I Want to Fight Ten

"This is the Special Operations Battalion under my command—678 men. I'll pick a few Espers and let the kid choose some to spar with."

"Your Special Operations Battalion is full of Espers?"

Looking at the neatly lined-up soldiers before him, Zhang Chengyan was somewhat surprised. Were all six hundred-plus of them Espers?

"Of course not. There are only a few dozen. Even if I had that many Espers, I wouldn't have them training in the same battalion."

Putting too many Espers together was not necessarily a good thing. If none of them respected the others, it would be a headache when they started fighting.

"Commander Zhao, pick ten capable men. I want them specially trained, and you'll be one of them."

Wang Xinghan told the battalion commander to select people. The commander was also an Esper and the strongest one among them; otherwise, he would not have been able to keep the dozens of Espers under his command in line.

"Yes!"

Zhao Run raised his hand in salute, then turned to select the trainees.

Before long, he had picked nine Espers. The ten of them stood at the front, and Zhao Run turned around. "Report! All personnel are present. Awaiting the general's orders!"

"Good, good. I asked someone to find an expert to give you special training! You may lose a fight, but never lose your spirit. You're Wang Xinghan's soldiers—don't fight like a bunch of women!"

Wang Xinghan addressed the Special Operations Battalion. After lecturing them for a while, he waved to the side.

"Go on. Be careful—those guys don't know their own strength." Zhang Chengyan told Lu Chengchuan to go over.

Lu Chengchuan nodded and walked expressionlessly to Wang Xinghan's side. The hundreds of soldiers in the battalion all looked over at him. Everyone was watching him. He ignored them and went straight to Wang Xinghan.

"He's the expert I found. Whoever beats him gets a merit recorded." Wang Xinghan glanced at him without giving him a friendly look, then turned back to encourage his soldiers.

Before the general had even finished speaking, all the soldiers in front widened their eyes, especially the ten who had been selected.

An expert brought in from outside? How good could he be?

The soldiers were eager to give it a try. They wanted to see just how capable this expert was.

"Pick one."

After encouraging his men, Wang Xinghan told him to choose an opponent. Pick one out of the ten, then keep choosing if he won.

Lu Chengchuan did not know any of that. He was choosing an opponent, though he felt that whoever he chose would make no difference.

"Do I only need to fight one, or do I have to fight all ten?" As he hesitated over whom to pick, Lu Chengchuan suddenly thought of something and turned to ask Wang Xinghan.

"What else? My battalion has over six hundred men, and I only picked ten. You should fight at least five."

Wang Xinghan spoke with complete confidence, looking as though he truly wanted someone to serve as a sparring partner.

"Then there's no need to choose. All ten can come at once."

If he had to fight ten anyway, why bother picking? He might as well take them all on at once and settle it in one go.

"Kid! What did you say?! Are you looking down on my soldiers?" Wang Xinghan's blood rushed to his head at those arrogant words. He had not expected this guy to dare say such a thing.

He was not the only one angry. Every soldier who heard it was furious. Let all ten of them attack together? Was he treating them like easy prey?

Anyone would get angry if someone looked down on their strength.

The soldiers in front stared at him with unblinking eyes. If gazes could become weapons, not a single part of Lu Chengchuan's body would have remained intact.

Wang Xinghan and his soldiers were furious, and even the people from the Investigation Bureau were startled by Lu Chengchuan's words. He usually did not seem flashy, yet now he was talking more arrogantly than anyone.

One against ten—could he really do it?

Zhang Chengyan was doubtful, but Zhou Yaning and the others, who knew Lu Chengchuan a little better, believed he had the strength. Back then, they had also been a group of around ten Espers attacking the Ironclad Zombie. If Lu Chengchuan had not arrived, they would have died there.

Lu Chengchuan realized that what he had said was indeed offensive, but he did not regret it.

The words had already left his mouth. Regretting them was impossible. Lu Chengchuan nodded firmly. "All ten. Don't hold back. It's fine even if you beat me into the hospital."

"Fine, kid. You've got guts!" Wang Xinghan nodded as he exhaled, then turned and gave the order. "Don't show any mercy. Hit him! If he really ends up hospitalized, I'll reimburse his medical bills!"

Since Lu Chengchuan dared say that, Wang Xinghan stopped caring and directly told them to hit hard.

No one wasted words. They cleared an open space for the fight. Real skill showed in battle; anyone could talk tough. They still had to see whether the one boasting had the strength to back it up.

Zhao Run raised a hand and made a combat gesture. When he lowered his arm, the ten split into three squads and quickly surrounded Lu Chengchuan.

The three squads slowly closed in. Lu Chengchuan swept his gaze around before settling on the four men in front of him.

The six on either side slowly approached. Zhao Run had thought this would be a one-on-one contest, so he had chosen men skilled in single combat. They all had combat ability, most of them with body-enhancement powers.

Before the six could get close, an invisible force enveloped him.

Lu Chengchuan was dragged upward by the invisible force, his feet lifting more than ten centimeters off the ground. He looked up and saw a soldier in front of him raising a hand at him. He was the one controlling the invisible force.

Though his body had been pulled into the air, Lu Chengchuan did not panic in the slightest. Surging Inner Energy burst from his body. The two energies collided, but his Inner Energy was stronger, instantly shattering the invisible force binding him. His feet landed on the ground at once.

With his restraining ability broken, the soldier in the distance's expression changed drastically. Before he could use his power again, Lu Chengchuan raised his hands and struck toward both sides at once.

Lu Chengchuan's clothes fluttered without wind as his surging Inner Energy slammed into the six men, sending five of them flying in a single blow.

The remaining man staggered back several steps before barely steadying himself. But before any of them could act, Lu Chengchuan rushed forward and punched him in the abdomen.

The soldier did not even manage a scream before that one punch knocked him to the ground, where he convulsed.

Lu Chengchuan had used only a little strength, yet one punch had robbed the man of his ability to fight. Just as he knocked him down, Zhao Run charged forward with two others. Light flickered around Zhao Run's body, dazzlingly bright.

This was his ability. The light around his body could protect him from harm while enhancing his physical capabilities. He could also condense the light into weapons, and those weapons could easily cut through metal armor.

His ability provided both offense and defense. With it, Zhao Run had never met a match in the Special Operations Battalion.

The light condensed into a pair of gloves around his hands. They were only deciding who was stronger, not trying to kill anyone. Zhao Run aimed at Lu Chengchuan's chest, intending to knock him down with a single punch as well.

Lu Chengchuan turned. The fist landed on his chest with a dull thud, but he did not move from where he stood. Zhao Run, who had intended to knock him down with one blow, sensed that something was wrong—but he reacted too slowly.

Before he could retreat, Lu Chengchuan swung his fist into him. He used thirty percent of his strength in this punch. Zhao Run was sent flying, the light protecting him shattering and dispersing as he crashed heavily to the ground.

After dealing with the opponents in front of him, Lu Chengchuan swung his arm toward both sides again.

Two others had originally been coordinating with Zhao Run, but they were a step too slow. Combined with Lu Chengchuan's speed, they were knocked to the ground by his fists just as they tried to close in.

The two men on the ground clutched their stomachs, their faces so pale they barely looked human.

The entire process had taken only five or six seconds. He had taken out four people, while the four sent flying by his Inner Energy had only just climbed back up. Before they could understand what had happened, Lu Chengchuan charged before them in a few strides.