19: Chapter 19: A crushing defeat against the strongest soldier in the entire army!

Su Han won? And he defeated Iron Hand in a single move?

How is this possible?

"Captain, do you think the referee made a mistake?" Monkey leaned in, his voice trembling.

Zhou Mo shot him a look. "What do you think?"

Everyone: "..."

"So, if that's the case, do you think it's possible that the powerhouse who broke the army record by 10 minutes and took first place in the triathlon this morning was Su Han?"

Monkey suddenly said.

As soon as these words came out, Zhou Mo and the others were stunned for a moment, then immediately shook their heads. "Impossible! He's just a private; how could he have that kind of strength?"

Monkey said, "But he's a private, and didn't he also defeat Iron Hand?"

This remark instantly silenced Zhou Mo and the others.

Put that way, it seemed like it wasn't impossible after all.

At this moment, the contestants from various units were lining up to draw lots.

At the assembly point, the twelve advancing contestants had all arrived.

Su Han stood at the end of the line, feeling the inquisitive gazes coming from all around.

Especially from the Divine Sword Commando Unit's side, several members were pointing and whispering about him.

"Quiet!" the referee announced loudly. "We will now begin the drawing of lots to determine the opponents for the next round."

A staff member stepped forward holding an opaque box.

The contestants went forward one by one to draw a numbered ball.

"Number 1 against Number 2, Number 3 against Number 4, and so on," the referee explained. "Members of the same unit will be automatically separated."

Su Han drew ball number 3.

When he called out his number, he clearly felt a stir coming from the Divine Sword side.

"Number 4," a deep voice rang out.

Su Han turned his head and saw a burly man nearly 1.9 meters tall step out of the line.

He had a buzz cut, a scar over his brow bone, and eyes as sharp as knives.

"Long Bao..." someone whispered in surprise.

The referee looked at the list: "War Eagle's Su Han versus Divine Sword's Long Bao, first group to take the stage!"

The scene instantly exploded into a clamor.

"Holy crap! The first match is against Long Bao!"

"That green recruit is finished..."

"Not necessarily, he just took out Iron Hand in one move..."

"Can Iron Hand even be compared to Long Bao? Long Bao is the three-time consecutive combat champion!"

"This Su Han just broke the triathlon record this morning, and now he's challenging the Soldier King?"

Zhou Mo's whole body jolted as his ears caught the key information—record-breaking? Triathlon? He suddenly grabbed a nearby Marine: "Wait, what record did you just say Su Han broke?"

The soldier looked at him like he was an idiot. "He's one of your own War Eagle guys and you don't know? The triathlon! He was a full ten minutes faster than the previous record! All four of our Marine Corps units are going crazy!"

The War Eagle members gasped, the three of them looking at each other, seeing pure disbelief in one another's eyes.

"So... that monster from this morning..." Monkey stammered.

"Was Su Han." Zhou Mo swallowed hard, suddenly remembering something as his expression turned incredibly ugly. "And we..."

Monkey closed his eyes in pain. "We've been mocking him the whole time."

"Thinking about it now, we're the real clowns!"

Zhou Mo stared at Su Han's back, a thought striking him: "Wait, if he took first in the triathlon this morning, and there's the 20km weighted cross-country run this afternoon..."

Everyone gasped. "Is he planning to sweep every single event by himself?"

...

Long Bao strode up to Su Han, looking down at him from his height. "Kid, you injured my brother."

Su Han met his gaze calmly. "It was within the allowed rules."

"Very well," Long Bao sneered. "I'll show you that the dignity of Divine Sword is not to be provoked."

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Iron Hand is a soldier I personally trained. You humiliating him is the same as humiliating me."

The corner of Su Han's mouth curled up. "And?"

"And..." a ruthless glint flashed in Long Bao's eyes, "I'm going to make you crawl off this stage in front of everyone."

"I'll be waiting," Su Han said indifferently.

Long Bao snorted coldly and turned toward the preparation area.

"It's over, it's over, it's over..." Monkey was jumping with anxiety. "How did he draw Long Bao!"

Zhou Mo's face was grim. "Last year, Big Bear had two ribs broken by him..."

Big Bear subconsciously touched his ribs, his face pale. "Su Han, he..."

The three of them looked at Su Han, who was warming up, their eyes filled with worry.

"Quick!" Zhou Mo suddenly sprang into action. "Before the match starts, let's help him relax his muscles!"

Monkey immediately understood and rushed over to massage Su Han's shoulders. "Brother, I had a big mouth earlier, please don't take it to heart..."

Big Bear also limped over, handing him a functional drink. "Drink some of this to replenish your energy."

Su Han didn't know whether to laugh or cry at their sudden enthusiasm. "You guys are..."

"Don't say another word!" Zhou Mo said with a serious face. "We misunderstood you before. We apologize to you."

