Chapter Eighty-Seven: Xia Zheng vs. the Shimmering Silver Fox

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Xia Zheng versus the Flashing Silver Fox

The live commentator, He Xubin, was also taking on such an unusually styled broadcast for the first time. Yet as a former wielder of extraordinary abilities himself, he was more than willing to accept the assignment, and compared with ordinary commentators, he clearly understood the field better and sounded more professional. A layman watches the spectacle; an expert reads the hidden workings.

Besides, he had an eloquent tongue and a natural gift for hosting and commentary. So when the Professional League approached him, he agreed. One appearance earned him at least fifty thousand, not counting other subsidies and the like. If he were assigned a regular match, the fee would jump to one hundred fifty thousand at once, with additional allowances and sponsorship from advertisers. If he were to commentate a knockout match, the fee would rise again to three hundred thousand, and if he covered the final championship match, the appearance fee was said to reach one million. Such lavish treatment tempted not only office workers and the well-heeled, but even many ability users.

For that reason, the contest launched by the Professional League, along with the other assessment matches organized by the league, won broad support from many people, not just ability users. Many in the entertainment world were paying attention as well, and the event had also drawn the interest of businesses and conglomerates, who believed the tournament promoted by the Professional League would become a major money-maker in the future. They were all seeking commercial partnerships with the league.

Returning to the match, once Xia Zheng entered the barrier, he immediately unfolded a water shield to protect himself and took a defensive stance at the outset. Albert on the opposite side broke into a mocking smile at once, thinking that Xia Zheng, despite his enormous fame, was starting so timidly. Xia Zheng’s move also provoked dissatisfaction among a small portion of the audience.

But commentator He Xubin did not agree. He said, “Although Xia Zheng is quite strong, he hasn’t let that make him arrogant. Instead, he’s adopted a very steady defensive posture. That deserves praise. The audience may not be very familiar with this competitor, Albert. He goes by the nickname Flashing Silver Fox, and his movement speed and attack speed are both extremely fast. In the previous two qualification rounds, his opponents underestimated him and failed to adopt any defensive posture. By the time they realized their mistake, it was already too late to respond, and in the end they were effortlessly defeated. Xia Zheng seems to have done his homework very thoroughly.”

The guest commentator, Felina, then added, “From what I know, Xia Zheng tends to be cautious and rational in temperament, so I’m not surprised by his opening posture. That’s his style: steady first, then we’ll see.”

Sure enough, after the two commentators finished, the audience immediately noticed a sudden change in the situation inside the barrier. Albert nearly sprang into motion in an instant, his speed astonishingly fast. Many viewers almost thought their eyes were failing them, unable to make out even his outline.

Fortunately, the giant screen at the venue immediately adjusted the cameras, using high-speed capture to broadcast in real time while also displaying the slowed-down scene inside the barrier.

Even in slow motion, Albert was still incredibly fast. Many people stared only briefly before tears began to flow from their eyes without them noticing, simply because their vision was so strained. Those with poor dynamic eyesight were even crying out in dizziness, and some were struck by slight waves of nausea. Medical volunteers quickly handed out anti-dizziness lozenges to many of them, which finally eased their discomfort.

It was easy to imagine how miserable Xia Zheng must have felt facing Albert at full speed inside the barrier. Yet on the giant screen, in the eyes of the crowd, he remained as steady as a mountain, calm and composed.

Seeing Xia Zheng still unmoving like a wooden figure while he sprinted at full speed, Albert’s heart stirred. He drew a small-caliber pistol and fired.

With a sharp crack, Xia Zheng’s water shield rippled violently, then returned to normal. Such a level of bullet could not pierce it.

The Professional League had imposed restrictions on ability users who specialized in long-range weapon attacks: they could not use firearms with excessive power or overly large calibers. This was to prevent people whose own strength was not particularly impressive from advancing purely by relying on superior equipment. Such ability users could easily be manufactured through the heavy spending of major companies, conglomerates, or wealthy magnates. They also lacked spectacle and were unfair to other ability users.

For this purpose, the league had even drawn up a detailed list of permitted firearms. Anything outside that list counted as contraband, and using it without authorization meant immediate defeat.

Ability users could enhance the destructive power of firearms by channeling their own abilities, but they could never win solely through the weapon’s sophistication and force.

So when Albert pulled out a pistol and attacked Xia Zheng, many people in the audience booed. After all, this method of attack was still very likely to draw the dislike of ordinary spectators.

Albert curled his lip, but he did not dare provoke public outrage. He put the pistol away and switched to throwing knives and the like, yet none of these attacks could break Xia Zheng’s water-shield defense.

The water shield was not rigid, but it was highly resilient. The skill Xia Zheng had simulated was not a perfect water shield, but it still possessed at least seventy to eighty percent of its power.

Albert continued his high-speed movement, circling around Xia Zheng without pause, making it impossible for Xia Zheng to catch his position and thus impossible to launch an attack.

At this point, Albert seemed to have firmly seized the advantage, while Xia Zheng was completely unable to counterattack.

In response to the audience’s silence, commentator He Xubin said, “As expected of the Flashing Silver Fox, he’s brought speed into full play, using rapid movement to prevent Xia Zheng from counterattacking for the moment and forcing him to remain on the defensive. Perhaps the audience still can’t fully feel the pressure Xia Zheng is under. Let our director switch to the first-person perspective from Xia Zheng’s position and take a look.”

