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Not only was I surprised, but all the Cadets were astonished as well. The Combat Assessment was not about fighting each other or sparring with instructors like Pig Head, but rather, it was a one-on-one match against Team Leader Ding.
The captain announced the rules at the front of the line, and they were quite simple! The challenge was to face off against Team Leader Ding, remain standing for zero seconds without falling down to be considered qualified. Only those who failed would be eliminated; those who passed would move on to the next round of capture assessment.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Team Leader Ding calmly stepped forward, standing at the front of the line, ready for the challenge!
The Cadets erupted in chatter! Honestly, even I felt a bit eager to give it a try. It was just about standing straight and not going down, right? Ha ha, how hard could that be? Not just Team Leader Ding; even Old Bi or facing Sun Hu, I dared say they wouldn't be able to take me down so quickly!
As I expected, many others shared my thoughts. I noticed several Cadets eager to be the first to show off their skills. After all, who couldn't throw a punch as a Scout? Even if they weren't as skilled, they shouldn't fall so quickly, right? A soldier from A Row stepped forward and volunteered to challenge first.
Next to me were Pig Head and Xiao Yu. This guy was acting as an informant. "Du Jia, a non-commissioned officer from the 1st Division's Reconnaissance Company. He has been rated as an excellent Scout for three consecutive years by his unit. If it weren't for his age, he could have been promoted by now. He should be fine."
While Pig Head was still talking, the match had already begun. Du Jia took his fighting stance with his left fist protecting his face and stepped forward with his right foot. He launched a quick right jab toward Team Leader Ding's face—clean and decisive without hesitation. Team Leader Ding sidestepped to the right, and Du Jia's punch missed completely. Following up quickly, Du Jia stepped in with his left foot and swung his left fist upward in an attempt to hook Team Leader Ding's chin. At that moment, Team Leader Ding suddenly squatted down, supporting himself with both hands while simultaneously kicking out towards Du Jia's legs! With a loud thud, Du Jia lost his balance due to leaning too far forward and fell flat on his face.
Was that K.O.? In less than ten seconds?! My eyes nearly popped out; there was silence all around—no way! I rubbed my eyes again; yes, it was true—Team Leader Ding stood there as if nothing had happened, while Du Jia lay groaning on the ground.
After a few seconds passed, the crowd erupted into discussions as if a bomb had gone off. I could clearly see Sun Hu and Lin Hao among them wearing expressions of shock. Team Leader Ding waited for a few minutes but seemed dissatisfied with how quickly it ended and glanced at the captain. The captain cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Now, do you want me to call names from the Roster for you to go up one by one or allow free challenges?"
At this statement from the captain, everyone’s composure broke down again. Another Cadet stepped up before Xiao Yu could ask anything. Pig Head introduced him immediately: "Wei Bin—before joining the army he was part of the provincial sanda team and is now a soldier in the Reconnaissance Battalion directly under the division. His specialty is Combat Sports; he's really impressive! He participated in training last year but lacks some military qualities; even I can't compare with him in Combat Sports."
Hearing Pig Head say this piqued my curiosity immensely. After witnessing Team Leader Ding's skills, I was eager to see just how formidable Wei Bin truly was.
When Wei Bin took the stage, he stood less than two meters away from Team Leader Ding and mirrored Du Jia’s earlier move by throwing a right punch toward Team Leader Ding’s face. This time Team Leader Ding swayed slightly as if trying not to reveal any patterns in his movements while preparing to dodge leftward. Unexpectedly, Wei Bin retracted his punch sharply; stepping forward with his left foot, he swiftly lifted his right knee straight up while shifting his weight onto his left leg. Then he rotated on his left heel while leaning slightly forward; his right knee angled inward as he extended his right foot outward tightly against his thigh before snapping it back in a sweeping motion aimed at Team Leader Ding's knee.
"Low Whip Kick!" Pig Head exclaimed quietly before quickly adding, "A whip kick utilizes the contraction of abdominal muscles combined with hip rotation to generate power for kicking out; thus it delivers significant force. It strikes like a whip across an opponent using the instep and shin for broad coverage area attacks! It can target high, mid-levels or low areas of an opponent’s body and is known for its speed and endless variations! It's tough for opponents to defend against!"
I couldn't help but chuckle; Pig Head definitely had potential as an analyst! At that moment, Team Leader Ding suddenly moved decisively—it turned out he had only been feigning movement earlier to bait Wei Bin into executing that low whip kick. He lunged forward sharply to the right front side, grabbing Wei Bin's right leg with his left hand while placing his right hand on Wei Bin's waist before exerting force to push him away—Wei Bin let out a yelp as he was sent sprawling onto the ground!
The crowd erupted into another wave of astonishment!
Xiao Yu exclaimed, "Wow, so fast! Who is this Team Leader Ding? He's amazing!"
The pig-headed guy chewed for a moment before managing to say, "I don't know either; he just transferred here."
At this point, none of the Cadets dared to step up. I knew everyone had their own thoughts—some hoped to observe longer and find Team Leader Ding's weaknesses, while others wished the people in front would wear him out so that when it was their turn, it would be easier. With no other option, the captain had to announce the start of the Roll Call one by one.
