Infinite Fighting

Zhang Ji opened the door, and Kratos led Wu Chen into his small container home.

Kratos sat on the bed as if he owned the place, while Wu Chen stood by his side.

Zhang Ji closed the door behind him. "What’s up?"

"Was it you? The thing over at the transit area."

Kratos took out a cigar and had Wu Chen light it for him, then took a drag.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kratos," Zhang Ji said, stepping forward. "Could you please put that out? I don’t like the smell."

Kratos stared at Zhang Ji for two seconds, then suddenly reached out to grab him.

"THWACK!"

Their palms clashed. Zhang Ji slapped Kratos’s hand away, but Kratos immediately twisted his wrist slightly and seized Zhang Ji’s.

Zhang Ji was a little shocked. In terms of raw strength, he was superior, yet Kratos had easily grabbed his wrist.

’Technique!’

’That’s what I’m missing.’

"You really did it! In such a short time?" Kratos was astonished. He slowly released Zhang Ji’s wrist and handed the cigar to Wu Chen, signaling for him to extinguish it. Then he said, "Of all the geniuses I know, you’re in the top tier."

Was there anyone who could compare to Zhang Ji?

Of course there were.

With unlimited resources, top-tier methods, and extraordinary talent, it was possible to cross the threshold of a professional fighter in a single month.

That said, there were probably no more than twenty such people in the entire world.

This was just a rough estimate. In truth, even someone with that level of talent might never be discovered.

"Were they your men?" Zhang Ji asked.

He didn’t know who he had killed, only that someone over there had shot at his container.

That was why he had gone directly after them.

"No. But even if they were, it wouldn’t matter," Kratos said. "You’re not like them anymore."

"Cold-blooded, aren’t you," Zhang Ji sneered.

"Welcome to Shanli Island," Kratos said with a smile.

Zhang Ji’s smile vanished.

’Right. This is Shanli Island, a place where criminals are exiled.’

’The law of the jungle is its true nature.’

’He had simply been blinded by the seemingly normal life he’d been leading.’

’What was happening now... this was its daily reality.’

"Why are you looking for me?" Zhang Ji asked.

"To cooperate. We take out the big shot’s minions and create an opportunity to negotiate," Kratos said.

"Be more specific," Zhang Ji said.

Kratos looked at Wu Chen. Wu Chen nodded slightly and said to Zhang Ji, "Kui District is being targeted. The opposing force is powerful. Hong Kang, the leader of Kangcheng District, has already been recruited to be their dog. He’s currently leading his men in Kui District, planning to replace Kratos. They’re well-armed and have turned some of our people, so we plan to take out Hong Kang first and talk directly to the people in charge."

"Even if you win, what if they’re not willing to talk?" Zhang Ji asked.

"They’ll be willing. Their goal is to replace Kratos and rule this place. As long as we can demonstrate enough strength to make them feel the cost isn’t worth it, they’ll negotiate. At that point, we just follow their orders and acknowledge their rule. That way, we can still run things in Kui District ourselves—at least, for the most part," Wu Chen explained.

"Does this mean you’re admitting they’re stronger than us?" Zhang Ji said.

"According to the intel I’ve received, it’s not just Kangcheng District and Kui District. They’ve already brought several other districts under their control," Wu Chen said.

"Last question. What’s in it for me?" Zhang Ji asked.

"I can take you as my godson!" Kratos declared.

"I have no intention of getting a new dad," Zhang Ji said.

"Then my disciple. In name only. In reality, you’ll be the second-in-command of Kui District," Kratos said.

"Let’s go with student. Seeing as you’ve taught me before, I can call you ’teacher’," Zhang Ji said.

He wasn’t entirely swayed by the offer of power. It was also because he had already offended the other side by killing their people.

Besides, he wanted Kui District to quiet down, and he wanted to get his hands on medicinal herbs for his training.

He hadn’t trained or improved in days. He felt awful and completely insecure.

Having experienced the thrill of constantly gaining power, of finding confidence and security in strength, he was now completely addicted.

In his old world, there was no way to fight for everything purely through one’s own strength.

Effort wasn’t quantifiable, nor did it guarantee results.

