Soldiers reached his ears.

"Have you heard? The triathlon record was broken by someone named Su Han!"

"Broken? It was a total slaughter! He was a full 10 minutes faster than the original record!"

"Holy crap! That fierce? Which unit is he from?"

"Seems to be from Wild Wolf, but I heard he's not a Special Forces Soldier, just a regular private..."

"Look, that's the guy!"

The dozen or so spectators at Ring 3 subconsciously looked toward Su Han.

Su Han, however, ignored their intense gazes and continued rotating his wrists.

"No way! Are you sure it's him? He's participating in the combat matches too? Didn't he just finish the triathlon this morning? Even if his results were great, he must have spent a lot of stamina, right? He still has the strength to compete in fighting? You've got to be kidding!"

"The guy's constitution is naturally incredible. Otherwise, how could he suppress all the Marine Corps and take first place in the triathlon? And break the record by a full 10 minutes!"

"Unbelievable! A first-year soldier has this kind of terrifying strength! What kind of dog shit luck did Wild Wolf have to find such a helper!"

At this time, Zhou Mo and the others were not at Ring 3, but had gone over to Big Bear's side.

In their view, Su Han would definitely be defeated within three seconds of entering the ring.

Rather than standing here and being embarrassed with him, it was better to cheer for Wild Wolf's combat expert, Big Bear.

Meanwhile, at Ring 3 where Su Han was, the first group was already prepared.

Su Han was in the second group to go up.

Each ring had two groups.

A total of 24 people participated, divided into 12 groups.

The winner would advance to the next round.

There were two rounds in total at noon. Today was just the preliminary rounds; the finals would be tomorrow at noon.

The referee began calling the first group onto the stage to explain the rules:

"The rules are simple: if your torso touches the ground twice, you lose. Or if one side surrenders, the match ends."

"Additionally, attacking the groin is not allowed. Otherwise, it's considered a foul and an immediate loss."

"Do you understand the rules?"

"Understood!" the two contestants shouted in response.

"Good!"

"I now declare, begin!"

At the same time, a burst of cheering came from Ring 5—Big Bear had entered the ring.

Su Han also subconsciously looked over there.

Ring 5.

Big Bear took off his jacket, revealing a body of knotted muscles, drawing a chorus of gasps.

"Wild Wolf's Big Bear, ranked eighth in combat last year! His strength is pretty good."

"His opponent is Snow Leopard's 'Bingdao', tenth last year! There's a two-rank difference between them, but their strength should be about the same."

Zhou Mo squeezed to the front row with the other members of the War Eagle Squad, watching the ring tensely.

"Big Bear, watch out for his leg techniques!" Monkey reminded him loudly.

With the referee's command, the match began!

Bingdao struck first, a sharp high whip kick aimed straight for Big Bear's head!

"Bang!"

Big Bear blocked hastily but was still shaken back two steps, his arms going numb.

"Such strong power!" Zhou Mo's face was solemn.

Bingdao pursued his advantage, a combination of leg techniques striking like a storm—low sweeps, middle kicks, high whips, every move lethal!

Big Bear was forced to defend, and bruises soon appeared on his arms.

"This can't go on!" Monkey stomped his feet in anxiety.

Just then, Big Bear caught a momentary opening when Bingdao switched legs and suddenly erupted!

A heavy swing punch boomed toward Bingdao's face!

Bingdao leaned back hastily, narrowly avoiding it, only to see Big Bear change moves extremely fast; his right knee was already slamming hard into his abdomen!

"Bang!"

In the dull sound of impact, Bingdao let out a muffled groan and staggered back.

"Good!" Zhou Mo pumped his fist excitedly, "Counterattack!"

Big Bear, gaining the upper hand, did not let up, unleashing a series of combination punches like a violent storm upon Bingdao.

The two went back and forth, the battle intense.

...

Inside the observation room, the Captains of the various Special Forces units were watching the matches in each ring via surveillance.

