Chapter 353: Wild Duel
“What the heck is Jin Gang doing?! He’s supposed to stop the fight, why is he confronting Mr. Mie instead?”
Watching from the fourth floor of the office building Dongfang Shuoyu was livid, but his reaction was hidden under the gas mask and remained unseen by others.
Fu Yiren chuckled and said, “Isn’t this pretty obvious, that fool wants to test out Mr. Mie.”
“What the heck, what’s the point in comparing skills when we’re all working for the NSA!”
Dongfang Shuoyu was fuming and turning around to his a.s.sistant, he ordered, “Quick, alert the guards. I want the fight to be stopped immediately!”
“Wait.” Gu Zhanguo raised both his hands at Dongfang Shuoyu.
“Gu?”
Dongfang Shuoyu looked at him quizzically. Those were the NSA’s top warriors, and any injuries sustained by any of them would have a considerable impact on the NSA’s operational capabilities.
Gu Zhanguo was unable to come up with a good reason and let out a long sigh, but there was a sparkle in his eye when he said, “Let them spar for a while, shall we?”
“What?! Gu, I hope you are very aware of what you are asking me!”
Gu Zhanguo smiled calmly and replied, “You know that Jin Gang will not let him off easily. If you stop him now, he will simply find another opportunity to have a go at Mie. Anyway, I too want to know how long can Mie last facing Jin Gang’s attack.”
“Hehe, are you looking down on that guy? Don’t be surprised he turns out to be way better than that fool, Jin Gang,” Fu Yiren chimed, covered her mouth as she burst out laughing.
“The ‘Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill’ will render its user invulnerable to bullets and slashes. In a full-on collision, even a heavy armored tank would be disabled. Based on this, Jin Gang is already unbeatable,” Gu Zhanguo opined.
Fu Yiren mused, “Hmm, you could be right… anyway, let me go and have a look down there. Mie seems quite interesting, and I’d like to get a little more acquainted with him.”
Without another word, Fu Yiren turned toward the door and left the room.
******
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Xiao Luo and Jin Gang had now moved to the training ground.
The training ground resembled a small patch of the Gobi, a dust bowl by any description, where even a slight breeze would send wisps of fine dust and sand swirling over its dry surface.
Xiao Luo and Jin Gang stood ready, facing off at a distance of more than ten meters. The crowd could already sense both of their auras, even before the fighters had engaged in battle. The air was crackling with rising levels of their internal energy, and the pressure was building up before the fight.
“Are they going to spar? They are both Level-S soldiers, won’t this get out of hand?”
“No, I don’t think so. It’s only sparring and not a life and death duel, so I doubt they would go all out.”
“If it’s just sparring, Jin Gang would surely be the winner! Don’t forget, neither bullets nor blades can harm him, there’s no way to beat him.”
The spectators decided to gather by the road a safe distance away, but they still continued their discussions in whispers, reluctant to draw the two combatants’ attention and ire.
Ji Siying was getting very anxious, and knowing that she could not stop this duel if she tried, she wholly depended on the guards to arrive. But it had been a while since she alerted them, yet there was still no sign of the guards. Inwardly, Ji Siying suspected that the chief might have had a hand in arranging this duel. Was there another purpose Jin Gang had been sent down, and could it be that the chief wanted to test Xiao Luo’s limit?
“I hope you can surprise me!”
Jin Gang roared and bounded toward Xiao Luo in a fierce charge. His roar reverberated across the field, intimidating the onlookers gathered by the road, and they could even sense his aura surged like energy waves in all directions. Jin Gang advanced swiftly in quick, measured steps, and as he closed in, he twirled his ma.s.sive arms in an attacking pattern like an unstoppable beast.
POW!
Xiao Luo had remained still and only reacted just before the iron fist struck him, he stopped the incoming punch with his right palm, s.h.i.+fting forward slighted and channeling his internal energy to his right hand. The tremendous force of the impact was deafening, and they were like two ferocious dragons locked in battle; their energy could even be felt by the onlookers afar.