Monkey nodded repeatedly. "We failed to recognize greatness. Please be the bigger person and overlook our pettiness..."

"The most important thing now is this match," Zhou Mo interrupted him. "Long Bao is not someone Iron Hand can compare to. He..."

"I know," Su Han said, rolling his wrists. "The three-time champion, right?"

"You're not nervous?" Big Bear's eyes widened. "He's incredibly ruthless when he strikes!"

Su Han smiled. "?"

The three looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Captain," Su Han interrupted him, a hint of a smile in his eyes, "can you massage my shoulders again? I'm about to get into a fight."

Zhou Mo was stunned for a moment, then reacted, quickly calling over Monkey and the others. "Quick! Help Su Han relax his muscles!"

The members of War Eagle Squad scrambled around Su Han, some kneading his shoulders and others pounding his legs. Where was the slightest hint of their previous contempt?

"Su Han, Long Bao's left hook is especially powerful, you have to be careful..."

"He likes to use knee strikes, don't let him get close..."

...

Inside the command observation room, the atmosphere was exceptionally tense.

"Old Wang, there's a good show to watch now," the Captain of Wild Wolf grinned. "Your War Eagle's Su Han against Divine Sword's Long Bao."

Wang Yuanchao clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on the large screen without blinking.

"Old Long, who do you think will win?" the Captain of Snow Leopard asked curiously.

Long Zhan slowly took a sip of tea. "You'll see for yourselves soon enough."

"Playing mysterious..." Chen Shuai muttered, but his eyes were glued to the surveillance footage.

The Divine Sword Captain, Liu Bo, snorted coldly. "Long Bao has never lost in an official competition."

"There's a first time for everything," Wang Yuanchao suddenly spoke up, his tone carrying an unprecedented confidence.

...

At the scene.

The referee signaled for them to take the stage.

Su Han took off his jacket, revealing a lean, powerful upper body.

His muscles weren't exaggerated, but his lines were as fluid as a leopard's, with every inch containing explosive power.

The three members of War Eagle Squad held their breath in unison. It wasn't until this moment that they truly saw the "connected guy" they had looked down upon—the crisscrossing scars on that body were not something a green recruit could have. What kind of brutal training had a recruit gone through to have more scars than them, the Special Forces?

"Su Han..." Zhou Mo's Adam's apple bobbed. "Just who are you?"

Su Han gave a slight smile and turned toward the combat arena.

All eyes were focused on them.

Long Bao was already standing in the center of the arena, his gaze icy. The referee was giving the final instructions: "...Attacking the groin is prohibited. Two knockdowns result in a loss. Do you understand?"

Both men nodded.

"Start!"

As soon as the referee's whistle blew, Long Bao pounced toward Su Han like a leopard!

His right fist whistled through the air, aiming straight for Su Han's face, moving so fast it made the watching Special Forces Soldiers gasp.

"So fast!" Monkey's eyes widened. "Faster than last year!"

Zhou Mo clenched his fists. "That punch has at least 400 kilograms of impact force!"

However, facing this thunderous strike, Su Han only slightly turned his body—

"Thud!"

The punch landed solidly on Su Han's chest, making a dull thumping sound.

The entire venue fell silent instantly.

Long Bao's pupils constricted—he felt as if he had hit a steel plate!

"What's going on?" The Captain of Wild Wolf suddenly stood up. "Taking Long Bao's punch head-on?"

In the observation room, the Captains of all the major Special Forces units stood up, staring intently at the surveillance screen.

"Is this kid crazy?" Divine Sword Captain Liu Bo exclaimed. "Long Bao can break five bricks with one punch!"

Wang Yuanchao's palms were soaked in sweat. "Su Han, he..."

On the field, Long Bao quickly retreated, looking at Su Han with uncertainty. "You..."

Su Han patted the wrinkles on his chest and smiled slightly. "Decent power."

"Holy crap!" the scene erupted into a frenzy.

"He's okay?"

"Long Bao's punch hitting him was like a light scratch?"

Long Bao's face darkened as he suddenly changed his move, a whip kick sweeping toward Su Han's waist!

"Smack!"

Another dull sound, and Su Han didn't budge an inch.

"This is impossible!" Long Bao's expression finally changed. "Have you practiced Hard Qigong?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd was in an uproar.

"Hard Qigong? Isn't that from martial arts novels?"

"It does circulate in the army, but to be able to practice it to this extent..."

On the field, Long Bao had become completely serious. He moved slowly around Su Han, his eyes sharp as knives. "Nice Hard Qigong. I'd like to see how long you can hold out!"

Before his voice faded, he suddenly lunged, a series of combination punches hitting Su Han like a storm!

"Bang bang bang!"

