Chapter Eighty-Five
Xiao Zhi seemed utterly unconcerned and smiled as he said, “Don’t be so tense, just listen to me for a moment.”
“You must have spent some time with the Lanshan Military Subdistrict, right? And someone must have taught you a bit of boxing, am I correct?”
Zhou Yu looked at Xiao Zhi without saying a word.
Xiao Zhi continued, “The person who taught you boxing was in the same unit as me, in fact, we were in the same squad, and even bunked above and below each other.”
Zhou Yu asked, “What’s his name?”
Xiao Zhi replied, “Yan Qing.”
Zhou Yu lowered the knife from Xiao Zhi’s neck, sheathed it, and then asked, “Are you in charge here?”
Xiao Zhi said, “For now, yes, I am.”
Zhou Yu responded, “That’s good. From now on, have your men follow my lead.”
Xiao Zhi chuckled and asked, “You understand how soldiers are, don’t you? You know they won’t just follow your orders, not even if I tell them to.”
Zhou Yu said, “I understand. They respect strength, don’t they? Fine then. We’ll send out seven men from our side, and you can send twenty-five from yours.”
---
Xiao Zhi raised an eyebrow and asked, “You’re that confident? I’ve heard of your Asura Squad, but my men are no pushovers either. And do you even have seven people? If I recall, there are only six of you.”
Zhou Yu grinned and said, “Well, look at you, old man, you sure know your stuff. Our original Asura Squad has five, and the woman won’t be joining. Plus, we have the Lanshan special ops, so that makes seven. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to try us out. But don’t blame me for bullying the elderly if you get hurt.”
Before Xiao Zhi could reply, a tall man behind him stepped forward and said, “Kid, I don’t care if you’re from the Asura Squad or whatever, you can’t insult my instructor. Today, I’m going to see what you’re made of.”
Xiao Zhi barked quietly, “Stand down.”
Then he turned to Zhou Yu and said, “I may be getting on in years, but I’m not the old man you think, and I dare say I’m even better than old Yan.”
Zhou Yu smiled and said, “No problem, let that big guy have a try. Otherwise, if you get hurt, your image will be ruined.”
Xiao Zhi agreed, “Alright then. Xiao Liu, watch your strength.”
The one called Xiao Liu stepped forward and replied, “Yes, sir.”
Then he said to Zhou Yu, “My name is Liu Haishan, captain of the Third Squad of the SH City Special Forces, one of the top soldiers in the Southeast Military District.”
Zhou Yu replied, “Oh, got it. Shall we use weapons?”
Liu Haishan said, “Up to you—fists, daggers, or even mobile shooting, it’s all the same to me.”
---
Zhou Yu said, “Well, you choose between the first two. If you use a dagger, so will I. If not, I’ll go barehanded.”
Xiao Zhi interjected, “Let’s not use weapons. If someone gets hurt, it won’t end well. Just stick to fists and shooting.”
Zhou Yu protested, “Hey, old man, I deliberately wanted to skip shooting—I’m not great at it. If we’re going to compete in marksmanship, I’ll have someone else do it for me.”
Xiao Zhi said, “You mean the sharpshooter? Fine, let him come out. I’ve heard he never misses a shot, and I’d like to see for myself.”
Zhou Yu said, “Alright, let’s start with shooting. I’m worried that after sparring with me, you won’t be able to pull the trigger at all.”
Liu Haishan began, “You—”
But before he could finish, Zhou Yu cut him off, “You what? Did I give you permission to speak? You really don’t know your place.”
Liu Haishan fumed. What do you mean, my place? I’m a top soldier—before we’ve even competed, you’re already saying I’m not up to it, and questioning my status.
After finishing his jab at Liu Haishan, Zhou Yu ignored him and called out, “Mouse, someone wants to challenge you to a shooting match. Come out here, quick.”