Chapter 167: Desperate Struggle

Big Fool Hui was not particularly bright in the head, but he still understood certain things. Before the guard left, he acted completely normally, and upon entering the room, he obediently found a bed diagonally across and lay down on it.

The guard quickly locked the door and left without uttering a single instruction.

Such an abnormal situation did not escape Chu Dong's notice, and he grew inwardly vigilant. Naturally, sleep was out of the question. He kept his eyes slightly closed, ready to launch a counterattack at any moment.

Time ticked away second by second. The air seemed glued together, causing a slight tightness in the chest. The detention cell was terribly quiet. Today was bizarre; not even the sounds of snoring or sleep-talking could be heard, which in itself was strange.

Big Fool Hui lay there for a long time. Judging that Chu Dong should be more or less asleep by now, he quietly raised his body. However, his caution proved somewhat ineffective; as his massive frame shifted even slightly, the bed frame emitted a creaking sound. Even with his eyes closed, Chu Dong knew the man was about to make a move.

Lifting his head, Big Fool Hui saw that Chu Dong was still lying motionless, having not changed his posture even once since entering. He split his wide mouth in a low, rumbling chuckle, scratched his bald head with a large hand, and got off the bed to charge straight at Chu Dong.

The instructions from the Laughing Hades were clear: torture this brat a bit, as long as he doesn't die it's fine, but do not hit the face. Judging by Chu Dong's recumbent appearance, his body was extremely slender, so as long as he held back his strength a little on the other parts, it should be fine.

In Chu Dong's eyes, Big Fool Hui's figure grew closer and closer. The fan-like giant hand was raised in the air, and Chu Dong could even see the coarse, thick hair upon it.

Striking first gains the advantage, while striking later brings disaster—this had always been Chu Dong's principle. It had been somewhat better since returning to the country, but abroad in the past, if your gun-drawing speed was even a fraction slower, the one who fell would be you. Before Big Fool Hui could lunge forward and grab him, Chu Dong moved. His speed was simply incredible, reaching a degree that practically deceived the eyes.

Big Fool Hui's large hand opened wide, about to reach Chu Dong's face, intending to grab him down and pin him to the floor for a thorough beating. In his eyes, Chu Dong's build was no thicker than a hemp stalk, posing zero threat to him. Exercising such caution was merely to conserve his own energy. But just as he was about to grab Chu Dong, Big Fool Hui's vision blurred, followed by total darkness before him, as a tremendous force slammed into his facial meridian. His tall body toppled backward entirely, his backward steps unable to keep pace with the speed of the impact on his head, and before he could take two steps back, he crashed onto the bed behind him.

A sharp pain surged from his back. With that movement, the wound on his back that had just begun to scab over ripped open again, and blood seeped out. Chu Dong could even feel the blood trickling down like crawling insects. There was no time to check. Chu Dong leaped straight off the bed and saw Big Fool Hui leaning back against the bed frame, struggling to get back up. Chu Dong stepped forward and delivered another kick straight to his chest.

This time, however, Big Fool Hui's body stubbornly held firm without moving. Chu Dong's previous kick had not been light, leaving Big Fool Hui slightly dazed, but he quickly snapped out of it. Seeing Chu Dong coming at him with another kick, he braced his torso and forcefully blocked the overwhelmingly heavy strike. Taking advantage of Chu Dong's momentary pause, he grabbed Chu Dong's ankle with a massive hand. "Got some kick, I like it."

With that, he gave a violent fling, tossing Chu Dong to the side, then scrambled up in one fluid motion. He wiped the corner of his mouth, and upon seeing the blood on his hand, he actually laughed instead. He opened his wide mouth, licked it with his tongue, and chuckled with a chilling, guttural rumble.

Chu Dong was also startled. Judging by this fellow's bulk, he could not be bested by sheer strength. Right now, any movement caused his body to ache severely, and the recent throw had almost made it impossible for him to stand. Fighting this guy was like encountering a massive black bear deep in primeval forests; he could neither escape nor match raw brute strength, which was truly a headache. Chu Dong clenched both fists, took a deep breath, and stared fixedly at this beast-like creature.

Chu Dong's previous blow had truly stirred up the brute's ferocity. Big Fool Hui had completely forgotten all the instructions given by the Laughing Hades. It had been a long time since anyone had "played" with him, and the first one he encountered happened to be so challenging. To him, this was a gift bestowed by the heavens. With such a fun thing happening, even if the Laughing Hades hadn't given instructions, he would have thoroughly enjoyed himself.

He strode toward Chu Dong. In this narrow space, a few steps brought him right there. He held zero defense against Chu Dong, pulling his wide mouth into a grin, utterly refusing to believe Chu Dong could inflict any substantial harm upon him, and advanced with his chest wide open and undefended. He splayed his legs and crooked a large hand in a mocking gesture toward Chu Dong.

If brute strength was lacking, victory could only be secured through technique. Chu Dong was an elite among elites tempered at the edge of life and death; even without a weapon in hand, he possessed ample methods to subdue an opponent.

The wound on his back had torn open, but paradoxically, it stopped hurting as acutely. Chu Dong couldn't help finding the man's posture comical. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his entire body suddenly shot forward toward Big Fool Hui like a cannonball, resembling an unsheathed sharp sword carrying a piercing, air-tearing hiss.

He pressed his five fingers together and poked directly into the center of Big Fool Hui's chest. He could clearly feel the opponent's muscles contracting naturally. Chu Dong's attack was not over; it was merely beginning. With a slight retraction of his shoulders and semi-curled fingers, he struck again—this time feeling the muscles over Big Fool Hui's heart grow taut. He curled his fist and struck once more, then bent his elbow and followed up... A single movement broken down into four steps, executed by Chu Dong with the fluidity of flowing clouds and moving water.

