Chapter 88

Bang! With Tang Chengfeng's Intercepting Straight Punch, Li Erniu fell to the ground for the third time.

And this was only the first round.

I don't know if Tang Chengfeng was holding back on purpose, but Li Erniu did not suffer a temporary concussion; instead, he got up immediately after falling.

But his gaze became more and more unfocused each time.

As the referee, Chen Shanming frowned constantly, but when he stepped forward to ask Li Erniu about his condition, the answer he got was always "I'm fine, I can keep fighting!"

Below the ring, three people, six fists, had clenched tightly; the blood vessels on the backs of their hands were clearly visible, and one could faintly hear their teeth clicking.

But none of the three spoke.

Li Erniu's eyes were clearly still closed, but those words were indeed spoken by him.

In one, one look `no, one wrong version%!'

Look at the soldiers you've trained—what level are they? With this, they even dare to call themselves "special forces"?

However, this "Swinging Punch", although its hit rate is extremely low when used alone and it is only suitable for use when making an intercepting strike, its destructive power is astonishingly great.

Seeing Chen Shanming about to announce the end of the match, Li Erniu then spoke up to stop him.

Chen Shanming walked to the fighters' resting corner, looked at Tang Chengfeng with a displeased expression, and lowered his voice: "Lie Feng! You're going too far! I will report this truthfully to the Brigade Commander, and I believe your Battalion Commander Zhou won't just let you run wild like this!"

Chen Shanming turned his head to look at Li Erniu, a flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes, he slowly shook his head, just about to speak to refuse, but saw Li Erniu suddenly shove Liu Xiaotian aside, stand up, and walk slowly toward the ring.

At this moment, fifteen seconds remained in the first round.

But given his current condition, nobody would believe he could continue the match.

Watching his determined yet feeble steps, Tang Chengfeng's eyes also showed a hint of surprise, but it was immediately replaced by mockery.

Just when even Chen Shanming thought he was sparing Li Erniu because he believed Li Erniu had completely lost the ability to fight and was deliberately avoiding a follow‑up strike to prevent serious injury, Tang Chengfeng, after glancing at the timer, suddenly threw another punch at Li Erniu.

Everyone was stunned at the same time.

"You!" Chen Shanming choked with anger, unable to utter a word.

Bang!

Tang Chengfeng merely stepped back half a pace to the left rear, dodging Li Erniu's already feeble Right Swing Punch, and did not take the opportunity to attack.

However, this does not mean he will hold back.

"Erniu! Circle retreat! That way he can't hit you!"

Tang Chengfeng raised his eyebrows nonchalantly at Chen Shanming, wearing an indifferent expression: "Do as you like, I don't mind; by the way, I'd like to interview you—you also once qualified to join our 'Hurricane' Special Forces Battalion, so why after seven or eight years have you become such a coward?"

Frankly speaking, Liu Xiaotian isn't even sure whether, if he were beaten up like this, he would still have the courage to step back onto the ring.

He kept his eyes fixed on the timer, aiming to throw this punch when only three seconds remained, so that Li Erniu would only be able to operate in a dazed state during his one‑minute rest.

But before his words had finished, Li Erniu charged forward again toward Tang Chengfeng's mocking face.

Thud!

Li Erniu then threw two punches at him, and Tang Chengfeng merely dodged them.

In the second round, Li Erniu did not simply attack relentlessly as he had in the first round.

That was a Right Swing Punch, called "Swinging" in boxing training, generally used only by shorter fighters when they evade and strike simultaneously. This guy… is so sneaky!

Once it lands solidly, the result is only one thing—instant KO, and very likely a prolonged coma.

He turned and walked to the center of the ring, just about to declare Tang Chengfeng the winner, when a weak but determined voice came from below: "I can still fight!"

"Don't stop him, this is his dignity!" Liu Xiaotian's voice was icy, yet full of respect.

Liu Xiaotian and He Chen Guang, with grim expressions, climbed onto the ring, lifted the already‑shocked Li Erniu down, and while treating his brow wound tried to rouse him.

Even if it meant suffering even more severe injuries as the price.

Cai Xiaoxin looked at Li Erniu, half his face smeared with blood and swaying as he stood, and couldn't help rushing to the edge of the ring and shouting loudly:

He adjusted his tactics, using interference and evasion as much as possible, waiting for an opportunity to counterstrike.

This was the unanimous idea of Liu Xiaotian and the other two.

But both of his eyes were swollen like those of a salted‑egg superhero, so Liu Xiaotian couldn't even tell that his eyes were open.

This time, Tang Chengfeng did not ignore it; instead, he touched Li Erniu's boxing gloves with a hint of solemnity.

"Stop!" was shouted by Liu Xiaotian; "Bang!" was the sound of Tang Chengfeng solidly striking Li Erniu's left cheek; "Thud!" was the sound of Li Erniu falling; "Clang!" was the gong signaling the end of the first round.

Even Liu Xiaotian, who was treating Li Erniu's brow wound, was startled by that sound.

Stop!

Due to Chen Shanming's obstruction, Wang Yanbing ultimately failed to rush to Tang Chengfeng's face, jumped down from the ring in anger, cursed his way back to Li Erniu's side, and checked his condition.

Given Li Erniu's current condition, taking another punch like that would very likely have serious consequences.

But they all knew that Li Erniu, having taken that final punch, was unlikely to wake up anytime soon.

As the rest timer on the clock ticked down to the last second, Li Erniu finally managed to struggle to his feet at his corner, put on his mouthguard, tried to make his steps look light as he walked to the center of the ring, and once again extended his boxing gloves toward Tang Chengfeng.

Clang!

Obviously, Tang Chengfeng's previous few dodges without attacking were just him waiting for this final blow.

Wang Yanbing wanted to step forward and grab Li Erniu, but Liu Xiaotian stopped him.

Only twenty or so seconds later, Li Erniu woke up.

But now he must give his comrades, his brothers, this chance to defend their own dignity!

Indeed, Li Erniu is a somewhat blunt rural kid, but his inner tenacity is something most people lack.

"You bastard!" Wang Yanbing, the worst at self‑control, lunged forward, flipped onto the ring, intending to rush at Tang Chengfeng, but was blocked by Chen Shanming.

Even so, he didn't even graze Tang Chengfeng's side, and was knocked down twice.

At the end of the second round, Liu Xiaotian helped him with hemostasis, but the brow wound bled again, and a split also opened on the same‑side cheekbone.

But this time, he was not carried down.

Everyone present fell silent; no one tried to stop it, no one cursed Tang Chengfeng, and everyone's gaze almost deliberately ignored Tang Chengfeng, who held an absolute advantage and was sure to be the ultimate winner, instead focusing entirely on Li Erniu, whose whole face had been beaten out of shape.

There is only one reason: Li Erniu's perseverance and that spirit made them feel shocked! (End of chapter)