Alex Cohen could not help but wonder if he had underestimated Kayson Tannin…
After all, normally under the tournament system where there were no ties and there must be a winner, every round should be competitive. Even if the opponent was calm, when they lost one round, they should be anxious rather than nonchalant.
When Kayson saw that Alex was puzzled, he was secretly pleased and said proudly, “Can’t I willingly give up the first round?”
Alex became more curious and asked, “Kayson Tank, what exactly are you thinking?”
“You’ll find out in a moment…”
Kayson, on the other hand, was even more arrogant and secretly complimented himself for his wit.
He knew that Big Ken was the best fighter under Alex, so the first one he sent on his side was the fifth-ranked fighter. Obviously, he was willing to accept one loss for the bigger win by using his least powerful fighter to compete against the strongest opponent. In the coming rounds, as long as it was properly arranged, it would be a sure win and no loss.
The top two fighters that he spent a lot of money on their training were far beyond ordinary and absolutely would not be shaken easily…
Soon, the second round of the competition began.
The one representing Alex’s group was the first-timer that was eager to make a mark, Big Beare.
Kayson followed his established plan and sent out the fourth-ranked fighter.
In less than two minutes, the fight was over. Big Beare’s strength was not much weaker than Big Ken’s and emerged victorious.
At this point, Alex’s side won two rounds in a row and gained the match point. If he won one more round, he would have won the whole competition.
However, Alex was not glad. Instead, his heart was getting more unsettled and he had the feeling that something unexpected would happen.
Kayson, on the other hand, was not the slightest bit nervous even after losing two rounds consecutively. After only a few seconds of hesitation, he assigned the second-ranked fighter to fight. At first, he had planned to save the two most powerful fighters for the end unless Alex had fought.
Kayson not only wanted to achieve the final victory, but he also wanted to put Alex up against one of the two masters under him so that he could beat him up in the process.
Now that the situation changed and he had no way to back out, he could only arrange for his second-best fighter to compete beforehand.
Otherwise, he might not even get the chance to fight with Alex.
Alex initially thought of having Small Beare to fight the third match and win the whole fight in one go. However, Zeke had been itching for a long time and could not wait any longer, so he volunteered. Alex did not want to spoil Zeke’s excitement, so he agreed and gave him a friendly reminder.
“I can roughly guess Kayson’s strategy. The fighters he sent out are more powerful than the previous. So your opponent should be stronger than Big Ken’s and Big Beare’s just now. Just be steady and don’t underestimate your opponent…”
Big Ken carefully examined the opponent on the stage and suddenly raised his eyebrows. He came up to Alex and warned, “Young Master, that person on the stage doesn’t look ordinary and I have a bad feeling about this. If my assumption is right, then something’s bound to happen…I suggest letting Small Beare fight.”
Alex was driven by Big Ken and was also nervous as he asked, “Bro, what’s wrong?”
Zeke, who was eager to fight, did not consider so much. After he heard Big Ken’s words, he was a little upset and said, “Bro, based on what you said, you think my ability is below Small Beare’s? I know that you’re all experts, but don’t underestimate me either! He’s just a fighter, right?
To tell you the truth, when I was in the army, I won the martial arts competition more than once. Before I was discharged, the higher-ups suggested many times that I stay as a combat instructor…”
“No bro, I don’t mean to underestimate you, but…”
“There’s no need to explain. You don’t get a say in who fights, so let’s listen to Alex’s idea.”
As he said this, both Zeke and Big Ken coincidentally stared at Alex intently.
Alex was in a dilemma. He had to take care of Zeke’s reputation, but it was inconvenient to ignore Big Ken’s suggestion.
Guessing that Alex was in a dilemma, Big Ken pondered for a moment, but finally compromised and said to Zeke, “Bro, then the third match will be yours. I know that you have a strong desire to win.
But this time, the one you’re facing isn’t an ordinary opponent, but a special fighter you’ve never encountered before. No matter what the result is, don’t get attached to the fight…”
“Okay, okay, I know.”
Zeke thought that Big Ken had underestimated him and was eager to prove himself. He raised his hand to stop Big Ken, strode over to the ring, and did a smooth jump across the guardrail onto the ring. From this difficult move, everyone could see that he was a master.
Big Ken’s concern for Zeke did not decrease. Instead, it increased and even said to Alex, “I’m afraid we’re going to lose this round…”
Alex became increasingly curious and asked urgently, “Bro, what’s going on? You said that the opponent on the stage is a special fighter. Just how special is he? It can’t be…like those TV show protagonists who possess some sort of divine or magical superpower, right?”
“Divine or magical superpowers are invented and so far, it doesn’t have any scientific basis, so they’re not credible. However, the world is full of wonders.
Essentially, that opponent in the ring is also an ordinary person, but…Young Master, you still remember the drug that I gave to Sir G before, right?”
“The kind of drug that can make Sir G maintain his superb fighting strength even when he’s almost fifty years old?”
“That’s right!”
“You mean that opponent on the stage also used this drug to enhance his combat power?”
“I think so…”
“If that’s really the case, then it’s really hard to tell if we’ll win this round.”
Alex knew that Zeke was a master, but there was bound to be someone stronger than him.
If Zeke was up against a standard fighter, he would have a higher chance of winning. However, if his opponent had taken that special drug as Big Ken pointed out, it would be difficult to say whether he would win or lose. Alex’s heart was tensed as he thought about it and stared intently at the ring.
