With Gong Gong's own strength, he had effortlessly crushed the challenger sent by Peak Fitness as if swatting a fly. The news sprouted wings, spreading through the city's fitness and fighting circles in no time, then spilling farther afield online.
"Human Weapon Spotted at Li Wang Club—One Slap Sends Bagua Zhang Master Flying!"
"Mysterious Giant Gong Gong May Have an Indestructible Body!"
"Traditional Martial Arts Are No Match for Absolute Strength?"
Posts with sensational headlines and short videos—though the footage was blurry, Gong Gong's inhuman strength and durability still came through—spread across the internet, sparking heated discussion. Some marveled, some doubted, some revered him as a god, and others dismissed it all as a publicity stunt.
No matter what, the Li Wang Club and the name "Gong Gong" had become famous. Members and visitors poured in every day to watch, challenge him, or simply get a little closer to his "divine power." A long line even formed outside the club. Manager Wang was so delighted he could barely stop grinning, and he catered to Gong Gong's every need, sending over top-grade beef and nutritional supplements in a steady stream for fear of displeasing the revered figure.
But fame always brought trouble. Gong Gong's high profile had attracted the covetous attention of commercial rivals and underground forces, as well as "challengers" who had come from far away with their own agendas.
That afternoon, the club was still bustling. Gong Gong had just finished a new "recreational activity": several of the club's strongest trainers, along with Qin Tian, had tried to bind him with thick iron chains. He had given a light tug, and several chains supposedly strong enough to hoist a car had snapped link by link like hemp rope. The trainers had gone pale, while Qin Tian could only smile wryly.
As everyone gathered around Gong Gong, marveling and discussing what they had just seen, another commotion arose at the club entrance. This time, it was mixed with exclamations—and... foreign speech?
A group of seven or eight people filed in, surrounding a giant who was like a small mountain. They were blond and blue-eyed, all tall and powerfully built. They wore matching tracksuits bearing the logo of some unfamiliar beast, and their arrogant gazes swept over the people in the club with undisguised superiority.
The giant leading them stood half a head taller than even Gong Gong. His shoulders were as broad as a door, and his exposed arms were thicker than an ordinary person's thighs. His muscles were so huge they seemed almost absurd, and veins writhed across them like earthworms, radiating explosive power. He wore a full beard, and his fierce eyes and sneering mouth exuded contempt.
An Asian man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses walked beside the group, looking like an interpreter or agent.
Their arrival immediately drew everyone's attention. Their physiques and presence set them apart from the earlier challengers, and they carried an unmistakable, professional air of intimidation.
Manager Wang's heart gave a little jump. He hurried over and asked in broken English, "Welcome... Can I help you?"
The Asian interpreter stepped forward and spoke in fluent Chinese, though with an accent. "We're the Beast Strength team from the U.S. This is our star athlete, Mr. Karl Johnson, nicknamed 'Bear.' Mr. Karl has placed second in the World's Ultimate Strongest Man competition three years in a row. He's also a well-known competitor in mixed martial arts."
His voice brimmed with pride as he introduced Karl.
Bear's gaze swept over Manager Wang and landed on Gong Gong, who stood in the middle of the crowd, gnawing on an extra-large beef stick. A flicker of surprise crossed Bear's face, quickly replaced by even greater contempt. He muttered a few words to the interpreter.
The interpreter immediately relayed them to Manager Wang. "Mr. Karl saw the videos of your 'Mr. Gong Gong' online and found them very interesting. He thinks they may have been exaggerated—perhaps special effects or a publicity stunt. So, while he's here in China for a business event, he decided to drop by and verify for himself just how much truth there is to this so-called 'Eastern divine strength.'"
His words were reasonably polite, but the doubt and provocation were plain for anyone to hear.
The club members erupted at once.
"Foreign devils? Here to pick a fight?"
"Second place in the World's Ultimate Strongest Man? Sounds impressive!"
