I, Zhang Hongxing, Challenge Every Fighter with One Hand

[Big Goose News: UFC's first ultimate fighting showdown in the Xia Kingdom pits Qin Dagang against Cherry Blossom Country boxing champion Banjo Ichito. Qin Dagang: Keep your eyes wide open, because a KO could happen at any moment.]

[Qiandu News: The eagerly awaited Hive Battle kicks off on April Fools' Day. Will Qin Dagang's claim that he will KO his opponent become a joke, or will he turn Banjo Ichito into one? We shall see.]

[First News: The UFC organizers have scheduled the title fight between the Xia Kingdom's Qin Dagang and Cherry Blossom Country boxing champion Banjo Ichito for April Fools' Day. What deeper meaning lies behind this decision? Is Qin Dagang overconfident in claiming he will KO his opponent?]

[Cherry Blossom Country Daily News: In the UFC title fight, the Xia Kingdom's Qin Dagang has declared that he will KO boxing champion Banjo Ichito. The champion responds: I will put Qin Dagang down in the first round.]

Before the Hive Battle even began, the internet was already in an uproar. Among the top ten trending stories at every major news outlet in the Xia Kingdom, at least one was sure to concern this showdown.

Because Qin Dagang was from the Xia Kingdom, almost ninety-nine percent of its internet users supported him.

This was the greatest moment of Qin Dagang's life.

Every cell in his body thrilled with excitement. As he read message after message supporting him and saw reports about him filling practically every news page, his confidence grew stronger than ever.

"Dagang, are you sure you're all right?"

Backstage, his manager questioned Qin Dagang with utmost seriousness. Before accepting this fight, he had expected some attention and had thought it might advance Qin Dagang's career.

But he had never imagined the attention would be this overwhelming, as though everyone in the Xia Kingdom had become a devoted UFC viewer overnight.

This unnatural situation worried him deeply.

He sensed that someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, but he could not figure out why that person would do this.

"Relax. After all these years, don't you know me? The more people watching, the more excited I get. And the more excited I get, the harder I fight. Just pop the champagne and wait to celebrate with me."

There was nothing feigned about the confidence in Qin Dagang's eyes. He truly believed every word.

It was also what years of fighting had taught him.

On that point, he really was not lying.

"Dagang, you really are the strongest. I was right about you back then. Go get them!"

His manager forced down his worries and encouraged Qin Dagang. At that moment, he felt far more pressure than the man who was about to fight.

Victory in this bout meant fame and fortune; defeat meant universal scorn.

There would be no room to recover.

"Face ten thousand waves with courage, let your blood burn like the red sun, with courage forged of iron and bones of tempered steel..."

As "A Man Should Strengthen Himself" began playing, Qin Dagang slowly walked out from backstage. A spotlight immediately swung onto him and followed him all the way, while the spectators around him roared at the tops of their lungs.

"Qin Dagang, kill that little Jap!"

"Qin Dagang, you've got this!"

"Qin Dagang, show them what you're made of!"

"Dagang, Dagang, knock him flat with one punch!"

The fight had not even begun, yet the crowd's enthusiasm had already reached the peak of an ordinary match. In response to their cheers, Qin Dagang raised a clenched fist high.

But just as he was about to enter the ring, his heart suddenly gave a jolt.

In the front row right below the ring sat the person he least wanted to see, looking utterly at ease. When Qin Dagang looked over, the man even gave him a meaningful smile.

He did not know what that smile meant.

But he was absolutely certain it meant nothing good.

The spectator sitting in the front row was, of course, Zhang Hongxing. He had remained in Capital City for this very day. He wanted to witness the downfall of the man who had dared strike his daughter and his granddaughter.

The destruction of his reputation, his spirit, and his life.

An equally stirring piece of music from Cherry Blossom Country began playing, signaling boxing champion Banjo Ichito's entrance. Fighting in the Xia Kingdom, he could rely only on his entrance music to build a little momentum. The cheers that had greeted his opponent now became a torrent of curses and boos.

Having prepared himself for this, Banjo Ichito showed no fear.

Instead, he smiled and waved all the way at the Xia Kingdom spectators cursing him, as though they were cheering him on.

As the two fighters made their entrances, hosts on the various streaming platforms covering the UFC fight began their own distinctive introductions.

Qin Dagang and Banjo Ichito each stepped up and showed off their muscles.

The fight was scheduled for five rounds.

Each round lasted five minutes, with a one-minute break between rounds.

If it went the distance, that would be thirty minutes.

With a clang of the bell, the fight officially began. Qin Dagang and Banjo Ichito moved toward each other and simultaneously launched their first probing attacks.

Qin Dagang threw a sweeping kick. Banjo Ichito evaded it with quick, short steps and a backward lean, then swiftly countered with an almost identical sweeping kick.

The motion, force, and angle were all almost exactly the same.

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

"Little Jap, is copying all you can do?"

"Qin Dagang, well done!"

"Dagang, Dagang, knock him flat with one punch!"

The spectators' frenzied cheers made Qin Dagang increasingly excited. Adrenaline flooded his body, and at that moment, he was like a lion gone berserk.

"Roar!"

Qin Dagang charged forward, feinting a hook with his right hand while keeping his left ready to strike at any moment. But Banjo Ichito was a seasoned veteran. Rather than take the bait, he turned the trick against him.

Thud!

In the end, neither man gained an advantage. Qin Dagang struck the left side of Banjo Ichito's chest, while Banjo Ichito hit his shoulder, slightly toward the neck.

Both men should have been able to withstand blows like those.

But Qin Dagang's body quietly changed under that strike. Banjo Ichito soon noticed the change and attacked with a probing side kick.

Qin Dagang also noticed something wrong with his body, but he could not pause the fight, much less dare call it off.

Thud!

That simple side kick actually landed on Qin Dagang and knocked him to the ground.

How could Banjo Ichito let such an opportunity slip away?

He lunged forward and straddled Qin Dagang like Wu Song pinning a tiger, then hammered his head with a barrage of punches.

The referee at the side seized his moment and rushed forward.

Upon discovering that Qin Dagang was unconscious, he immediately began administering first aid.

The medical personnel, already standing by, immediately brought a stretcher into the ring, then rushed him to the hospital.

"Qin Dagang, you piece of trash!"

"Qin Dagang, go die!"

"Qin Dagang, you're a disgrace! You don't deserve to stand in that ring!"

The spectators who had been cheering Qin Dagang on now turned against him and cursed him. The once-lively arena descended into a chorus of lamentation.

They had come full of excitement, only to leave bitterly disappointed.

But just as the spectators began rising to leave, the enormous screen displayed four Chinese characters: "Sick Man of East Asia."

Those words set the entire Hive ablaze.

The uproar threatened to spiral further out of control.

A figure suddenly leaped into the ring and took the host's microphone.

"I am Zhang Hongxing of the Xia Kingdom. I hereby challenge Banjo Ichito and every UFC fighter, and I promise to fight with only one hand. Whoever defeats me will receive fifty million."