Chapter 48: Hesitation Leads to Defeat!

"Are you Li Chou, third on the resource rankings?"

Colin released his grip on the axe and tossed it aside. The unsettling sensation of being watched vanished instantly.

At the same time, he recalled having seen this man's name among the top three on the resource leaderboard.

Without waiting for a response, Colin shot Li Hang a glance. There was nothing domineering about his demeanor, yet Li Hang inexplicably felt his heart skip a beat.

Clearly, without some slip of the tongue from this guy, Li Chou would never have locked onto him so decisively.

Outside the arena, Li Hang opened his mouth, as if to explain, but unfortunately, their voices could not penetrate inside.

Nevertheless, by reading his lips, Colin could guess he was saying something like: "Boss, it's not what you think, listen to my explanation..."

Such pitiful excuses...

"That's me. I thought you'd be like most people and not remember me. After all, I'm only number three. People only remember the one at the top."

Li Chou sounded self-deprecating, but confidence radiated from his face. To stand out among billions and rank third was reason enough for pride.

Following Colin’s gaze, he looked at Li Hang.

"Li Hang is actually not a bad guy, just a bit too talkative. Since you're his boss, I'll let you keep working together under my command soon.

"Right now, since we're all pitiful souls forced to play this 'game,' I'll give you a chance. If you apologize now, respectfully call me Brother Chou, surrender at once, and hand over everything you have, I'll forgive you."

Li Chou's voice rang out smugly from beneath his steel helmet.

This ensemble was a lucky find from some ruins yesterday. With it, he'd surpassed over ninety percent of his competitors at the same stage.

He'd fought his way into the top three on the resource list and ninth on the hunter's ranking, towering above most.

"You do talk a lot. Are you nervous?"

Colin asked curiously. There was still a minute left; the fight had not yet begun.

Apart from those three rules, this duel, triggered by a mysterious item, could be considered more or less fair.

"Nervous? Do you really think that's possible? You don't think you can win, do you?"

Li Chou snorted. Although Colin's calm expression gave him pause, there was nothing about Colin that suggested a chance of turning the tables.

This armor granted him a 0.3 boost to all attributes and impressive protection, making him nearly undefeatable.

Li Chou was confident—unless someone from the top ten of the hunter's ranking showed up, he was almost invincible.

Now, apart from that unfathomably mysterious Colin who held first place, all others in the top ten had appeared in the world channel.

None of them were in his district; even if they were, any survivor he locked onto would stand no chance.

Unless, of course, that mysterious number one appeared before him.

But was that possible?

Impossible.

Li Chou knew the odds were too slim. "Friend, it's not too late to admit your mistake. I'm only doing to you what you did to me. Your subordinate is right—your life matters more, why be so stubborn?"

"Won't we find out after the fight?"

Colin smiled indifferently.

He noticed from the prompts that he could still use "Hunter's Moment."

That thing was bound to him—somewhere between a mysterious item and not quite one.

This made things interesting.

Hearing Colin's words, Li Chou laughed. "No way! You think you can beat me barehanded, without even a weapon? Who do you think you are, Jackie Chan? Even Jackie needs props.

"Surrender now, and I'll let you keep your dignity. I won't touch your maid, but everything else is mine. How's that for mercy?

"Otherwise, if I accidentally kill you in a moment, that wouldn't look good. Hurry and surrender..."

"Are you nervous? Afraid to kill? Is this how you try to pump yourself up?"

Colin saw through him at a glance—he was a rookie, just like himself, and had never killed before.

Li Chou's face froze beneath the helmet, then he retorted, half angry, half embarrassed, "Just wait until I start—let's see how cocky you are then!"

"Getting flustered?"

"You're dead!"

Colin ignored his impotent rage, for just then, both of them simultaneously heard a voice in their minds.

"The duel begins!"

The phrase rang in both Colin and Li Chou's ears.

"Heh, too late to surrender now."

Flexing his fists, Li Chou, clad in his seemingly heavy but cleverly designed silver armor, began to stride toward Colin.

Step by step, he advanced.

When only ten meters remained, he picked up speed.

But just as he was about to charge, Li Chou’s steps faltered.

Because suddenly, the aura around Colin changed—an obvious, unmistakable shift.

Fierce, cold, utterly devoid of emotion.

A completely different air from before.

If he had seemed gentle and steady earlier, now Colin was cloaked in something that could only be called "lethal intent."

His posture had not changed, still standing there, yet Li Chou suddenly felt like prey.

But in this moment, he knew—hesitation meant defeat!

With the screech of metal, Li Chou barrelled forward like a silver juggernaut, unstoppable as he charged at Colin.

"So slow..."

In Hunter's Moment, Colin felt as if he were watching a slow-motion film, easily dodging Li Chou's assault.

Li Chou sensed immediately that something was wrong.

Then, a sudden pain shot through his jaw—Colin, after dodging, swiftly drove his right elbow upward into Li Chou's chin.

Li Chou’s mind went blank as he staggered back, but Colin gave him no respite.

He pressed Li Chou's upper body down and drove his knee sharply, again and again, into Li Chou's abdomen.

The already rusted armor caved in under the blows, several ribs cracking with the blunt impact, pain exploding through his chest.

His mind could no longer think—he could only try to escape the blows, but those hands gripped him like iron clamps, impossible to break free.

Blood gushed from Li Chou's mouth, dripping from his helmet. When Colin finally released him, he swayed a few times before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

The fight was over.

Li Chou struggled to turn his eyes to Colin, his gaze filled with confusion, shock, terror, and disbelief.

The entire battle had lasted less than a minute.

He had no idea how he'd lost.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already on the ground, wracked with agony.

"What are you..." he croaked.

"Maybe I was just lucky?"

Colin wiped away the blood splattered on him, then looked around. It seemed it was not quite over yet.

At that moment, as if remembering something crucial, Li Chou, though his eyes were glazed and he was on the verge of passing out, forced them open and with his last strength shouted:

"I surrender..."

With that, he slipped into unconsciousness.

He had no idea if he would wake again, but he knew clearly that if he didn't declare his surrender before losing consciousness and admit defeat, then when the battle countdown ended, the rules would execute him on the spot!

At the same time, Colin felt his connection to the outside world return to normal. Shana and the others stood by his side.

Li Chou lay sprawled on the ground about ten meters away.