Only here, only with the martial arts he was now practicing.

It was so pure. As long as you put in the work, you were guaranteed to see a return!

.....

.....

Beneath the main building of Kui District, Kratos walked in the lead, followed by Zhang Ji, Wu Chen, and a dozen of his other men.

They were all wearing bulletproof vests and helmets, even Kratos and Zhang Ji.

After all, they couldn’t completely tank bullets.

This main building was called Kui Tower.

As the name suggested, it was where Kratos and his men used to live.

Zhang Ji gripped the gun in his hand, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

He preferred using his fists.

"These things rule the world now. You have no choice but to adapt. No matter how talented you are, it’s the same on the outside," Kratos said, his eyes deep. "It’s only because it’s hard to get overly destructive weapons here on Shanli Island. Otherwise, even with your perfected Horizontal Training Power, you wouldn’t survive a new-model tracking grenade tossed by some ordinary person from a few hundred meters away."

Zhang Ji didn’t comment on that.

’Kratos was only describing the situation in the early versions of *Ultimate Fighting*.’

’Later versions would get more and more absurd.’

’After the War of the Saint Kings, the Five Saint Kings would become the public rulers of Origin Star. They would establish ranks for fighters, standardize the various fighting styles, spread martial knowledge far and wide, vigorously promote fighting tournaments, and cultivate fighter after fighter.’

’At that time, D-rank professional fighters would be relatively common.’

’Among high-level fighters, [True Self Stream] fighters who relied on their physical bodies could go toe-to-toe with [Profound Heart Stream] fighters who relied heavily on external forces.’

’In fact, in most combat scenarios, the True Self Stream had a higher win rate.’

’After all, things like equipment and environment required advance preparation.’

’But for the True Self Stream, as long as the person was there, their combat effectiveness wasn’t significantly reduced whether they had a weapon or not.’

’Still, there was no need to argue over which stream was stronger. By the late game, there wasn’t a single fighter who didn’t supplement their abilities with skills from two other schools.’

"Alright, let’s storm the place!"

Wu Chen gave a hand signal, and Kratos led his men straight toward the building.

The building’s security was tight. Previously, at least, Kratos wouldn’t have dared to launch a direct assault.

The reason he dared to now was because Zhang Ji had joined him.

Although Zhang Ji’s strength would make it difficult for him to fight a regular army on the outside, on Shanli Island, it was hard to get even ordinary firearms. With his Horizontal Training Power, while he couldn’t exactly walk all over the place, he was basically unstoppable as long as he didn’t run into an expert of the same level. No one could block his way.

"RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!"

Gunfire erupted first, and the guards at the entrance were taken out instantly.

Zhang Ji barely had time to react.

They were so decisive, showing no intention of leaving any witnesses alive.

As they stepped into the building, figures appeared one after another.

"Open fire!"

Kratos gave the order and started shooting as well.

The opposing side also had gunmen, who aimed at Zhang Ji and the others.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

His expression slightly tense, Zhang Ji pulled the trigger.

Muzzle flash erupted from the barrel. The recoil kicked back, but he easily steadied himself.

Two lives were snuffed out just like that.

’Much faster than bashing them with a crowbar.’

"Pretty useful, huh?" Kratos asked.

"Definitely!" Zhang Ji said.

He wasn’t against using external tools.

The prerequisite was that he had to be in complete control of the tool, ensuring it couldn’t be easily taken from him.

Only then could that power truly be his own.

With Zhang Ji and Kratos clearing the way, no one could stop them.

They fought their way up the stairs and into the building.

On the fourth floor, several bodies lay in the hallway. Kratos led Zhang Ji, Wu Chen, and the others to a large door.

Then, Kratos suddenly lifted his foot.

"BAM!"

The lock was destroyed, and the door burst open.

But the room inside was empty.

"He ran?" Kratos said, puzzled.

"Over there!"

Wu Chen, leaning against the window, saw what was happening outside.

A figure was making a quick retreat under the protection of several people.

"After him! He can’t get away!" Kratos ordered.

.....

