Infinite Fighting

CREEEAK!

The iron gate slowly opened, letting out a piercing screech.

The sound had been deliberately preserved by the former head of the Blue City District, giving it a rather retro feel.

Hearing it was an effective way to excite the audience, giving them the sense of watching a cornered beast fighting for its life.

"It’s best not to take any unnecessary risks," Kratos said to Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji glanced at Kratos and replied, "I’ll assess the situation first."

He was a bit surprised. It seemed Kratos truly saw him as a disciple.

After so many years on Shanli Island, it was amazing that Kratos could still be so sentimental.

’I wonder if it’s because my talent attracted him, or because I saved his life.’

CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of metal stomping on the ground echoed as a figure emerged from the gate on the Xian Mountain Sect’s side.

A man wearing a heavy exoskeleton walked out.

His exoskeleton was mounted with several bullet launchers, and welding marks were visible all over it. It had clearly undergone some less-than-official modifications.

However, the man on Zhang Ji’s side wasn’t much different, also wearing a custom-welded and modified exoskeleton.

BANG!

The moment the gate slammed shut, the two men opened fire.

DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA!

Muzzle flashes erupted, raking across the opponent’s exoskeleton armor and sending a shower of sparks flying.

Bullets ricocheted everywhere.

Both sides continued to fire as they rapidly closed in on each other.

Soon, they were in close quarters, and a hydraulic heavy hammer swung out fiercely.

CLANG! BANG!

CLANG! CLANG!

Steel crashed against steel. The damage reduction and shock absorption of these cobbled-together exoskeletons were clearly not as good as one might expect. After taking two hammer blows, one of the fighters was struck in the head. His movements ceased instantly as blood trickled from his respirator. His opponent pinned him to the ground and smashed him again and again, not stopping until the welded armor around his head was completely flattened and he showed no signs of life.

"We lost," Kratos said, raising an eyebrow.

That’s right, the loser was from Zhang Ji’s side.

’Just two tin cans smashing each other? Maybe this is simpler than I thought,’ Zhang Ji muttered to himself.

He had thought the fight would involve rockets flying everywhere, with all sorts of automatic grenades and even poison gas. But from the looks of it, both sides were operating under certain restraints, not using any weapons that exceeded Shanli Island’s regulations.

From a certain perspective, his side might actually be the one with the advantage in this tournament.

"Who’s next?" the man in the opposing tin can shouted.

He was challenging them to a series of consecutive fights!

The expressions of Li Long and Wang Quan remained unchanged.

It was just the outcome of a single match.

Besides, the key to this competition didn’t lie with these fighters.

Only the men brought by Number One showed any change in expression. Seeing their boss lose, they all looked rather grim.

On Zhang Ji’s side, Number Two’s man also entered the arena.

Interestingly, Number Two was the fat man known as Fat Bear.

As he stepped into the arena, Number One’s body was still lying where it fell.

Fat Bear had a unique physique, and the exoskeleton welded for him was a bit wider, making his footsteps sound heavier.

BANG!

The gate slammed shut, and he immediately activated his machine gun.

At his waist, six barrels spun on an axle, unleashing a torrential, frenzied spray of bullets.

TING TING TING DANG DANG DANG!

The opponent had intended to close the distance, but he was forced back by the sheer impact of the bullets.

"A Gatling gun!"

Zhang Ji’s expression shifted slightly.

’Even I’d have a hard time withstanding that thing.’

The bullets were large caliber, and the rate of fire was just too fast.

Dents visibly appeared on the opponent’s exoskeleton armor, and he was clearly shaken and uncomfortable from the impacts.

The opponent was firing back, but his bullets had little effect.

Fat Bear’s bullets seemed endless. He fired continuously for nearly five minutes before finally stopping.

By then, the opponent’s suit was riddled with holes. The multiple layers of thick, welded steel plates had been torn to shreds.

Fat Bear won and immediately ran, showing no intention of taking on another fight. He carried his heavy machine gun and left through the opened gate.

"If they’re all like that, taking on even two of them would be tough."

Zhang Ji reassessed his own strength. ’Was my plan to fight five in a row a bit too arrogant?’

"It’s your turn," Wang Quan said to Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji nodded and headed for the entrance to the arena.

The others had prepared modified exoskeletons and the like, but he hadn’t made as many preparations.

Zhang Ji’s preparations consisted of only a few small rifles and a helmet.

The weapons Kratos could find wouldn’t give him much of a boost.

He only wore a helmet to avoid injuries to vulnerable spots like his eyelids during the fight.

Although his skin and muscles were already inhumanly tough, the area around his eyes was still an obvious weak point.

Carrying his gun, Zhang Ji arrived in the arena.

Across from him stood another tin can.

The contrast between the two was stark, so much so that the spectators found it baffling.

"Is he an idiot? Did he not prepare anything? He was talking so arrogantly earlier, I thought he must have some kind of ace up his sleeve!" one of the leaders on Zhang Ji’s side exclaimed in surprise.

Most of the other leaders wore the same expression.

Even Wang Quan could barely bring himself to watch.

Only Li Long and Kratos remained calm.

Li Long had noticed a few things about Zhang Ji.

As for Kratos, Zhang Ji had already demonstrated his combat power during the preparation phase.

It wasn’t that Zhang Ji hadn’t considered getting a tin can for himself.

But for him, an exoskeleton would be a complete detriment.

His current body was far more agile, his defense was no worse than an ordinary tin can’s, and his explosive speed was incredible.

