Chapter 221 - 221: 221
Ye Qing furrowed his brows and said, "Tiger King told me to win thirty matches, and now, only at the twenty-second, he is already reneging. If I lose the next match, Tiger King will still claim I haven't won thirty matches and will kill them just the same. Isn't Tiger King, as a leader, supposed to have some integrity?"
Tiger King's underling said, "My elder brother said the previous agreement is null and void. As long as you lose the next match, he will have made enough money. My elder brother is only interested in making money; once he has enough, it doesn't matter whether you win thirty matches or not!"
"How do I know Tiger King won't go back on his word this time?" Ye Qing said coldly.
"You can try," replied Tiger King's underling with a sneer. "Or, should I have someone chop off that kid's head first so you can meet him ahead of time?"
Ye Qing's expression turned icy, and he suddenly gripped the iron net, causing the underling to shudder and hastily retreat several steps, not daring to come closer to the cage anymore.
"If you dare hurt them in the slightest, I will definitely kill you!" Ye Qing said through gritted teeth.
"Hmph, you don't need to scare me. My elder brother said, you either cooperate or you'll be collecting their bodies!" Tiger King's underling shot back coldly. "You choose."
Ye Qing furrowed his brows tightly. On this platform, any slight mishap could lead to losing his life. Losing the next match wouldn't be difficult, but would Tiger King actually spare those three people afterward?
"Okay, let's see who the next challenger is, and who will be facing our dark horse, Ye Qing, in this record-breaking battle?" The referee shouted on the platform, signaling the imminent start of the match.
Ye Qing remained silent for a long while, then bit his lip, a determined look flashing across his eyes.
"This name is quite unfamiliar; it looks like he hasn't appeared on our platform before. However, this platform has always been a place where miracles happen, just like our dark horse Ye Qing, who is this year's biggest miracle. Who knows if another miracle might happen next?" the referee laughed and said, "Alright, let's invite our next contestant, Tony Lu!"
As the referee's voice rang out, a slim man who was no taller than five feet seven inches walked out. The man's skin was dark, and though his body was lean, it was finely muscled, with seemingly not an ounce of excess fat. As he walked, his fists were always clenched and held at chest level, as if always prepared to defend himself.
He was barefoot, striding forward with a seemingly frail body that dared not be underestimated, appearing as if it contained explosive power.
Seeing Tony like this, Ye Qing frowned. He had begun to suspect just hearing the name, but now that he saw the person, he could confirm that this Tony was definitely a Thai boxing expert.
While interdicting drugs at the border, Ye Qing had encountered several Thai boxers. These people were exceptionally strong; one could handle two well-trained special forces soldiers without difficulty. One Thai boxer, despite Ye Qing's considerable efforts to subdue him, had injured two members of the Night Wolf Squad.
In such a state, Ye Qing was greatly exhausted, and the situation was already not looking good. Encountering a Thai boxer now was indeed a troublesome matter, especially since Tiger King was forcibly making him lose.
If it had been any other contestant, Ye Qing pretending to be defeated wouldn't be difficult. But facing a Thai boxer wasn't so simple.
Thai boxing, known as the most brutal boxing technique, struck fear with its use of fists, feet, elbows, and knees. A hit meant a heavy blow, and a touch meant severe injury. In such a situation, if Ye Qing were to lose, he was very likely to be seriously injured or even possibly leave his life in the ring!
The others, however, did not know of Tony Lu's capabilities, nor did anyone understand the terror of a Thai boxer. Most were surprised, wondering how Tiger King could send such an unremarkable person in the twenty-second match. It was crucial for Ye Qing to break the record, and it wouldn't make sense to send someone so carelessly after the powerful Jackson from the twenty-first match!
However, until Tony Lu stepped onto the platform, the referee provided no further introduction, indicating even the referee didn't know his specifics. It meant this person was completely new to the underground boxing ring, with no prior match records.
"What the hell, this way, Ye Qing will definitely break the record!" one person said discontentedly. "Tiger King is rigging the match!"
"Jackson, such a formidable person was defeated, and they didn't send a strong fighter for the twenty-second match? Isn't this just giving Ye Qing a green light?"
"No, I have to bet again, this way, Ye Qing is sure to break the record!"
"Yes, bet on him breaking the record!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and many ran off to place new bets on Ye Qing breaking the record. And this was exactly what Tiger King had anticipated; by sending out Tony Lu without introducing him, he aimed to attract betting and make some more money.
The three-minute betting period ended, and all eyes turned to the ring, where the match was about to officially begin. Ye Qing stood at one end of the ring, while Tony Lu knelt at the other end, his fists raised above his head, as if praying to something. Then he slowly rose to his feet and began to make dance-like movements on the spot.