The ground where they stood tremored from the impact, and dust and sand swirled around them.
Jin Gang’s brutal attack was stopped, but it pushed Xiao Luo back for about two to three meters, leaving two deep furrows in the ground. Xiao Luo stomped his right foot into the ground to regain his balance and stayed ready in a low wide stance.
“Hmm, not bad at all, hahaha…”
Jin Gang was laughed maniacally, and instantly pounced at Xiao Luo like a tiger on the hunt. This time he launched a series of relentless attacks.
Xiao Luo’s defense was up to the challenge. His excellent footwork kept him away from Jin Gang’s furious strikes as he danced around his adversary, and antic.i.p.ated his attacker’s moves with astute judgment. Jin Gang swarmed Xiao Luo with a series of quick low strikes, but Xiao Luo reacted by spinning away and countering his attack with a flurry of kicks.
Both fighters now exchanged violent strikes with their fists, landing blows with the force of a hammer, and as the fight went on, their breathing became more labored. But the fight raged on, and the ground shook from the constant battering of the two combatants, with clouds of dust hovering across the entire field.
As the duel continued, the swirling dust now appeared like a fog and visibility was reduced drastically—it was literally a fog of war. The onlookers could not see either of the fighters and only heard the sounds of blows and grunts, as both Xiao Luo and Jin Gang were completely shrouded in a cloud of dust.
For the NSA soldiers observing the duel from the roadside, they were in awe of the two fighters who were relentlessly battling it out in such difficult conditions. It did not seem to be a duel between men, but rather a fight between two ancient beasts!
Ji Siying was overcome by anxiety, and she looked pale, fearing for Xiao Luo’s safety. She was aware that Jin Gang was a formidable opponent.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The intensity of the duel was reaching fever pitch as resounding blows reverberated from within the dust cloud like a peal of thunder. Something had to give as there was no way the fighters could keep this up any longer.
Suddenly, a figure flew out from the swirling dust storm like a cannonball and crashed onto the ground some ten meters away. The momentum caused Jin Gang to tumble along the bare ground like a drifting car out of control, stirring up a trail of dust and sand in his wake.
Was that… Xiao Luo?
Everyone blinked then squinted to get a better look at the person, but the visibility was so poor that none could make him out immediately.
Suddenly, a lone figure strode out of the dust cloud, taking slow and steady steps—it was Xiao Luo! He looked grim, and his clothes were in tatters, but his body did not appear to have sustained serious injuries.
Everyone gasped—that would mean that the man who was sent flying off earlier was none other than Jin Gang. They were suddenly in awe of Xiao Luo as no one could even begin to believe that Jin Gang could be defeated by a single opponent.
ARRRHH!
Without warning, a deafening roar echoed across the training ground—Jin Gang had picked himself up and regained his senses. Seething with unbridled rage, he charged at Xiao Luo, leaving a trail of dust swirling behind him.
Jin Gang had ripped his s.h.i.+rt off, and his exposed skin had turned a golden hue, exactly like the monks of the “Shaolin 18 Bronzemen,” for Jin Gang had called upon the special powers that gave him invulnerability and immense strength.
“He’s using the ‘Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill!"”
Someone from the crowd shouted when he saw Jin Gang’s golden-hued skin.
“Mie, this is getting very interesting… take this!”
Jin Gang was closing in onto Xiao Luo, and a strong aura was emanating from his clenched iron fists as he prepared to smite his opponent.
Before Xiao Luo could even react, Jin Gang was suddenly onto him, and all Xiao Luo saw was a flas.h.i.+ng streak of golden light. Xiao Luo kept his eyes honed and spotted Jin Gang’s punch at the very last second, and with no way to evade the blow, he crossed his arms in front of his body to protect his vital points.
POW!
It was a mighty punch and shook Xiao Luo violently, blowing sand and dust in all directions.
Xiao Luo felt like he had been smashed by a runaway train, and his body was thrown off violently. Like Jin Gang earlier, he landed on the ground hard and continued to tumble for another twenty meters before coming to a rest.
…