Chapter Seventy-Six: Great Form, Superb Skill

"Smack!" Tony effortlessly swatted away Geng Haoshi's sudden punch as though he were shooing a fly!

Damn it! Once again, he brushed my attack aside with such ease! I mean, I have eight-pack abs! Even if the audience can tolerate this, I can't!

Geng Haoshi was infuriated, launching into a wild barrage of punches!

His onslaught was ferocious and intimidating to behold... but Tony deflected every blow with casual, practiced ease.

"Second, that's not how you throw punches," Tony advised calmly, while parrying Geng Haoshi's flailing fists. "You can't just punch blindly. You need to look for the right moment, coordinate your footwork, and then strike quickly!"

With that, Tony demonstrated with a sudden punch!

"Bang!"

His fist landed squarely on the left side of Geng Haoshi's green helmet, right across the cheek.

The resounding impact sent Geng Haoshi flying several meters, as if he'd been struck by artillery, before he crashed down onto the floor.

"Wow! Truly a man of 'grand equipment and great skill'!" Lin Ling exclaimed, her mouth agape in awe.

As Lin Ling’s official boyfriend, Zhou Xiaoshan rubbed his forehead and shook his head in silent resignation.

The other teammates quietly tightened their belts.

Li Shishi and Yang Mimi had no idea about the deeper meaning of "grand equipment and great skill," but they could tell that Geng Haoshi was certainly not feeling well. They hurried to his side.

"Senior, are you all right?" "Second Brother, are you okay?"

At first, Geng Haoshi lay sprawled on the floor like a deflated ball, but seeing the concern in Li Shishi and Yang Mimi’s eyes warmed him unexpectedly.

"Second Brother," Lin Ling pointed at Meng Lang and Zhu Di, "Tony clearly has 'grand equipment and great skill' compared to you. Maybe it's time to let them take a turn."

Upon hearing Lin Ling's words, Geng Haoshi sprang up from the floor! Though Lin Ling meant well, as an experienced "old hand" himself, Geng Haoshi could not let that slide!

"This is just the beginning. Who truly has 'grand equipment and great skill' is yet to be decided!" He threw down a fierce challenge and launched another "wild fists overwhelm the master" attack.

Curious, Li Shishi asked Lin Ling, "Ling Ling, what does 'grand equipment and great skill' mean?"

Lin Ling sidled up to Li Shishi, whispering something slyly in her ear... Li Shishi's face flushed bright red, and she giggled uncontrollably.

Yang Mimi, intrigued by the exchange, pressed, "So what does 'grand equipment and great skill' mean?"

With her cheeks still burning, Li Shishi linked arms with Yang Mimi and whispered in her ear. After she finished, Li Shishi covered her mouth, unable to stop laughing, while Yang Mimi’s face turned crimson, the blush spreading down her neck.

Lin Ling came up behind them, draping an arm over each shoulder, and whispered, "Do you two never go online? 'Grand equipment and great skill' is a popular phrase on the internet these days."

"Really?" Li Shishi looked at Lin Ling with innocent wide eyes. "Maybe I spend too much time shopping online."

"Must be nice to have money," Lin Ling patted Li Shishi’s head like a kitten, then turned to Yang Mimi. "Mimi, do you just shop online too?"

"No... I usually spend my free time in the library," Yang Mimi replied, a bit embarrassed.

Lin Ling patted Yang Mimi's head as well. "Such a good kid."

"But," she drew their faces closer, "if you don’t know common trending phrases, you’ll easily embarrass yourselves in conversation."

"Luckily, you’ve got me—the confidant and ‘old hand’—I’ll recommend a few websites so you can catch up with all the trending lingo!"

With that, Lin Ling pulled out two slips of paper from her pocket, each filled with website addresses. Clearly, she’d prepared them ahead of time.

She waggled her eyebrows. "Especially the last few sites—better explore those late at night in your dorm, alone under the covers, headphones on... Heh heh, some of them are quite educational!"

PS: That night, both Li Shishi and Yang Mimi returned to their school dorms. In the quiet hours, curiosity got the better of them. With laptops in hand, they slipped under their blankets, donned headphones, and entered one of the last few web addresses Lin Ling had given them... Only to be greeted by a flood of indescribable, blush-inducing images (centered by a triangle icon, clearly videos)! With no one else around, they boldly clicked on one... Thus, Li Shishi and Yang Mimi boarded Lin Ling’s “old hand” pirate ship. Yang Mimi, cheeks flushed and heart pounding, watched a little before quickly closing the window. Li Shishi, equally flushed, watched one after another, totally absorbed... (But that’s a story for another time.)

Geng Haoshi’s wild punches were still easily neutralized by Tony.

He was exhausted, his stamina depleted. Geng Haoshi plopped down on the floor, gasping, "I’m done... I’m done..."

He stripped off his green gloves, helmet, and protective vest, tossing them aside, then looked at his teammates. "Anyone else want a turn? Go for it!"

The team had all witnessed Geng Haoshi’s miserable defeat, and instinctively stepped back.

Tony noticed their hesitation and said deliberately, "No need to fight over it—I’ll train with each of you before I leave."

Geng Haoshi twitched at the corner of his mouth, thinking: Ha, this smiling guy is clearly no pushover.

"I’ll go first!" Since there was no escaping, Zhu Di stepped forward, valiant and resolute.

Zhu Di didn’t throw wild punches like Geng Haoshi, but imitated Tony’s movements, carefully footworking and seeking the right moment... Unfortunately, it was useless. Before long, Tony sent him crashing to the floor with a single punch!

Watching Zhu Di sprawled out, Geng Haoshi felt much better. "See? Tony didn’t win because he has ‘grand equipment and great skill’—he just learned it before we did."

One by one, the teammates donned protective gear and sparred with Tony... In the end, none escaped being knocked to the floor with a single punch.

Lin Ling clapped her hands, once again marveling, "Truly a man of ‘grand equipment and great skill’!"