Zhang Shicheng had already noticed that Song Ren was itching to make a move, and he grew even more anxious.
But his expression remained calm and composed. He did not even furrow his brow.
He had the bearing of a true expert!
At the same time, his tone was perfectly composed, even carrying a hint of resolve:
"Baron, you and I both know how strong Tyrannosaurus is. You alone definitely aren't his match."
"For the sake of having fought side by side, I'll help you test the waters this time."
With that, Zhang Shicheng pointed toward Song Ren. "As for this guy here, it's obvious that he's already exhausted. He even took the initiative to have Tyrannosaurus help him share the pressure."
"That means he's run out of stamina and is about to collapse."
"It's a rare opportunity. Go, Baron."
Baron glanced at the mottled bloodstains that still covered Song Ren, as well as the three corpses that had gone cold nearby.
Then he looked at Song Ren's forehead. Not a single bead of sweat had appeared.
For a moment, the Black Baron was left with a head full of black question marks.
Zhang Shicheng was about to say something else.
But Baron had already raised both hands toward him, proudly sticking up both middle fingers. He cursed without the slightest courtesy, "Fuck you!"
You son of a bitch, do you think I'm blind?!
Tyrannosaurus was certainly strong, but if he lost, at worst he would break a few bones.
But you want me to fight that monster? Are you trying to have him beat me to death just like he did everyone else?!
Baron decisively looked down on Zhang Shicheng, then charged straight at Tyrannosaurus He Ping with unprecedented momentum.
Zhang Shicheng's face went pale. He truly couldn't face death with equanimity.
Especially when he saw Song Ren begin walking toward him, Zhang Shicheng suddenly felt his breathing seize!
It was just like the Muay Thai fighter earlier. As Song Ren had calmly advanced on him, the growing psychological pressure had built up heavier and heavier.
The Muay Thai fighter had chosen to attack first.
Then Song Ren had sent him away with five kicks.
Zhang Shicheng's expression shifted repeatedly.
After undergoing immense mental preparation, he raised his head again. He seemed to have been reborn, becoming completely calm.
His dark pupils reflected an intense desire to fight, as if he had thrown caution to the wind. His voice was icy and hard:
"These iron fists of mine will never submit to anyone so easily!"
Song Ren raised his brows slightly. He gradually went from walking to running, then charged forward.
The next moment, Zhang Shicheng suddenly leaped backward.
With decisive efficiency, he went thump and lay flat on the ring. Covering his chest, he coughed violently and spoke weakly:
"Damn it, I, Iron Fist Zhang Shicheng, have never been inferior to anyone in my life."
"This time... cough, cough, this time I was careless. I didn't dodge!"
"You... cough... you win!"
Song Ren charged over excitedly, but his expression froze in place, and the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.
I haven't even raised my fist, and you're already pretending to have been hit!
He turned to the equally stunned referee outside the ring, pointed at Zhang Shicheng lying on the ground, and said, "Does this count as a scam?"
The referee was covered in black lines. "..."
A scam?
You came all the way to the top-floor ring of Fook Shing Building to pull a scam?
Damn it, who brought in this fighter? Has he no shame at all?!
The referee climbed onto the ring with a dark expression and walked over to Zhang Shicheng.
He nudged him with his foot.
Zhang Shicheng did not move an inch—
The referee's expression darkened further. He crouched down, bent over beside Zhang Shicheng's ear, and cursed in a low voice:
"Zhang Shicheng, what the hell are you doing?"
"You made it up from the middle-level ring after being jointly approved by several referees."
"If you pull something like this, don't even think about coming back to Fook Shing Building to fight!"
Zhang Shicheng remained in the same lying position, stubbornly refusing to stand.
However, he slightly opened his eyes and parted his lips just a little, speaking in an extremely soft voice:
"Easy for you to say. If you've got the guts, fight him yourself."
"I'd rather give up the money than lose my life here!"
The referee was instantly rendered speechless.
Song Ren had indeed been absurdly ferocious just now.
Although the spectators outside the ring had been thrilled beyond belief,
standing opposite him in the ring was an entirely different matter. Just imagining it made one's scalp tingle.
In the end, seeing that Zhang Shicheng refused to move no matter what, the referee stopped arguing and merely muttered:
"Consider yourself lucky, kid. The first match after moving up a ring isn't held to such strict standards."
"Otherwise, even if some powerful backer protected you, you'd be dead this time."
"But after this, don't expect to have a place on the top floor anymore."
The referee dragged Zhang Shicheng, who lay motionless, away.
The explanation left behind was that Zhang Shicheng had suffered a sudden heart attack during the match and could only forfeit this Zhulu Dou on his behalf.
Although the stands were somewhat abuzz with discussion, most people did not care very much.
Compared with Zhang Shicheng and Baron, most people had originally been focused on the favorite to win this Zhulu Dou—Tyrannosaurus He Ping.
At this moment, everyone was even more eager to see the final showdown between the two.
And as expected, Baron alone could not even last two minutes against Tyrannosaurus He Ping before being beaten to the ground, unable to stand back up.
He Ping stared at Song Ren. His clenched fists crackled, and his face was already filled with excitement:
"Now no one can interfere with us anymore."
"Let's put on a thrilling show together!"
With that, he dove forward and charged straight at Song Ren, moving with astonishing speed.
The instant he entered close range, He Ping suddenly stepped forward.
He sank into a horse stance, raised his arm, and drew back his fist—
Top Heart Elbow!
Baji Quan, Top Heart Elbow!
Although Song Ren had seen that He Ping had a foundation in martial arts,
He Ping had previously relied on his immense brute strength to force his way through every situation, making his techniques highly deceptive.
Only when He Ping rushed before him and struck like a startling thunderclap at the final moment did Song Ren finally recognize the style as Baji Quan.
His brow furrowed sharply.
Once Baji Quan, which excelled at close-quarters combat, had stuck to him, retreating was already somewhat too late.
Song Ren twisted his body and evaded the vicious elbow strike.
But He Ping's follow-up attack came right after. He brought his right leg forward to trip him, while his elbow immediately swept sideways toward Song Ren's shoulder.
However, He Ping's sweeping leg was blocked by Song Ren's deliberately raised knee.
The follow-up elbow was deftly deflected as well, and Song Ren casually added a thrusting palm strike that hit He Ping directly in the armpit.
He Ping's lower-body foundation was extremely solid. He forcibly endured the palm strike, suddenly turned his back, and pressed close again. Then he turned around and countered with an elbow strike, but it was blocked once more.
Using the momentum, He Ping lowered his center of gravity. His diverted foot slammed into Song Ren's knee again.
He failed to gain any advantage in lower-body technique.
As a result, the Mountain Lean he hastily unleashed merely knocked Song Ren back two steps. It failed to produce any effective offense.
Although that was the result, the spectators outside the ring began to boil with excitement when they saw Song Ren driven back.
This was the first time since the Zhulu Dou began that they had seen anyone knock Song Ren back head-on.
It was as though they had glimpsed a certain possibility in He Ping.
But He Ping's expression darkened slightly.
Baji Quan emphasized close-range combat. Rather than saying that this Mountain Lean had knocked his opponent back, it would be more accurate to say that his opponent had used the force to pull away on his own.
This guy really is an unprecedented expert!
At that moment, He Ping not only felt no fear, but grew even more excited. He pressed forward again.