From this, Ye Qing could tell that Tony Lu was definitely a professional Thai Boxer. Such gestures of worshiping heaven and earth are generally performed only by professional Thai Boxers. And with professional Thai Boxers, the explosive power and the might of their punches and kicks are truly terrifying. Indeed, the term 'steel elbows and iron fists' is used to describe Thai Boxing.
"Oh, this guy is really interesting, kneeling before the fight even starts. Young man, you're on the ring now; it's too late for any prayers. Just fight honestly," the referee teased from the sidelines.
Tony Lu ignored him, only finishing his slow prayers before he got up, walked up to Ye Qing, and pressed his hands together, bowing slightly towards Ye Qing.
Ye Qing politely returned the gesture, but before he could fully straighten up, Tony Lu suddenly lunged forward, rushing towards Ye Qing like a cannonball. His right elbow swung from behind, smashing directly towards the top of Ye Qing's head.
Seeing Tony Lu strike, there was an outcry from the audience. Tony's speed was terrifyingly fast, far surpassing the previous fighter, Jackson. Now everyone understood why Tiger King had sent him to fight in this twenty-second bout; this man's strength was indeed formidable enough to dominate this round.
Ye Qing had been on guard, knowing the power and speed of Thai Boxing. Nevertheless, Tony Lu's aggressive strike still caught him somewhat off guard. Ye Qing hastily stepped back and raised his right arm to block Tony Lu's elbow. Although he wasn't hit on the head, his right arm still throbbed with pain; the might of the Thai Boxing steel elbow truly lived up to its reputation.
After clashing once with Tony Lu, Ye Qing felt a jolt in his heart. Tony's strength was far greater than any of the other Thai Boxers he had encountered before. Such an opponent, even in his prime, required careful handling, and now, having expended a lot of energy and being threatened by the Tiger King, his situation was indeed perilous.
Tony Lu, undeterred by his unsuccessful first strike, roared and charged forward again, his right leg sweeping towards Ye Qing's legs.
Ye Qing lifted his right leg to block, which also resulted in a jolt of pain. In contrast, Tony Lu seemed to feel no pain at all and followed up with several more kicks, pushing Ye Qing back two steps.
An outcry shook the venue, with many spectators standing up, intently watching the situation on the ring. Ye Qing was the biggest dark horse of the evening. Who would have thought that another dark horse would appear tonight, and for such a long time, he rendered Ye Qing unable to retaliate.
Especially those who had bet on Ye Qing breaking the record, they were now almost regretting their bets; who could have foreseen Tony Lu's formidable strength?
As Tony Lu relentlessly pursued and attacked with fists, feet, and elbows, their Thai Boxing primarily focused on physical strength, so pain was of no concern as long as they could bring down their opponent. Ye Qing seized several opportunities to counterattack, but considering Fang Tingyun, Mo Xiang, and Broom Star, he ultimately chose to hold back.
He dared not make any mistakes; if he counterattacked, Tiger King might very well kill one of them, a situation Ye Qing desperately wanted to avoid!
"Hey, what the heck is going on!" Finally, a spectator couldn't hold back, standing up and yelling, "Ye, even if this Tony Lu is formidable, you shouldn't be so cowardly; you're just throwing the match!"
"Yeah, how can he not have the ability to strike back at all?"
The crowd roared angrily, their doubts about the match reaching a climax, and resentment towards Ye Qing boiling over.
Tony Lu, however, paid no heed to the crowd's clamor, continuing his relentless pursuit of Ye Qing. Finally, after three minutes of fighting, he kicked Ye Qing's right shoulder, and with a crack, Ye Qing's right arm was dislocated.
Ye Qing had dodged for so long, but Tony's strength was too overwhelming, and he ultimately couldn't completely evade it. The intense pain from his dislocated right arm furrowed Ye Qing's brow. Seeing Tony Lu pressuring again, Ye Qing could only roll on the ground to dodge Tony's furious strike, then turned his head to stare at Tony, not daring to slacken even slightly.
But the spectators were all stunned, one pudgy man slumped back in his chair, saying, "It's over! Totally over! With a broken arm, how can he continue to fight?"
"He's definitely going to lose!"
"Damn, I really thought he could break the record, but instead, he ended up like this. Bastard, what a con!"
"Rubbish!"
Hearing the crowd's voices, Ye Qing felt indignant. But without a choice, he had to accept defeat to ensure the safety of the three captives.
As Tony Lu chased, endlessly failing to strike Ye Qing, he was also furious, bellowing, "Trash, have the guts to stop running and fight me! You Huaxia people, do you even have any courage left?"
Ye Qing clenched his fists, his heart filled with extreme anger. If it wasn't for Fang Tingyun and the others, he would definitely have fought with Tony head-on. But now, he had no other choice.