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墨書 Inktalez
It wasn't a performance! They actually wanted me to compete! "Yes!" I gritted my teeth and turned to leave, when I suddenly saw Old Bi rushing over, handing me his Long Staff and whispering, "Go! Be aggressive, you have ten minutes. If it doesn't work out, look for an opportunity to deliver a finishing blow! Don't be afraid, don't let us down." It turned out this was all planned in advance! But why me? Why did it have to be a stick-fighting match? I knew my own limitations; Zhang Xing was a special police instructor, and I had only been training for a month. The odds were slim. The Commander must know this; was he deliberately setting me up to lose? What would happen if I lost? With so many people watching, the Commander himself proposed this match—how would he save face if I lost? I was confused, and before I knew it, I found myself standing in the center of the arena.
Zhang Xing was already waiting there. "It's you!?" he exclaimed in surprise upon seeing me.
"It's me," I replied, unsure of what else to say.
"Ha, let’s see what you've got!" A hint of mockery crossed Zhang Xing's face as he assumed his starting stance. Perhaps he thought it was ridiculous to compare stick-fighting skills with someone from the armed police; they must have practiced their baton techniques hundreds of times.
The crowd that had been lively just moments ago fell silent, likely pondering who was stronger: the People's Liberation Army or the armed police. I felt ridiculous for still thinking about such things when we were about to fight. Focus! I told myself as I took a deep breath. I gripped the Long Staff tightly in the middle, stepped back with my right leg, bent my left knee slightly, and pointed the staff at Zhang Xing.
Seeing that Zhang Xing remained motionless only fueled my frustration; he clearly looked down on me! Fine, I'll attack! With a swift motion, I swung the Long Staff down toward him. However, Zhang Xing didn’t dodge; instead, he raised one hand to block my strike. With a loud clash, our staffs met. I felt a significant increase in resistance but still managed to push down. Zhang Xing realized something was off; one hand couldn't hold me back! He looked surprised and quickly placed his left hand on the staff for added strength, trying to push me away! I immediately withdrew my staff and spun it overhead before bringing it crashing down toward him again!
The stick technique Old Bi taught me emphasized rapid offense—strike and retreat continuously without defense. Once you gained the upper hand, your opponent would remain passive. But this required strong stamina or the ability to break through defenses quickly; otherwise, it would be hard to maintain pressure. I thought Old Bi had overestimated my ten minutes; after switching from strikes to sweeps and then thrusts, I could clearly feel myself gasping for air. Meanwhile, Zhang Xing had stabilized after an initial moment of hesitation and was now defending with precision—blocking and parrying effectively. I knew that if this continued, I'd surely lose. But there was no choice left; I just hoped to hold on a little longer—even if I could sweep his legs or feet—I could jump out of the ring afterward with some words about the match; that would be the best outcome!
Time flew by as my stamina severely dwindled; my movements became less fluid and lacked speed and power. The Long Staff became easier for Zhang Xing to block. I sensed his counterattack coming!
Sure enough, as I swept at his lower body with my staff, he blocked with the tip of his staff and quickly pressed down with his elbow while striking at my face with the end of his staff! It came so fast that despite my best effort to evade it, I still felt a sharp pain on my left shoulder! Zhang Xing paused and asked if I conceded. Glancing around at the armed police applauding and cheering while our people watched anxiously made me grit my teeth—concede? We had just started! So I charged at him again. My left hand wasn’t functioning well anymore; it probably had a bruise—but there was no time to worry about that. Using only my right hand to hold the staff while placing my left hand on its end for direction control, we exchanged blows again.
Zhang Xing aimed another strike at my chest; raising both hands defensively with my staff didn’t work as he swiftly targeted my face instead. This hit was both fast and fierce—the tip of his staff struck hard against my mouth! A warm sensation filled my mouth as dizziness washed over me; stumbling back two steps, I used my staff to steady myself.
