Chapter 31: Beating

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Beating

Listening to everyone talk about how formidable Xiao Qiang was, Song Xiaodong did not take it lightly. As the saying goes, "there are always hidden dragons among the people." Even though he was a top-notch fighter in the military, who could say for sure if there weren’t equally strong people among the civilians?

It should be noted that over the years, Song Xiaodong’s battles mostly involved soldiers and mercenaries, so he seldom clashed with ordinary people. Thus, it was difficult for him now to gauge the gap between his own strength and that of Xiao Qiang.

However, as soon as Xiao Qiang made a move, Song Xiaodong was somewhat surprised. This furious punch seemed full of openings to him, and he could strike the adversary with just a casual move.

Was this a trap?

Song Xiaodong didn’t strike immediately but instead side-stepped, dodging Xiao Qiang’s fist.

"Not bad footwork," Xiao Qiang said disdainfully and then threw two more punches, one after the other.

Just as full of openings, Song Xiaodong frowned but still hesitated for a moment and dodged again.

"Don’t run away like a rat," Xiao Qiang mocked Song Xiaodong after his punches missed, and then continued to attack. He relished the scene of chasing down his opponent, which sufficiently displayed his power and gave him a sense of thrill.

Miao Xuanxuan watched with knitted brows; Song Xiaodong was truly on the verge of losing. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be quite formidable? Why wasn’t he even trying to fight back now?

Her group of girlfriends was also getting anxious.

"Xuanxuan, your boyfriend doesn’t seem up to it."

"Fighting Xiao Qiang is just unwise; the guy is a beast. All he knows is Sanda, so isn’t that just playing to his strengths and against your weakness?"

Miao Xuanxuan’s mouth twitched. However, there was nothing she could do but watch the two contestants on stage.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, this time Song Xiaodong didn’t dodge but used his arm to block Xiao Qiang’s punch, curious to test the opponent’s strength given his poor technique.

Feeling the strength transferred to his arm, Song Xiaodong was already sure of his assessment. Xiao Qiang’s ability wasn’t great; he had overestimated him. Such ability, not to mention joining the top-tier special forces where he served, wouldn’t qualify even for ordinary special forces.

"Come on, kid, keep dodging," Xiao Qiang felt quite proud, even though he had only hit Song Xiaodong’s arm, as he believed in the strength of his punch; a normal person would have been severely affected by such a blow.

"With your little skill, why should I even bother dodging?" Song Xiaodong said with a faint smile, steadying his stance.

Seeing Song Xiaodong’s composed expression, Xiao Qiang frowned. He couldn’t believe that his opponent could ignore the power behind his punches, "Fuck, still acting tough with me. I hope you won’t be begging me for mercy later."

Yelling, Xiao Qiang threw another two punches consecutively at Song Xiaodong.

Song Xiaodong stood still, tilting his head to dodge the first punch from Xiao Qiang. During the brief interval as the second punch came, he suddenly threw a swift hook punch. It was fast as lightning, slipping between Xiao Qiang’s arms and striking him heavily on the chin.

The fist made contact with Xiao Qiang’s jaw, and his head, under such a heavy blow, jerked back uncontrollably. He then staggered, retreating several steps to lean on the arena’s railing, which prevented him from falling down.

His jaw throbbed with intense pain while his head felt as if filled with paste. Had it not been for his strong resistance to blows, he would have passed out from that hit.

Silence!

Complete silence—everyone was stunned, staring at the arena with the same expression. Nobody expected that, with just one punch, Song Xiaodong had almost knocked Xiao Qiang unconscious.

Song Xiaodong hadn’t even used much strength, knowing full well the punch wouldn’t seriously harm him. After all, as he wasn’t a vicious person, there was no need to go too far over such trivial matters as jealousy.

Xiao Qiang vigorously shook his head to clear it, then glared at Song Xiaodong and spat fiercely, saying, "You’re good, kid, to take advantage of my carelessness and launch a surprise attack. Let me tell you, you won’t have such an opportunity again."

Miao Xuanxuan, hearing Xiao Qiang say this, became incredibly frustrated. Why hadn’t Song Xiaodong pressed his advantage? While Xiao Qiang was still dazed, he might have secured victory right then and there.

Many shared Miao Xuanxuan’s thoughts, knowing Xiao Qiang’s prowess and realizing that Song Xiaodong’s move wasn’t a display of his real strength but just a fluke and a sneak attack.

Song Xiaodong smiled at Xiao Qiang and said, "Then let’s continue."

"You’ve angered me, you’ve really angered me now," Xiao Qiang slowly advanced step by step, his expression even more fierce.

When he was about two meters away from Song Xiaodong, Xiao Qiang suddenly thrust off the ground, launching a kick aimed at Song Xiaodong’s head and neck.

Song Xiaodong ducked, narrowly dodging the attack, and as Xiao Qiang’s leg just passed over his head, he suddenly kicked out, striking precisely at Xiao Qiang’s groin.

"Wow!" As Xiao Qiang was kicked out by Song Xiaodong, everyone became worried about the struck area; some men even instinctively clenched their thighs, as if the kick had landed on them.

Song Xiaodong had still held back with that kick, not aiming for a vital spot. Otherwise, that blow might have truly ended Xiao Qiang’s lineage.

Xiao Qiang’s complexion turned exceedingly ugly, having been hit twice in succession, especially by that last kick, which made him realize that his opponent wasn’t just sneaky or careless—it was genuine skill.

"Kid, looks like you really do have some moves. Now I won’t hold back anymore." Despite not wanting to admit defeat, Xiao Qiang clenched his teeth and charged again.

However, his skills were far inferior to Song Xiaodong’s. Xiao Qiang might rush forward swiftly, but with just a light punch or kick, Song Xiaodong always managed to hit him perfectly.

If Song Xiaodong had wanted to harm him, he could have taken Xiao Qiang out of the fight with a single move.

Xiao Qiang was stubborn, repeatedly getting knocked over yet charging again and again. The audience, seeing him fall time after time, were utterly dumbstruck.

This scene was nothing like they had imagined... Wasn’t Xiao Qiang supposed to be beating Song Xiaodong instead of it looking like Song Xiaodong was dominating Xiao Qiang?