You Are Really No Match For Me [Fighting] - Chapter 35
The whistle blew, and all the contestants shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow. Jin Yu also sprinted at full speed.
She didn’t run toward the center, where tranquilizer guns were concentrated, nor toward the outer edges, where it was easier to flee. Staying in between was dangerous—too slow, and she’d just become a moving target.
As she ran, a man suddenly drifted up beside her.
He had been ahead by several strides, but as his stamina waned, he fell behind.
“Hey, girl, wanna team up?” he panted heavily.
Jin Yu gave him a glance: dark circles under his eyes, gasping like a cow. This guy had joined the competition? Did he think this was child’s play?
Expressionless, she spat out a single word: “Scram.”
The man refused to give up and kept following closely.
Jin Yu, alert to the sounds behind her, heard fists striking flesh in the distance. Ten meters from the treeline, she vaulted forward, flipping three times in a row before landing precisely inside the forest.
The man gawked at her vanishing figure. The next second, a sharp sting hit his rear—a tranquilizer dart had struck home.
A young woman with dreadlocks and a scorpion tattoo by her eye walked up, kicked him, and snatched his signal gun.
“Trash.”
“Zone 16, contestant 0334 Bai Chenggong, eliminated.”
Meanwhile, Jin Yu used the momentum from her flips to vault onto a tree trunk, springing from branch to branch until she landed lightly deeper in the woods.
Hearing the rush of air, Liang Yu spun defensively, only to see Jin Yu gesture for silence. The two avoided the path she’d come from and doubled back.
Not long after—
In the dense forest, two men in green-striped tactical uniforms crouched low, whispering.
“Where’d that chick go?”
“How the hell should I know? She was gone in a blink!”
“Damn it, runs faster than a rabbit.”
“Wait—look there. Didn’t she bury supplies on that mound? The dirt’s fresh.”
“You dig, I’ll cover.”
“Why don’t you dig?”
The first man shook his fist. “Move it! You listening to me or yourself?”
“Fine, fine. But I’m taking seventy percent, you thirty.”
“Bullshit—you—ah, whatever. Just hurry up!”
The two were Li Zhishui and Zhao Gao, long-time teammates. With only the two of them, they could only stalk lone contestants. They’d picked out a girl with decent agility—no match for two men, or so they thought. But they hadn’t expected to lose her halfway.
“Ah!” Zhao Gao screamed as a shadowy figure tackled him to the ground. His signal gun was snatched, and the light on his chest turned red.
“Zone 16, contestant 0921 Zhao Gao, eliminated.”
Startled by the shot, Li Zhishui scrambled to fight the attacker, the two grappling fiercely. In the chaos, the assailant shot an arrow into a tree, using the distraction to break free, then countered and pinned Li Zhishui to the ground. Li Zhishui’s fists crackled with electricity as he readied a blast.
But the opponent darted through the trees, mechanical arm flicking sleeve-arrows. Just as Li’s energy blast fired, a dart skewed its aim. The next moment, his neck was caught in a chokehold, his body crushed down, the arrow launcher aimed squarely at him.
“Signal gun. Hand it over.”
Li Zhishui struggled, trying to heave the smaller fighter off, but the strength pinning him was monstrous. In the end, he surrendered the gun.
“Zone 16, contestant 0201 Li Zhishui, eliminated.”
The man grinned, pulling Li up. “Tough luck, brother.”
Li glared furiously. “Snake!”
The man only chuckled. “Hey, hey—don’t put it like that. Strategy, right? Strategy!”
But before he could finish, a cold gust swept his neck. A fist was already flying at his face. He blocked instinctively—only for another blow to slam into his gut, sending him staggering back, doubled over and retching.
“Bastard! Despicable!” he spat, clutching his stomach.
“Right back at you,” Liang Yu replied coolly. Today he sported a fresh row of silver studs glinting in the sun—copied straight from the models of past champions displayed in the arena.
Before another word could be said, a rope lashed out from the shadows, binding the man’s legs and dragging him toward a tree.