On the stage, the fight had already begun.
Zeke’s desire to win was already strong and under the stimulation of Big Ken, he became even more eager. When people were in a hurry, they were prone to making stupid mistakes.
For instance, Zeke wanted to determine a winner quickly to highlight his strength, so he gave up on defense and focused on striking.
Once the opponent seized the opportunity to counterattack, victory or defeat was only a matter of seconds.
Zeke was treating his opponent as an ordinary fighter and had the confidence that he would win. To impress Big Ken, he was not just bent on winning, but also to settle the fight in less time than what Big Beare took in the last round. Due to this obsession, he neglected his defense.
As he fought, Zeke saw the problem himself.
No matter how much force he used, even if he attacked with full force, the opponent did not react after being hit, as if he could not feel pain. In other words, the opponent’s resistance to strikes was too strong. After a few minutes, he was tired of striking and his limbs were sore, yet his opponent still maintained his vigorous fighting power.
‘What the hell is going on? Is this f*cker a robot?’
Zeke was unable to win the fight for a long time and was so confused by his opponent that he started to doubt himself.
During this short time when Zeke was in a daze, his opponent seized the opportunity and punched him on the back of the head. He suffered a heavy blow and was so dizzy that he lost his balance, stumbling and falling down. Although he subconsciously raised his hands to protect his head, his opponent’s strength was too strong and his hands went numb in seconds.
Zeke was pinned to the ground by his ferocious opponent and beaten violently.
Alex was so distressed that he jumped to his feet and shouted, “Stop! Stop it! I admit defeat! We lost this round!”
Kayson did not stop the fighters on the stage, shook his head, and responded, “Cohen, it’s useless for you to admit defeat, only the fighters can decide for themselves.”
“You…you’re cheating!”
Alex knew that with Zeke’s nature, it was impossible to admit defeat easily.
To not let the situation worsen, Alex quickly gave Big Ken a look.
Big Ken understood and rushed to the ring with Big Beare, forcibly pushing his opponent away.
The opponent finally behaved after being threatened with a gun.
Kayson, however, was not happy and jumped onto the stage in a rage. He said to Alex, “Who allowed you to come up before the winner was decided? You’re breaking the rules and deserve to be disqualified from the match!”
“I broke the rules?”
Alex argued and continued, “We’ve already given up this round, but your guy didn’t stop. Who broke the rules first? Kayson Tannin, you better not challenge my bottom line. You proposed the one-on-one duel. If you dare to do anything else, I’ll fight you till the end with everything I’ve got! Let me just remind you that even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me…If you don’t believe it, you can f*cking try!”
“I…fine, we can continue the match!”
Kayson had not yet achieved victory and had not dealt with Alex yet, so for the bigger picture, he did not care about these minor details.
Alex carefully checked Zeke’s injuries and saw that Zeke had only suffered heavy superficial injuries that were not life-threatening. He then breathed a little sigh of relief, but he was enraged as he got up and said, “Big Ken, I’ll fight the next round.”
“No way!”
Big Ken shook his head and categorically rejected Alex’s proposal. He continued, “Young Master, based on my observation, besides the one just now, there’s another special fighter under Kayson Tannin. It looks like he specially reserved that guy for you and is just waiting for you to fight. If you were to really compete against that special fighter, you’ll be caught in his scheme!”
“Then what? We can’t just lose without a fight, right?”
“Let Small Beare fight the next round. As long as he wins, there’ll be no need for a 5th round.”
“But…”
“Young Master, I know you want to contribute. But your biggest contribution as the leader is to hold the team together. You don’t have to be personally involved in everything. More importantly, if something happens to you, it’ll be more serious for us than losing this game!”
“Sigh…alright then.”
Alex had no choice but to agree to it.
He had already followed Big Ken’s train of thought and considered a very realistic scenario.
He knew that his combat strength was below Zeke Martin. If he took on another special fighter, he would surely lose. In that case, he would not be able to contribute to his camp, but would also allow Kayson to gain the match point. Moreover, Small Beare, who would take on the last fight would inevitably be more pressured.
The suggestion made by Big Ken was undoubtedly the wisest choice in their current situation.
For the big picture, Alex controlled his emotions and did not persist. Instead, he sent Small Beare to fight.
Kayson saw this and frowned.
“Cohen, you have the nerve to stay until the end, huh? You’re the leader, so shouldn’t you take the lead? The first round was for stability, so it’s still understandable that you didn’t go. But it’s been three rounds and you still don’t dare to play? Are you a coward?”
Alex shook his head and said, “Kayson Tannin, if others were making fun of me, I might be able to understand. But who gave you the right to mock me? You’re also the leader, so why didn’t you even go up and just count on others? How about this? If you dare to fight, then this round, no matter who the opponent is, I’ll go into the ring!”
“I…I’ve already decided our strategy, so how can we change it so simply?”
Kayson originally thought to provoke Alex to fight so he could arrange his strongest fighter against him. This was so he could beat Alex up and equalize the score at the same time, killing two birds with one stone. However, Alex seemed to have read his mind and turned the tables on him. He was guilty, so he had no choice but to give up the idea of beating up Alex and put the ultimate victory first.
For Kayson Tannin, there was no turning back. He must win this round…