"Old Wang, your Wild Wolf's Big Bear has made no small progress." The Captain of Snow Leopard stared at the screen for Ring 5.

Wang Yuanchao gave a forced smile, but his eyes kept glancing at the monitor for Ring 3—Su Han was about to enter the ring.

"Ring 3 has something worth seeing!" the Captain of Wild Wolf suddenly pointed at the screen, "The second group coming up: Divine Sword's 'Iron Hand' against Wild Wolf's Su Han!"

Everyone immediately became interested and crowded around.

"Old Wang, Long Zhan said Su Han's combat is very strong. It seems your Wild Wolf has a great hope of getting into the top three in this subject too."

"Combat isn't like physical fitness. Iron Hand was ranked third last year; Su Han might not be able to hold out!"

"Iron Hand defeated Lin Hu last time, but Long Zhan said Lin Hu lost to Su Han, and it was a total defeat. I don't think Su Han will lose."

"Who knows if Long Zhan is lying."

The Captains discussed back and forth.

Wang Yuanchao, however, did not join their idle chatter but walked over to Long Zhan's side and asked, "Old Long, are you sure our Wild Wolf's Su Han is really okay at combat?"

Long Zhan laughed and scolded, "What's this? Su Han has gone from being a 'connected person' to 'your Wild Wolf's Su Han'?"

Wang Yuanchao looked embarrassed. "You old thing, can you stop bringing up things I'd rather forget? Blame me for misjudging him, alright?"

Long Zhan laughed and said, "Don't worry. If nothing unexpected happens, Su Han has at least a ninety percent chance of taking first place in this year's combat subject!"

"Really?"

Wang Yuanchao immediately became expectant and excited. "If this kid really is as you say, I'll buy you a drink!"

...

At Ring 3, the first group finished in less than half a minute.

The difference in strength between the two was too great.

But over at Ring 5, the two were evenly matched and were still locked in combat.

Su Han slowly walked onto the ring. Opposite him was a burly man nearly 1.9 meters tall, his arms bulging with muscles and his eyes fierce.

"You're that Su Han who took first in the triathlon and broke the record?" Iron Hand looked Su Han up and down contemptuously. "It's not too late to surrender now."

"This is combat. What we're competing in isn't stamina, but fighting technique and power!"

"Don't blame me for not warning you; once we start fighting, I can't guarantee I'll be able to control my strength."

Su Han, however, smiled slightly. "It's fine, I can control mine."

"I guarantee I won't beat you to death."

Iron Hand: "..."

After the referee emphasized the rules again, he announced the start of the match!

"Kid, you'll pay the price for your ignorance and arrogance!"

Iron Hand showed no mercy, a powerful right straight punch aiming directly for Su Han's face!

"Bang!"

The dull sound of fist hitting flesh rang out, and everyone thought Su Han would be sent flying—

However, Iron Hand's fist stopped ten centimeters in front of Su Han's face, firmly blocked by a single palm!

"What?" Iron Hand's pupils shrank. This punch of his was enough to shatter three bricks, yet it was caught so easily?

Before he could react, Su Han's left hand shot out like a venomous snake, grabbing his wrist and twisting—

"Ah!" Iron Hand cried out in pain, his whole body pulled forward into a stagger.

Su Han followed the momentum with a side turn, his right elbow slamming hard into Iron Hand's back!

"Thud!"

Iron Hand fell heavily onto the ground, nearly losing his breath.

The entire arena went silent.

One move!

With just one move, he had taken down last year's third-place Iron Hand!

"This... this is impossible!" Iron Hand struggled to climb up, his eyes full of disbelief.

Su Han stood in place and said calmly, "Again."

Iron Hand roared and used his specialty—the Divine Sword Commando Unit's signature combination punches!

Straight punch! Hook! Elbow strike! Knee strike!

A smooth, flowing set of attacks struck toward Su Han like a violent storm.

However, an even more shocking scene appeared—

Su Han stood in place, using only his hands to block all the attacks, his feet not moving an inch!

"Bang bang bang!"

