Chapter 110 Dragon Roars in the North
The opening ceremony of the Northern Federation International Military Elite Competition kicked off in the severe cold of minus 20 degrees Celsius.
The aurora flowed in the night sky, covering the main venue built of steel with an eerie green light.
The white air exhaled by Xiaobai condensed in front of him, and was then dispersed by the deafening drum sound.
"What a grand occasion." She whispered to Tang Jingmo beside her, but her eyes were fixed on the Hunter team in the opposite stands.
Kenichi Sato was among them. His throat and wrists, which were broken yesterday, seemed to have never been injured. He responded to her gaze with a sinister look.
Tang Jingmo's fingertips tapped the Morse code on the armrest: "Recovery speed is abnormal"
Xiaobai nodded imperceptibly.
Sato's condition is ridiculously good, even more robust than before his injury - his muscles are more defined, his eyes are sharper, and he looks like a sword that has been out of its sheath for too long and is suddenly re-sharpened.
This is definitely not something that can be achieved through natural recovery.
On the rostrum, the Minister of Defense of the Northern Federation was giving a speech, and his heavily accented English voice reached the ears of contestants from various countries:
"...This competition allows the use of non-traditional weapons for the first time, showcasing the highest achievements of military technology from various countries..."
Xiaobai didn't pay much attention to the official rhetoric. Her attention was attracted by the twelve alloy pillars that suddenly rose in the center of the venue.
On each pillar stood a warrior dressed in traditional military uniforms of various countries. Chen Jiaying, the representative of the Eastern Kingdom of China, was dressed in a dark suit with a scarlet belt around his waist.
"The exhibition match is about to begin." Tang Jingmo leaned close to her ear and said, "It's the tradition of the people of the Northern Territory - to demonstrate the country's strength through martial arts."
The drum beats suddenly became denser, and the twelve warriors moved at the same time.
The representative of the American Federation took the lead and threw an American-style punch directly at the face of the Chinese warrior.
The dark figure swayed like willow catkins, the wind from his fist brushed past his hair, and he slapped the opponent's elbow with his backhand, causing the American representative to lose balance immediately.
"Tai Chi Push Hands." Xiao Bai raised his lips, "This guy is from the Wudang Sect."
"Chief Gu personally selected them, and they were also participants in the previous session."
The show quickly turned into a melee.
The representative of the Bear Country used Systema with unparalleled power, knocking down two people in succession;
The representative of the Beer Country is an expert in Jiu-Jitsu and locked the Samba Country player so that he could not move.
The Chinese warriors always lingered on the edge of the battle circle, and each attack accurately hit the opponent's weak points.
"Come on Chen Jiaying, you're so awesome! You're invincible!" Xiaobai made his hands into a trumpet shape and shouted encouragement towards the venue.
Contestants from other countries followed suit and raised their voices to cheer for their own country's warriors, and the atmosphere became lively.
When there were only three people left on the field, something unexpected happened.
The Japanese representative - not the participating Sato, but a performing warrior - suddenly threw three darts from his sleeves, hitting the Chinese warrior's vital points.
There was an uproar in the audience, as this was a clear violation of the exhibition match rules.
"Cheating! Cheating! Cheating! Japan is shameless!" Xiaobai shouted, and countries that were friendly with China also echoed him.
The Chinese warrior seemed to have anticipated this, and he dodged like a ghost, and all three hidden weapons missed their target.
In the moment when the Japanese was astonished, he had already rushed into the opponent's arms, and with a "Tie Shan Kao" move, he knocked his opponent three meters away.
"Bajiquan!" Xiaobai couldn't help but cheer, attracting a lot of attention from those around him.
The last remaining man from the Bear Country rushed over with a roar, but the Chinese warrior did not retreat but advanced instead. At the moment when the two were about to collide, he suddenly crouched down and used his hands like a butterfly flying through flowers to tap the opponent's chest and abdomen seven times.
The strong man from the Bear Country was suddenly struck by lightning and froze in place, unable to move.
"Acupuncture..." Tang Jingmo sighed softly, "I didn't expect someone could really master it."
The lights in the venue suddenly dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the Chinese warrior.
He slowly stopped and saluted to all directions.
Thunderous applause broke out in the stands - except for the areas of the American Federation and the Japanese delegation.
"It was a great show, wasn't it?" a hoarse voice came from behind.
Xiaobai didn't need to look back to know it was Hunter. He appeared behind their seats like a ghost, with a faint smell of medicine.
"The real competition is on the field. This is an exhibition match, which just fits the old saying of your Chinese people - 'flowery fists and embroidered legs'?"
Xiao Bai turned his wrist and answered without turning his head: "We also have a saying that 'True gold is not afraid of fire'.
By the way, your Japanese dog's throat healed really quickly. What special medicine did you use? Would you like to share the recipe?"
Hunter's laughter was like sandpaper rubbing against the ground. "Technology changes everything, Miss Bai. The medical technology of the American Federation... is at least thirty years ahead of the world." He paused deliberately, "Just like our military technology."
Tang Jingmo suddenly spoke up: "Using drugs to overdraw human potential is like drinking poison to quench thirst, Hunter. You know what happened to those 'volunteers' in the end."
Hunter's expression darkened instantly, the scar on his right cheek glowing a hideous purple-red under the aurora: "At least they can feel the beauty of power before they die."
He leaned between the two of them, and lowered his voice to a very low level, "Just like those people I killed in the Balkans... I made them see what hell looks like before they died."
Tang Jingmo's knuckles turned white, but his voice was unusually calm: "This time I will send you to hell with my own hands, Hunter. For them, and for all the people you have ruined."
Hunter straightened up and adjusted his cuffs. "I'll wait and see."
He turned to leave, then turned back as if remembering something, "By the way, the first match tomorrow is a demonstration of fighting skills... Sato-kun is looking forward to 'sparring' with Miss Bai."
Xiao Bai gave him a sickly sweet smile: "Tell him to prepare the stretcher. I won't hold back when I hit him. Also, my last name is Lin. Don't call your opponent by the wrong name next time, or you'll look like an idiot."
After Hunter left, Tang Jingmo immediately opened the terminal and retrieved Sato's information:
"His performance in the joint military exercise last year was mediocre, and his strength test was only above average. But look at this—"
He pulled up a secretly filmed video from the training ground this morning, in which Sato lifted a 150-kilogram barbell with one hand, and did it ten times effortlessly.
"Physical energy stimulation test..." Xiao Bai narrowed his eyes, "Something like super soldier serum?"
"It's worse than that." Tang Jingmo zoomed in on Sato's neck, revealing tiny blue reticular lines under the skin.
"This is a sign of neuronal overload. The United States is secretly conducting human enhancement experiments, using drug technology to forcibly break through the limits of the human body...but the cost is burning lives."
Xiaobai whistled: "So they don't live long?"
"At most three months, he will die of organ failure." Tang Jingmo turned off the terminal. "Hunter knows this, but he doesn't care."
The opening ceremony ended with a grand fireworks display, but Xiaobai's mind was all on tomorrow's showdown.
After returning to the dormitory, she rarely took a rest immediately. Instead, she stood in front of the window and repeatedly practiced several sets of complex hand movements.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
