Strongest Soldier King

However, as Luo Zheng attacked the drunkard's neck with a Finger Knife, his offensive hesitated for just a thousandth of a second. Luo Zheng grasped this tiny window, his five fingers coming together like a blade, and stabbed fiercely toward the centerline of the drunkard's body, an inch and a half below the navel at the Qi Hai Acupoint. A great force concentrated at one point and exploded, impacting the drunkard's abdominal wall and the spaces between his ribs and arteries. The drunkard's body suddenly stiffened, becoming somewhat uncontrollable, and his complexion drastically changed as he turned to look at Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng, of course, didn't intend to deal a killing blow but took this opportunity to snatch the liquor bottle. He leaped back several steps and began to guzzle down the drink. Taking advantage of the gap while the drunkard's body was numb and malfunctioning, he downed all the alcohol in one go. The few sips earlier had made Luo Zheng feel his body's strength increasing, and he wasn't about to miss out on such a fine beverage.

"Uh?" Everyone watched the scene in surprise, faces filled with disbelief. Their gazes drifted back and forth from the stunned drunkard to Luo Zheng, who was fiercely guzzling the strong liquor. Having finished the little liquor there was, Luo Zheng let out a satisfied breath, looked at the drunkard, and with a surge of boldness, said, "Good wine, thanks for the drink."

A gleam flashed in the drunkard's eyes, but he didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed heartily and said, "Young man, nice move. If I were your enemy, I'd definitely have ended up a corpse. Quite interesting. You are called 'Ghost,' right? If you're free, come and have a drink with me sometime. True friends are hard to find."

"Thank you." Luo Zheng was delighted; he gained a few degrees of respect for this forthright man and felt a bond of kindred spirits. He courteously responded, "Not at all, thanks for allowing me the chance." The two exchanged a look and chuckled understandingly.

"Uh?" Everyone's expressions changed drastically. They knew the drunkard: bold, open, and extremely skilled. It was astonishing to hear him say he almost got killed by Luo Zheng. Given that the drunkard was among the strongest in combat within the ranks of the Elite Soldier Kings, nearly at a captain's level status, didn't that suggest Luo Zheng's combat skills were almost on par with the Elite Soldier Kings?

This outcome was hard for many to accept; was this newcomer really that strong? Captain Wu, however, smiled contentedly, said nothing, and walked away. He decided to immediately report this good news to Mr. Li. Mr. Li and Luo Zheng had an agreement known to Captain Wu: to become an Ordinary Soldier King in six months, but Luo Zheng had achieved it in just three. As for Luo Zheng's shooting skills, Captain Wu wasn't worried at all.

The drunkard left. Struck at the Qi Hai Acupoint by Luo Zheng, his body, despite being robust, wasn't severely injured but was numb and he needed to urgently seek treatment. Being a practitioner of the Traditional Martial Arts Drunk Fist, the drunkard naturally knew about acupoint striking and understood how to treat himself. He also knew Luo Zheng had held back, but he was surprised to learn Luo Zheng knew these techniques. Excited by the potential challenge, he thought about returning to have a good exchange with him sometime.

Luo Zheng used his confrontations with experts to enhance his own strength. This time, engaging in a battle using both the Finger Knife and acupoint striking techniques, he took advantage of the drunkard's carelessness and arrogance to snatch his medicated wine. The victory was splendid, yet Luo Zheng was well aware of the substantial gap between himself and the drunkard. Had the drunkard fought with full force from the start rather than being defensively passive, Luo Zheng might not have lasted three moves.

The absolute difference in strength created an absolute disparity. Luo Zheng was acutely aware of this. Seeing the drunkard gone, he sprinted towards the beach. Under the influence of the alcohol, Luo Zheng felt as if he could never run out of energy. His body seemed almost on fire, and he sprinted all the way to the beach, dashed into the sea, and dove underwater to vigorously practice military boxing.

"Tiger, tiger!" Luo Zheng threw left and right hooks, his forceful fists easily tearing through the seawater's resistance. Then, with a great effort, he kicked up. The usual drag of seawater seemed much diminished. However, Luo Zheng, stimulated by the alcohol, didn't notice he was deep underwater and was blissfully throwing punches, forgetting his location.

Three minutes had passed; Luo Zheng was completely immersed in his training, focused solely on becoming stronger. The alcohol numbed Luo Zheng's nerves and thinking, erasing the usual chest tightness and explosive sensation of oxygen deprivation, continuing to throw punch after punch in the water.

The seawater was thoroughly stirred up, forming irregular whirlpools. Three and a half minutes had passed, the limit for Luo Zheng underwater. Usually, by this time, his body would be so deprived of oxygen that he would suffocate and have no choice but to surface. However, under the stimulation of strong liquor, Luo Zheng had seemingly forgotten the pain caused by the lack of oxygen, nor did he feel the fainting spells caused by it. Instead, he continued throwing punches and kicking, feeling as though he had endless strength throughout his body.

Finally, due to severe oxygen deprivation, Luo Zheng's brain went into a coma and entered a state of self-protection; his breathing also ceased. Yet, under the guidance of muscle memory, he continued to instinctively train in military boxing until his body floated to the surface, his limbs still flailing instinctively, with no consciousness in his mind.

Wu Miao, who had been quickly following, witnessed this scene and was greatly shocked. He hurriedly dove into the water, dragged Luo Zheng ashore, and got injured by the instinctive strikes caused by Luo Zheng's muscle memory—a sharp pain, but thankfully, they were not intentional attacks and were not very forceful.

After dragging Luo Zheng to shore, he quickly checked him and, discovering that something was wrong, was taken aback. He started compressing Luo Zheng's heart and struck his heart several times with empty palm strikes, creating a physical electric shock effect to assist in reviving Luo Zheng's heartbeat, all the while anxiously shouting, "Ghost, Ghost, wake up!"

"Ergh, ergh—" Under Wu Miao's forceful strikes, Luo Zheng spat out several mouthfuls of seawater. Wu Miao flipped Luo Zheng's eyelids, checked his pulse and heartbeat, and breathed a sigh of relief. He then carried Luo Zheng on his back and ran wildly toward the base. As a military medic, he also had to undergo basic training, so the speed at which Wu Miao ran with Luo Zheng on his back was not slow.

Along the bumpy ride, Luo Zheng spit out a few more mouthfuls of seawater. Wu Miao, with a worried face, quickened his pace. Some people training in hiding and sniping in the nearby woods saw this situation; they quickly came over to help and assisted Wu Miao in getting Luo Zheng to the emergency room. Captain Wu also heard the news and rushed over, anxiously watching the emergency room.

Half an hour later, Wu Miao emerged from the emergency room, followed by a nurse pushing the still unconscious Luo Zheng. Captain Wu hurried forward to inquire, "What happened?"

"He drank too much and ran to train underwater, resulting in severe oxygen deprivation and cerebral cell anoxic protection." Wu Miao stated grimly. He was truly angry this time. Such reckless training was unheard of to Wu Miao, who resolved that once Luo Zheng recovered, he would have a serious talk with him. He would not allow Luo Zheng to train like this anymore.

"Anoxic protection?" Captain Wu's face changed dramatically as he asked, worriedly, "Is it serious?"

"Luckily, I was there to handle it immediately on the beach. After treating him for a while, it's not a big problem. He just needs a couple days of rest." Wu Miao explained still shaken.

"It's good that you were there to keep an eye on him." Captain Wu said to himself, startled. This wasn't just reckless; it was practically suicidal.