"Verify? He just doesn't believe Gong Shifu is strong, so he's here to challenge him!"
"Damn it, does he look down on Chinese people?"
The crowd was incensed. When Peak Fitness had come to challenge the club, it had been an internal dispute, something to watch for fun. But now a foreign expert had shown up at their door, bringing doubt and contempt with him. The nature of the situation was entirely different, and it immediately stirred up everyone's national pride.
Manager Wang's expression darkened, but he remained polite. "Mr. Karl, our club welcomes all fitness enthusiasts who want to exchange ideas and learn. But Mr. Gong is one of our trainers, not someone to be put on display or tested..."
Before he could finish, Bear seemed to lose patience. He pushed the interpreter aside and strode over to the strength-testing machine—the new one that had replaced the machine Gong Gong destroyed. He pointed at it, then at Gong Gong, before crooking a thick finger at him with a provocative grin. In stiff Chinese, he enunciated each word:
"You! East! Asian! Sick! Man! Dare! Compete?"
"East Asian sick man"!
The four words stabbed into the ears of every Chinese person present like blood-red needles. They were a humiliating symbol branded deep in the nation's memory!
The entire club fell silent in an instant. Everyone's expression changed, and anger burned in their eyes!
Even Gong Gong, who had been minding his own business and eating his beef stick, stopped. He didn't fully understand the historical weight behind the term "East Asian sick man," but he could clearly feel the towering anger and humiliation rising from all the "kin"—as he saw these fragile humans—around him!
Lin Fan stood at the edge of the crowd. Hearing those four words, he trembled with anger and clenched his fists. He knew Gong Gong didn't care about national pride, but he was worried Gong Gong might not understand what the insult meant and react inappropriately.
Manager Wang's face turned ashen. "Mr. Karl! Show some respect! You're not welcome here! Leave at once!"
Even the Asian interpreter seemed to think Karl had gone too far. He quietly tried to reason with him in English.
But Karl couldn't have cared less. Instead, he looked even more pleased with himself. He surveyed the furious Chinese people and gave a scornful laugh, then added in stiff Chinese, pointing first at Gong Gong and then at himself: "You! No! Good! Weakling!"
At last, Gong Gong tossed the gnawed beef-stick bone into a distant trash can with a casual flick. It landed right on target. Then he slowly turned around.
His eyes, which had looked lazy from being full, were once again bloodshot. But this time, it wasn't hunger that had brought it on. It was the cold fury of someone whose patience had been worn away by repeated provocations from ants!
He stepped toward Karl. The ground seemed to tremble faintly with each step. The pressure of his massive body bore down on Karl like a tangible mountain!
"What did you just say?" Gong Gong's voice wasn't loud, but it rumbled like thunder, chilling everyone who heard it. He didn't look at the interpreter. His gaze, like two icy blades, fixed on Karl.
Gong Gong's sudden, terrifying presence made Karl's heart tighten. He instinctively retreated half a step, then grew angry with himself for the show of cowardice. Forcing himself to stand tall, he spoke rapidly in English. "I said you people are sick men! Weaklings! What, can't take it? Then let's compete! We'll see who the real strongman is!"
The interpreter hesitated, then said, "Mr. Karl would like to have a fair test of strength with you."
Gong Gong seemed to understand the contempt in Karl's words. He bared his white teeth, but there was no warmth in his smile—only endless coldness and the indifference of someone looking at a corpse.
"A competition? Fine." Gong Gong's voice seemed to come from the depths of the netherworld. "But the loser will kneel and kowtow, apologizing for what he just said."
His demand was simple and direct, following the most primitive rule of the Primordial Era: insult the strong, and pay the price!
The interpreter repeated Gong Gong's words to Karl.
Karl froze for a moment, then let out a burst of arrogant laughter as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. He slapped his rock-hard chest and shouted in English, "Kneel? Apologize? You think you can make me? Fine! I accept! If you lose, you'll kneel too and admit that you East Asians are sick men!"