Thus the big screen changed once again, shifting to a viewpoint aligned with Xia Zheng’s direction, that is, a first-person perspective.

Still in slow motion, the scene from this angle naturally placed the audience into Xia Zheng’s field of vision, immediately creating a crushing sense of pressure. Albert’s rapidly moving figure directly turned into a succession of afterimages before Xia Zheng’s eyes, as though a thousand or ten thousand Alberts were surrounding him, forming a mountain that made it hard to breathe.

At the same time, he had to keep enduring Albert’s sudden attacks and maintain constant focus. That torment alone would have been enough to break most people, yet Xia Zheng remained motionless, earning great admiration from everyone.

More people at the venue began to show mild symptoms of nausea, so the director quickly switched the image back to the normal third-person view.

Felina said at the right moment, “Although ability users have physical attributes superior to ordinary people, they still need extensive training and adaptation. Don’t assume that simply being an ability user means you can do what Xia Zheng does, or else Albert would not have advanced so smoothly through the first two rounds. And the fact that he earned the name Flashing Silver Fox proves that quite a few ability users have fallen to him. Even an A-class ability user reportedly lost to this very point.”

At that, many students began cheering and applauding Xia Zheng of their own accord. Naturally, they wanted to see their senior win. As for Albert, they quickly cast him in the role of the villain, while Xia Zheng became the rightful hero.

Hearing the crowd shout for Xia Zheng, Albert grew very displeased. He had clearly been suppressing Xia Zheng with complete control, and the other side had not dared launch even a single attack. Why, then, was he not receiving applause? These people really judged others by appearances. Just wait until I beat Xia Zheng into the shape of a mangy dog, then let’s see what expressions you all wear.

But Xia Zheng at this moment was extremely calm and was not stirred by the crowd’s cheers. Like a cold-blooded hunter, he followed his own rhythm of pursuit, staring fixedly at the lively silver fox before him.

“It’s already been twenty minutes. Can you keep that speed up forever?” In Xia Zheng’s once-unruffled eyes, a sharp light began to gleam.

Sure enough, three minutes later even the audience could tell that Albert had slowed his sprint and was forced to catch his breath. This was already the longest he had maintained such high-speed movement.

He took out a blue vial of medicine and drank it down; it should have been an energy potion that restored ability, stamina, and spirit.

Xia Zheng then directly dispelled his water shield, and a strand of divine consciousness transformed into mental force and acted upon Albert.

Bang!

Like the crack of a gunshot, Xia Zheng vanished in place. In the next second, he reappeared only half a meter from Albert, his arm wrapped in a layer of spiritual force that extended into a silver blade, poised to slash down.

Albert was startled at once. Unable to care that the potion was still rapidly taking effect, he again fled at high speed. But this time, Xia Zheng was like a parasite clinging to bone, biting down on him and refusing to let go. Albert had no choice but to push his speed to the limit, only to discover that Xia Zheng could actually keep up, always staying half a meter behind him.

The atmosphere at the venue rose once more. Many people finally felt the chest-tightening pressure they had been holding in for so long begin to loosen. The previous twenty-plus minutes had simply been too oppressive.

“No way... He can actually... keep up with my speed?” Albert could hardly believe it. His proud speed had failed to shake off Xia Zheng. There had never been any intelligence saying Xia Zheng was adept at speed. Could that information have been false?

Seeing Xia Zheng’s blade-like arm about to come down again, Albert gritted his teeth, his body twitching in an irregular motion. Then he drew his pistol and fired repeatedly at Xia Zheng from point-blank range.

Puff...

After a series of muffled impacts, every bullet was blocked by the water shield, leaving Albert almost spitting blood. He bitterly felt how shameless Xia Zheng’s ability attributes were, allowing him to possess so many unpredictable techniques.

“No choice. I can only use that move.” Silver light flickered in Albert’s eyes as he drove the ability within his body to the utmost. An effect similar to an electromagnetic field instantly formed, and his speed exploded at once. Like a miracle beyond belief, he changed in a single moment from the one being chased by Xia Zheng to the one chasing Xia Zheng, raising his arm to fire.

He believed few people could react in time. This was his trump card, rarely used against others. It burned through his life potential to force speed beyond its limit for a single burst, lasting only three seconds. It was so fast it seemed to reverse time itself. Though he had clearly run past first, his figure appeared all at once behind Xia Zheng.

At this moment, He Xubin was also staring blankly as he said, “Albert truly deserves to be called the Flashing Silver Fox. Perhaps just now, in that instant, he outran time itself. Xia Zheng is in danger now...”

“Truly unexpected, but Xia Zheng won’t give up here. Let’s see how this ends,” Felina still insisted, unwilling to concede.

Before the two had even finished speaking, a thunderous sound rang out inside the barrier.

Boom!

A burst of thunder erupted. Almost at the very moment Albert fired, a streak of red lightning shot from Xia Zheng’s eyes as he turned his head and struck Albert.

The bullet had pierced through the water shield. The distance was too close; the shield could not stop it. But it was blocked by a layer of blazing armor on Xia Zheng’s chest and back. There was actually another line of defense behind the water shield.

“No... poss... ible...” Albert’s consciousness held for less than a second before he collapsed. His clothes and trousers were in tatters, and his hair looked as though it had been singed. His life, however, was not in danger, and he was quickly carried away by the on-site medical team.

“The one advancing is Xia Zheng!” He Xubin announced loudly, and the audience immediately erupted in cheers, though many of them had not clearly seen what happened at the final instant.