Shen Lan Ni lowered her head, her teeth lightly biting, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her heart was in turmoil, unable to decide. After a long while, she chose her father between the two. Then, supporting her father, she followed Ren Yuan Hao and, braving the fierce wind and thunder, returned to the damaged Alfa Romeo, driving away.
Meanwhile, in a turbulent sea shrouded in dark clouds and rough waves, a submarine was making slow progress.
"This kid is lucky to be alive."
Inside a compartment of the submarine, a man in a white lab coat stared expressionlessly at a naked man on an operating table.
The water sloshed, causing the entire submarine to sway. Various safety alarms blared from the cockpit, further irritating the two men. With a faint green glow, two operators cursed, muttering to themselves.
The man in the white lab coat held onto the secured operating table, but couldn't stop himself from lurching forward. He pressed down on the empty space where the naked man's right arm should have been, barely steadying himself.
On another operating table, a young girl with a pretty face seemed to be in a deep sleep. If her eyelashes weren't trembling slightly with the shifting air currents, one might mistake her for dead.
"Even more unexpected is the successful recovery of our Subject 101."
The speaker was a plump woman, her face full of collagen, but it couldn't hide her true age. Her makeup was heavy, and the thick foundation revealed visible particles under the flickering white light.
She swung her legs and approached the man with the severed arm, showing no embarrassment despite the gender difference. Instead, she intently examined the site of the severed limb.
"You're quite ruthless. It was just a bone fracture, and you directly cut off his arm." The woman furrowed her brow, then relaxed it. Although the severed arm was considered imperfect, it saved them a lot of trouble.
"It wouldn't have been easy to handle anyway," the man in the white lab coat scanned the man like an emotionless scanner. "The arm can be reattached. His body is fine. We'll dispose of the discarded arm in the sea to feed the sharks when we reach shore."
Undoubtedly, the man on the operating table was Zhang Liang. The man in the white lab coat put his hands in his pockets and looked out the extremely sealed window. Bubbles churned, and fine dust stirred. Apart from some large fish, no other small fish or shrimp dared to venture into these waters.
He looked at Zhang Liang as if staring at a lifeless prop. After a long while, he extended his left arm. As his fingers moved, they emitted an extremely faint mechanical whirring sound.
"I almost forgot, your arm was also reattached. Hey, don't tell me the shadow of that incident made you psychologically twisted? Seeing a living person makes you want to twist off their arm."
The woman's voice was devoid of emotion, dry like a robotic voice.
"Don't forget, you are also a living person."
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm so scared." The woman covered her face with her hands, feigning alarm, but it did little to ease the cold atmosphere in the compartment. "Hey, what are you planning to do with him?"
"We'll discuss it when we get back to the base."
The submarine sliced through the waves, slowly heading towards the open sea. Meanwhile, the Alfa Romeo driven by Ren Yuan Hao was heading towards the Donglu City First Martial Arts Hall.
The martial arts hall was silent at this moment. The Zigu City representative team had advanced to the finals with a perfect sweep of three matches, and even Xiao Chong, who could copy abilities, had not participated yesterday. Their strength was so formidable it sent shivers down one's spine.
However, after a brief silence, all the spectators still stood up, their applause thundering, paying their highest respects to the three from Donglu City who had fought with all their might.
After the applause, Yue Ran's thoughts soared, his gaze once again fixed on Wang Xin, who was currently seated in the sponsor's box.
"This girl is getting more alluring by the minute. After the competition, I must find a chance to talk to her, maybe..."
Yue Ran let out several hidden cold laughs, then picked up the microphone and said seriously, "Everyone, we will now take a short break, and then it will be the final battle of this Southeast Taekwondo Championship, a match you have all been waiting for!"
Although the audience was boisterous, they harbored great doubts about this final showdown.
Firstly, in their minds, two individuals had already qualified: Xiao Chong, and Peng Lin, who had given them an immense visual impact.
However, the method of the final 8-into-4 match had yet to be revealed. If it were a draw, and Peng Lin happened to draw Xiao Chong, it would be the biggest variable of the entire competition, making the outcome of who would advance an unknown.
While they strongly disliked the idea of Peng Lin facing Xiao Chong, deep down, they yearned for an unparalleled duel.
This conflicted sentiment of the audience subtly altered their moods. However, they were unaware that the fate of all this had long been decided.
"Alright, we will now proceed with the draw. As in the previous round, those who draw the same number will compete against each other. The winner will enter the top four and advance to the Eastern Championship."
As soon as Yue Ran finished speaking, the Taekwondo Association President produced eight envelopes.
"Now, all eight participants will come onto the stage and prepare for the draw."
Ye Lan and Yang Ling Xue led Peng Lin and four others onto the platform, while Chu Tian Xiong's group, along with Xiao Chong and his four teammates, also ascended the platform.
"Oh, does your Coach Shen know you're bound to lose, so she's already chosen to give up? Why are you still struggling? Do you really think you can steal a victory from our Zigu City?"
Chu Tian Xiong glanced at the two girls with a mocking expression. The four behind him chuckled in unison. Xiao Chong was even more brazen, making a throat-slitting gesture towards the four, fierce and arrogant, causing great displeasure.
"Whether we can steal a victory is yet to be seen, but I see you all have peculiar bones. Even if you don't achieve anything in Taekwondo, I imagine you can carve out a path for yourselves on a construction site."
Was Yang Ling Xue someone who backed down in an argument? Her brief retort shut Chu Tian Xiong down.
"You can only be so bold now. I'll make sure you can't even laugh later!"
Chu Tian Xiong naturally did not give Yang Ling Xue a pleasant look. His bushy eyebrows were knitted together, resembling a door god warding off evil spirits, which immediately made Yang Ling Xue cover her mouth and laugh.
"Coach Chu, I'll give you a faster way to make money," Yang Ling Xue said mysteriously. "Why don't you find a calendar printing factory and sell your portrait rights to them? With your robust physique, I guarantee they'll sell a lot every Chinese New Year. Then you can lie on the sofa counting money, living a leisurely life, wouldn't that be better?"
"You..."