Amidst the dense sounds of impact, Su Han remained in place, only using his arms to block his vitals while taking the rest of the attacks with his body!

"Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine..." some Special Forces Soldiers unconsciously counted Long Bao's punches.

When they reached "thirty," Long Bao finally retreated, his forehead already beaded with sweat. And Su Han... his breathing wasn't even disturbed!

"Monster..." Zhou Mo murmured. "This is an absolute monster..."

Monkey was dumbfounded. "C-Captain, we actually mocked a person like this before?"

Big Bear touched his ribs, suddenly feeling that the two he broke last year weren't broken in vain at all.

On the field, Long Bao panted heavily, staring at Su Han. "Can you only dodge and block? Do you dare to have a proper fight?"

Hearing this, Su Han suddenly laughed. "As you wish."

He assumed an offensive stance for the first time, and his entire aura changed instantly—if he was a mountain before, he was now a volcano about to erupt!

"Here it comes!" In the observation room, Long Zhan suddenly stood up.

On the field, Su Han moved—

His speed was so fast he left an afterimage, a "Mountain Lean" charging straight into Long Bao's chest!

Long Bao blocked in a hurry, but he felt like he'd been hit by a truck, and his whole body flew backward!

"Boom!"

Long Bao crashed heavily five meters away and slid another two meters before stopping.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

One move!

With just one move, he had sent the Soldier King, Long Bao, flying!

"This..." Divine Sword Captain Liu Bo's face was pale. "What kind of power is this?"

On the field, Long Bao struggled to get up, blood already visible at the corner of his mouth. He wiped his face, a blazing fighting spirit igniting in his eyes. "Good! Now it's getting interesting!"

He roared, his muscles tightening as he used his ultimate technique—the Divine Sword Commando Unit's "Army Breaking Punch"!

This was a killing move that combined modern combat with traditional martial arts!

The two instantly clashed, the muffled sounds of fists and feet meeting exploding like thunder!

"Too fast!" Monkey rubbed his eyes hard. "I can't see their movements at all!"

Zhou Mo stared intently at the field. "Long Bao is already using his full strength, but Su Han..."

He saw Su Han dealing with Long Bao's fierce attacks with ease, each strike precisely cutting off Long Bao's momentum.

What was even more terrifying was that his moves were clearly holding back.

But after exchanging a dozen moves, Su Han suddenly changed his technique, delivering a textbook demonstration of the Army Breaking Punch—

"Bang!"

Long Bao flew out again, this time crashing directly outside the boundary of the arena!

The referee hurried over to check, only to see Long Bao climb up on his own, his face full of shock. "You... how do you know the Army Breaking Punch?"

Su Han smiled without answering.

He had known this move in his previous life, and he had learned it from the creator himself.

Long Bao stared at Su Han for a few seconds, then suddenly took a deep breath and turned to the referee. "I concede."

"What?" The referee thought he had misheard.

"I concede," Long Bao said, his voice raspy. "The gap is too large."

The crowd was in an uproar!

Long Bao, the three-time champion, had actually conceded voluntarily!

The referee finally snapped out of it and announced loudly, "War Eagle's Su Han wins!"

The War Eagle Squad members rushed onto the field like crazy, and Zhou Mo grabbed Su Han in a hug. "You're too awesome!"

Monkey was so excited he was incoherent. "So awesome!! Su Han, you're my idol from now on! I'd even be your grandson!"

Su Han: "..."

How did he gain another grandson just by competing in a match?

In the observation room, Wang Yuanchao slumped back into his chair and murmured, "Our War Eagle... is about to rise..."

Divine Sword Captain Liu Bo's face was grim, and he suddenly turned to leave.

Long Zhan stopped him with a smile. "Old Liu, don't forget our bet."

Liu Bo gritted his teeth. "Don't worry! My Divine Sword can still afford a month's worth of food expenses!"

The other Captains looked at each other and suddenly swarmed around Wang Yuanchao:

"Old Wang! Let Su Han come to our unit to give some guidance for a few days!"

"We can negotiate the price!"

"Our Wild Wolf will trade our latest equipment for him!"

Wang Yuanchao raised his head proudly. "Don't even think about it! Su Han is our War Eagle's treasure!"

"Scram!"

"You're acting like Su Han really belongs to your War Eagle! Isn't he just on loan to you? He's not even officially part of the War Eagle organization!"

"Exactly! Once the competition is over, we'll go find him ourselves!"

Hearing this, Wang Yuanchao finally realized the truth.

It really seemed to be the case!

Su Han was only using one of their War Eagle slots; he wasn't really one of their War Eagle men!

Thinking of this, Wang Yuanchao couldn't help but feel nervous.

He was truly afraid Su Han would be poached!

This was a great treasure!

With him around, in future competitions, let alone making the top six, even taking first place wouldn't be impossible for War Eagle!