An accomplice?!
He tried to brace and cut the rope, but Liang Yu seized the chance to yank the signal gun from his waist—dragging had knocked it loose.
“Damn! Careless…” he groaned.
“Zone 16, contestant 0128 Gao Chenguang, eliminated.”
Liang Yu flicked his hair back with satisfaction. “Nice and clean.”
Jin Yu emerged from the grass. “Not bad.”
It was the rope-trap strategy they’d planned beforehand.
Hands on his hips, Liang Yu taunted, “Alright boys, cough up the supplies.”
Gao Chenguang scowled. “When did you spot me?”
Jin Yu: “When we passed by. The grass was pressed down.”
Liang Yu stuffed food and water into his pack and patted Gao’s shoulder. “Blame your sloppy hiding.”
Just then, rustling surrounded them. Jin Yu grabbed Liang Yu’s arm. “Move—company’s coming.”
Indeed, drawn by gunfire, others closed in. The two fled until they finally lost their pursuers.
Resting briefly against a tree, Jin Yu suddenly heard a birdcall.
“Cuckoo, cuckoo.” But cuckoos didn’t belong in the rainforest.
Her eyes narrowed. She signaled Liang Yu to hide. They crouched low, Jin Yu spotting movement in distant grass. She melted into a bush and gestured for Liang Yu to split up.
Another call sounded: “Coo—coo—coo—coo.”
Liang Yu understood, lying in wait.
A mechanical hand crept out of the clearing, finger raised as if probing. Jin Yu lunged, seized it, bound it with rope, and stuffed it into her pack—silent and swift.
Soon another hand appeared. Liang Yu snatched that one too.
Panic erupted among their unseen enemies.
“Big bro, sis—we weren’t trying to ambush you! Please, give me my hands back!”
Jin Yu raised two fingers. Liang Yu shouted, “One for one. Trade or not?”
An arrow hissed out of the brush. Jin Yu kicked Liang Yu aside. It was an official paralysis arrow—non-lethal but crippling until a signal gun confirmed elimination.
“Sh1t!” Liang Yu cursed. “You bastards! Forget supplies—you’ll die without hands!”
A flustered voice called, “Sorry! He hates me. Let’s do this—one for two. Two food packs, two waters for two hands. Deal?”
But Liang Yu stayed silent—he’d noticed the grass shifting again.
“Please! What do you say?”
Jin Yu called back, “Fine. How do you hand them over?”
Suddenly, two mechanical arms popped out from the brush. Jin Yu snatched them midair—empty exoskeleton sleeves.
Gripping one by the frame, she swung it like a hammer. The enemy dodged in panic, losing their ambush chance.
Jin Yu pressed forward, flinging the arm aside, then kicked hard, knocking one assailant into another.
“Watch it, sis!” Liang Yu stumbled, nearly bowled over.
The fallen man clutched his arm in pain. “My arm’s broken!”
“Useless!” his partner snapped.
Another arrow flew in. Liang Yu spun away from one, but the second streaked straight for him. Snarling, he snatched a fallen arrow, tossed it to Jin Yu. She caught it barehanded, twirled it, and hurled it back, then sprinted after it.
“Liang Yu! Those two are yours!”
She left him to fight while she chased the archer. Her absence emboldened the two men—they closed in on Liang Yu.
Rolling, he grabbed another arrow, clashing against one man’s mechanical arm, sparks crackling. Letting go, he smashed a knee strike after a flurry of blows, landing one before pulling back.
Meanwhile, Jin Yu reached the spot where the arrow fell, only to be ambushed.
A tall, dark-skinned man with cropped hair and sharp phoenix eyes grabbed her waist. Jin Yu countered instantly, slamming him back with two punches to the head. They grappled, each trying to steal the other’s weapon or pack, until she broke free with a back roll.
Dusting himself off, the man smirked wickedly. “So close. What a pity.”
With his long, narrow eyes, lifted brows, and ever-present crooked smile, he exuded a dangerous, unpredictable air.