The first Cadet called was a short and somewhat chubby fellow who looked a bit pitiful as he timidly stood in front of Team Leader Ding.
The pig-headed guy snorted, "This one is from the Communication Unit. The first two didn't stand a chance; this one will go down in a second too!"
When the captain shouted "Start," the chubby guy didn’t make a move; instead, he took a step back. Everyone was momentarily confused about his intentions. I realized he was trying to buy time. After standing there for a while, Team Leader Ding noticed something was off and frowned. He took a step forward and threw a punch toward the chubby guy's solar plexus.
Unexpectedly, the chubby guy retreated two more steps, causing Team Leader Ding's punch to miss. In frustration, he lunged forward with a big step and executed a side kick! The force behind that kick was tremendous; if it connected, the chubby guy would surely be sent flying.
But even more astonishingly, instead of retreating, the chubby guy leaned sideways and ducked low, charging toward Team Leader Ding's supporting leg. As he dodged the kick, he collided with Team Leader Ding's leg. The impact would not be light, and clearly, Team Leader Ding hadn’t anticipated such a move. If they collided like this, wouldn’t Team Leader Ding fall too?
In desperation, Team Leader Ding sank his right leg down firmly into the ground while raising his left knee to strike at the chubby guy's head. If that hit, the chubby guy would be in serious trouble—if not knocked out, he'd definitely end up bloodied.
But I truly didn’t expect the chubby guy to react so decisively. With remarkable speed, he raised both hands to shield his face and pressed down hard on Team Leader Ding’s knee. He then sprang up straight, lifting Team Leader Ding off balance due to his wide stance and sending him tumbling backward!
Was this going to turn the tables? I saw Team Leader Ding’s left foot lift off the ground! Just as things were getting tense, Team Leader Ding flipped forward and braced himself with his hands on the ground to roll over, turning his back to the chubby guy just as the captain shouted, "Time's up!"
Everyone gasped in shock! Including me and Xiao Yu—and of course the pig-headed guy. If I were him right now, my jaw would have dropped to the floor! The other Cadets exchanged bewildered glances; who would have thought such an unassuming chubby guy could pass?
The captain then called out the second Cadet: Zhong! The honest and simple-minded Zhong. The pig-headed guy fell silent for a while, seemingly doubting his own judgment. When Zhong stepped into the ring, he hesitantly said, "This Cadet is said to be a martial arts expert with family secrets... umm... also trained in Qigong."
I couldn't hold back any longer. "Deputy Captain, can you predict whether Zhong will pass?"
The pig-headed guy scratched his head for a moment before looking back at the arena.
As Zhong entered the ring, I noticed that Team Leader Ding's expression turned serious upon seeing him. Unlike before when he hadn’t assumed a ready stance, he subtly adjusted his feet and held his hands loosely while focusing intently on Zhong’s movements.
Neither of them made a move at first, and they remained in a stalemate for over ten seconds. Just when we thought Zhong was going to drag things out, he suddenly took a deep breath, and with a series of cracking sounds from his joints, he launched a headbutt towards Team Leader Ding.
Team Leader Ding did not engage; he sidestepped and avoided the attack, immediately following up with an elbow strike aimed at Zhong's back. Amidst the gasps of surprise, Zhong did not fall; instead, he acted as if nothing had happened. When the first strike missed, he swung his head sideways again. I thought to myself, is this the Iron Head technique from traditional martial arts?
At this point, Team Leader Ding found it difficult to move sideways. However, he reacted quickly, raising his knee and charging towards Zhong's face. I couldn't help but wonder if Zhong had an Iron Face technique.
Unexpectedly, Zhong lowered his head and slammed his forehead into Team Leader Ding's knee with a loud thud! The two collided solidly, and I noticed they both instinctively stepped back a few paces. Team Leader Ding's left leg wobbled slightly as Zhong shook his head.
Both of them seemed to be feeling the impact! As they staggered and prepared to engage again, the whistle blew—time was up! Zhong had passed like this?! He cupped his fists in salute to Team Leader Ding and walked off the venue.
As we were discussing this surprising turn of events, I noticed Old Li had somehow joined us. He muttered to himself, "Ah, everyone finally gets it; use your strengths. This Ding isn't that simple." We all wanted to hear more, but then he shifted his tone and continued, "The real combat training for special forces is vastly different from what most people imagine! The combat training for special forces is tailored to their missions and situations, making it completely different from sports-style fighting or entertainment fighting. Most people think that Special Forces are all great fighters—while that's true, if they participated in fighting competitions, they might not necessarily place well! This is because current fighting competitions are conducted under rules, while those trained in special forces are expected to subdue their opponents without any restrictions. This directly leads to the combat techniques taught in special forces being focused on subduing or neutralizing opponents in the simplest and most direct way possible! If you put Special Forces personnel into professional sanda competitions, they might not achieve good results. Similarly, if you pit professional sanda fighters or martial arts experts against Special Forces in real combat, the latter would definitely have the upper hand!"
Just like that, the next cadet stepped onto the stage—Sun Hu!
(To be continued; stay tuned for more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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