Amidst the dense sounds of hitting, Iron Hand's fists fell like raindrops on Su Han's arms, shoulders, and chest, but could not shake him in the slightest!

"Heavens!" The spectating Special Forces Soldiers widened their eyes. "He's not even dodging?"

"Iron Hand's fists can break bricks!"

Iron Hand became more alarmed the more he fought. His fists were already starting to ache, yet Su Han acted as if nothing was happening!

"Done hitting?" Su Han suddenly spoke. "It's my turn."

Before his voice had even faded, his right fist shot out like lightning!

Iron Hand had no time to react at all; he felt a tightness in his chest and was sent flying backward, falling heavily at the edge of the ring!

"KO!" the referee announced loudly. "Wild Wolf's Su Han wins!"

The entire crowd erupted!

Inside the observation room, there was dead silence.

The Captains of the various Special Forces units stared at the replay of Ring 3, their expressions frozen.

"This... this..." the Captain of Wild Wolf stammered, "Iron Hand is like a child in front of him..."

"His ability to take a hit is simply perverse!" the Captain of Snow Leopard murmured. "Iron Hand landed so many heavy punches, and he just took them head-on?"

Wang Yuanchao was unable to speak, just staring fixedly at Su Han's calm face on the screen.

"Old Wang..." Chen Shuai spoke with difficulty, "Where on earth did your Wild Wolf... find such a monster?"

"Don't ask me. I want to know too, where the Military Region Headquarters found this monster!" Wang Yuanchao opened his mouth slightly, his voice a bit hoarse.

"Old Liu, this time, your Divine Sword is in danger!"

Chen Shuai teased the Divine Sword Captain to the side.

Divine Sword Captain Liu Bo had also just reacted from the shock. He snorted, "Iron Hand's strength wasn't that great to begin with."

"But to say our Divine Sword has lost is a bit premature, isn't it?"

"Long Bao also won in Ring 1. With Long Bao around, no one can take this first place!"

Everyone then realized that the universally recognized strongest Soldier King in the entire army, Long Bao, was also participating in this subject!

In that case...

Wouldn't there be a good show to watch?

Meanwhile, at the scene, everyone at Ring 3 was looking at Su Han on the stage in astonishment.

No one had expected Su Han to win so easily.

And for Iron Hand to lose so completely!

Su Han glanced at the still-disbelieving Iron Hand and said calmly, "See, I told you I could control my strength and wouldn't beat you to death."

Iron Hand: "..."

At this time, Long Bao, who was below the stage, narrowed his eyes as he looked at Su Han.

In his eyes, battle intent emerged!

The referee said to Su Han, "Rest first. Later, listen for the whistle to assemble and conduct the draw for the next round."

Su Han nodded and walked down. Seeing that Ring 5 hadn't finished yet, he slowly walked over.

Ring 5.

The battle between Big Bear and Bingdao had also entered its climax.

Both were already injured and panting heavily.

"Final strike!" Bingdao suddenly roared, a spinning kick aimed straight for Big Bear's head!

Big Bear gritted his teeth and endured it, taking the leg with his shoulder, while simultaneously landing a heavy uppercut on Bingdao's chin!

"Bang!"

Both men fell to the ground at the same time!

The referee began the countdown: "10... 9... 8..."

Big Bear struggled to climb up, while Bingdao failed to stand.

"Wild Wolf's Big Bear wins!"

The War Eagle Squad cheered joyfully, and Zhou Mo excitedly rushed onto the ring to support the swaying Big Bear.

"Nicely done!" Monkey excitedly patted Big Bear's back.

By the side of Ring 5, Zhou Mo and Monkey helped Big Bear sit down, handing him a functional drink and a towel.

"Hurry and rest; there's another round in half an hour." Zhou Mo said in a heavy voice, his eyes constantly scanning Big Bear's condition. "Can you still keep going?"

Big Bear wiped the sweat from his face and gritted his teeth as he nodded. "I can!"

Monkey handed over an ice pack to place on the bruise on Big Bear's shoulder. "That guy Bingdao really hit hard. This shoulder of yours..."

