Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2342 - 2318: Accepting the Challenge

Joseph is not short, and he’s quite sturdy. On top of that, he’s very handsome, which is an important trait for a bodyguard, especially one that represents a nation’s image while protecting a high-profile figure like a president.

However, compared to the row of burly men standing opposite him, Joseph immediately showed a disparity. He’s shorter and less robust, but he certainly is more handsome than the few people standing across from him.

Joseph reached out his hand, took off the quick-draw holster from his lower back, and respectfully placed it on the ground in front of Gao Yang. Then he turned around, expressionless, motioned towards the six men in front of him and said in a low voice, "Any one of you, step forward."

The level of handsomeness does not play any role in a combat showdown, but having a smart and stylish opponent taunting right in front of you can certainly have a stronger mocking effect.

The six Iranians stepped forward simultaneously, revealing Joseph’s undisguised disdain for them, which none of these men could endure.

"I’ll do it!"

With a low shout, a man with a stubbly beard stepped forward, while the other five exchanged glances and retreated, leaving Joseph and that burly man alone in the center of the room.

Gao Yang analyzed Joseph’s opponent, thinking that he might not be someone from the military.

Joseph is 1.82 meters tall, while his opponent looks at least 1.87 meters, and the six men appear to be almost identical in height.

In the military, being overly tall is actually meaningless, and Iran is not a country known for producing tall people. So, these six similarly tall individuals must have been specially chosen, and if they belong to the same unit, they aren’t ordinary special forces but likely a unit like a bodyguard or an honor guard.

An honor guard wouldn’t be sent on secret missions, and if they were bodyguards like Joseph meant to impress, then Mr. Lavagani’s position doesn’t seem high enough to have such subordinates, and the time is just too short—even if Lavagani summoned people urgently from within the country, they wouldn’t arrive so quickly.

Gao Yang couldn’t figure out the origin of these men, and Joseph seemed completely uninterested in guessing his opponent’s intentions. When his opponent assumed a stance, Joseph opted for a preemptive strike.

Israeli soldiers are definitely skilled in Magia Techniques, and Iranians, influenced by Russia, primarily use Sambo as their combat technique in the military. Gao Yang can’t say he’s an expert in both, but he’s very familiar with them.

Joseph moved closer to his opponent and quickly kicked at the Iranian’s knee, while the Iranian lifted his leg and delivered a fast straight punch towards Joseph’s chin.

An expert’s strike is swift and precise, and this Iranian’s punch was both quick and accurate, with long arms adding powerful force to the blow.

Joseph’s kick was just a feint. He raised both arms to deflect the opponent’s punch and pressed downward, then closed in again and kneeled swiftly forward.

Joseph’s identity as a bodyguard necessitates a fighting style that resolves confrontations quickly, but his opponent exhibited a very high level of skill as well, effortlessly deflecting Joseph’s right hand to push against his knee while his left hand suddenly swung down to hit Joseph’s nape.

Joseph had to retreat and abandon his offensive, using his right arm to block the opponent’s strike before he had a chance to pull back.

Joseph swiftly retreated as both hands moved at lightning speed to parry a foot aiming for his crotch, then took another step back to escape the opponent’s attack range.

Groin kicks are seen in almost every combat technique, though they are prohibited in formal competitions, but this isn’t sport, so any move is permissible.

Joseph stepped back two steps without thinking or hesitating, immediately returning to the offensive.

This time, Joseph seemed to abandon a simultaneous attack-and-defense strategy, opting to risk it all by getting close to his opponent, throwing a punch directly at his chin with both fists, starting with the left.

With a crisp sound, Joseph’s right punch was deflected, followed by another crisp sound as his left punch was blocked, and the opponent, after blocking, smoothly sent his fist towards Joseph.

At this moment, both of Joseph’s arms had lost their ability to block, so he either had to retreat quickly or take the punch.

But just then, although Joseph’s arms hadn’t yet moved and a fist was already close to his face, the Iranian opponent suddenly let out a scream and immediately collapsed forward weakly.

The punch powerless landed slightly below the chin on Joseph’s chest, and Joseph used his hand to brush aside the attack, watching as his opponent opened his mouth wide and silently knelt at his feet.

Gao Yang almost cried out.

The technique of kicking the groin exists in many martial arts, but to execute it without moving the shoulder, without raising the hand, without any sign, abruptly with an upright kick—that’s the essence of his unbeatable Groin Kick. Observe Joseph now, with both hands raised forward—that motion and posture are exactly like the Kick Ram’s signature move when holding a gun and delivering a flying kick.

Watching as his opponent first curled up and knelt down before slowly leaning over to the ground, Joseph lowered his raised arms, bowed slightly towards the fallen opponent, then turning to stand in front of Gao Yang, grabbed the gun he had placed on the carpet and slipped it into his waist, thereafter standing beside Gao Yang.

"Shameless!"

A burly man, trembling with anger, shouted at Joseph with a furious tone, and Joseph, hearing this, said nothing, walked back to the area, executed an identical kick to the one his opponent attempted, then stood back without a word.

Lavagani’s face turned pale, but at that moment, applause filled the room.

Gao Yang clapped his hands, smiling and saying, "Not bad, not bad, both sides showed impressive skills, except..."

Gao Yang stopped clapping, turned to Joseph beside him, and said, "You should be more careful, right? Sometimes you take someone else’s place, isn’t that so? But there’s no helping it; fighting is like this—injuries are inevitable."

Lavagani’s mouth twitched, and with a grim expression, he clapped twice as well, then slowly said, "Indeed, injuries are inevitable, it’s no big deal, let’s continue."

Upon hearing that this would continue, Joseph discreetly took a small step forward, while Gao Yang, with a slightly troubled expression, said, "Continue? Then I must enter. So, Mr. Lavagani is indeed skilled in combat—please give me plenty of guidance."

You’re out to make me lose face, I can’t possibly show you a good face. Gao Yang just wanted to embarrass Lavagani, so he spoke as he prepared to stand.