Xiao Jing looked at the blue band on her wrist. There was a number written on it – The number '8'.
Inching closer to Lin Qi, she asked in hushed tones, "What does the number stand for? And what will we be competing for today? Why does it feel like a team fight?"
Lin Qi discreetly peeked at the number written on his wristband, which was a number '6'. For some reason, he felt kind of relieved. If his opponent happened to be Xiao Jing, he would probably end up going easy on her.
"Hahaha, you drew number 8 for the blue team?" Mu Xichi's loud chuckling resonated within the war zone, drawing the attention of at least half the people present, who were now looking over curiously.
Xiao Jing did not understand why everyone was looking at her with a sympathetic expression on their faces as if they were wishing her good luck. What was the hidden meaning behind the number?
With a deep sigh, Mu Xichi patted lightly on Xiao Jing's shoulder. "I remember that this time last year, the person who picked the number eight was our comrade, Xiao Xu. Comrade Xiao Xu was twenty-five years old and in his prime. He was even nicknamed Little Flying Tiger. Unfortunately, after exchanging three moves in the ring, the medical personnel had to send him to the best hospital in the Empire. After three whole months of treatment, he was removed from active service."
"What are you getting at?"
"Our Commander may be a just and righteous person, but everyone knows that when he is on the battlefield, he attacks his targets like a cheetah attacks its prey. It is a good thing that he is the designated number 8 for the red team!"
Xiao Jing stiffened, seemingly having made sense of Mu Xichi's words, and the situation she was about to face. It was not the team fight she had envisioned. It was a no holds barred one-on-one! That meant that fighting with that big rice dumpling was signing herself up for a colossal thrashing!
Was it too late for her to forfeit?
Could she still surrender?
"I did give you a chance," a loud and overbearing voice rang out from behind Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing turned around to look at the owner of the voice. Sure enough, it was the big rice dumpling. As usual, he was meticulously wrapped up from head to toe, despite the warm and humid weather and the glaring sun. He was wearing his military cap, his cape, a pair of knee-high army boots, as well as his pretentious-looking gloves.
"Don't you feel hot, old geezer? Does it not feel stuffy? Do you not feel terrible?" Xiao Jing thought.
"You appear to be having second thoughts," Shen Chengfeng commented as he turned around to glance at the ring which had been set up. The surface area was about 50 square meters, so there was plenty of space for him to put his skills to good use.
Nobody was allowed to use weapons during close combat. Anyone who broke the rules would be confined for two weeks.
"I do not believe in giving up halfway, only in fighting to the death," Xiao Jing said firmly as she looked at the red flag floating proudly in the air.
"Since that is the case, I would be going against your beliefs if I do not give it my best."
Xiao Jing gulped, the corners of her mouth twitching uncontrollably.
Shen Chengfeng removed his cap and rotated his wrists. Although he appeared to be gently turning them, he was doing so with a lot of strength. He was using so much force that his wrist bones were making cracking sounds. "You don't have to mind who I am, just give it all you've got," he said to her.
"Commander, the statistics indicate that your chance of winning this year is almost a hundred percent. As compared to last year, the probability has increased by one percent," said Deputy Commander Pei Yi, who was in charge of analyzing statistical data for Steel Eagle. He pushed up the glasses on his nose bridge, a solemn expression on his face.
Shen Chengfeng looked at Pei Yi and took the data from him. After going through all of it, he finally found the data regarding his opponent on the very last page.
Xiao Jing: Twenty-five years old, 'D' for physical strength, 'D' for combat effectiveness, 'F' for reaction time, 'F' for explosive force, and zero percent chance of winning.
"Ahem. Commander, it doesn't seem very fair that the recruits have to participate in this year's match. Even though they might have been the cream of the crop in their respective camps, that is not worth mentioning within the Special Command Unit. If news gets out that we are bullying them, we will become the butt of the joke."
"You guys seem to be pretty confident of winning, huh?" questioned Shen Chengfeng.
Pei Yi pushed up the glasses on his nose bridge once again, his thick glasses reflecting a strange look in his eyes. "It is one thing going up against a recruit. But going up against Xiao Jing – Isn't that practically bullying him?"
"I heard that you made a trip home two days ago," said Shen Chengfeng, as he fixed his stare on Pei Yi as if having seen through some conspiracy.
"Is there some kind of misunderstanding, Commander?" Pei Yi asked with a smile.
"Looks like I ought to visit the Xiao family soon. They seem to be overreaching these days, with their constant visits to Steel Eagle."
The smile on Pei Yi's face slowly stiffened. He did have a good reason for making a trip home, having been summoned overnight by his father. It was all for Xiao Jing, the fourth young master of the Xiao family.
He still remembered vividly what the patriarch of the Xiao family, Xiao Yao, had said to him before he left:
"Since the fish enjoys freedom, I shall let it swim in the ocean. Unfortunately, there are many ferocious sharks in the ocean. The least I can do is to watch over it silently and try to safeguard the peace in this part of the ocean as best as I can."