Chapter 685 - 19: Peak Form (Part 2)
Mindful of his strategy, not daring to confront head-on, Yokomae Sohaku continued his retreat.
Even in such a tense moment, he still maintained the correct direction of withdrawal, moving closer to the rushing river.
Once cornered, Yokomae Sohaku would not hesitate to jump into the river, abandoning his challenge partner, that arrogant American soldier.
...
Entering combat mode, Chen Zhou’s perceptive abilities heightened considerably. He could clearly capture every move of the Japanese Ninja, even hearing the steady heartbeat in his chest.
Yet, he still failed to notice the trap Yokomae Sohaku subtly set as he lunged.
Four shuriken were cleverly placed along his inevitable attack path. Chen Zhou felt a slight tingling underfoot and looked down to see his military boot pierced with a hole, and the sharp, slender tip of the shuriken thrust deeply into the sole, breaking his skin.
Fortunately, his skin was much tougher than a normal person’s, so stepping on the shuriken only caused a surface wound, not allowing it to penetrate too deeply.
"Damn, these Japs are so treacherous."
Pulling out the shuriken stained with mud, Chen Zhou’s vigilance heightened again, not daring to recklessly pursue further.
Just as he was about to discard the Japanese Ninja’s hidden weapon, his nostrils flared, and his expression turned tense—
The venom extracted from the giant lizard’s glands had a distinctive rotten smell. When the poisoned shuriken was buried far in the mud, this scent wasn’t detectable, but now that it was in front of him, he could distinctly smell the nauseating odor.
"Shit, it’s poisoned!"
Glancing at the Japanese Ninja, Chen Zhou clearly saw a triumphant smile on his face, and a blaze of anger rushed to his head.
...
Seeing the Eastern Martial Artist step on the shuriken as planned, Yokomae Sohaku felt his scheme was half-successful.
Retreating another two meters, he watched Chen Zhou not far away. Straightening his hunched body, his arms pressed against his thighs, he bowed deeply—
"Sumimasen."
He said with a smile.
Chen Zhou, who understood a bit of Japanese, knew this guy was feigning an apology.
Of course, this gesture carried not a shred of true remorse or sincerity, just a provocation against him.
Seeing the Japanese Ninja’s crooked teeth exposed in a grin, Chen Zhou also smiled. He set down his 50-kilogram Bone Hammer and revealed his shiny white tiger fangs.
"Even if I’m poisoned, you’ll die sooner than I will."
With that, Chen Zhou instantly entered a state of full burst.
Shedding his heavy weapon, his speed increased significantly, leaping acrobatically, he appeared ghost-like in front of Yokomae Sohaku.
...
Yokomae Sohaku had considered Chen Zhou’s weapon to be heavy, but he hadn’t expected that bone hammer to be solid inside.
He also knew Chen Zhou had extraordinary physical resilience, but he didn’t anticipate that swinging a 50-kilogram hammer, Chen Zhou’s speed would only be slightly slower than his own.
He was even more surprised that in previous attacks, Chen Zhou hadn’t given his full effort, and until now, the true extent of Chen Zhou’s prowess was finally displayed before him.
An intense alarm rang in his mind, and Yokomae Sohaku could only barely use his arms to block Chen Zhou’s punch.
"Crack!"
An unimaginable force surged from his crossed arms at his chest, accompanied by a loud crack.
Yokomae Sohaku was almost sent flying backwards.
Using force-dissipating techniques honed through years of Ninjutsu training, he rolled three times on the ground before barely standing up, his numb arms struggling to shake off debris as he fled toward the river—
To aid in climbing, Yokomae Sohaku had crafted a pair of Hand Armor Hooks.
Unlike regular hand hooks, his covered the entire back of his hands and were bound around his forearms.
Without metal materials or suitable tools, the wooden Hand Armor Hooks couldn’t withstand great force, so he resorted to making them longer and thicker as a compromise.
Near the hand-back position of the Hand Armor Hooks was a cleverly designed mechanism, hiding a sharp Wooden Saber ready to be launched at enemies.
Yokomae Sohaku originally intended to use the Hand Armor Hooks as a trump card to finish off his enemies in close combat. He hadn’t expected this unusual pair of hooks would serve as protection, saving his life.
The thick wood along with the concealed Wooden Saber were broken by Chen Zhou’s punch. Upon standing up, Yokomae Sohaku could barely control his hands, even feeling a slight dislocation of his shoulder blade from absorbing the punch’s force.
Realizing the kind of monster he was facing, Yokomae Sohaku lost all will to fight.
Having extensively read The Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems, he deeply understood the phrase, "Of all strategies, retreat is the best." Seeing his enemy’s overwhelming power, he immediately abandoned the idea of prolonged combat, deciding to escape using his most skilled Water Escape Technique.
Yokomae Sohaku was confident of escaping from Chen Zhou because he had been practicing the Water Escape Technique since he was five. Additionally, the American soldier was gaining the upper hand in the melee.
Once given the chance to enter the water, with his diving skills and underwater concealment abilities, even the strongest opponent couldn’t catch him within three to five minutes, and he could easily follow the river to distant safety.
And within those three to five minutes, it would be enough to decide life and death between the two.
He didn’t believe the Eastern Martial Artist was like him—a fanatic who would abandon his partner to pursue a singular path to the end.
From the coordinated actions of Chen Zhou and Paul, it was clear their relationship was far closer than his with the American soldier, James.