Li Chonglou could only walk inside and find a stool to sit on.
The already small room felt even more crowded at this moment, as if the air he exhaled could spray onto the other person. Yet, no one spoke, not even exchanging glances.
Having already grasped the general rules of the Iron Forest, Li Chonglou was not surprised. The people sitting here now, while possibly his teammates in the coming month, were more likely his opponents.
If there hadn't been a rule prohibiting fighting before the competition began, the six of them would never have sat together.
However, even so, Li Chonglou did not let down his guard. Rules were meant to be broken, and some hot-headed individuals wouldn't be bound by them. More importantly, the consequences mentioned by that foreigner earlier were still within the realm of tolerance.
The one who struck first would be burdened with an additional ten kilograms.
Even those forced into combat, as long as it constituted mutual fighting, would have five kilograms added.
These were the explicitly stated consequences.
Although the penalty would increase with the greater impact of striking first, meaning one's survival rate in the Iron Forest would rapidly decline, for some hot-headed individuals, the chance of striking was definitely not zero.
This was why everyone's initial reaction upon seeing Li Chonglou was vigilance.
Just then, a man next to Li Chonglou suddenly spoke.
"Are you that guy from Pig Nation?"
Li Chonglou's gaze instantly turned cold, and he looked over to see a man dressed in islander attire looking at him with disdain.
"Heh, as expected, you're from Pig Nation. I've assassinated the most people from Pig Nation; I can usually recognize your kind of deathly demeanor at a glance."
The other four quickly retreated to the side, adopting expressions of onlookers enjoying a show.
"If you two are going to fight, it's best to do it outside," said a blond European man with a strong accent.
The blond man was wearing a yellow robe, somewhat resembling the martial arts attire of Hua Xia, or perhaps Karate from the island nation, but more accurately, it might be a combination of both.
As soon as he finished speaking, the sole woman present opened a secret door.
"I think you two should leave first, don't involve innocent bystanders," the woman, clearly a Muay Thai practitioner, said. She was dark-skinned, and although tall, her muscles bulged, making her appear anything but thin.
Even though Li Chonglou knew he was being deliberately provoked, he stood up and walked outside, leaving only a parting sentence.
"I hope your courage is as tough as your mouth."
The islander's expression immediately changed. His original plan was to provoke Li Chonglou into fighting indoors and then seize the opportunity to create chaos. He hadn't expected the other four to react so quickly, their eyes only catching the hint of conflict before directly shifting the target outward.
And Li Chonglou, following their cue, walked out first!
The islander cursed inwardly, but his pride prevented him from backing down. He still stood up and slowly walked out.
"No, I can't let this escalate. I must take him down within ten moves! That way, being forced to strike will at most add five kilograms of weight."
The islander made a secret decision and then looked at Li Chonglou.
In terms of height and build, Li Chonglou had no particular strengths. If it weren't for his cold, resolute demeanor, he would have appeared entirely ordinary.
While the islander knew not to underestimate any opponent, he couldn't find any threat Li Chonglou posed to him, so he maintained a sneer.
However, the moment he stepped out of the secret door, a massive fist suddenly shot towards his face.
So fast! The islander was startled and quickly dodged to the side, raising his right knee and retaliating with extreme speed.
Although the knee strike was a counter, its speed and power were essentially at full strength. Seeing his knee about to hit Li Chonglou's chest, the Muay Thai woman beside them shook her head.
This kick was unavoidable. For an ordinary person, surviving such a blow was questionable. Even though none of the people present were ordinary, she didn't believe Li Chonglou could take it without injury.
However, in the next second, her expression froze.
Li Chonglou raised his left leg, arriving first and blocking the islander's knee with his own. Simultaneously, his right fist slammed towards the islander's face again.
The rapid shift in momentum caused everyone's expression to turn solemn. Regardless of how much they had valued or underestimated him before, only witnessing it firsthand brought this impact of strength.
Even if he couldn't defeat them, he wasn't far behind!
Although the islander was a beat slower in his reaction, he instinctively raised his hands to block his face, adopting a boxing defensive stance.
"Yes, just block this strike first, and then I can use Jiu-Jitsu to get close!"
Indeed, the islander's greatest strength was Jiu-Jitsu. He was confident that if any of them here got caught in his close-quarters grappling on the ground, he would be the one to survive.
And his current intention was to use Li Chonglou's inability to retract his punching force and retreat to rush forward and entangle him.
Once entangled, even immortals couldn't save him!
This was the islander's confidence.
But he overlooked one thing: whether he could withstand that punch.
Then, he quickly realized it. When Li Chonglou's fist connected with his arm, an irresistible force surged from his arm straight to his brain.
"Impossible!"
As this shout echoed in the islander's mind, Li Chonglou's fist had already broken through his arms and landed directly on his nose.
Bang!
The islander felt as if a sledgehammer had struck his face. His nose immediately spewed a large amount of blood, and his body, as if hit by a powerful impact, flew backward uncontrollably.
Bang!
The islander's body crashed heavily against the wall, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth. Blood from his nose mixed with blood from his lips, making him look incredibly brutal.
But Li Chonglou wasn't finished. He flashed forward, instantly charging towards the four people inside the secret door.
"What the hell, this guy's gone mad!"
Seeing Li Chonglou charging with murderous intent, the faces of the four changed drastically. Without a moment's hesitation, they unleashed their signature moves and attacked Li Chonglou simultaneously.
They all had one thought: damn it, I don't believe he can block all four of our attacks by himself!
However, when Li Chonglou was only tens of centimeters away from them, his previously murderous aura suddenly dissipated.
Damn it!