Chu Xiangwen never would have imagined that Kratos, while being hunted by Hong Kang, not only didn’t take the opportunity to flee Kui District but actually had the strength to come after him.

"Master Chu, they’re catching up," a subordinate said to Chu Xiangwen.

Chu Xiangwen glanced back and saw two figures closing in at high speed.

The architectural layout of Kui District was a chaotic mess, making it difficult even for two-wheeled vehicles to navigate smoothly. This stretch had to be covered on foot.

And he clearly couldn’t outrun Zhang Ji and Kratos, two professional-level fighters accomplished in Horizontal Training.

Chu Xiangwen glanced at the subordinate beside him. His name was Yin Kun. He used to be in charge of distributing "wages" to the laborers and often skimmed off the top.

Of course, this was all with Chu Xiangwen’s tacit approval. Without Chu Xiangwen, Yin Kun wouldn’t have had the guts.

"You, take two men and stop them," Chu Xiangwen ordered Yin Kun.

"Master Chu..."

Yin Kun was in disbelief.

Chu Xiangwen’s eyes narrowed. "Go."

Yin Kun didn’t dare to argue further. He picked up his gun, intending to intercept Zhang Ji and Kratos.

Everyone has a weakness, and his entire family was under Chu Xiangwen’s control. Even if it meant sending himself to his death, he had to go without hesitation.

In the darkness, Zhang Ji and Kratos moved swiftly.

Whenever they encountered obstacles less than five meters high, both of them would vault over them with ease.

This was the first time since mastering *Iron Shirt* that Zhang Ji could move with his full strength without any fear of exposure.

Although *Iron Shirt* was a Horizontal Martial Arts Training technique, the body was a single, integrated system.

Everything was interconnected. As his muscles, bones, and skin were strengthened, the power he could exert also grew stronger.

So, it wasn’t just his defense that had been enhanced.

It was just that defense was the primary focus of the enhancement.

Just then, they spotted Yin Kun and his two men preparing to intercept them. Zhang Ji called out, "I’ll handle them. You keep chasing."

Kratos didn’t reply, simply veering off the main path.

"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Gunfire rang out. The three men on the other side aimed and fired at Zhang Ji and Kratos.

The gun in Zhang Ji’s hand also spat fire, spewing bullets as he moved.

"RAT-TAT-TAT!"

Under Zhang Ji’s suppressing fire, the three men immediately dove for cover.

Zhang Ji’s aim wasn’t great, and the distance was considerable, so none of the three were hit.

But Kratos successfully broke through and charged toward Chu Xiangwen.

Soon, Zhang Ji’s gun ran out of ammo. Without a second thought, he dropped the weapon and charged straight at the three men.

"He’s out of bullets! Go!" Yin Kun shouted.

He then took the lead, aiming his gun at Zhang Ji.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Zhang Ji powered his legs, sprinting forward with his head down.

As he moved at high speed, a bullet hit his shoulder, causing a slight sting. Through the bulletproof vest, it was practically harmless.

But he had also closed in on one of the men.

One kick!

"BAM!"

The man was sent flying by Zhang Ji’s kick, just like something Zhang Ji had seen in a fighting match—only even more exaggerated.

The other two men hastily pulled their triggers, but only one bullet hit Zhang Ji in the chest.

It failed to penetrate the protection of the bulletproof vest, let alone the defense of his fully-mastered *Iron Shirt*.

Zhang Ji rushed forward and threw a punch. The man’s chest caved in. Then Zhang Ji twisted his head—with a CRACK, all the man’s struggles ceased.

The last man was Yin Kun.

Zhang Ji vaguely remembered him.

Under the dim moonlight, the way he raised his gun looked almost comical.

Zhang Ji strode forward. As his trembling hands prepared to fire, Zhang Ji simply slapped the gun out of them, sending it flying.

"It’s useless to kill me. We’re all just working for someone..." Yin Kun said.

"Don’t worry. You’ll all see each other soon," Zhang Ji said.

"CRACK! SQUELCH!"

Zhang Ji grabbed Yin Kun’s corpse and wiped his fist on it.

He felt like he was starting to enjoy the sensation of smashing people’s skulls with his fists!