In the next instant, the air cannon struck Dinu, and the resulting powerful explosion unleashed an intensely dazzling white light, blinding countless pairs of titanium alloy eyes.
The spray of blood and flesh, churned by the friction of the wind blades against his body, painted the horizon in a crimson hue.
When the clamor finally subsided, the onlookers were astonished to discover that the great hero from the Rhine Federation, who had fought against the alien races, had seemingly been obliterated by that very air cannon!
"He... he's dead?!"
"He must be... the destructive power of that air cannon was definitely far beyond expectations, and Dinu was hit head-on!"
"Looking at it this way, he probably didn't even leave a corpse."
"Otherwise, how could a living person just vanish into thin air? Not to mention the rain of blood that splattered everywhere..."
"For someone as famous as Dinu, dying so easily feels... strange."
"Adam Heavyhammer's cannon is so ruthless... not only can it absorb others' energy, but it can also turn that energy to its own use!"
"I suppose Dinu never expected this, which is why he was so easily crushed..."
"Indeed, Adam Heavyhammer's air wall and air cannon are each more monstrous than the last, and they were all skills never used in previous matches. It seems he was saving them for a tough fight."
"Dinu really ran into the barrel of the gun this time..."
The contestants looked at Dinu, who had vanished from the stage, with sighs of regret.
Adam Heavyhammer, upon realizing Dinu had been obliterated by his attack, paused for a moment in surprise.
In his original estimation, Dinu should have been able to withstand that shot.
But he hadn't expected Dinu to actually die from that single blast, and in such a gruesome manner...
A pity...
Adam Heavyhammer shook his head and silently turned to walk off the stage.
It was indeed uncomfortable to finally find someone who appreciated him, only for that person to die by his own hand due to excessive force.
"Wait, wait, wait! Mr. Adam!"
At this moment, the clear and crisp voice of Qianhe Yinbai suddenly came from below the stage.
"We have not yet confirmed that your opponent has passed away, so the match will continue!"
Adam Heavyhammer froze, turned, and looked back at the stage.
From any angle, he couldn't find any sign of life from Dinu.
The chip in his head was the top-tier analysis chip in all of Lighthouse. He had already scanned the entire arena and was almost certain that Dinu was dead.
But now, due to the intervention of the organizers, he decided to do it again, as it wouldn't take much time.
Moreover, Adam Heavyhammer genuinely hoped that Dinu was still alive.
The scan was completed quickly. To Adam Heavyhammer's disappointment, he still couldn't find even a shred of evidence to prove Dinu was alive. He shook his head at Qianhe Yinbai:
"Little girl, I believe Mr. Dinu is likely deceased..."
Qianhe Yinbai smiled, coughed a couple of times to clear her throat, and was about to say something when her ears suddenly vibrated slightly. She immediately closed her mouth and, changing her tone, said with a serious expression:
"Since Mr. Adam has confirmed it, I will now announce that the winner of this first round of the KOF arena match is you! Adam Heavyhammer!"
"However, you cannot leave the stage yet..."
"Because, even though Mr. Dinu has been blown into gas, his teammates have not yet been defeated!"
"Unless you choose to forfeit here and hand over the remaining matches to your teammates..."
"Otherwise, you will have to continue fighting here!"
Adam Heavyhammer immediately let out a contemptuous smile:
"Oh? Is that so?"
"The remaining members of the Rhine Federation have not chosen to forfeit directly?"
As he spoke, he cast his gaze towards the remaining members of the Rhine Federation.
These team members were still in shock from Dinu's instant defeat and hadn't recovered.
When they noticed Dinu's gaze, their faces turned pale. They forced themselves to appear calm and angrily retorted:
"Tin Man, who are you looking down on!"
"Do you really think we are like the useless surrender-mongers from the Rooster Country, who raise the white flag as soon as things look bad?"
"Since you killed Captain Dinu, we will definitely avenge him! We'll smash your iron skull!"
Adam Heavyhammer narrowed his eyes slightly and said coldly:
"If that's the case, then hurry up and come on stage..."
"If you insist on wasting my time, I don't mind playing with you for a bit."
"However, my appearance fee is quite expensive..."
"Mr. Dinu already paid the first 'admission ticket' due to his overconfidence. Are you, perhaps, intending to pay for the second one?"
Upon hearing Adam Heavyhammer's words, the remaining members of the Rhine Federation suddenly felt as if something was stuck in their throats.
Although their faces were red with anxiety, they couldn't utter a single word. They could only gnash their teeth, open their mouths, and bare their teeth at Adam Heavyhammer.
They seemed to have a bit of spirit...
However, none of them dared to step onto the stage...
It was a joke. Adam Heavyhammer on the other side had already issued a death threat. Who would dare to gamble with their own life?
Dinu, whom they considered almost invincible, couldn't even last a few rounds against this monster. What hope did they, mere small fries, have?
They probably couldn't even fill Adam Heavyhammer, the great white shark, between his teeth.
Qianhe Yinbai, on the other hand, appeared to be enjoying the show, and playfully walked up to the Rhine Federation's contestants:
"So, have you decided on the order of appearance?"
"Who will be the next heroic warrior to step forward and personally avenge Captain Dinu?"
"No rush, no rush, you can take your time to think..."
"After all, this is a difficult decision to make—Captain Dinu led you all for so many years. I'm sure you all deeply desire this golden opportunity right now, yes?"
"So, once you've decided, please don't forget to tell me the hero's name..."
"Yinbai will shout out that hero's name with the loudest voice, making all the spectators and contestants cheer for him!"
To create the best program effect, Qianhe Yinbai deliberately adopted a sweet, somewhat provocative tone.
The Rhine Federation's contestants were suddenly flustered. Each of them became extremely anxious, utterly dejected, and scratched their heads and wracked their brains for a long time, unable to come up with anything good.
Their emotions were even filled with anger towards Qianhe Yinbai, that little vixen.
Damn it! She clearly knew that what they were saying was just for show, yet she insisted on asking! Wasn't she just putting them on the spot?
But in this awkward situation, anger solved nothing.
Ultimately, under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, the Rhine Federation contestants shamefully announced that they forfeited...