"Hey, kid, you sure you want to fight me?"
"If I make a move, it won't just be crying you hear!"
The stone man said in a gruff voice, his tone not one of concern but of mockery.
"We've signed an agreement, I hope you'll keep your word!"
Zhang Mo said with a cold face, his expression serious.
"Hahaha, ma'am, your son is truly amusing!"
"If you're willing to come to my room for a drink tonight, I might consider just knocking this little guy out of the ring!"
"After all... madam, you wouldn't want your son to get hurt, would you?"
The stone man's gaze lingered impertinently on Katerina.
"Heh, the last person who dared to be so rude to me has grass growing a foot high over their grave."
Katerina stared directly at the stone man, saying calmly.
There was no shortage of daring individuals in the apocalypse, but any who foolishly dared to offend Katerina would at the very least lose their eyes.
This stone man dared to disrespect Katerina publicly, and in her mind, the man was already dead.
Katerina had told her son not to be too heavy-handed because Zhang Mo was just a child, not yet seven years old, and deserved a childhood like any other child.
Even if his preferred pastime was fighting, which was slightly different from other children...
But fighting could be considered a special skill, much like... martial arts, or taekwondo.
However, one should never kill easily; it was better for children to retain their innocence.
Zhang Mo might not be able to kill, but that didn't mean Katerina couldn't.
On the contrary, she had hundreds, if not thousands, of souls to her name, and she didn't mind adding one more to the count of the fearless.
"Haha, madam, you're as exaggerated as your son, haha, too funny!"
"However... I will make you change your tune!"
Saying this, the stone man reached out and forcefully squeezed the iron railing at the edge of the ring.
A steel pillar as thick as an arm visibly bore the imprint of five fingers!
Seeing this, the referee couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Zhang Mo and quietly reminded him:
"Every match is recorded on video, be mindful of that!"
His meaning was clear: if the stone man went too hard and beat a seven-year-old boy to a pulp...
Even though the waiver would cover it, public opinion would surely condemn him.
In the future, major powers hiring espers or brands selecting endorsers would not prioritize espers with a poor reputation.
"Hmph, consider yourselves lucky!"
The stone man snorted coldly.
"Match, begin!"
The referee shouted loudly from outside the ring.
"I'll crush you, you little Eastern..."
Before the stone man could finish speaking, he was suddenly sent flying horizontally.
As he flew, the stones on his body began to rapidly disintegrate, shatter, and turn into smoke that lingered in the air.
The speed was so great that the referee didn't even have time to react.
He saw a black shadow, trailing a long plume of dust, smash into the wall of the arena.
*Thud!*
A large crater appeared in the wall, and broken bricks cascaded onto the ground.
At this point, the stone man had reverted to his human form, with only a few parts of his hands and feet still covered in rock.
The stone on other parts of his body had turned to ash, revealing his muscular physique.
However, for espers, being muscular was of little use.
The power manifested through abilities was far, far greater than the strength provided by muscles.
"Referee uncle, can you announce the match result now!"
Zhang Mo stood in place, not having moved an inch, as if he had won with a casual swing of his fist.
A hint of disappointment and lingering desire was on his face.
"Y-yes, you won!"
The referee's jaw almost dropped in astonishment.
"Mo Mo?!"
Katerina placed her hands on her hips, her expression one of disbelief.
Zhang Mo shrugged. As soon as he stepped off the ring, Katerina pulled him aside and reprimanded him in a low voice:
"Didn't we agree? You must go easy, go easier! These people here can't handle your attacks!"
"You controlled yourself so well in the previous matches, why couldn't you control yourself in this one?"
"You know your father doesn't like us to be too flamboyant. He doesn't even know you're competing, and if this makes the news..."
"I know!" Zhang Mo said, puffing out his small chest.
"You know, and you still did it?"
Katerina looked genuinely surprised.
"Because this guy was rude to you, so I needed to teach him a lesson!"
"He can say whatever he wants about me, but he absolutely cannot say anything about my family, or I will make sure he understands the consequences of his rudeness!"
"I don't care about the news, or what others think. This is my bottom line, and no one can touch it!"
Zhang Mo tilted his head and said earnestly.
It was unclear where he had learned about "bottom lines," but he sounded like a little adult.
Looking at Zhang Mo, Katerina was deeply touched and hugged him tightly.
After enduring the apocalypse for so long, only Zhang Chen and Zhang Mo treated her with complete trust and offered selfless protection and sacrifice.
Even her adoptive father, Peter, couldn't achieve this.
Let alone the pack of wolves in sheep's clothing, her siblings.
These people were all driven by self-interest, and in their eyes, emotions were a poison that made one vulnerable.
"Come on, Mom will take you for ice cream!"
Katerina wiped away happy tears and led Zhang Mo out by his small hand.
One day later...
The top 64 had been narrowed down to the top 16.
Espers who reached the top 16 on a global scale possessed at least Level 3 esper abilities.
To enhance the entertainment value of the competition and boost audience enthusiasm.
The event organizers specifically chose a valley in the suburbs as the venue.
This location offered various elements such as rivers, rocks, and plants, suitable for espers to utilize the environment to their advantage.
Furthermore, before the competition, the organizers had created a series of player background introductions, weaving various touching stories.
They also allowed all audiences to vote online.
Among them, the winner of "Most Beautiful Esper" was Shirley, and the most popular esper was a man with the formidable ability to control gravity.
Zhang Mo was awarded "Most Promising Esper."
The first round consisted of four matches, one of which featured Shirley, who advanced directly through financial means.
As Qian Xinxin had said, she was up against the Thorn Woman.
In the valley environment, plants of all kinds grew everywhere.
This was a significant advantage for the Thorn Woman.
It was evident that Qian Xinxin had put in considerable effort for the 1:15 odds.
At least, laymen seeing this terrain would already believe that the Thorn Woman was destined to win.