CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: MYSTERIOUSLY DEAD, UNSURE, TAKE ANOTHER LOOK

A group of people swaggered into the small woods, full of confidence and completely undaunted. They didn’t take the person who dared to challenge Chen Rourou to a fight seriously at all. In their view, the one who initiated the online challenge was merely a keyboard warrior fond of empty boasts. Even if he had some skills, so what? As if they themselves weren’t skilled. Besides, due to problems with passing down traditions, Martial Arts had already fallen out of favor. What right did a fighting style, unable to adapt to the current era, have to compete with their Karate? Was it just because Martial Arts had a long history? What good was a long history? In any era, true skill was the only measure of worth! And clearly, in this era, the Karate they practiced *was* true skill!

With this conviction, the group began their search in the woods, until, under a tree, they encountered Zheng Jituo and his group. Eyes met. A silent acknowledgment passed between them—these were the people they were here to fight.

Seeing the motley crew before them—one fat, one skinny, and one dressed like a migrant worker—those who came with Chen Rourou couldn’t help but laugh.

A man in a white tank top stepped forward, a smug look on his face, and addressed Zheng Jituo’s group, "Are you the ones looking for a fight with us? Who is ’Shishi’s Quality Single Man’? A Martial Arts practitioner, right? Come on, let’s see what you’ve got. We’ll find out who’s stronger!"

His words immediately drew jeers and taunts from his companions, who stepped forward, eyeing Zheng Jituo’s group.

"That’s right! Wow, Martial Arts practitioners, so impressive! We’re not bullies. One-on-one. If you can knock all of us down, we’ll call you boss today!"

"One-on-one? Aren’t you just bullying them? Look at their builds. Apart from the migrant worker who might be a bit tough, I could take on that fatty and the skinny one two-on-one, no problem."

"You said Martial Arts is amazing and Karate is trash, right? You must be pretty good then. I’m a green belt in Karate. Please, enlighten me!"

"..."

Chen Rourou didn’t intervene. She simply stood there, arms crossed, chin tilted arrogantly, her eyes filled with utter disdain for Zheng Jituo’s group. Her posture was as proud as the ponytail she had specifically styled for the fight.

To think I actually watched his videos and read his posts before. I really thought this ’Shishi’s Quality Single Man’ was some formidable character. But seeing him in reality... Hah! He’s just a total pushover. They’re being mocked like this, and those three don’t even dare to say a word. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, arrogantly clinging to their own outdated ways... No wonder Martial Arts has fallen into such decline!

The disdain on her face intensified, and her posture became even more arrogant. If she’d had any intention of personally taking revenge before, seeing the reaction of Zheng Jituo’s group extinguished it completely. It wasn’t that she’d forgiven them. They simply weren’t worthy of her attention!

"What a waste of time!" Chen Rourou muttered, then stepped aside, striking a pose, ready to enjoy the spectacle of Zheng Jituo and his companions getting thrashed.

"Hey, who is ’Shishi’s Quality Single Man’? Too scared to show up?" a male student from the Karate club shouted.

Just as he shouted this, RUSTLE, RUSTLE—

A faint rustling came from nearby.

"I am ’Shishi’s Quality Single Man’. Are you the ones who were trash-talking online, saying Karate is superior to Martial Arts and wanted to fight me? Speak up. Who is ’Hates Coriander’?"

They heard his voice before they saw him.

The members of the Karate club, without a second thought, instinctively shot back, "Yeah, that’s us! So what? You got a pro—"

The word was barely out of his mouth when they saw a tall man in a thick black vest, with arm and leg guards, push aside the leaves and branches and step out. The man looked at Chen Rourou and her group, a chillingly fierce smile playing on his lips.

At the same time, everyone’s gaze fell upon Zhang Beixing’s face. Their previously arrogant words died in their throats. They stared blankly at Zhang Beixing, their brows deeply furrowed.

After a long silence, someone finally whispered, "Hey, guys, don’t you think... we’ve seen this person somewhere before?"

"I thought it was just me! You guys feel it too? Damn, I’m so confused. This is the first time we’ve met, so why does it feel like..."

"It’s so weird. I can’t place him. Let’s look again!"

"By the way, aren’t we here to fight? Is it really okay for us to just stand around chatting instead of fighting?"

"Doesn’t this guy look familiar to you?"

"Yeah, familiar."

"Exactly! That’s what I’m saying! I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere, but this outfit... it’s not quite right!"

"The outfit’s not right? You mean... like a security guard’s uniform?"

"Yes! That’s it! A security guard’s uniform!"

Someone in the crowd mentioned a security guard’s uniform, and suddenly, realization dawned on them.

No wonder! The more they looked at him, the more something felt off. It was his clothes! If he swapped that black vest for a security guard uniform... isn’t that the beast of a man from the school forums who went viral for fighting five guys by himself? Huh? Wait a minute!

Suddenly, someone in the Karate Club crowd, realizing what was wrong, stared at Zhang Beixing and exclaimed, "Are you the guy from this morning who fought five alone, ’Virtual Master Zhang Beixing’?"

Zhang Beixing was also a little surprised to hear this. Clearly, he hadn’t expected his exploits to have spread so quickly.

Is that nickname a bit off, though?

But soon, Zhang Beixing caught on. Looking at the people before him, he smirked and said, "That’s right, it’s me. Just now I heard you wanted to go one-on-one, or one-on-two, right? So, who’s first?"

At his words, the faces of the Karate Club members changed drastically. They exchanged glances, speechless.

After a brief silence...

"Hey, Uncle Seven, what did you say? My great-grandma is getting married tomorrow? I’ll definitely be there, definitely!" one man suddenly exclaimed, pulling out his cell phone and holding it to his ear. He then said apologetically to Chen Rourou, "Sorry about this, Rourou, something’s come up on my end. I have to leave first!" Then he turned and left without a backward glance.

Seeing this, the expressions of the others instantly turned awkward.

"Hello? What? Your dog got hit by a car? I’m on my way!"

"Huh? You want to break up with me? I don’t accept! I’m biking to your city to find you right now!"

Instantly, these bright sparks from the Karate Club followed suit, pulling out their phones, shouting loudly as they pretended to take calls further away. Once they were a short distance off, they broke into a sprint and quickly fled the scene.

Before long, of the seven boys who had come to help, only the boisterous man in the white tank top remained, looking utterly bewildered. All eyes naturally converged on him.

Realizing this, the tank-topped man broke out in a cold sweat. He frantically patted his pockets but couldn’t find his cell phone. He’d been so focused on acting tough and showing off earlier that he’d forgotten to bring his phone.

As Zhang Beixing’s gaze grew increasingly menacing, the man in the tank top, in a moment of desperate inspiration, suddenly blurted out, "Hmm! Hmph hmph! AAAAAAH! Sister Rourou, my stomach hurts so bad! I think I have diarrhea! I need to go change my... uh... sanitary pad! Gotta go!"

Clutching his stomach and letting out incoherent, strained yelps, the tank-topped man bolted, disappearing from sight in moments.

Watching his surprisingly agile retreat, everyone else was momentarily lost in thought.

This whole situation has taken a rather unexpected turn, hasn’t it?