American homeless people, surviving in the city

What does it feel like to be kicked away?

Lynch had never experienced this before, but unfortunately, he had to experience it today.

As he was kicked in the chest, a tremendous force erupted from the sole of Cui Chenghao's foot, which concealed an iron plate, and poured into Lin Qi's body.

For a fleeting moment, Lin Qi felt a darkness envelop him.

After a brief loss of consciousness, when Lin Qi regained consciousness, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and wondered if several of his ribs were broken.

At the same time, seeing Lin Qi being kicked away, cheers and curses erupted from the audience.

"What fast legs! Cui, you're the king of the fight tonight!"

"Damn it, how did we end up with two Asian monkeys playing in the finals? Do we have no one else in Seattle?! But the way they're playing on stage is really outrageous..."

"Lynch! Get up! You're the last hope for the Razor Clan!"

Lin Qi paid no attention to the cacophony of sounds around him; none of them penetrated his ears. His mind was now filled with only one thought:

Can't lose!

...He actually hid an iron plate under his shoe, what a despicable guy!

Lin Qi cursed inwardly while enduring the intense pain in his chest, breathing heavily with difficulty.

Fortunately, Cui Chenghao did not take this opportunity to continue his attack. Lin Qi spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and then took the opportunity to get up again, swaying unsteadily.

Choi Seung-ho's face remained expressionless as he calmly watched Lin Qi slowly stand up.

"How can he even stand up like that?"

"You are a respectable opponent, but I advise you to surrender as soon as possible. You are too weak right now, and if you continue fighting, you will not be able to defeat me. I don't want to seriously injure you."

Lin Qi simply shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and picked up the hunting knife that had also fallen beside the barbed wire fence:

"No, I want to try again."

Lin Qi knew that Cui Chenghao's warning was not an exaggeration. But he could also sense that he still had untapped potential!

He still wants to fight!

Upon hearing this, Choi Seung-ho sighed softly:

"...Is that so? Then I respect your choice."

Without saying another word, he got into position again and charged at Lin Qi!

Lin Qi dared not be careless and hastily assumed a defensive stance, but his tired body could not keep up with his brain's commands, and his defensive movements were full of mistakes.

Soon, after several exchanges, although Lin Qi's hunting knife was not kicked away again, he still took several more kicks.

it hurts...

Lynch squinted painfully, feeling the incandescent lights around the ring growing increasingly glaring. The scene before him was no longer clear, but flickered with black and white noise like a broken old television set.

...Is this what it literally means to see stars?

Choi Seung-ho kicked again. Lin Qi could clearly see the trajectory of the side kick, and his knowledge could be fed back to him in terms of how to block it, but his hands simply wouldn't obey him.

In the end, Lin Qi could only hurriedly block the blow with his arm, resulting in another exaggeratedly large bruise on his forearm.

...Is this really the end?

The thought finally crept into Lin Qi's mind.

When Lynch realized that the thought had popped into his head, he felt no pain, no sadness, and no relief.

His heart was filled with nothing but confusion.

This time, he can give up in the match. But what about next time?

Whether it's homelessness on the streets or a cult that threatens everyone like a ghost, if you encounter those problems, will you still have the chance to surrender?

Lost in thought, Choi Seung-ho launched another front kick, aiming for Lin Qi's chin.

Lin Qi was unable to mount a proper defense and could only raise his hands with all his might, crossing his forearms in front of his chest to barely block the attack.

At this moment, not only Lin Qi understood his own condition, but even Cui Chenghao and everyone in the audience could see that Lin Qi was already at his limit.

"...Was it really too much of a stretch?"

Sanjar stood by the ring, shaking his head in a somewhat helpless manner.

He harbored no resentment towards Lin Qi; on the contrary, he valued this young man, who dared to fight and was willing to fight to the last moment, even more.

However, seeing that defeat was imminent, a hint of disappointment still flashed involuntarily in his eyes.

As Lynch's defeat became increasingly apparent, the cheers and shouts from the sidelines grew louder.

Every spectator was eagerly awaiting the end of the match. Most were hoping that Choi Seung-ho could end the night with a bloody and violent blow, while some were hoping to witness a miracle.

Amidst the commotion, Lin Qi suddenly heard Choi Seung-ho speak during a lull in his attack:

"If that's all you've got, you can't defeat me."

"What?" Lin Qi had no energy left to answer and could only respond hastily.

"In these few brief exchanges, I can sense that your strength is no less than mine."

Choi Seung-ho kicked Lin Qi's wrist again: "But your reaction is too slow."

"I don't know if it's because you're too tired from playing three games in a row. Maybe that's a factor, but it doesn't seem to be the whole reason. Sometimes you can react, and sometimes you can't. It's strange."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Lin Qi felt a little annoyed.

Choi Seung-ho ended the series of fierce attacks with a swift roundhouse kick that struck Lin Qi's blade. He quickly retreated two steps, creating distance between himself and Lin Qi, and slowly came to a stop.

He was also panting from the intense fighting in such a short time, his voice rising and falling:

What I mean is, I feel like your heart has never truly calmed down.

Choi Seung-ho's expression was serious: "I don't know what you're hesitating about, but I can sense that your attacks and defenses are somewhat hesitant. If you continue fighting me in this state, you won't be able to win!"

"Tsk..."

Being criticized by an opponent who had been dominating him in the past, in a tone that sounded almost didactic, Lin Qi instinctively felt irritated.

But at that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and Lin Qi suddenly realized clearly:

—Choi Seung-ho is right.

He had been forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind all along, and tonight he was only immersing himself in the battle to force himself to ignore the panic in his heart.

The most direct evidence for all of this is the system task he received in the evening.

"...[A new task has been issued: Peace of Mind. Task objective: Restore a stable mindset.]"

Lin Qi still hasn't completed this task by now!

Seeing Lin Qi's expression change from irritability and impatience to confusion and then clarity, Cui Chenghao spoke again:

"So, have you figured it out yet?"

"Since that's the case, I'll warn you one last time."

"Try to control your mindset. If you can't, then just surrender honestly."

"Otherwise, I really might have to take action!"