John's face turned ashen, unsure of what to do.
As the esteemed second team of the Lighthouse Nation, and renowned domestically, were they to be utterly defeated right at the start? It seemed he was the only one left to prevent such humiliation.
He had witnessed Luo Qingyan's terrifying strength clearly from below the stage. To fight and win against her was almost an impossibility. Especially since the previous fighters hadn't managed to inflict even the slightest bit of exhaustion on Luo Qingyan...
Should he still step onto the stage to be beaten for no reason? The risks of minor injuries, or even fatal ones, were something he truly wanted to avoid. With Luo Qingyan wielding her magic without restraint, his first six brothers were either injured or incapacitated, receiving treatment from medical equipment below.
As someone who had always been unlucky, and had previously spoken ill of Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan, would he be directly retaliated against by Luo Qingyan and killed on the spot? Overwhelmed by worry, John was momentarily lost, unaware of what was happening around him.
When he finally came to, he saw an event official approach to remind him.
"Competitor, you are the last remaining member of your team..."
"According to the KOF tournament rules, you must now enter the match."
The official meticulously relayed the match situation to him. John was suddenly jolted awake and quickly waved his hands.
"I won't fight! I won't fight! I surrender!"
"We forfeit this match!"
As soon as John uttered these words, countless eyes immediately focused on them.
My goodness! This opening match is quite something! To have the defending champion forfeit after being defeated by one person against seven! For teams that aren't the main national squad, forfeits aren't uncommon. After all, when the gap between opponents is vast, and there are personal grudges that might escalate the nature of the match, it's unreasonable to insist on being beaten.
However, from the audience's perspective, John wasn't so utterly incapable of fighting that he had to abandon his teammates and forfeit directly. This made him seem a bit cowardly. Instantly, the entire venue was filled with boos.
The event official, after a moment of stunned silence, looked at John with regret and walked to the center of the arena to announce China as the winner of this match.
Upon hearing the announcement, many of the Sakura Nation spectators who had gathered in the stands booed even louder. Amidst the overwhelming chorus of boos, John's expression was far from pleasant. But the thought that he would likely be thoroughly beaten and booed even if he fought offered him a sliver of solace as he turned and walked away, covering his face.
Logically, they still had a chance in the revival match, so they should be preparing with their teammates. But as he turned and took just two steps, he suddenly bumped into a hard object.
Huh? Even the pillars are trying to humiliate me?
But as the slightly exasperated John opened his eyes, he discovered that blocking his path was none other than Adam Hammer! The captain of their Lighthouse Nation's main team, and the MVP of last year's championship!
This naturally startled him, and he quickly and somewhat flusteredly bowed to Adam Hammer.
"Mr. Adam... I..."
Adam Hammer nodded.
"No need to say more. I understand your thoughts, and I respect your decision..."
John looked at Adam Hammer with surprise and joy. He had initially thought Adam Hammer was there to reprimand him, but instead, he was so understanding. As the delighted John was about to express his gratitude, he suddenly saw a dark muzzle pointed at his head.
"Therefore, please also understand my zero tolerance for cowards..."
"You could have chosen to lose with honor, why choose to live in shame?"
"Since you fear death so much, I'll help you..."
"From now on, you will never have to worry about the threat of death again!"
Boom!
After Adam Hammer finished speaking to himself, without giving John any time to react or defend himself, he activated the hand cannon on his arm. This heavy shot at point-blank range to his forehead blew John's head to smithereens.
???
This sudden turn of events and the loud noise startled the onlookers who were watching the spectacle, drawing their horrified gazes. Then, they saw Adam Hammer, still smoking, and John, completely annihilated, even his head blown off... 138 Reading Network.
He actually killed him?! Just for surrendering early?! What a cruel heart... After all, John was his own countryman, and he showed him no mercy?
Luo Qingyan, also startled, had been happily skipping back to boast to Lin Ran. Adam Hammer's actions dampened her mood considerably. It wasn't that she felt sorry for John; it was simply her displeasure with Adam Hammer's arrogant and life-disregarding attitude.
Lin Ran, observing Luo Qingyan's emotional shift, smiled and pulled her into his arms.
"It's nothing, just some filth..."
"This kind of weakling who only bullies his own people will only get this far in life."
Lin Ran's voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone present to hear clearly. The crowd cast even more astonished glances his way, more so than when Adam Hammer had acted to kill John. To openly call Adam Hammer a "weakling"! In everyone's memory, this had never happened before!
Adam Hammer's dominant championship victory last year, leading the Lighthouse Nation team to sweep all before them, seemed like yesterday. He was also the biggest favorite to win this current tournament, someone every contender for the championship had to consider... Such a terrifying figure was actually called a weakling by someone! If not for the equally earth-shattering strength Lin Ran had displayed yesterday, someone would have certainly come forward to mock him for overestimating himself.
Adam Hammer, also hearing the commotion, didn't react as strongly. He simply cast his gaze over and smiled gently.
"Given your contribution to our cause yesterday, I can overlook your verbal offense..."
"However, relying purely on past merits and acting superior will only cause annoyance."
"I hope you understand this..."
"I look forward to the moment we meet on the stage."
"Then, we shall compete using means other than words."