I think two of my upper teeth fell out! Before I could spit them out, Zhang Xing asked again if I wouldn’t concede—“You can’t hit me!” Hit me? Can’t hit me? Spitting out my teeth in anger fueled something within me—I charged at him once more. It proved that when someone gets angry, they can become formidable; whether it was rage or adrenaline driving me forward didn’t matter—Zhang Xing was clearly pushed back several steps.
As I swept towards his neck with all my strength, he retreated half a step and used his left hand for support while pressing down with his right arm—the tip of his staff collided with mine using leverage to deflect my strike away from him. Then I saw him spin his staff in mid-air before sending it crashing down toward me! Raising both hands defensively just in time barely protected me from a crushing blow as he leaped into the air and landed two kicks squarely on my chest! Finally unable to withstand any longer, I staggered back several steps before collapsing onto the ground while still holding onto my staff.
To my surprise, after landing gracefully on his feet, Zhang Xing stepped forward before I could even sit up straight—he pressed his staff against my chest while smiling at me saying, “You’d be better off lying down!”
Without thinking much about it, my left hand slid down to the middle joint of the staff where there was a button—I pressed it and split the staff into two Short Staffs. With both hands holding one each, I aimed them at his head in an attempt to catch him off guard. Double Wind Piercing Ears! Old Bi called this a finishing move! The distance was too close for him to retreat now—the Long Staff was rigid and long—it wouldn’t have time to save itself; there was no way he could block this!
Just as both staffs were about to strike his head, his expression changed suddenly—he abandoned his Long Staff entirely and raised both arms defensively against mine! “Brother,” he said smugly, “you still can’t do it!” Seizing the moment, I sprang up from where I'd fallen and charged straight at his nose—well then—you’ll find out soon enough whether I'm capable or not! Bang! Everything went dark…
When I woke up later, I found myself in a hospital surrounded by colleagues. The Medical Unit captain stood by my right side smiling at me saying, “You really gave it your all; you’ve made quite an impression on the Commander.” On the other side stood an unexpected face—it was Zhang Xing! Aside from some tape on his nose, he seemed completely fine and smiled back at me saying, “You did well; your team really won big this time.” What happened? I couldn’t make sense of anything.
Later on, I learned that this match had been a setup orchestrated by the Commander himself—a trap designed for greater victory: First, Li Chief of Staff had been classmates with him—they had been competing for the Commander's position for some time until old Li couldn’t take it anymore and transferred to armed police where he got promoted ahead of him. The Commander had been holding onto that frustration ever since. After our match concluded and Li Chief of Staff realized that all I'd done was serve as a Military Doctor for our unit—he fell silent for quite some time before finally admitting to the Commander that transferring to armed police seemed like the right decision after all—I truly wasn’t better than you.
Second, our unit no longer faced friction with armed police after this event. Now both sides treated each other politely whenever they met—the armed police murmured among themselves about how impressive our Military Doctor was! Naturally we reciprocated courteously because whether professionally or personally speaking—the Commander emerged as the biggest beneficiary.
Thirdly—and perhaps most importantly—the Commander had planned everything from the start by sending me into battle regardless of winning or losing—our unit would remain undefeated either way. Winning would certainly bring glory but losing wouldn’t be shameful either since we’d showcased a Military Doctor while they had an instructor battling against someone fresh out of training—how glorious did they think that made them look?
As for me, this incident completely changed my life. I am a Commander, full of spirit, perseverance, and adaptability. Later, after seeking my opinion, I was ordered to change my title to Squad Leader. Since then, I haven't worn a white coat for ten years. Oh, and I gained a friend, Zhang Xing. After this event, he stayed in the Special Police Unit and now we are on equal footing, both serving as Deputy Regiment leaders. Recently, I called him and mentioned this incident; he laughed heartily, having long forgotten how we met. His photos on WeChat show that he has gained quite a bit of weight over the years. I suppose the years of bureaucratic life have dulled his spirit and bravery! Reflecting on those youthful and passionate days, I want to say to all soldiers, Republic Soldiers: it's okay to be a little arrogant and proud, but never lose your wolf-like spirit and bloodlust!
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