A succession of heavy blows landed with the dull thud of striking cured hide, yet Chu Dong's iron fists merely forced Big Fool Hui back a few paces.

He who takes the beating knows the taste best. Big Fool Hui was actually far from comfortable, but due to his dull-witted nature, he couldn't articulate the pain. His chest felt numb; the struck areas seemed detached from his body, and after a wave of numbness, he felt nothing at all, as though that patch of skin had been injected with anesthesia and excised. He didn't know whether this was good or bad, but it made him extremely angry. Grabbing the bed frames on both sides with his two hands, he let out a loud roar and snapped the supports, dismantling the beds on either side. In one hand he held a steel pipe used to support the bed frame, but compared to his massive hands, the pipe was far too thin, so he discarded it without a second thought.

A gleam lit up in Chu Dong's eyes. Breaking a steel pipe himself was not impossible, but he certainly couldn't do it as effortlessly as Big Fool Hui. While Big Fool Hui found it clumsy to wield, it suited him just fine. The steel pipe happened to bounce twice right in front of his feet. Without hesitation, Chu Dong flicked his toes forward, drew it backward, and then jerked it upward, taking the steel pipe firmly into his grip. Facing the charging Big Fool Hui, he rained down a fierce and ruthless flurry of blows.

Big Fool Hui blocked the frantic onslaught with one arm while pressing forward, letting out beast-like howls. However, Chu Dong exploited his slow turning speed, dodging and shifting within the cramped space to prevent him from closing in, while continuously battering him with the steel pipe in hand. Smashing, stabbing, sweeping, thrusting, piercing... every conceivable application for a steel pipe had been utilized. Big Fool Hui guarded his head, but his arms accumulated countless bruises, and his chest was pierced and bloodied in several places. Yet he still glared with round, bell-like eyes fixed dead on Chu Dong, continuing to roar.

The noises here had long since traveled outward. The previously quiet cells now echoed with sounds of inmates listening in on the situation, and some were even placing bets on how many minutes Big Fool Hui would take to finish the job. Instantly, this cell block grew lively. Yet the guards remained entirely nowhere to be found.

Sweat soaked his clothes, and his back was already drenched with blood. Chu Dong, who had been running a slight fever earlier, now found his mind exceptionally clear. Listening to Big Fool Hui's bovine panting, he knew this fellow was also growing somewhat exhausted.

Facing an unyielding, indestructible opponent, anyone would feel a headache coming on, and Chu Dong was no exception. Had he not been injured, encountering such a rare opponent might have tempted him to match him in brute force. But right now, Chu Dong dared not lower his guard in the slightest. It was blatantly obvious that this person had been intentionally sent to deal with him; if he got tangled up with him here, whether he would even survive to see tomorrow's sun was uncertain.

Seeing that Big Fool Hui's footsteps were growing increasingly sluggish, Chu Dong went on the offensive. The steel pipe in his hand was already stained with blood, and one twisted end possessed a sharp, jagged edge. Chu Dong used it to carve a series of cuts across Big Fool Hui's body. The steel pipe itself had even warped slightly, yet he continued relentlessly battering Big Fool Hui's head. No matter how the man guarded, he couldn't cover every angle—especially his left ear, which was nearly sheared off by the steel pipe.

Big Fool Hui was accustomed to bullying others; when was it ever his turn to be handled like this? Unable to hit Chu Dong, he began smashing things in a frenzy, sending wood splinters flying from the bedboards. This burst of rage actually allowed him to find a handy weapon. Grabbing a large slab of the bedboard with his massive hand, he looked at Chu Dong and grinned hideously, his expression looking incomparably ferocious.

Earlier, Chu Dong could evade with ease, finding gaps beneath Big Fool Hui's armpits, his crotch, and everywhere else. That was no longer the case. The weapon in the brute's hands could block off numerous angles. Facing the bedboard swung straight at his head, Chu Dong had no choice but to parry with the steel pipe. A force akin to Mount Tai pressed Chu Dong down onto a single knee, the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers splitting open from the shock, and the point of contact between the steel pipe and the wood flattened. One more blow like that and it might snap entirely.

Chu Dong's back was right against a set of radiator pipes; there was nowhere left to retreat. When Big Fool Hui raised the wooden board high, his face wearing a mocking expression, preparing to drive it down like a pile-driver for one final strike, Chu Dong suddenly lunged forward. Dropping to one knee, he slid across the concrete floor, shot right between Big Fool Hui's legs, seized the opportune moment, and lashed out with the steel pipe directly against the brute's groin.

Chu Dong had consistently avoided close-quarters combat, which had made Big Fool Hui let down his guard. He never expected Chu Dong to actually pull such a move. Dropping the wooden board from his hands, a strangled howl stuck in his throat as he dropped to both knees, clutching his lower region and rolling violently on the floor.

Strike while the iron is hot. Chu Dong discarded the fracturing steel pipe, picked up a slightly smaller wooden board, and began a flurry of indiscriminate strikes against Big Fool Hui's head. Whenever Big Fool Hui used his hands to protect his head, Chu Dong delivered another kick to his groin; when Big Fool Hui protected his lower body, Chu Dong mercilessly bashed his skull.

After a few rounds of this seesaw struggle, Chu Dong finally landed a board squarely near the brute's temple, knocking Big Fool Hui out cold on the spot.