"It's fine." Big Bear grinned. "Compared to having my ribs broken by someone from Divine Sword last year, this is light."

As they were speaking, Zhou Mo caught a glimpse of Su Han walking over and couldn't help but be stunned. "You... finished your match?"

Su Han nodded. "Finished."

Zhou Mo looked Su Han up and down. Seeing that he hadn't even broken a sweat and his clothes were clean, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly—it seemed he had been insta-killed, without even a chance to trade blows.

He patted Su Han's shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of sympathy. "It's okay. It's normal to lose the first time you participate in a competition of this level."

Monkey also came over to comfort him. "Exactly, the opponent was Divine Sword's Iron Hand. There's no shame in losing."

Big Bear added while gasping for air, "Wait until I recover some stamina; I'll help you get revenge in the next round."

Su Han smiled slightly and didn't explain.

...

Inside the observation room, the Captains of the various Special Forces units were observing the situation in each ring via surveillance.

"Old Wang, your Wild Wolf's Big Bear isn't in good shape." The Captain of Snow Leopard pointed at the screen for Ring 5. "His shoulder is injured; the next round will probably..."

Wang Yuanchao frowned as he stared at the screen. "He can persist."

"Persisting is useless." The Captain of Wild Wolf shook his head. "None of his opponents in the next round are pushovers. In his current state..."

Everyone fell silent. Although Big Bear's strength was not bad, after the hard battle just now, it would indeed be difficult for him to accomplish anything in the next round.

"But there's no need to worry. Even if Big Bear can't make it, your Wild Wolf still has Su Han. His chances are quite good. Even if he can't beat Long Bao, he should be able to get top three." The Captain of Snow Leopard comforted.

Wang Yuanchao, however, snorted. "Top three? Then you're looking down on our Wild Wolf too much!"

The Captain of Snow Leopard was taken aback. "What? You guys still want to take first?"

Wang Yuanchao raised his head. "What? Su Han isn't worthy?"

Everyone: "..."

They really didn't dare say Su Han wasn't worthy.

After all, in this half-day, the shock Su Han had brought them was truly too much!

No one knew how much strength this new recruit was still hiding!

...

Ten minutes later, the referee blew the assembly whistle.

"All advancing contestants assemble for the draw!"

Zhou Mo and Monkey supported Big Bear. "Let's go, go to the draw."

The three had just taken a step when they found that Su Han was also following them.

"Su Han?" Zhou Mo frowned. "What are you following for? It's the advancing contestants who go to the draw."

Monkey also waved his hand. "Go rest. Big Bear can go up himself; you don't need to go up and support him anymore."

The corners of Su Han's mouth turned up slightly. "Who said I was eliminated?"

"What?!"

The three froze at the same time, looking at Su Han in confusion.

Very quickly, they reacted.

"You... you won?" Zhou Mo's voice trembled. "You beat Iron Hand?"

Su Han nodded and said no more, walking straight to the assembly point.

Behind him, the members of the War Eagle Squad were as if struck by lightning.

"Holy crap!" Monkey blurted out a curse. "He actually beat Iron Hand?"

Big Bear's expression shifted. "How is this possible..."

Zhou Mo suddenly thought of something and rushed toward the results bulletin board.

When he saw the words "Wild Wolf Su Han defeats Divine Sword Iron Hand," he was completely dumbfounded.

"Captain?" Monkey followed over, and seeing the announcement, he was also stunned. "How... how did he do it?"

Zhou Mo took a deep breath and suddenly turned to run toward the referee group at Ring 3.

A few minutes later, he returned with a pale face, his voice dry:

"The referee said... Su Han only used one move..."

"One move?!" Big Bear and Monkey said in unison.

Zhou Mo nodded with difficulty. "And... Iron Hand's set of combination punches hit him, and he didn't even dodge..."

The three of them looked toward that upright figure at the assembly point in unison.

The next second...

"Holy crap! We were all blind!"