Chapter 278: The Bald Man Appears! Are You Kidding Me?
Chapter 278: The Bald Man Appears! Are You Kidding Me?
Although Captain America's attack was fierce, his strength was far inferior to Zhao Zheng's.
After gaining 1,000 potential points last time, Zhao Zheng's power had now reached level 4+.
Captain America was merely a super soldier—how could he be a match for Zhao Zheng?
With a single palm strike, Zhao Zheng deflected the flying shield.
Then, in a flash, he dashed forward like a ferocious hunting leopard, closing in on his opponent in an instant.
Without hesitation, he launched a "Cannon Punch."
"Boom!"
The punch struck Captain America's chest, sending his large body flying straight out of the arena.
Out of bounds!!
Just like in the previous Secret Realm, being knocked out of the ring meant an automatic loss.
In other words, Zhao Zheng had won the match in a single move.
A teleportation portal appeared.
While other fights had just begun, Zhao Zheng had already made his triumphant return.
"Old Zhao, that was insane!"
As soon as Zhao Zheng stepped back into the room, Cao Yu couldn't help but exclaim.
Beside him, Shao Wenhui's face was filled with admiration.
"Not bad!"
Chairman Chen also smiled in approval.
The Xingyi Cannon Punch that Zhao Zheng had just executed was fierce and well-practiced—it had reached a solid level of mastery.
Receiving praise from his master, Zhao Zheng couldn't help but smile.
After he sat down, the group turned their attention back to the other arenas.
Zhao Zheng had defeated Captain America so quickly that no one had gotten a clear look at what kind of strength Captain America actually possessed.
Fortunately, there were plenty of weaker contestants.
Some struggled against Captain America, locked in hard-fought battles.
Others, like Zhao Zheng, eliminated him instantly.
However, far more participants were utterly dominated by Captain America.
Qin Muyin had been right—the Captain Americas in the arenas had completely lost their rationality, knowing only how to kill.
Against weaker opponents, none of them showed mercy.
Once they gained the upper hand, they relentlessly pursued their targets.
Many contestants, sensing imminent danger, immediately surrendered, prompting Captain America to stop.
As for those who stubbornly refused to surrender… they suffered brutal beatings.
On Arena No. 2, a defiant young woman was struck by Captain America's shield—her neck snapped.
Dead!!
The competition had only just begun, and someone had already died.
Everyone who witnessed this scene was shocked.
Soon, discussions erupted across the different rooms:
"Holy crap! That girl just got killed."
"Wasn't the National Secret Realm supposed to be safe? Why are the assigned opponents killing people?"
"Looks like this round of the National Secret Realm is far more dangerous than before!"
"But contestants can forfeit or surrender, right? Overall, it's still safe. That girl died because she was too stubborn—she refused to give up even when she was clearly outmatched."
"Yeah! As long as you surrender quickly, there shouldn't be much danger."
"But these opponents seem to have no sanity at all! Did you see Arena No. 14? Captain America's leg was broken, but he was still crawling forward to keep fighting…"
Chen Ye and his group were in Room 857.
At that moment—
After witnessing someone being killed by Captain America, Old Liu immediately turned to his students and said, "It looks like the opponents arranged by the Secret Realm are nothing more than mindless combat machines. If you encounter an enemy you can't handle, just surrender. Better yet, withdraw from the fight altogether."
Zhao Zheng, Cao Yu, and the others all nodded in agreement.
With Qin Muyin on their team, they could just sit back and coast to victory—there was no need to risk their lives.
Only Tang Zichen furrowed her delicate brows, lost in thought, as if contemplating something unknown.
Zhao Huanhuan chuckled and said, "Then when it's my turn, should I just forfeit right away?"
Among everyone present, she was the only one with no combat ability at all—her physique was completely that of an ordinary person.
"A wise choice!" Cao Yu said. "I think I'll probably have to forfeit soon too."
He could still handle Captain America for now.
But as the Secret Realm continued, the opponents would only get stronger.
While he was tough to kill, there was no need to fight recklessly.
Chen Ye noticed that Tang Zichen had remained silent since they entered the Secret Realm.
Her expression had been calm the entire time, as if she were invisible.
He quietly reached out and held her small hand, giving her a concerned look.
Tang Zichen smiled slightly but still said nothing.
Chen Ye felt puzzled.
Her expression seemed normal, but he had a feeling she was hiding something.
Since she didn't want to talk about it, he decided not to ask.
The group continued watching the matches.
Every time a Captain America was defeated or killed, the Secret Realm would immediately send in a replacement, as if there were an endless army of clones.
An hour passed.
In Room 857, the second person to enter the arena was Shao Wenhui.
Her stats were far superior to Captain America's, yet she barely won the fight.
It was clear that raw strength alone wasn't enough.
Without real combat experience, even the strongest could still be a rookie.
When Shao Wenhui returned injured, the others remained silent.
However, Old Liu, as their teacher, immediately reprimanded her.
"Shao Wenhui, your overall strength is far higher than Captain America's, yet you barely won and almost lost. This proves that your combat awareness is severely lacking..."
Before he could continue, Chen Ye interrupted with a smile.
"Teacher, saying this now won't change anything. Once we leave the National Secret Realm, we'll forget everything anyway. Things will go back to how they were."
Old Liu paused, then sighed.
"Shao Wenhui, your combat awareness is too weak. Just forfeit in the next round."
Shao Wenhui lowered her head in shame.
Zhao Zheng felt bad for his little fangirl, but he also understood that Old Liu was only saying this for her own good.
So, he remained silent.
Another thirty minutes passed.
Suddenly, Chen Ye received a notification for his match and immediately stood up.
"Arena 55!"
Old Liu, Cao Yu, and the others perked up.
Earlier, Qin Muyin had hinted that the championship might end up in Chen Ye's hands.
They found that hard to believe.
Now was the perfect time to see what he could do.
Then—
They watched as Chen Ye stepped onto the arena and casually threw a punch.
"Pop!"
Captain America's body instantly shattered into countless pieces, exploding into a rain of blood.
Only a warped shield remained, falling to the ground.
Without even looking back, Chen Ye turned around and walked into the teleportation portal, returning victorious.
Old Liu: "…"
Cao Yu: "…"
Zhao Zheng, Ren Qianqian, Shao Wenhui, Zhao Huanhuan: "…"
What just happened?
How did it end so fast?
They had been looking forward to seeing Chen Ye in action—some had even adjusted their posture for a better view—yet that was it?
That was way too fast!
From the moment Chen Ye entered the match to when he returned, not even three seconds had passed.
He had set the record for the fastest victory so far!
If not for the pool of blood and scattered remains on the arena, they might have thought they had imagined the whole thing.
Only Qin Muyin, Chairman Chen, and Tang Zichen remained calm.
It seemed they had already expected this outcome.
Meanwhile, Chen Ye's performance had caused a stir throughout the entire competition…
Second update!
(End of this chapter.)
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