"Fine." Gong Gong accepted without hesitation. The coldness in his eyes was almost enough to freeze solid.
The air grew taut with tension! A contest over personal honor—and the national dignity of the countless onlookers—was about to begin!
Manager Wang and Qin Tian wanted to stop them, but seeing Gong Gong's icy gaze and Karl's arrogant attitude, they knew there was no way to defuse the situation now.
"How do we compete?" Gong Gong asked.
Karl pointed to the new strength-testing machine, then made a gesture for arm wrestling, and finally pointed to the standard mixed martial arts ring in the middle of the club. His meaning was obvious: test their punching power, test their absolute strength with arm wrestling, and then settle it in the ring!
He wanted to crush this ignorant "Eastern giant" in every way, trample his dignity, and humiliate all Chinese people!
"Whatever you want," Gong Gong said, unconcerned.
The first event was the punching-power test.
Karl stepped up to the machine and took a deep breath. His muscles swelled as if they were being inflated! He backed up several steps, then suddenly charged forward, twisting his hips, driving his shoulder, and throwing a punch! He poured his entire strength into it and slammed his fist into the target!
"BANG!!!"
A deafening crash rang out! The numbers on the machine's screen raced upward before finally stopping at an astonishing figure—1,898 pounds! (About 861 kilograms!)
Nearly 1,900 pounds! That was a terrifying punch, stronger than what the vast majority of professional boxers could manage. It was the pinnacle of human strength!
The Beast Strength team cheered. Karl also waved his fist triumphantly and looked at Gong Gong, his eyes full of provocation.
The club members watching turned pale. That number was terrifying! Could Gong Shifu beat it...?
With everyone watching anxiously, Gong Gong sauntered over to the machine. He didn't even build up a charge like Karl had. He simply stood there and clenched his fist.
This time, he didn't throw a casual punch like before. He still thought the machine was fragile, but he could feel the hopeful, nervous, almost pleading gazes of his "kin" around him, along with the foreign devil's nauseating arrogance.
He decided to take it just a tiny bit seriously.
He lowered his waist slightly and drew back his right fist. The muscles in his enormous fist tightened like steel wires, as if it contained the power to shatter mountains and split the earth! There was no spectacular windup, but a deeper, more terrifying pressure radiated from him of its own accord!
Qin Tian's pupils contracted! He sensed that although Gong Gong's stance still didn't match any known technique for generating force, it seemed to align faintly with some kind of... fundamental principle of heaven and earth. It was as if the fist he held wasn't a fist at all, but an entire river, surging and roaring!
The next moment, Gong Gong's fist moved!
It wasn't especially fast. In fact, it even seemed slow. But just before his fist touched the target, its speed suddenly exploded! The air compressed violently, unleashing a piercing sonic boom!
"BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
A terrifying crash, far louder than the one before, exploded like a meteor striking the earth!
The brand-new strength-testing machine, supposedly built to withstand impacts of up to 2,000 pounds, let out a metal groan that made everyone's skin crawl. The target was punched straight through! The machine's entire frame buckled and collapsed under the invisible force! Parts and sparks flew in every direction! Before the electronic screen could even display a number, it shattered and began pouring out thick black smoke!
One punch!
Just one punch!
He had turned the second strength-testing machine into a heap of smoking scrap!
The entire club fell into a dead silence!
You could hear a pin drop!
Everyone stared with their mouths agape, eyes almost popping out of their sockets, their minds completely blank!
1,898 pounds? Against Gong Gong's punch, that number was a joke!
The smug arrogance froze on Karl's face, replaced by utter shock and... a trace of fear! He couldn't understand how a human could possess such strength. It defied every law of biomechanics!
Gong Gong slowly pulled back his fist and blew at the nonexistent dust on it. Then he looked coldly at Karl, as if gazing at a hopping insect.
"Your turn."
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