As soon as Zack Zhao finished speaking, his bodyguard's face darkened and he strode forward.
He was still wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, but his explosive muscles made it look like it could burst at any moment.
A few steps brought him right up to Evan Lin. Suddenly, he stomped down hard—bam!—flattening several raised cobblestones with a single foot.
"That move just now? I let that slide. Next time, it won't be so easy!"
The man stared coldly at Evan, already fully prepared to fight since Zack Zhao gave the word.
Even after being forced back by Evan's casual palm earlier, the burly man showed no fear—just pure rage.
As Zack Zhao's bodyguard, he might just be a servant, but he’d already reached the pseudo-Vajra realm. Usually, even the big shots treated him with respect. But right now, he’d just been pushed back by some ordinary-looking kid.
It was humiliating. No way was he going to accept that.
"One punch."
Evan glanced at him and, in a flat voice that echoed in everyone's ears, dropped the bomb.
"One punch? What do you mean?"
The burly man froze for a second, confused.
Zack Zhao raised an eyebrow, his eyes flashing coldly. "Overestimating yourself!"
"So you think you can take down this guy with just one punch?" Victor Xu snorted.
"Honestly, I think you’re the one who’ll get killed with a single punch!" Lily Zhou scoffed, arms crossed.
Zack Guang’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. If this guy could cripple Evan Lin for him, that’d be perfect.
The crowd heard Evan's words and looked at him in shock.
Judging by size and build, Evan was clearly outmatched. Now, hearing him talk big, a lot of people frowned.
Yvonne Zhu, standing next to Zack Zhao, had been lost in thought. When she heard Evan’s voice, she felt a weird sense of déjà vu and instinctively turned to look.
But Zack Zhao just happened to block her, keeping her from seeing anything.
Yvonne Zhu had never cared for pointless drama, but hearing Evan Lin’s voice again only deepened her suspicions.
“That voice... it’s so familiar...”
“Could it be...?”
Yvonne’s elegant brows furrowed as if something had suddenly occurred to her. She peeked out from behind Zack Zhao, her eyes searching the crowd.
“It really is you!”
The moment she saw Evan’s face, Yvonne’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. She couldn’t help but cry out, and because her mouth was open so wide, her lollipop slipped and fell to the ground.
Ever since that last parting at the Beast Arena in Luke Lu’s domain, Yvonne hadn’t seen Evan Lin again.
But over all these months, she’d sometimes recalled that day—how that boy single-handedly slew Ghost Adept, then crushed Luke Lu even after he unleashed his Berserk Martial Art. That wild, unrestrained yet calm look of his was burned into her memory.
Even her longtime idol, Bryce Gu, had said that given time, that boy would shake the world.
Unfortunately, Yvonne hadn’t managed to get his contact info that day. Without any way to reach him, she could only remember that his surname was Lin.
Later, rumors spread through Leyang City about a ‘Lin Nine Mysteries’ who killed several Vajra experts, defeated Yellow Dragonji—the number one in River City—and wiped out Medicine King Valley’s elders. Bryce Gu, worried for her safety, immediately took her back to Pu Hai.
Just like that, more than half a year had passed in the blink of an eye.
"Yvonne, don’t worry. I’m here. He can’t hurt you!"
Zack Zhao heard Yvonne’s voice, his heart growing colder. His stare at Evan Lin became even more sinister.
"No, stop!"
Yvonne snapped back to her senses, her face changing as she shouted toward the burly man.
But before she could finish, Zack Zhao had already barked at his henchman: "What are you waiting for? Tear him apart!"
Zack Zhao was worried there might be some connection between Yvonne and this kid. He’d known Yvonne for a long time, but she’d never acted this flustered before.
But no matter what their relationship was, as long as he crippled this kid, nothing else would matter!
"Stop! He’s dangerous!"
Yvonne’s face turned pale with panic.
But the big guy, hearing Zack Zhao’s order, didn’t hesitate for a second. He charged forward, surprisingly agile for his size. As he ran, the cobblestones beneath his feet were flattened with each heavy step.
"Get down!"
The man roared, his fist shrouded in layers of white mist. The mist seemed to slice through the air, whipping up gusts of wind as he smashed his fist down toward Evan Lin.
Evan bent his body slightly, right fist clenched, face cold and indifferent. As the hulking man barreled toward him, Evan stepped forward to meet him head-on.
Right fist versus right fist!
Evan’s punch was simple and unadorned, while the man’s fist radiated pure brute force.
"Fist to fist? Courting death! You don’t get it—my servant’s fists have been soaked in special medicine since childhood. His fist bones have been broken and reforged more than ten times! Even I wouldn’t dare clash with him bare-handed!" Zack Zhao laughed.
"You really think this punch is as weak as the last one? Not a chance!"
Zack Zhao grabbed Yvonne Zhu’s arm, his face full of arrogant pride.
Sure enough, just as the man’s fist was about to reach Evan, it suddenly swelled even larger. His skin took on a bronze sheen, and the fierce wind from his punch stung the faces of the onlookers. The white mist around his fist thickened, making it look like he was wearing a massive, heavy gauntlet.
"Finish him!" Brian Guang shouted.
"Watch out!" Victor Xu cried, face pale with fear.
Everyone around looked at Evan Lin with pity.
With that punch, wouldn’t he be killed on the spot?
The difference between the boy’s fist and the man’s was already huge. Now, it looked like the gap had quadrupled!
Many people shook their heads.
But at that moment, Evan’s fist finally connected.
His punch landed squarely on the man’s massive fist, and the impact echoed with a thunderous boom.
Boom!
Those standing closest thought they’d just heard a bomb go off.
The next second, Zack Zhao’s face froze, Yvonne Zhu sighed, and Brian Guang’s group looked like they’d seen a ghost.
After the explosion faded, Evan Lin was still standing exactly where he’d started, not having moved an inch.
But the hulking, tank-like bodyguard was sent flying like a shooting star, screaming in agony as he soared into the sky.
He shot off like a cannonball, vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye, becoming a barely visible black dot.
One punch—and nobody knew where he’d landed.
Was that punch a thousand pounds of force, or ten thousand?
No one could say for sure.