"Well done, young man from the East! Instead of violently subduing them, you chose the civilized path of arm wrestling to win them over. Your noble character is admirable. Win or lose, I support you."
An elderly bystander, leaning on his cane, shouted his support for Lin Li's actions. In his life experience, violence had caused too much destruction and death, sorrow and anger, hatred and jealousy. Lin Li's approach, compared to a direct fight that would lead to injuries, anger, hatred, destruction, or death, was far more civilized. Therefore, the old man praised him without reservation.
"What, arm wrestling? What about the promised Chinese Kung Fu, one against ten?"
"Oh no, please, let's have a direct, fist-to-flesh fight! I still want to witness the power of Chinese Kung Fu."
"Chinese Kung Fu arm wrestling? Are you kidding me?"
Some young people were not satisfied with this outcome. A powerful, exhilarating battle was what they craved. Excitement, death, and destruction were the themes for young people, and arm wrestling was far less thrilling than a direct fight.
These young people, who wanted to see a blockbuster, were unhesitatingly lectured by the elders around them. Having experienced more, the elders knew the catastrophic consequences of violence. Arm wrestling, a method that could demonstrate dynamic strength and resolve a dispute, was not a bad idea.
At a red plastic table with a Coca-Cola logo, the table was dry with some dust and dead leaves. Lin Li swept his arm, cleaned a chair, then sat down decisively, his right elbow resting on the table. Opposite him were the ten burly men with broad chests and wide shoulders led by Jetts.
"Ten of you, who's first?"
Jetts and his ten men looked at each other. None of them believed that Lin Li's small arms were truly that weak. Anyone who had seen Lin Li crush a basketball, coupled with his fearless and calm demeanor, dared not underestimate him.
Even though his arms seemed so small compared to each of theirs.
Finally, a Black man, whose physique was considered above average among the ten, sat down opposite him.
The Black man was drenched in sweat, his muscles bulging, his number 7 basketball jersey stretched taut.
Lin Li's hand was grasped, a large, sweaty hand enveloping his, with only his fingertips visible.
Jetts called out the start.
"Three, two, one!"
Immediately, the atmosphere instantly became lively, with the shouts and cheers of the onlookers echoing endlessly.
"Go, number 7 Black man!"
"Push harder! Use all your strength! Defeat the young man from the East!"
"Go, Chinese Kung Fu…"
After the start, within 1 or 2 seconds, the number 7 Black man strained with all his might, veins popping out on his face and arms, terrifyingly writhing, and more sweat profusely oozing from his pores.
By the 3-second mark, the number 7 Black man began to tremble, his effort pushed to the limit, causing the tremor, and his right hand was illegally bracing against the underside of the table.
Lin Li paid no attention. His hand remained there like steel, unmoving. Even his face and arm were calm and composed, a stark contrast to the number 7 Black man, who was drenched in sweat with veins bulging.
Lin Li saw that it was about time, and he had given the Black man enough time to display his strength. He exerted a little force with his hand.
"One." 'Bang!' The number 7 Black man was completely defeated.
"Two." 'Bang!' The number 3 White man was completely defeated.
"Three." 'Bang!' The number 5 White man was completely defeated.
"Four." 'Bang!' The number 4 Black man was completely defeated.
"Five." 'Bang!' The number 9 Black man was completely defeated.
At this point, Lin Li stopped counting. This right was snatched by the excited onlookers, who, flushed and red-faced, shouted in unison as if they themselves were in the battle.
"Six." 'Bang!' The number 8 White man was completely defeated.
The shouts grew louder. Every strong man who arm-wrestled Lin Li was completely defeated within three seconds, igniting the fervent passion of the crowd.
"Seven." 'Bang!' The number 6 Black man was completely defeated.
The young crowd, eyes wide, called out the exhilarating numbers.
"Eight." 'Bang!' The number 8 White man was completely defeated.
The onlookers' hearts pounded violently, unable to contain themselves, their blood surging, wishing they were the ones, one against many.
"Nine." 'Bang!' The number 2 White man was completely defeated.
Only Jetts, in the number 1 jersey, remained. He stared wide-eyed, watching one by one the tall, burly, formidable, and strong men fall to those small arms.
Unless you've experienced it, you cannot fully comprehend this disparity. Watching one after another, people much stronger than Lin Li, being defeated—this difference, this contrast, was hard to believe.
Before the competition, he had expected a difficult battle, after all, the opponent was someone who could crush a basketball.
But damn it, this was a second-kill, a massacre, a slaughter, with no power to resist. If the opponent hadn't deliberately exerted force after three seconds, he would have lost from the very beginning.
But even if he lost, he had to try this immense power.
Amidst the enthusiastic and fervent atmosphere of the onlookers.
He solemnly grasped Lin Li's right hand.
But from the very beginning, a question arose in his mind.
Am I trying to arm wrestle a pillar of the Earth?
Three seconds.
The onlookers stared intently at their phone timers and the two men, anxiously watching back and forth, their hearts in their throats.
"Ten." 'Bang!' The number 1 White man, Jetts, was completely defeated.
As time ran out, just as they had expected, all ten were completely defeated.
The onlookers erupted in loud cheers and screams, shouting and roaring with excitement, their clenched fists punching the air.
"You are truly amazing, incredibly powerful."
"You are super, super, super, super powerful, I worship you…"
"Chinese Kung Fu is so magical, I want to study at a Chinese university, I want to learn Chinese Kung Fu…"
"Your strength and character have won over everyone. Welcome to America, amazing man from the East."
"I want to find a Chinese boyfriend, that's so cool…"
The onlookers were clearly overly excited, some even talking about Lin Li going to a Chinese university, traveling to China, and even asking for Lin Li's contact information, which was, of course, refused.
The boisterous park quieted down after a while. This scene truly captivated the Americans, who idolized individual heroism, leaving them spellbound.
When Lin Li stood before Jetts and his ten men, the surrounding clamor gradually subsided, as everyone quietly watched for the final outcome.
At this moment, the nine men were lined up behind Jetts, who stood in front, facing Lin Li.
He wore a solemn expression, his face serious, without the playful joking from before.
He bowed towards Lin Li, a 90-degree bow.
He said sincerely and solemnly: "I apologize for what I said to you, a heartfelt and genuine apology, without any falsehood. I admire you, I admire your character. You possess great power but did not resort to violence; instead, you subtly taught us to respect every person, every race, every country."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have insulted you, insulted your country."
Jetts, still bowed, let out a loud shout.
Behind him, the nine men also shouted with all their might.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have insulted you, insulted your country."
The scene was utterly silent.
A minute later, Lin Li finally spoke: "Rise. A minute has passed. I hope that in the future, you will similarly understand how to respect other Chinese people, and not just me."
A warm round of applause immediately erupted, given to Lin Li for his powerful strength, for earning respect for himself and his country. Whether they would respect other Chinese people or not, when they thought of insulting a Chinese person, they would remember today's events. Then, it might be possible to stop the insulting words from being spoken. This was all Lin Li could do; he couldn't change minds, but he could remind them.
The applause also went to Jetts for his sincere admission of wrongdoing. From beginning to end, he took full responsibility for his actions, admitting his mistakes very seriously, without any thought of denial or escape, but facing the right and wrong head-on.
Most of the onlookers watched Lin Li and Jetts with great admiration.
Lin Li finished speaking and then turned to leave.
Jetts called out to Lin Li's retreating back: "I will. Thank you, you taught me respect."
"Can I be your friend? I'm Jetts from Jeep Yorton Street."
Lin Li ignored him, leaving the crowd with his back as he exited the park.