Chapter Thirty-Three: Victory Upon Victory (Part One)

Although both landed blows at the same time, the effects were entirely different. Zhao Li wielded his T-shaped baton, gripping the horizontal handle at the center. He gathered all his speed and the power of his internal energy, directing it in a full-force strike at his opponent’s soft abdomen.

Yet, the resulting sound was reminiscent of a heavy object striking resilient rubber—a dull thud that made one’s teeth ache with its intensity. Could the human body truly be this tough? Despite Zhao Li’s all-out attack, it seemed to cause no real harm; the burly man merely took a half-step back before charging forward once again.

At the same moment, the man’s punch landed solidly on Zhao Li’s chest, as Zhao Li had dodged to protect his head. Though the punch contained no internal energy, the sheer force driven by muscle and momentum was enough to send Zhao Li stumbling back two steps. In an instant, Zhao Li called upon his foundational body-strengthening technique, channeling his robust, refined energy to absorb and disperse the impact throughout his meridians.

On the surface, the two seemed evenly matched, but Zhao Li still held a slight advantage. After all, fighting with a weapon in hand is a world apart from fighting barehanded. No matter how tough the man’s body, his strength and resilience were still only physical—he had no way to shield himself with internal energy.

As soon as he regained his footing, Zhao Li sprang forward as if a spring had been installed beneath his feet. His opponent’s response was equally swift; despite taking a heavy blow, his movements remained unimpeded as he lunged with full force.

The man’s physical strength was overwhelming, so this time Zhao Li chose not to engage in a direct clash. The T-shaped baton excelled at subduing opponents, and Zhao Li had no intention of giving up his advantage. He moved in close, dodging, hooking, pressing elbows—executing a well-practiced set of grappling techniques.

Though the man was tall, muscular, and his attacks lethal, he seemed ill-prepared for Zhao Li’s grappling style. His tremendous strikes were deftly blocked by Zhao Li’s baton. To pit mere flesh against this composite of steel and engineered plastic was futile. To seize it by force, to attempt an unarmed disarm—so long as Zhao Li held the baton in reverse grip, his opponent stood almost no chance. Again and again, Zhao Li’s sudden attacks disrupted the man’s rhythm.

With a single miscalculation, the man’s arm was hooked by Zhao Li’s baton. Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Li instinctively pressed down with all his might. The leverage generated by the baton multiplied the force several times over. Though the man was strong, he could not withstand the pain and pressure radiating from his own limb, and his body involuntarily bent forward.

Zhao Li deftly pivoted on top of him and drove his knee hard into the man’s back. Before the man could react, a heavy blow landed at the base of his neck, and the world went black as he collapsed to the ground. Zhao Li pressed his entire weight onto the man’s subdued arm; short of lifting Zhao Li bodily into the air, the man could not possibly turn over.

The clash between the two was over in an instant. The onlookers, still waiting to place their bets, found the fight concluded with Zhao Li’s decisive victory. They had expected another spectacle of a newcomer being bullied, only to witness a scene that left everyone stunned, as if their shattered glasses littered the floor before their eyes.

“If you didn’t have a weapon, you’d be no match for me!” The burly man was not one to admit defeat easily. Though his arm was pinned, his mouth showed no sign of yielding. Even with his face nearly pressed into the dirt by Zhao Li’s hold, he voiced his dissatisfaction.

“Not convinced? Good!” The smile vanished from Zhao Li’s face. Just as the crowd expected Zhao Li to rain down blows with his baton, he instead nimbly leapt up and stepped aside.

The burly man, rubbing his shoulder, stood up and looked at Zhao Li with confusion. The others were equally puzzled, unsure what Zhao Li intended.

“Officer Jiang, give him your police baton!” Zhao Li, baton in reverse grip, called out to Jiang Hao. The police baton was another name for the T-shaped baton, as it was commonly used by law enforcement.

“You…” Jiang Hao found himself at a loss for words. Truth be told, Zhao Li’s performance had been far more impressive than his own when he first arrived. Subduing such an opponent seemed effortless for Zhao Li—a fact that astonished him. What surprised him even more was the identity of the burly man, which he knew well; few could bring this man down in only two exchanges. Even with his abilities sealed, his raw strength and lethal skills were not something an ordinary recruit could withstand.

Jiang Hao grew increasingly amazed by Zhao Li. Was he really fresh from the new recruit training center? He was not alone in his suspicions; even those watching with amused grins harbored the same doubts.

“Give him the police baton!” Seeing Jiang Hao hesitate, Zhao Li raised his voice. This shout snapped everyone out of their daze. Give a weapon to a prisoner? And to one known as the military’s terrorist? Jiang Hao valued his life; even after all this time among the inmates, who knew what might happen if they seized the opportunity?

He shook his head, about to object, but Zhao Li shouted a third time: “Give him the police baton!” At the sound of his voice—and those bloodshot eyes—Jiang Hao was startled. Without knowing why, he reached for the baton at his waist and tossed it to the burly man, who was still rubbing his arm.

Only after the baton left his hand did Jiang Hao realize something was amiss. A chill swept over him, cold sweat beading on his skin. He had just handed a weapon to a dangerous criminal. Though the baton was hardly a deadly weapon and their abilities were sealed, who could predict the consequences? He must have been bewitched—how could he have obeyed a sergeant’s command and handed the baton over so carelessly?

“Come on! Now you have a weapon too—what’s left to say?” Zhao Li, still unsatisfied, taunted his opponent.

To be honest, in Montbatten Special Prison, it was unheard of for anyone to taunt these hardened men as Zhao Li did. At least, none of the current soldiers had ever done so. It wasn’t that they lacked the desire, but a few tough special forces members had been stunned to find their former instructors among the inmates, making it impossible to act boldly.

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