And the kind of equipment that would actually be a major help to him was something Kratos and the others couldn’t get their hands on at the moment.

"Don’t worry, kid. I’ll try not to smash you into too many pieces," the man opposite Zhang Ji said.

He seemed to have a loudspeaker installed, broadcasting his voice for all to hear.

Zhang Ji thought the guy across from him was an idiot.

BANG!

The gate slammed shut.

DAKKA DAKKA!

The opponent wasted no time and opened fire immediately. Bullets rained down, and while not on par with Fat Bear’s Gatling gun, the rate of fire was still insane.

Zhang Ji pushed off with his legs, and his body shot forward.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, he covered more than ten meters.

His speed was so fast that the opponent could barely track him with his gun barrel.

By the time he locked onto Zhang Ji’s position, Zhang Ji was already less than thirty meters away.

DAKKA DAKKA!

Zhang Ji lowered his head and took a full burst of fire with his own body.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The bullets struck his body armor, transferring some of their kinetic energy.

Some hit areas where Zhang Ji had no armor, tearing through his clothes, but the bullets were simply deflected to the side. A faint sound of metal striking metal could be heard.

"Did he strap on iron plates?" someone asked, confused.

"No! That’s not it! And even if he had iron plates, the bullets would still knock him back. You think bullets have no impact force?"

"A Horizontal Training Expert!"

Someone had finally figured out what Zhang Ji was.

At the same time, Zhang Ji reached a point about five meters from the enemy tin can.

He leaped into the air and kicked out.

BANG!

The large tin can crashed to the ground. Zhang Ji mounted him and threw a heavy punch at his head.

DONG!

Under the force of the heavy blow, the thick helmet dented slightly.

The hiss of hydraulics echoed as the opponent tried to get up.

Zhang Ji unleashed a flurry of punches, relentlessly hammering his opponent’s helmet.

DANG DANG DANG DANG!

Under Zhang Ji’s heavy blows, the opponent thrashed wildly but couldn’t break free. Instead, the impacts left him dizzy and in pain.

RIP! SQUELCH!

Suddenly, Zhang Ji’s five fingers pierced through the thin armor at the neck joint.

The opponent’s movements froze.

When Zhang Ji withdrew his hand, his fingers were covered in blood. He stood atop the tin can, blood dripping from his fingertips, and looked up toward the Xian Mountain Sect.

"He’s mastered the basics!" Wang Quan said in astonishment.

How long had it been since he gave Zhang Ji the Raccoon Claw Skill manual? How could he master the basics so quickly?

Furthermore, the combat power Zhang Ji displayed was something that many professional Fourth or even Fifth Rank fighters couldn’t match, at least not in terms of defense. By the standards of their martial arts world, he was already a second-rate expert.

"As expected," Li Long said with a slight nod.

He had judged the situation from the change in Zhang Ji’s fingers and palm, sensing that Zhang Ji must have already mastered the basics of the Raccoon Claw Skill.

To master the basics of the Raccoon Claw Skill so quickly, his talent might not be much inferior to his own.

Moreover, judging from Zhang Ji’s defense, Li Long suspected he might be a surviving successor of the Vajra Sect.

Only the ’Indestructible Vajra Body Divine Skill’ could grant such defensive power.

Combined with Zhao Kui’s identity...

’The Vajra Sect still had an ace up their sleeve? That’s quite a surprise,’ Li Long thought.

Many of these martial arts sects would rather be wiped out than let their techniques fall into outside hands.

For the Vajra Sect to pass on its legacy to a disciple who had just recently joined right as the Sect was being destroyed... that was what truly surprised Li Long.

Zhang Ji’s performance not only shocked the people on his side but also astonished those from the opposing Xian Mountain Sect.

"Is he from the Five Elements Sect?" Pang Yanyang asked.

"No, he uses Horizontal Martial Arts Training. We investigated beforehand. He should be a remnant disciple of the Vajra Sect," said a disciple next to Pang Yanyang.

"Then no rules have been broken. Continue," Pang Yanyang said nonchalantly.

Then he beckoned, and the woman behind him picked a piece of fruit from a platter and fed it to him, which he swallowed in one bite.

The iron gate opened once more, revealing another tin can.

This time, however, the opponent didn’t dare to taunt him. There was even a hint of fear in his posture. His positioning clearly indicated he planned to run and maneuver, with no intention of charging forward to smash Zhang Ji.

BANG!

The gate slammed shut, and the opponent immediately opted for covering fire, even tossing out a few grenades.

However, Zhang Ji completely ignored the shrapnel from these exploding grenades.

’They aren’t those over-spec weapons. At worst, they’ll tear my clothes. Can they really hurt me?’

And that was exactly the case. Zhang Ji’s body showed no signs of injury. The shrapnel hit him, only ripping his clothes, while the force was completely blocked.

Soon, Zhang Ji repeated his previous tactic, rushing in front of his opponent and forcefully smashing the tin can flat with his fists and his body.

In the middle of the fight, the opponent even tried to clash with Zhang Ji head-on.

The exoskeleton’s strength was far inferior to Zhang Ji’s. After taking one punch, the machine’s hydraulic tubes burst open.

Although ’Iron Shirt’ specialized in defense, the human body is an integrated system. When his defense was enhanced, his other attributes like strength were also strengthened.

Moreover, his body could exert force more easily without injuring itself.

Faced with Zhang Ji’s ’Iron Shirt’ at thirty percent of its power, these simple, cobbled-together tin cans were no match at all!

After finishing off the second one, Zhang Ji panted slightly and began waiting for his third opponent!!