Jin Yu zipped her bag. “Where’s your gun?”
“In the safest place in the world, little beauty.”
She lunged for her pack. He spun into a back kick, forcing her away. Their fight began in earnest.
“Pretty impressive, beauty. Our team’s short a member—join us.”
Jin Yu answered with a chain of punches, circling as she stole glances toward Liang Yu.
He was faltering against two.
The man drawled, “That buddy of yours is about done for. Think about it—we’re professionals. Even with one crippled, three against two is still our win.”
Jin Yu flipped into a crushing leg drop. He dodged, only to be trapped in her hook and slammed down. She then leapt at the others, kicking one and knocking his gun loose. She seized it and fired.
“Zone 16, contestant 0711 Bai Jingwen, eliminated.”
But to her surprise, the red light flared not on the intact fighter, but the injured one.
She froze. During that instant, hands lunged for her pack.
“Liang Yu!” she shouted.
The crippled Bai Jingwen stayed motionless, while the other—Peng Yu—panicked. “Don’t! Don’t give it to her!”
Bai Jingwen sneered. “You eliminated me. Why would I help you?”
Peng Yu stammered, “It was the girl! She fired!”
“You swapped my gun, didn’t you?”
“No, no—must’ve mixed up in the fight!”
Bai laughed darkly. “Oh, I remember. When we collided just now—you bastard, Peng Yu, my good brother indeed…”
Click. Liang Yu fired.
“Zone 16, contestant 0273 Peng Yu, eliminated.”
Expressionless, Jin Yu extended her hand. “Supplies. Now.”
“Damn it, what rotten luck…” Peng Yu snarled, tossing out compressed biscuits and water. Bai Jingwen followed suit—smiling beatifically as if blessing her.
“Well done, girl. I’m rooting for you,” he said kindly, even patting her shoulder before departing.
From the distance came slow, deliberate applause.
“Well fought, the both of you. Interested in recruiting a new member? Name’s Zhang Dapao.” A man with a stalk of grass between his teeth strolled over casually.
Jin Yu was about to refuse, but Liang Yu whispered something.
She smirked. “Sure. Hand over your signal gun.”
Zhang plucked the grass from his lips. “No need to be so wary. My men are gone—you already dealt with them. I can’t beat the two of you. I’m sincerely asking to join.”
“Supplies first,” Jin Yu said coldly.
He grinned lazily. “But I barely have enough myself. You were our first target. Still, I’ve got skills—I can help find more supplies.”
“Trying to freeload? Why should I trust you?”
Liang Yu whispered again. Jin Yu nodded, murmuring back. Meanwhile, Zhang idly scuffed at the grass with his boot.
“Fine. Get lost before I change my mind.”
Zhang shrugged. “Alright then. But if you won’t take me, don’t blame me for trailing behind and making trouble.” His smile turned sly.
“Fvck you!”
Liang Yu suddenly tackled Zhang’s waist. The man raised a kick but got snared—Liang Yu had looped a rope around his ankle. Jin Yu yanked Liang Yu back, forcing Zhang into a painful split. While he flailed, Liang Yu rifled through his boot and pulled out a rank-smelling signal gun.
He gagged, retching as he handed it to Jin Yu. “Sis—ugh—so nasty—”
She recoiled too. “Make him put it back in his bag.”
Then she declared, “Zhang Dapao, from now on you’re one of us. You obey my orders. Any betrayal, and we fire your signal gun. Understood?”
Zhang looked utterly unsurprised, replying smoothly, “Understood. Captain, may I have your name?”
“Jin Yu.”
“And this is?”
“Liang Yu.”
Zhang beamed. “Pleasure, Jade Beauty. Pleasure, Brother Liang.”
Just then, before Liang Yu could press about the birdcalls and mechanical hands, a noise rustled from their left.
“Hide!” Jin Yu ordered. “Zhang Dapao, with me—I want to see how you use those mechanical hands!”
Together, she and Liang Yu set the captured hands on the ground. Silent as ghosts, they crawled toward the source of the sound.